Dear Campus Community, 

The Chaplain’s Office seeks to share important information each year about upcoming religious and spiritual holidays, celebrations, observances, and rituals, including where they fall in the block. This is part of our commitment to helping the campus create an environment that is open to and supportive of a wide range of religious and spiritual traditions and practices. It is also an active way we seek to embody our commitment to religious diversity, inclusion, and Anti-Racism through intentional mindfulness. Access to important dates enables our campus to work towards greater inclusion and understanding, not only within the classroom, but also when planning events, meetings, and other gatherings.  

As in previous academic years, the Chaplain's Office will continue to provide the campus community with information about religious holidays on the Block Plan by: 

• Sending updates in late Spring/early Summer and at the beginning of Block 1 to remind the campus of dates for annual observances; 

• Providing information about religious holidays on the Chaplain's Office website; and 
• Offering the opportunity to opt into the Religious Holiday Calendar on your outlook calendar. 

If you have additional ideas about how we can be helpful and supportive, please let the Chaplain's Office know at kholbrook@coloradocollege.edu or at (719) 389-7986. 

 

Religious Diversity and Inclusion at CC: 

Colorado College strives to be a diverse community of discovery and learning. As such, we seek to create an environment that is open to and supportive of the wide range of religious traditions and spiritual practices on our campus.  

Observance of religious holidays and sacred days can pose significant challenges to our community due to our academic schedule. In the past, students have spoken of CC faculty who were either unaware of the holidays or hesitant to let students make alternative arrangements to complete class assignments. The distinctive pressures of the Block Plan make some students hesitant to celebrate these important holidays. It can be especially difficult for first-year students who are away from family and their home communities for the first time. Likewise, faculty report struggling to support students who fail to communicate their needs in a clear and timely manner as well as having to choose between conflicting roles as responsible teachers or people of faith. Campus-wide meetings and events unintentionally scheduled on major religious holidays lead to feelings of exclusion, lack of understanding, and frustration. The intensity of the Block Plan amplifies these problems. 

Our community continues to move toward overcoming these challenges by working together. Freedom of religious expression and celebration is an important value at Colorado College, and the Chaplain's Office staff is happy to partner with you to support Colorado College's commitment to respect the observance of religious holidays by both individual members and communities within our larger community.  

 As faculty, you can help by asking if students are affected by religious holidays and by providing reasonable alternatives to these days to complete tests, papers, or projects. You may also consider offering flexible deadlines for required class sessions near the time of breaking fasts for specific holidays that require fasting, so there is no undue burden to students.  

As students, you can talk to your professors well ahead of time to communicate your need for accommodations and to make arrangements for completing all work.  

Staff, faculty, and student leaders can pay attention to and be mindful of the Religious Holiday Calendar when planning and scheduling meetings and campus events. All of us can be supportive of an inclusive, welcoming approach to religious and spiritual life at Colorado College.  

 

Specific Traditions and Sacred Days: 
*In this letter we try to group sacred days within the same tradition together and organize the paragraphs related to where their first holiday falls within the academic calendar. Some paragraphs have multiple traditions; thus, the dates might not be perfectly inflowed in Chronos time; religion and spirituality embrace expansive notions of time, and we hope you will too with this letter.   

Please note that this memo includes the most common requests for accommodation; it does not include all holidays, sacred days, holy days, celebrations, rituals, festivals, and days of observation. Students from the traditions below may ask for additional consideration for days not mentioned. Students from other religious and spiritual traditions may ask for similar consideration. If we have not included a religious tradition or major religious holiday of significance to you on the Chaplain’s Office Religious Holiday Calendar (see link at the end of this document) please contact Chaplain Kate Holbrook so we may be mindful of including it in the future. 

 

Within the Jain tradition, Paryushana Parva, focused on fasting, studying sacred texts, and renewal of faith, starts at sundown on Saturday, Aug. 30 for 8-10 days during Weeks 1 and 2 of Block 1. Earth-based practices such as Wiccan and Neo-Pagan honor Samhain on Thursday, Oct. 31 during Week 2 of Block 3; Imbolc on Sunday, Feb. 2 during Block 5 Week 3; Beltane on Thursday, May 1 during the beginning of Block 8 Week 2; as well as the solstices and equinoxes. The spiritual holiday Día de Los Muertos, connected to Meso-American/Indigenous/Christian/Catholic traditions, takes place on Nov. 1-2, at the end of Block 3 Week 2. 

During the 2024-2025 academic year, Rosh Hashanah (The Jewish New Year and the Day of Judgment) begins at sundown on Wednesday, Oct. 2, and ends at sundown on Friday, Oct. 4, during Week 2 of Block 2. Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement and Reconciliation), which is a day of fasting from sundown to sundown, begins the evening of Friday, Oct. 11 and ends at sundown on Saturday, Oct.12, at the end of Block 2 Week 3. Depending on personal practice and family traditions, students may celebrate High Holidays using one, two, or all three days to attend synagogue and to spend time in personal reflection, with their families, or with the Jewish community. Passover will begin at sundown on Saturday, April 12, 2025, during the third weekend of Block 7 and ends at sundown on Sunday, Apr. 20 during Block Break 7. The Passover Seder will be on Saturday, Apr. 12, 2025. Yom HaShoa, Holocaust Remembrance Day, begins at sundown on Wednesday, Apr. 23 and ends at sundown on Thursday, Apr. 24 during Week 1 of Block 8.  Students can learn about information for these and additional religious services and observances by contacting the Chaplain’s Office. 

During the academic year, there are many ceremonial and ritual observances Indigenous/Native American tribes and communities observe. Depending on personal, family, and communal practices, students may choose to go home during these ceremonies and/or find ways, when possible, to observe them on campus. Indigenous/Native American students, staff, faculty, and guests who wish to engage in smudging and/or pipe ceremonies throughout the year while on campus are welcome to participate in these spiritual practices at CC. The college asks that those who wish to do so please submit a Ceremonial Notification form. You can learn more about the college’s smudging policy. Debbie Howell, campus elder-in-residence, is available for community support. 

Among the most prominent Hindu holidays during the academic year are Navaratri, Diwali, and Holi. Navaratri, nine nights venerating the Goddess, takes place from Thursday, Oct. 3 through the night of Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, which is during Weeks 2 and 3 of Block 2. Diwali, a Festival of Lights celebrating Goodness, will take place for five days starting on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, which is during Week 2 of Block 3. Holi, a spring festival of colors signifying the victory of good over evil, takes place on Mar. 14, 2025 during Spring Break. Vaisakhi/Baisakhi, celebrated by Sikh, Hindu, and Buddhist communities will take place on Monday, Apr. 14 in Week 4 of Block 7. 

Buddhists celebrate the Buddha's enlightenment (Bodhi Day) on Sunday, Dec. 8, in Week 3 of Block 4 and remember the Buddha's passing (Nirvana Day) on Saturday, Feb. 15, during Block Break 5. The Lunar New Year, which can be important to Confucians, Taoists, and Buddhists alike, begins on the evening of Wednesday, Jan. 29in Week 2 of Block 5. Visakha Puja, Buddha Day which celebrates Buddha's birthday, is on Monday, May 12 during Block 8 Week 4, in many countries, though some dates may vary depending on country and region. 

Within the Bahá'í tradition, the Birth of Bab takes place at the end of Week 2 of Block 3, starting at sundown on Saturday, Nov. 2, followed a day later with the Birth of Baha'u'llah, the founder of the Bahá'í faith, on Sunday, Nov. 3. 'AIá' (month of fasting) occurs Saturday, Mar. 1 and goes through Wednesday, Mar. 19 during Block 6 and Spring Break. Ridván will begin Sunday, Apr. 20 through Friday, May 2 during Block 8 Weeks 1 and 2. The African-American and pan-African holiday of Kwanzaa, takes place Thursday, Dec. 26 through Wednesday, Jan. 1, during Winter Break, as does the Shinto observance of Gantan-Sai on Wednesday, Jan. 1. 

Next year, Eid al Adha, which celebrates the Feast of the Sacrifice in the Islamic tradition, will occur close to Saturday, Jun. 6*-7, 2025. Ramadan is only one of many important religious holidays in Islam. Muslims observe the lunar month of Ramadan by daily fasting, communal fast-breaking, Qur'an recitation, and personal reflection. In 2025, Ramadan is anticipated to begin at sundown on Friday, Feb. 28in Week 2 of Block 6 and end around Saturday, Mar. 29, during the end of Week one Block 7 in North America. When Ramadan falls within the academic calendar, the Chaplain's Office works with identified students, the Muslim Student Association, and Bon Appetit to arrange and coordinate food to be consumed prior to sunup and after sundown, as well as community-wide gatherings for support and celebration. During Ramadan, it is important to be aware that some students, staff, and faculty will be fasting from sunrise to sundown. Eid al Fitr, which celebrates the end of Ramadan, is anticipated to occur in 2025 at sunset around Saturday Mar. 29. Contact Chaplain Kate Holbrook in the Chaplain's Office with specific questions regarding dietary needs. 

The celebration of Christmas in the Christian Protestant and Catholic traditions will occur on Wednesday, Dec. 25 during Winter Break. During Half Block, the Christian Orthodox Feast of the Nativity will happen on Tuesday, Jan. 7.  The Christian Catholic and Protestant observance of Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the liturgical season of Lent, will fall on Wednesday, Mar. 5, 2025, in Block 6 Week 3. Maundy/Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter, which remember the death and resurrection of Jesus, occur on Thursday, April 17, Friday, Apr.18, and Sunday, Apr. 20, respectively, during Block 7 Week 1 and Block Break 7. The Christian Orthodox Clean Monday (Great Lent) begins on Monday, Mar. 3, during Block 6 Week 3. Throughout the year there are various feast days and Holy Days of Obligation for which Christian students from the Catholic and Orthodox traditions may seek accommodation. 

While this memo includes the most common requests for accommodation, it does not include all holidays, sacred, holy, days of observation, and festival days. Students from other religious traditions may ask for similar consideration. Students from the traditions included within this letter may also ask for additional consideration for additional days of importance. 

If we have not included a religious tradition or major religious holiday of significance to you on the Chaplain’s Office Religious Holiday Calendar (see below) please contact Chaplain Kate Holbrook so we may be mindful of including it in the future.  

Please see the following calendars which may be additional helpful resources.  

Chaplain's Office Religious Holiday Calendar 

Interfaith/Multi-year Calendar 

Harvard Divinity School Multifaith Calendar 

*To download the Religious Holidays Calendar.ics for your Outlook calendar Mac or PC, please visit Chaplain's Office Religious Holiday Calendar. This year, everyone will need to download the calendar. Once you have downloaded it, it will automatically upload new dates for the 2024-2025 academic year. 

If your office plans to acknowledge religious and spiritual holidays, observances, celebrations, and rituals on social media, please be mindful of being inclusive of the holidays you post. Ensuring posts represent the religious and spiritual diversity of our campus community, rather than selective posting for specific holidays, helps us to make sure we build and maintain a welcoming, inclusive, and inviting community. If you have questions or wish to seek guidance, please contact the Chaplain’s Office. In addition, you are welcome to share posts from our Instagram @Chaplainsoffice_CC.  

For more information regarding specific religious holidays and communities, dietary accommodations, and any other questions or concerns related to the spiritual and religious expression on campus, please contact Chaplain Kate Holbrook at kholbrook@coloradocollege.edu or (719) 389-7986. 

With appreciation, 

The Chaplain's Office