For questions, additions, or clarifications, please contact Gladys McCormick, Associate Dean for Diversity Equity and Inclusion in the Maxwell School, or Stephanie Williams, Academic Operations Coordinator for the Maxwell School.
Academic Year 22-23
Fall 2023
September
September 1: First Installation of Guru Granth Sahib in the Golden Temple (Sikh)
Sikh remembrance of the eternal installation of the holy books, Granth Sahib.
September 4: Labor Day
To honor workers as part of the American organized labor movement.
September 5: International Day of Charity
Global solidarity to eradicate poverty
September 6: Krishna Janmashtami (Hindu)
Recommended accommodations: Avoid scheduling major academic deadlines on this day, since it is likely that students will be operating on very little sleep.
This two-day festival celebrates the birth of Krishna, a widely worshiped Hindu god. Krishna is considered to be a warrior, hero, teacher, and philosopher.
September 8: Nativity of Mary (Christian)
Christian celebration of the birth of the Virgin Mary. Tradition celebrates the event as a liturgical feast in the General Roman Calendar and in most Anglican liturgical calendars on September 8, nine months after the solemnity of her Immaculate Conception.
September 11: Paryushana Parva (Jain)
Recommended accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities during the eight days of fasting.
Jain festival signifies human emergence into a new world of spiritual and moral refinement. This festival consists of eight days of intensive fasting, repentance, and pujas. Celebration of the natural qualities of the soul. The eighth day (Samvatsari) is the most important and is focused on forgiveness.
September 12: Paitishahem Gahanbar (Zoroastrian)
There are six Gahanbars (five-day festivals) spread throughout the year. This feast is the Zoroastrians celebrate the creation of the earth or the “feast of bringing in the harvest.”
September 15: International Day of Democracy
2023 Themer: Empowering the next generation
September 15 - 17: Rosh Hashanah (Jewish)
**Holiday with significant work restriction
Recommended accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities on this date. If planning an event, provide food accommodation (kosher restrictions apply).
The start of the Jewish New Year, a day of judgment and remembrance. The Jewish calendar celebrates the New Year in the seventh month (Tishrei) as a day of rest and celebration ten days before Yom Kippur.
September 15: Start of National Hispanic Heritage Month
Celebrates the histories, cultures, and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America
September 16: Mexican Independence Day
September 18: Fast of Gedaliah (Jewish)
Fast day from dawn until dusk on the day after Rosh Hashanah to lament the assassination of the governor of Judah of that name, whose murder ended Jewish autonomy following the destruction of the First Temple.
September 19: Ganesh Chaturthi / Vinayak Chaturthi / Vinayaka Chaturthi / Ganeshotsav (Hindu)
Celebration of the birthday of deity Lord Ganesh (Ganesh Chaturthi). Ganesh is depicted with an elephant's head on a human body and in the Hindu tradition he is the son of Lord Siva and the Goddess Parvati.
September 21 - 24: Mabon /Alban Elfed / Autumnal Equinox (Pagan)
Also referred to as Harvest Home, the Feast of the Ingathering, and Meán Fómhair. Mabon is the second celebration of the harvest, a ritual of thanksgiving for the fruits of the earth, and a recognition of the need to share them to secure the blessings of the Goddess and the God during the coming winter months. It is one of the eight major annual sabbats or festivals.
September 23: Native American Day
Honors those who have been a part of the American tradition even before the United Stated came into being and hopes to change the way people view Native Americans and their culture
September 25 – 27: Rosh Hashanah
Celebrates Jewish New Year and is a time of reflection about the past year and year to come. It also begins the ten days of penitence culminating in Yom Kippur
September 26: First Day of Navaratri
A nine-day festival celebrating the victory of Goddess Durga over Mahishasura, and the victory of good over evil
October
Calendar information from UC DAVIS Multicultural Holidays , Worktango, Interfaith Calendar 2023, and other sources as needed.