DAYS OF RELIGIOUS

SIGNIFICANCE 2015
A GUIDE

ENGAGE
ENABLE
ENRICH

RELIGIOUS DAYS OF SIGNIFICANCE

FORWARD

FORWARD
Multicultural 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.

MULTICULTURAL 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.

JANUARY 2015

DAY OF RELIGIOUS SIGNIFICANCE

RELIGION

1st

Solemnity of Mary, Holy Mother of God

New 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

Catholic and Certain

Orthodox Christian

Holy Epiphany/The Baptism of our Lord

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

MULTICULTURAL NSW | RELIGIOUS DAYS OF SIGNIFICANCE 2015

RELIGIOUS DAYS OF SIGNIFICANCE

FEBRUARY 2015

FEBRUARY 2015

DAY OF RELIGIOUS SIGNIFICANCE

RELIGION

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

MULTICULTURAL NSW | RELIGIOUS DAYS OF SIGNIFICANCE 2015

RELIGIOUS DAYS OF SIGNIFICANCE

MARCH 2015

DAY OF RELIGIOUS SIGNIFICANCE

1st

Feast of St Ephraim the Syrian

Syrian Orthodox

Bahai Fasting Period

Bahai

Magha Puja/Sangha Day

Buddhist

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

2nd-20th
5th
5th-6th

MARCH 2015

RELIGION

MULTICULTURAL NSW | RELIGIOUS DAYS OF SIGNIFICANCE 2015

RELIGIOUS DAYS OF SIGNIFICANCE

APRIL 2015

DAY OF RELIGIOUS SIGNIFICANCE

2nd

Maundy Thursday/Holy Thursday

Catholic

3rd

Good Friday

Catholic
and 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

Pesach/Passover (first 2 days)

Jewish

5th

Easter Sunday
Feast of the Glorious Resurrection of Jesus Christ

Catholic
and Anglican

5th

Palm Sunday

Orthodox Christian

7th

Guan Yin Bodhisattvas Enlightenment Day

Buddhist

9th

Maundy Thursday

Orthodox Christian

10th

Good Friday

Orthodox Christian

Pesach/Passover (last 2 days)

Jewish

12th

Easter Sunday

Orthodox Christian

14th

Vaisakhi/Baisakhi/Vishu

Hindu

14th

Sikh New Year, Creation of Khalsa

Sikh

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

4th-5th

April 2015

RELIGION

10th-11th

13th-15th

MULTICULTURAL NSW | RELIGIOUS DAYS OF SIGNIFICANCE 2015

RELIGIOUS DAYS OF SIGNIFICANCE

MAY/JUNE 2015

DAY OF RELIGIOUS SIGNIFICANCE

2nd

The Twelfth Day of Ridvan (Holy Day)

Bahai and Hindu

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

Shavuot/Pentecost

Jewish

29th

Ascension of Bahaullah (Holy Day)

Bahai

31st

Feast Day of the Holy Spirit/Feast of Pentacost

Orthodox Christian

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

MAY 2015

4th or 11th

24th-25th

JUNE 2015

RELIGION

MULTICULTURAL NSW | RELIGIOUS DAYS OF SIGNIFICANCE 2015

RELIGIOUS DAYS OF SIGNIFICANCE

JULY 2015

JULY 2015

DAY OF RELIGIOUS SIGNIFICANCE

RELIGION

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

MULTICULTURAL NSW | RELIGIOUS DAYS OF SIGNIFICANCE 2015

RELIGIOUS DAYS OF SIGNIFICANCE

AUGUST 2015

DAY OF RELIGIOUS SIGNIFICANCE

6th

Transfiguration of Our Lord (Feast)

Orthodox Christian

Regional Convention (Sydney)

Jehovahs Witnesses

St Mary of the Cross (Mary MacKillop)

Catholic

Regional Convention (Sydney and Canberra)

Jehovahs Witnesses

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

Regional Convention (Sydney)

Jehovahs Witnesses

Raksha Bandhan

Hindu

7th-9th
8th
14th-16th

AUGUST 2015

RELIGION

15th or 28th

28th-30th
29th

MULTICULTURAL NSW | RELIGIOUS DAYS OF SIGNIFICANCE 2015

RELIGIOUS DAYS OF SIGNIFICANCE

SEPTEMBER 2015

SEPTEMBER 2015

DAY OF RELIGIOUS SIGNIFICANCE

RELIGION

1st

First Parkash Of Guru Granth Sahib

(Opening of the Holy Book)

Sikh

5th

Krishna Janmastami/Jayanti

Hindu

11th-13th

Regional Convention (Sydney)

Jehovahs Witnesses

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

Regional Convention (Sydney and Tamworth)

Jehovahs Witnesses

28th

Sukkot/Feast of Tabernacles (Harvest Festival) first day

Jewish

29th

Holy Archangel Michael

Christian

25th-27th

MULTICULTURAL NSW | RELIGIOUS DAYS OF SIGNIFICANCE 2015

RELIGIOUS DAYS OF SIGNIFICANCE

OCTOBER 2015

OCTOBER 2015

DAY OF RELIGIOUS SIGNIFICANCE

RELIGION

2nd

Jashn-e Mehregan (Persian Festival of Autumn)

Zoroastrian

4th

Sukkot (Harvest Festival) last day

Jewish

9th-11th

Regional Convention (Sydney)

Jehovahs Witnesses

13th-21st

Navaratri

Hindu

Islamic New Year (Hiraj/ 1st Muharram)

Islam

Durga Puja

Hindu

20th

Gurugaddi Day of Guru Granth Sahib

Sikh

22nd

Vijay Dashmi (Dussera)

Hindu

Regional Convention (Sydney)

Jehovahs Witnesses

Ashura (10th of Muharram)

Islam

14th
18th-23th

23rd-25th
24th

MULTICULTURAL NSW | RELIGIOUS DAYS OF SIGNIFICANCE 2015

RELIGIOUS DAYS OF SIGNIFICANCE

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015

NOVEMBER 2015

DAY OF RELIGIOUS SIGNIFICANCE

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

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

7th-14th

DECEMBER 2015

RELIGION

NOTES
1. 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.

MULTICULTURAL NSW | RELIGIOUS DAYS OF SIGNIFICANCE 2015

10