As a business owner, you will be supervising a diverse group of employees that may all come from a large number of different backgrounds and religions.  Consequently, you should be familiar with all the different religions of your employees as well as the different holidays and events that each religion celebrates.  By familiarizing yourself, you will not be taken by surprise when an employee requests for a day off for religious purposes as well as be respectful to any employee when one of these events happens.  Here are some of the main celebratory events for the four most popular religions that you will likely face as a business owner.

Religious Calendar that Every Business Owner Should Know

Christianity

40 Days Before Easter, Ash Wednesday: Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a period of self-examination among Christians.  Many Christians will be fasting on this day, and it is not uncommon that throughout all of Lent, people will give up one of their vices.  

Sunday Before Easter, Palm Sunday: Palm Sunday celebrates Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, and Christians treat it as a joyous day.

Thursday Before Easter, Maundy Thursday: This day marks the last supper of Jesus and symbolizes the importance of sacrifice in Christianity.

Friday Before Easter, Good Friday: Good Friday observes Jesus’ crucifixion and is a day of mourning among the Christian community.

Sunday after the First Full Moon after March 21, Easter: Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus and is one of the most important Christian holidays.

December 25, Christmas: Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus and is often considered the most important Christian Holiday.

Judaism

14th Day of the Hebrew Month Adar, Purim: Purim is the celebration of Jewish deliverance and is treated as one of the most joyous holidays in Judaism.  

15th to the 21st Day of the Hebrew Month Nisan, Passover: Passover celebrates the freedom of slavery from Egypt and is one of the most important Jewish holidays.

1st Day of the Hebrew Month Tishrei, Rosh Hashanah: Rosh Hashanah marks the Jewish new year and is a day of celebration and feasting.

10th Day of Hebrew Month Tishrei, Yom Kippur: Yom Kippur is considered the holiest day in Judaism and is a celebration of repentance and atonement.  Most will spend the day fasting and praying.

25th Day of Hebrew Month Kislev to the 3rd Day of Tevet, Hanukkah: Hanukkah is one of the most popular Jewish holidays and is celebrated through gift giving and the lighting of a menorah.

Islam

Entire Islamic Month of Ramadan: Ramadan is celebrated by fasting from dusk until dawn every day of the month, and celebrates when the Quran was revealed to Muhammad.

Last Day of Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr: Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan and is the only day in the month where people are allowed to not fast, but instead spend the day praying and feasting.

10th Day of Islamic Month Dhu al-Hijjah, Eid al-Adha: Eid al-Adha celebrates Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his own son and is considered the holiest Islamic holiday.

Hinduism

14th Night of Hindu Month Phalgun, Maha Shivaratri: Maha Shivaratri is a night worshipping Shiva, one of the three Hindu deities, and is celebrated through worship and fasting.

Full Moon of Hindu Month Phalgun, Holi: Holi is the Hindu festival of colors and signifies the coming of spring.  It is a joyous day of celebration within Hinduism.

8th Day of Hindu Month Bhadrapada, Krishna Janmashtami: This is one of the most celebrated festivals that honors the birth of Krishna.  Celebration includes singing and dancing and parades.

First 9 Nights of Hindu Month Ashvin, Navratri: Navratri is a festival honoring Shakti, and is celebrated with worship and dancing.

Five Nights in Hindu Month of Kartika, Diwali: Diwali is the festival of lights and is typically celebrated with the third night falling on the darkest night of the month.  During these days, everything is lit up as much as possible to celebrate the conquering of light over darkness.

Written by Nick Giordano

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