Religious Observances 2023
About Religious Observances
The calendar below is a month-by-month listing of religious observances for 2023. This list includes the dates for some of the most important religious celebrations of the major religions. Holy days may include fasting or abstaining from specific food or drink for specified periods ranging from a month to more than a day (25 hours) to daylight hours (sunrise to sundown). Absence from work or classes is also common observance, and some holy days start at sundown and end at sundown/nightfall of the concluding date. Dates may not be fixed to a calendar but based on the actual sighting of the moon and there may be variance by a day.
This list is not meant to be comprehensive. Additional holy day listings can be found on the Interfaith Calendar 2023 and Interfaith Calendar 2024.
Religious Observances 2023
| Observance | Religion | Beginning Date | End Date | Day(s) of Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary | Christian | Jan 1 | Sunday | |
| Feast of the Holy Family | Christian | Jan 1 | Sunday | |
| Christmas (Feast of the Epiphany) | Eastern Orthodox | Jan 6 | Friday | |
| Feast of the Nativity | Orthodox Christian | Jan 7 | Saturday | |
| Lunar New Year | Confucian/Taoist /Buddhist | Jan 22 | Sunday | |
| Imbolc | Wicca/Pagan | Feb 2 | Thursday | |
| Lailat al Miraj | Islamic | Feb 17 | Feb 18 | Friday- Saturday |
| Ash Wednesday | Christian | Feb 22 | Wednesday | |
| Orthodox Great Lent | Eastern Orthodox | Feb 22 | Apr 6 | Wednesday- Thursday |
| Purim | Jewish | Mar 6 | Mar 7 | Monday- Tuesday |
| Holi | Hindu | Mar 8 | Wednesday | |
| Ostara | Wicca/Pagan | Mar 20 | Monday | |
| Nowruz | Persian/Zoroastrian | Mar 21 | Mar 22 | Tuesday- Wednesday |
| Ramadan (30 days) | Islamic | Mar 22 | Apr 21 | Wednesday- Friday |
| Palm Sunday | Christian | Apr 2 | Sunday | |
| Mahavir Jayanti | Jain | Apr 4 | Tuesday | |
| Passover (Pesach-8 days) | Jewish | Apr 5 | Apr 13 | Wednesday- Thursday |
| Maundy Thursday | Christian | Apr 6 | Thursday | |
| Good Friday | Christian | Apr 7 | Friday | |
| Easter | Christian | Apr 9 | Sunday | |
| Vaisakhi | Hindu/Sikh/Buddhist | Apr 14 | Friday | |
| Pascha | Orthodox Easter | Apr 16 | Sunday | |
| Ridvan | Bahá?í | Apr 20 | May 2 | Thursday-Tuesday |
| Eid al-Fitr | Islamic | Apr 21 | Apr 22 | Friday-Saturday |
| Beltane | Wicca/Pagan | May 1 | Monday | |
| Vesak (Buddha Day) | Buddhist | May 5 | Friday | |
| Declaration of the Bab | Bahá?í | May 23 | May 24 | Tuesday- Wednesday |
| Shavuot | Jewish | May 25 | May 27 | Thursday- Saturday |
| Buddha's Birthday | Buddhist | May 26 | Friday | |
| Ascension of Baha'u'llah | Bahá?í | May 28 | May 29 | Sunday- Monday |
| Feast of Pentecost | Christian | May 28 | Sunday | |
| Litha-Yule (Solstice) | Wicca/Pagan | Jun 21 | Wednesday | |
| Eid al-Adha | Islamic | Jun 28 | Jun 29 | Wednesday- Thursday |
| First of Muharram | Islamic | Jul 19 | Wednesday | |
| Ashura | Islamic | Jul 27 | Jul 28 | Thursday-Friday |
| Lughnasadh-Imbolc | Wicca/Pagan | Aug 1 | Aug 2 | Tuesday- Wednesday |
| Ganesh Chaturthi | Hindu | Sep 9 | Tuesday | |
| Paryushana Parvarambha | Jain | Sep 11 | Monday | |
| Rosh Hashanah (New Year) | Jewish | Sep 15 | Sep 17 | Friday-Sunday |
| Mabon | Wicca/Pagan | Sep 21 | Sep 29 | Thursday-Friday |
| Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) | Jewish | Sep 24 | Sep 25 | Sunday-Monday |
| Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles-7 days) | Jewish | Sep 29 | Oct 6 | Friday-Friday |
| Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah | Jewish | Oct 6 | Oct 7 | Friday-Saturday |
| Navratri | Hindu | Oct 15 | Oct 24 | Sunday- Tuesday |
| Birth of the Bab | Bahá?í | Oct 20 | Friday | |
| Samhain | Wicca/Pagan | Oct 31 | Nov 1 | Tuesday-Wednesday |
| All Saints Day/Day of the Dead | Christian/Latinx | Nov 2 | Thursday | |
| Diwali | Jain/Sikh/Hindu | Nov 12 | Sunday | |
| Guru Nanak Gurpurab | Sikh | Nov 27 | Monday | |
| Advent | Christian | Dec 3 | Dec 24 | Sunday-Sunday |
| Hanukkah | Jewish | Dec 7 | Dec 15 | Thursday-Friday |
| Bodhi Day (Rohatsu) | Buddhist | Dec 8 | Friday | |
| Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary/Feast of the Immaculate Conception | Christian | Dec 8 | Friday | |
| Our Lady of Guadalupe | Christian | Dec 12 | Tuesday | |
| Christmas | Christian | Dec 25 | Monday | |
| Kwanzaa | African-American | Dec 26 | Jan 1 | Monday- Sunday |