days of religious significance 2015

DAYS OF RELIGIOUS SIGNIFICANCE 2015A GUIDE

ENGAGEENABLE ENRICH

RELIGIOUS DAYS OF SIGNIFICANCE FORWARD

FORWARDMulticultural NSW exists to build and maintain a cohesive and harmonious multicultural society that enriches the lives of all people in NSW. It is driven by three key principles: Engage with all sections of society and break down barriers to participation; enable equitable access to services and programs; and enrich social and economic capacity through cultural diversity as an asset of our State.

Through its enabling Act, Multicultural NSW promotes the equal rights and responsibilities of all the people of New South Wales where individuals share a commitment to New South Wales and Australia, diversity is regarded as an asset, and English is the common language.

This calendar is not a totally comprehensive list of all days of religious observance, but is a guide for employers and managers to assist them in accommodating the need of employees.

2MULTICULTURAL NSW | RELIGIOUS DAYS OF SIGNIFICANCE 2015

RELIGIOUS DAYS OF SIGNIFICANCE JANUARY 2015

Advice was sought from religious leaders in developing this list. The ethnic descriptor preceding religion is not exhaustive and other ethnic groups may also celebrate the same day. Some dates may be slightly different depending on the lunar calendar.

DAY OF RELIGIOUS SIGNIFICANCE RELIGION

JAN

UA

RY 2

015

1st Solemnity of Mary, Holy Mother of GodNew Years Day

Catholic and Certain Orthodox Christian

3rd Mawlid an-Nabi (Prophet Muhammad Birth) Islam

5th Gurupurab/Birth of Guru Gobind Singh Sikh

5th Eve of Feast of Holy Nativity and Theopany ofJesusChrist Armenian Orthodox

6th Feast of Holy Nativity and Theopany of Jesus Christ

Holy Epiphany/The Baptism of our Lord

Catholic and Certain Orthodox Christian

6th Christmas Day/Nativity of Christ Armenian Orthodox

7th Christmas Day/Holy Nativity of our Lord Feast Orthodox Christian

14th Lohri Sikh

16th Makarsankranti/Pongal Hindu

19th Holy Epiphany Orthodox Christian

24th Vasant Panchami Saraswati Puja Hindu

24th Jashan-e Sadeh Zoroastrian


RELIGIOUS DAYS OF SIGNIFICANCE FEBRUARY 2015


FEB

RUA

RY 2

015

2nd Three Days Fast of Nineveh Syrian Orthodox

9th St Marouns Day Maronite Catholic

15th Parinirvana Nirvana Day Buddhist

15th Meeting of Our Lord in the Temple Orthodox Christian

16th Great Lent/Ash Monday Chaldean and MaroniteCatholic

17th Maha Shivaratri Hindu

17th Shrove Tuesday Christian

18th Ash Wednesday (Lent begins) Christian

19th Lunar New Year Buddhist (Mahayana)

19th Losar/Tibetan New Year Buddhist (Vajrayana)

19th Saint Vartans Day Armenian Orthodox

23rd Clean Monday Beginning of the Great Lent Orthodox Christian


RELIGIOUS DAYS OF SIGNIFICANCE MARCH 2015


MA

RC

H 2

015

1st Feast of St Ephraim the Syrian Syrian Orthodox

2nd-20th Bahai Fasting Period Bahai

5th Magha Puja/Sangha Day Buddhist

5th-6th Purim (Esther) Jewish

6th Holi Hindu

18th Mid Lent, Elevation of the Holy Cross, King Abgar ofEdessaand Syriac Martyrs Day

Syrian Orthodox

21st Hindi New Year Telugu New Year/Ugadi/Gudi Padwa

Hindu

21st Jamshedi Noruz (New Year in Fasli Calendar) IranianandKurdish New Year

Zoroastrian (Fasli)

21st Bahai New Year Bahai

23rd St Rafqa Day Maronite Catholic

25th Annunciation of the Virgin Mary Annunciation of the Lord

Orthodox Christian andCatholic

26th Khordad Sal (Zoroasters Birthday in Fasli calendar) Zoroastrian (Fasli)

27th The Renunciation of Shakyamuni Buddha Buddhist Mahayana

29th Palm Sunday Catholic


RELIGIOUS DAYS OF SIGNIFICANCE APRIL 2015


Apr

il 20

15

2nd Maundy Thursday/Holy Thursday Catholic

3rd Good Friday Catholicand Anglican

3rd Memorial of the Death of Jesus Jehovahs Witnesses

4th Holy Saturday (Eve of Jesus Christs Resurrection) Easter Saturday

Catholic and Anglican

4th Hanuman Jayanti Hindu

4th-5th Pesach/Passover (first 2 days) Jewish

5th Easter SundayFeast of the Glorious Resurrection of Jesus Christ

Catholicand Anglican

5th Palm Sunday Orthodox Christian

7th Guan Yin Bodhisattvas Enlightenment Day Buddhist

9th Maundy Thursday Orthodox Christian

10th Good Friday Orthodox Christian

10th-11th Pesach/Passover (last 2 days) Jewish

12th Easter Sunday Orthodox Christian

14th Vaisakhi/Baisakhi/Vishu Hindu

14th Sikh New Year, Creation of Khalsa Sikh

13th-15th Theravada New Year(Cambodia, Lao, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Burma)

Buddhist Theravada

21st First Day of Ridvan (Holy Day) Bahai

29th The Ninth Day of Ridvan (Holy Day) Bahai and Hindu


RELIGIOUS DAYS OF SIGNIFICANCE MAY/JUNE 2015


MAY

201

5

2nd The Twelfth Day of Ridvan (Holy Day) Bahai and Hindu

4th or 11th Visakha Puja/ Buddha Day (The Birthday of Shakayamuni Buddha)

Buddhist

14th Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ into Heaven Christian

16th Night of Isra and Mi^ raj (27 Rajab) Islam

24th Declaration of the Bab in Shiraz (Holy Day) Bahai

24th Pentecost/Whitsunday Catholic

24th-25th Shavuot/Pentecost Jewish

29th Ascension of Bahaullah (Holy Day) Bahai

31st Feast Day of the Holy Spirit/Feast of Pentacost Orthodox Christian

JUN

E 20

15

2nd The Night of 15th of Sha^aban/Lailatul Barat Islam

16th Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev Sahib Sikh

18th Ramadan begins Islam

29th St Peter and St Pauls Feast Day Christian


RELIGIOUS DAYS OF SIGNIFICANCE JULY 2015


JULY

201

5

1st Jashne Tirgan (Celebration of Tishtar) Zoroastrian

2nd Asalha Puja Dhamma Day Buddhist

10th Martyrdom of the Bab (Holy Day) Bahai

13th Night of Al-Qadr/Laylat al-Qadr/Night of Power (27 of Ramadan)

Islam

17th Eid Al-Fitr (end of Ramadan) Islam

18th Mandaean New Year Mandaean

19th Jamshedi Noruz (New Year in Qadimi calendar) Zoroastrian (Qadimi)

19th St Charbels Feast Day Maronite Catholic

24th Khordad Sal (Zoroasters Birthday in Qadimi) calendar) Zoroastrian (Qadimi)

31st Guru Purnima Hindu


RELIGIOUS DAYS OF SIGNIFICANCE AUGUST 2015


AU

GU

ST 2

015

6th Transfiguration of Our Lord (Feast) Orthodox Christian

7th-9th Regional Convention (Sydney) Jehovahs Witnesses

8th St Mary of the Cross (Mary MacKillop) Catholic

14th-16th Regional Convention (Sydney and Canberra) Jehovahs Witnesses

15th or 28th Dormition of the Theotokos Orthodox Christian

18th Jamshedi Nowrus/Shenshai Nowruz or Parsi NewYearinShenshaicalendar

Zoroastrian (Shenshai)

23rd Khordad Sal (Zoroasters Birthday in Shenshai calendar) Zoroastrian

28th Ullambana Day Buddhist


29th Raksha Bandhan Hindu


RELIGIOUS DAYS OF SIGNIFICANCE SEPTEMBER 2015


SEP

TEM

BER

201

5

1st First Parkash Of Guru Granth Sahib (Opening of the Holy Book)

Sikh

5th Krishna Janmastami/Jayanti Hindu


12th Nayrouz/Coptic New Year Coptic Christian

14th Rosh HaShana (Jewish New Year) Jewish

17th Ganesh Chaturthi Hindu

22nd Day of Arafat (Hajj pilgrimage/9th of Dhul-Hijjah) Islam

23rd Eid Al-Adha (10th of Dhul-Hijjah) Islam

23rd Yom Kippur (Jewish Day of Atonement) Jewish

25th-27th Regional Convention (Sydney and Tamworth) Jehovahs Witnesses

28th Sukkot/Feast of Tabernacles (Harvest Festival) first day Jewish

29th Holy Archangel Michael Christian


RELIGIOUS DAYS OF SIGNIFICANCE OCTOBER 2015


OC

TOB

ER 2

015

2nd Jashn-e Mehregan (Persian Festival of Autumn) Zoroastrian

4th Sukkot (Harvest Festival) last day Jewish


13th-21st Navaratri Hindu

14th Islamic New Year (Hiraj/ 1st Muharram) Islam

18th-23th Durga Puja Hindu

20th Gurugaddi Day of Guru Granth Sahib Sikh

22nd Vijay Dashmi (Dussera) Hindu

23rd-25th Regional Convention (Sydney) Jehovahs Witnesses

24th Ashura (10th of Muharram) Islam


RELIGIOUS DAYS OF SIGNIFICANCE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015


NO

VEM

BER

201

5

1st All Saints Day Catholic

2nd All Souls Day Catholic

4th Dehwa Honina (Prosperity Feast) Mandaean

11th Deepavali/Diwali Hindu

13th Bhai Dooj Hindu

13th Birth of Bab Bahai

14th Birth of Bahaullah Bahai

24th Martyrdom Day of Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib Sikh

25th Birthday of Guru Nanak Dev Sikh

DEC

EMB

ER 2

015

7th-14th Hanukkah/Chanukah Jewish

8th Bodhi Day (Enlightenment of Shakyamuni Buddha) Buddhist

14th St Nemetallah Hardini Maronite Catholic

25th Christmas Catholic, Anglican and Certain Orthodox Christian

26th Zartosht No-Diso (Death Anniversary of Zarathushtra) Zoroastrian

26th Second Day of Christmas Chaldean Catholic

NOTES1. The Islamic days may adjust one or two days from either side of the dates above, subject to the Lunar cycle.2. The Jewish days commence at sunset the previous day.


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