Washington’s public four-year college and universities support and recognize the holidays, traditional observances and major days of religious significance of the diverse students we serve.
We are supportive and engaged in the continual education of our faculty/staff/students around the traditions of the communities we serve and work to be inclusive of all students. The intent of this calendar is to assist faculty/staff in planning and developing their curriculum, class syllabus and examinations during the term.
2021 – 2022 Calendar
| Holiday or Observance | Religious Group | Dates | Additional Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labor Day | September 6 | Class not in session | |
| *Rosh Hashanah (New Year) | Jewish | September 7-8 | Designated non-work day for observers |
| *Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) | Jewish | September 16 | Designated non-work day for observers |
| *Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) | Jewish | September 21-27 | *Sept. 21-22 primary observation days. Designated non-work days for observers |
| *Shemini Atzeret | Jewish | September 28-29 | Designated non-work day for observers |
| *Simchat Torah | Jewish | September 29 | Designated non-work day for observers |
| Navratri/Dussehra | Hindu | October 7-15 | |
| Indigenous Peoples Day | October 11 | ||
| # Mawlid al-Nabi (birthday of Mohammad) | Islamic | October 18-19 | Date not fixed. See note below. |
| Diwali | Hindu | November 4-8 | |
| Veterans Day | November 11 | Class not in session | |
| Thanksgiving Day | November 25 | Class not in session | |
| Native American Heritage Day | November 26 | Class not in session | |
| Hanukkah (Chanukah) | Jewish | November 28- December 6 | |
| Christmas Day | Christian | December 25 | Class not in session |
| New Years Day | January 1 | Class not in session | |
| Orthodox Christmas | Christian Orthodox | January 7 | |
| Martin Luther King Day | January 17 | Class not in session | |
| Lunar New Year | February 1 | ||
| Presidents' Day | February 21 | Class not in session | |
| Maha Shivaratri | Hindu | March 1 | |
| Beginning of Lent | Christian Orthodox | March 2 | |
| Ash Wednesday | Christian | March 2 | |
| Purim | Jewish | March 17 | |
| Holi | Hindu | March 18-19 | Begins evening of March 17 and ends the evening of March 18 |
| # Beginning of Ramadan | Islamic | April 2 | Date not fixed. See note below. Evening of April 2- May 1 |
| Ramanavami | Hindu | April 10 | |
| Good Friday | Christian | April 15 | |
| *Passover (Pesach) | Jewish | April 16-23 | *Apr.16-17 , 22-23 primary obligation days |
| Easter | Christian | April 17 | |
| Orthodox Good Friday | Christian Orthodox | April 22 | |
| Orthodox Easter | Christian Orthodox | April 24 | |
| # Lailat al-Qadr | Islamic | April 28 | Date not fixed. See note below. |
| # Eid al-Fitr (End of Ramadan) | Islamic | May 3 | Date not fixed. See note below. |
| Memorial Day | May 30 | Class not in session | |
| *Shavuot | Jewish | June 5-6 | Designated non-work day for observers |
| Juneteenth | June 19 | Class not in session Monday, June 20 | |
| Independence Day | July 4 | ||
| # Eid al-Adha | Islamic | July 10 | Date not fixed. See note below. |
| Muharram (Al Hijrah New Year) | Islamic | July 30 | |
| Janmashtami | Hindu | August 18-19 |
* These holidays (or dates within holidays) are designated non-work (observance) days.
# Some of these dates are not fixed to a calendar but based on the actual sighting of the moon and therefore there may be some variance by day.
All Jewish, Islamic, and Bahá’í holidays begin at sundown on the evening before the first date shown.
Future Religious and U.S. Public Holiday Calendars