Religious Holidays Calendar
A Partial Listing of Religious Holidays for Various World Religions
Academic Year 2007-2008
Academic Year 2008-2009
other Williams College Calendars

Sources: Interfaith Calendar
bbc.co.uk Holy Days & Festivals

The list that follows is not exhaustive; it includes major festivals and holy days for many, though by no means all, religious traditions represented in the Williams community. If it does not include an important date in the religious calendar of your particular tradition, please let us know. Though every effort has been made to insure that this information is accurate, the calendar may include errors - for which we apologize in advance. Note also that some holidays in some traditions are tied to the lunar calendar or to particular cultural patterns that vary by region or by sect which make their location in the calendar somewhat more fluid.

For holidays associated with Christianity, the following notations are used to denote observance by particular strands of the Christian tradition: RC-Roman Catholic P-Protestant O-Orthodox

* Regional customs, group preference or moon sightings may cause a variation of this date.
**Denotes a day on which the precept of the particular religious faith and the practice of nearly all of the adherents is to follow a religious discipline that precludes any academic and/or administrative activity.

Note: A recent enactment of the Massachusetts General Court provides: "Any student...who is unable, because of his religious beliefs, to attend classes or to participate in any examination, study, or work requirement on a particular day shall be excused from any such...requirement, and shall be provided an opportunity to make up such...requirement which he may have missed because of such absence...provided, however, that such makeup examination or work shall not create an unreasonable burden upon such school...No adverse or prejudicial effects shall result toany student because of his availing himself of the provisions of this section." Approved by the Faculty, May 16, 1984 Approved by the Trustees, June 2, 1984