2012
Note: 1. * Holy days usually begin at sundown the day before this date. 
       2. ** Local or regional customs may use a variation of this date.
Bold titles are primary holy days of a tradition.

JANUARY 2012

• 1
  • Mary, Mother of God - Catholic Christian
  • Feast of St Basil - Orthodox Christian
  • Gantan-sai (New Years) - Shinto
  • Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus - Orthodox Christian
• 5
  • Twelfth Night - Christian
  • Guru Gobindh Singh birthday - Sikh
• 6
  • Epiphany - Christian
  • Feast of the Theophany - Orthodox Christian
  • Dia de los Reyes - Hispanic Christians
  • Nativity of Christ - Armenian Orthodox
• 7
  • Feast of the Nativity ** - Orthodox Christian
• 8
  • Baptism of Jesus - Christian
• 9-12
  • Mahayana New Year ** - Buddhist
• 13
  • Maghi - Sikh
• 15
  • World Religion Day * - Baha'i
• 17
  • Blessing of the Animals - Hispanic Catholic Christian
• 18-25
  • Week of Prayer for Christian Unity - Christian
• 20
  • Timkat - Ethiopian Orthodox Christian
• 23
  • Chinese New Year - Confucian, Daoist, Buddhist
• 25
  • Conversion of Saint Paul - Christian
• 28
  • Vasant Panchami ** - Hindu

Definitions

FEBRUARY 2012

• 2
  • Candlemas - Christian
  • Presentation of Christ in the Temple - Anglican Christian
  • Triodion - Orthodox Christian
  • Imbolc - Lughnassad * - Wicca Northern and southern hemispheres
• 3
  • Maha Shavartri ** - Hindu
  • Setsubum-sai - Shinto
• 4
  • Mawlid an Nabi * - Islam
• 5
  • Four Chaplains Sunday- Interfaith
• 8
  • Tu BiShvat * - Judaism
• 14
  • Saint Valentines Day - Christian
• 15
  • Nirvana Day ** - Buddhist - Jain
• 19
  • Meatfare Sunday - Orthodox Christian
  • Transfiguration - Christian
• 21
  • Shrove Tuesday - Christian
• 22
  • Ash Wednesday - Lent begins- Christian
• 26 - March 1
  • Intercalary Days * - Baha'i
  • Cheesefare Sunday - Orthodox Christian
• 27
  • Clean Monday - Great Lent begins - Orthodox Christian

Definitions

MARCH 2012

• 1
  • Saint David of Wales - Christian
• 4
  • Orthodox Sunday - Orthodox Christian
• 8
  • Purim * - Judaism
  • Magha Puja Day ** - Buddhist
  • Holi ** - Hindu
• 9
  • Hola Mohalla - Sikh
• 13
  • L Ron Hubbard birthday ** - Scientology
• 17
  • St Patrick's Day - Christian
• 19
  • Saint Joseph's Day - Christian
• 20 Equinox
  • Ostara * - Wicca northern hemisphere
  • Mabon * - Wicca southern hemisphere
• 21
  • Naw Ruz (New Year) * - Baha'i
  • Norouz (New Year) - Persian/Zoroastrian
• 23
  • New Year ** - Hindu
  • Prophet Zarathustra birth - Zoroastrian
• 23-April 1
  • Ramayana ** - Hindu
• 25
  • Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Christian
• 28
  • Khordad Sal (Birth of Prophet Zaranhushtra) ** - Zoroastrian

Definitions

APRIL 2012

• 1
  • Palm Sunday - Christian
  • Ramanavami - Hindu
• 5
  • Maundy Thursday - Christian
• 6-9
  • Theravadin New Year ** - Buddhist
• 6
  • Good Friday - Christian
  • Lord's Evening Meal - Jehovah's Witness Christians
  • Hanuman Jayanti - Hindu
  • Mahavir Jayanti ** - Jain
• 7-14  
  • Pesach (Passover)   * - Judaism
• 7
  • Lazarus Saturday - Orthodox Christian
• 8
  • Easter - Christian
  • Palm Sunday - Orthodox Christian
• 13
  • Holy Friday - Orthodox Christian
• 14
  • Baisakhi New Year - Sikh
• 15
  • Easter/Pascha - Orthodox Christian
• 19
  • Yom HaShoah * - Judaism
• 21
  • First Day of Ridvan * - Baha'i
• 27
  • Yom Ha'Atzmaut * - Jewish
• 29
  • Ninth Day of Ridvan * - Baha'i
• 30
  • Saint James the Great Day - Orthodox Christian
  • Lazarus Saturday - Orthodox Christian

Definitions

MAY 2012

• 1
  • Palm Sunday - Orthodox Christian
  • Beltane - Samhain - Wicca Northern and Southern hemispheres
• 2
  • Twelfth Day of Ridvan * - Baha'i
• 3
  • National Day of Prayer - Interfaith USA
• 6
  • Visakha Puja - Buddha Day ** - Buddhist
• 10
  • Lag B'Omer * - Jewish
• 17
  • Ascension Day - Christian
• 23
  • Declaration of the Bab * - Baha'i
• 24
  • All Ascension of Jesus - Orthodox Christian
• 27
  • Pentecost - Christian
• 27-28
  • Shavuot * - Jewish
• 29
  • Ascension of Baha'u'llah * - Baha'i

Definitions

JUNE 2012

• 3
  • Trinity Sunday - Christian
• 7
  • Corpus Christi - Catholic Christian
• 3
  • Pentecost - Orthodox Christian
• 9
  • Saint Columba of Iona - Christian
• 10
  • All Saints - Orthodox Christian
• 16
  • Lailat al Miraj * ** - Islam
  • Guru Arjan Dev martyrdom - Sikh
• 15
  • Sacred Heart of Jesus - Catholic Christian
• 19
  • New Church Day - Swedenborgian Christian
• 20 Solstice
  • Litha * - Wicca northern hemisphere
  • Yule * - Wicca southern hemisphere
  • Timkat - Ethiopian Orthodox
• 29
  • Saints Peter and Paul - Christian

Definitions

JULY 2012

• 3
  • Asalha Puja Day ** - Buddhist
• 4
  • Lailat at Bara'ah * ** - Islam
• 9
  • Martyrdom of the Bab * - Baha'i
• 13-16
  • Obon  ** - Buddhist - Shinto
• 15
  • Saint Vladimir Day - Christian
• 20
  • Ramadan Begins * ** - Islam
• 23
  • Emperor Haile Selassi I birthday - Rastafari
• 24
  • Pioneer Day - Mormon Christian
• 25
  • Saint James the Great Day - Christian
• 29
  • Tisha B'Av * - Judaism

Definitions

AUGUST 2012

• 1
  • Fast in Honor of Holy Mother of Jesus - Orthodox Christian
  • Lammas - Christian
• 2
  • Raksha Bandhan ** - Hindu
  • Lugnassad - Imbolc * - WiccaNorthern and southern hemispheres
• 6
  • Transfiguration of the Lord - Orthodox Christian
• 10
  • Krishna Janmashtami ** - Hindu
• 14
  • Lailat al Kadr * ** - Islam
• 15
  • Assumption of Virgin Mary - Catholic Christian
  • Dormition of the Theotokos - Orthodox Christian
• 19
  • Eid al Fitr * ** - Islam
• 29
  • Beheading of John the Baptist - Christian

Definitions

SEPTEMBER 2012

• 1
  • Ecclesiastical Year begins - Orthodox Christian
• 8
  • Nativity of Mary - Christian
• 14
  • Elevation of the Life Giving Cross - Holy Cross Day - Christian
• 17-18
  • Rosh HaShanah * - Judaism
• 19
  • Ganesh Chaturthi ** - Hindu
• 20-29
  • Paryushana Parva ** - Jain
• 22 Equinox
  • Mabon * - Wicca northern hemisphere
  • Ostata * - Wicca southern hemisphere
• 26
  • Yom Kippur * - Judaism
• 28
  • Mesket- Ethiopian Orthodox Christian
• 29
  • Tish'a Bav * - Jewish
  • Michael and All Angels - Christian

Definitions

OCTOBER 2012

• 4
  • Saint Francis DayCatholic Christian
• 1-7 (1-2 Primary Obligation Days)
  • Sukkot * - Judaism
• 8
  • Shemini Atzeret * - Judaism
  • Thanksgiving - Canada - Interfaith
• 9
  • Simhat Torah *- Judaism
• 16-23
  • Navaratri ** - Hindu
• 18
  • Saint Luke - Apostle and Evangelist - Christian
• 20
  • Birth of the Báb * - Baha'i
  • Installation of Scriptures as Gukru Granth - Sikh
• 24
  • Dasera ** - Hindu
• 25
  • Waqf al Arafa - Hajj Day * - Islam
• 26
  • Eid al Adha * ** - Islam
• 28
  • Milvian Bridge Day - Christian
  • Reformation Day ** - Protestant Christian
• 31
  • All Hallows Eve - Christian

Definitions

NOVEMBER 2012

• 1
  • All Saint's Day - Christian
  • Samhain - Beltane * - Wicca Northern and Southern hemispheres
• 2
  • All Soul's Day - Catholic Christian
• 11
  • Jain New Year ** - Jain
• 12
  • Birth of Baha'u'llah * - Bahai
• 13
  • Diwali - Deepavali ** - Hindu - Jain - Sikh
• 15
  • Hijra - New Year * ** - Islam
  • Nativity Fast through 12-25 - Orthodox Christian
• 22
  • Thanksgiving  USA - Interfaith
• 21
  • Yule - Christian
• 24
  • Ashura * ** - Islam
  • Guru Tegh Bahadur Martyrdom - Sikh
• 25
  • Christ the King - Christian
• 26
  • Day of the Covenant * - Baha'i
• 28
  • Ascension of Abdu'l-Baha * - Baha'i
  • Guru Nanak Dev Sahib birthday - Sikh
• 30
  • Saint Andrew's Day - Christian

Definitions

DECEMBER 2012

• 2
  • Advent - First Sunday - Christian
• 6
  • Saint Nicholas Day - Christian
• 8
  • Rohatsu (Bodhi Day)  ** - Buddhist
  • Immaculate Conception of Mary - Catholic Christian
• 9-16
  • Hanukkah * - Judaism
• 16-25
  • Posadas Navidenas - Christian
• 8
  • Nativity of Mary - Christian
• 21  Solstice
  • Yule * - Wicca northern hemisphere
  • Litha * - Wicca southern hemisphere
  • Yule - Christian
• 25
  • Christmas * - Christian
  • Feast of the Nativity ** - Orthodox Christians
• 26
  • Zarathosht Diso (Death of Prophet Zarathushtra ** - Zoroastrian
• 28
  • Holy Innocents - Christian
• 30
  • Feast of the Holy Family - Catholic Christian
• 31
  • Watch Night - Christian

Definitions