This calendar includes religious holidays, significant events and celebrations, public holidays, and other important dates that should be considered when planning events and activities. These dates are provided to assist the UBC community when planning activities to anticipate when students or staff might choose to seek accommodations for religious observances.

Additional dates of religious observances may be found in the Interfaith Calendar. It is important to note that there are many holy days associated with various faiths and that the absence of such dates on this list should not be interpreted to mean that there should be no accommodation for students who observe those holy days. Finally, some observances are based on an interpretation of the lunar calendar, and thus may vary by one or two days depending upon the interpretation relevant to a student’s faith tradition.

Board of Governors Policy #SC7  (formerly Policy #3) regarding discrimination is in place for all members of the UBC community. Moreover, the University is obligated to comply with the BC Human Rights Code in accommodating students observances of sincerely held religious beliefs.

Religious Accommodations

Students

Recognizing the religious and spiritual diversity of the University, UBC permits students who are scheduled to attend classes or write examinations on holy days of their religions to notify their instructors in advance of the holy day of their wish to observe it by absenting themselves from class or examination. Instructors provide opportunity for such students to make up work or examinations missed without penalty.

For students seeking information on the new policy regarding academic accommodation for religious observances, and cultural observances for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Students, please review your options here.

Faculty and Staff

UBC staff or faculty members may require time away from work for religious observance.  In such circumstances, staff or faculty should make requests to their Manager or Administrative Head of Unit with as much notice as possible, and reasonable efforts will be made to accommodate such requests.

For more information on religious accommodation for staff and faculty, visit UBC Human Resources Accommodation of Religious Observances page.

Days of Significance

2023

JANUARY

UBC Sexual Assault Awareness Month

1 – New Year’s Day
4 – World Braille Day
7 – Orthodox Christmas (Christianity)
15 – Makara Sankranti (Hinduism)
15 – World Religion Day (Baha’i)
22 – Lunar New Year
24 – International Day of Education
27 – International Holocaust Remembrance Day (designated by the United Nations)

FEBRUARY

Black History Month

1 – World Hijab Day
4 – International Day of Human Fraternity
6 – International Day of Zero Tolerance Female Genital Mutilation
11 – International Day of Women and Girls in Science
14 – Missing Women’s Memorial March
20 – Family Day
20 – World Day of Social Justice
21 – International Mother Language Day
21 – Losar (New Year) (Tibet, Buddhist)
22 – Pink Shirt Day (Canada)

MARCH

1 – Zero Discrimination Day / Shivrati (Hindu)
3 – Losar (New Year) (Tibet, Buddhist)
8 – International Women’s and United Nations Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace
7 – Holi (Sikh, Hindu)
20 – International Day of Happiness
20 – Now Ruz (New Year)
21 – International Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination
21 – World Down Syndrome Day
22 – Ramadan begins (Islam)
25 – International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade
31 – Trans Day of Visibility

APRIL

2 – World Autism Awareness Day
5-13 – Pesach / Passover (Judaism)
7 – Good Friday (Christianity)
7 – World Health Day
10 – Easter Monday
12 – International Day of Pink
17 – Laylat al-Qadr (Islam)
18 – Yom HaShoah* (Holocaust Remembrance Day) (Judaism)
20 – Last Day of Ramadan (Islam)
20/21 – Eid-ul-Fitr(Islam)
21 – First day of Ridvan (Baha’i)
22 – Earth Day
22 – Holy Friday (Christianity)
24 – Armenian Genocide Memorial Day (Canada)
26 – International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day
28 – National Day of Mourning (Canada)
30 – Journey to Freedom Day

MAY

Asian Heritage Month (Canada)5 – National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
5 – Vaisakhi Puja (Buddhism)
14 – Mother’s Day
17 – International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia
21 – World Cultural Diversity Day
23 – 29 – Anti-Racism Awareness Week BC
24 – Indigenous Awareness Week
29 – International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers

JUNE

Pride Month (Canada)
Indigenous History Month (Canada)

4 – International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression
5 – World Environment Day
12 – World Day Against Child Labor
15 – World Elder Abuse Awareness Day
16 – Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev Ji (Sikhism)
18 – Father’s Day
19 – Juneteenth
19 – International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict
20 – World Refugee Day
21 – National Indigenous Day- Canada (First Nations, Inuit Metis)
23 – National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism
23 – Nativity of St. John the Baptist (Christianity – East. Orthodox and Western)
25-27 – Shavuot (Jewish)
27 – Multiculturalism Day (Canada)
28 – Stonewall Rebellion Day
28 – Eid-ul-Adha (Islam)

JULY

1 – Canada Day
11 – World Population Day
14 – International Non-Binary People’s Day
18 – Nelson Mandela Day
30 – International Day of Friendship

 AUGUST

1 – Emancipation Day
9 – International Day of the World’s Indigenous People
12 – International Youth day
13-15 – Obon Festival (Buddhism- Shinto)
19 – World Humanitarian Day
23 – International Day of the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition
31 – Ganesh Chaturthi (Hindu)

SEPTEMBER

4 – Labor Day
6 – Janmashtami (Hindu)
8 – International Literacy Day
10 – World Suicide Prevention Day
15-17 – Rosh Hashanah* (Judaism)
19 – Ganesh Chaturthi (Hindu)
21 – International Day of Peace
23 – Bi Visibility Day
24-25 – Yom Kippur (Judaism)
30 – National Day for Truth and Reconciliation / Orange Shirt Day (Canada)

OCTOBER

Women’s History Month
Islamic History Month
Disability Employment Awareness Month
LGBT History Month

1 – International Day of Older Persons
2 – International Day of Non-Violence
5 – World Teachers Day
9 – Thanksgiving (Canada)
10 – World Mental Health Day
11 – National Coming Out Day
11 – International Day of the Girl Child
17 – International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
18 – International Pronouns Day
24 – United Nations Day

NOVEMBER

11 – Remembrance Day
16 – Birth Of The Báb (Baha’i)
16 – International Day for Tolerance
17 – Birth of Baha’u’llah (Baha’i)
16 – International Day for Tolerance
16 – World Philosophy Day
20 – Transgender day of Remembrance
23 – Thanksgiving Day
25 – International Day of Elimination of Violence Against Women

DECEMBER

1 – World AIDS Day
2 – International Day for the Abolition of Slavery (UN)
3 – International Day of Persons with Disabilities (UN)
6 – National Day of Remembrance of Action on Violence Against Women
10 – Human Rights Day
18-26 – Hanukkah (Judaism)
20 – International Human Solidarity Day
25 – Christmas (Christianity)
26- Jan 1 – Kwanzaa

Please note:

* Holy days usually begin at sundown the day before this date
** Local/regional customs or moon sightings may cause a variation of this date during this period