At TCU, our ties with the Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, inform our campus today. As a church-related University, those ties are strong and vibrant. Because of this, we support an education that blends together faith, reason and intellectual curiosity on a campus where individuals from all religious traditions and spiritual paths make up our campus community.
It is because of this tie and not in spite of it that TCU upholds a Religious Holiday Policy. Advocated for by student groups, unanimously approved by TCU Student Government Association, and voted into approval by TCU Faculty Senate, this policy allows students to take an excused absence from classes to observe their religious holiday.
To read the formal Religious Holiday Policy, approved by TCU Faculty Senate in the spring of 2020, please click here.
We recommend that students examine each syllabus at the beginning of the semester for potential conflicts, notify the instructor/professor, and follow their directions as to how to request accommodations. For an email template, please click here.
For students, faculty, and staff curious about the religious holiday calendar, please see the chart below. Please direct questions to faith@tcu.edu or 817-257-7830.
Please note that the list that follows is not exhaustive. It includes notable festivals and holy days that may require appropriate accommodations for students and employees; although by no means are all religious traditions represented in the TCU community. If your particular holiday is missing, please contact us at faith@tcu.edu and let us know. Note that some holidays are tied to the lunar calendar or to particular cultural patterns that vary by region, and this means the official date of the holiday can be fluid. Dates marked with a double asterisk (**) denote occasions which will likely result in significant restrictions on academic activity.
Islamic Holidays: Regional customs or moon sightings may cause a variation of the date for Islamic holidays, which begin at sundown the day before the date specified for the holiday. The Islamic calendar is lunar and the days begin at sunset, so there may be one-day error depending on when the New Moon is first seen.
For holidays associated with Christianity, the following notations are used to denote observance by particular strands of the Christian tradition: RC-Roman Catholic P-Protestant O-Orthodox
2021 | DAYS | HOLIDAY | RELIGION |
---|---|---|---|
Aug. 30 Aug. 31 | Sundown - Mon Sundown - Tues | **Sri Krishna Jayanti (date may vary) Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling major academic deadlines on this day, since it is likely that Hindu students will be operating on very little sleep. Some may fast during the first day. | Hinduism |
Sep. 4 Sep. 5 | Sat Sun | Paryushana-Parva Religious accommodations: Jain students and employees may be fasting. | Jainism |
Sep. 6 Sep. 8 | Sundown - Mon Sundown - Wed | **Rosh Hashanah (first 2 days) Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities on this date. If planning an event, provide food accommodation as requested (kosher restrictions apply). | Judaism |
Sep. 15 Sep. 16 | Sundown - Wed Sundown - Thurs | **Yom Kippur Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities on this date. Jewish students and employees may be fasting all day. | Judaism |
Sep. 21 Sep. 22 | Sundown - Tue Sundown - Wed | **Sukkot (1st 2 days) Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities on the first two days. Eve and first day are non-working for Reform Jews; Eve, first and second days are non-working for Orthodox Jews. Judaism | Judaism |
Sep. 27 Sep. 29 | Sundown - Mon Sundown - Wed | **Shemini Atzeret **Simchat Torah Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities on this date. If planning an event, provide food accommodation as requested (kosher restrictions apply). Judaism | Judaism |
Oct. 7 Oct. 15 | Sundown - Thurs Sundown - Fri | Navaratri Note: Some Hindus will pray and fast. | Hinduism |
Oct. 18 Oct. 19 | Sundown - Mon Sundown - Tues | Mawlid al-Nabi (dates can vary by a day) Muslim students and employees may be fasting. | Islam |
Nov. 4 | Thursday | Diwali (Deepavali) Religious Accommodation:. Hindu employees will likely request the day off on this date. | Jainism, Sikhism, Hinduism |
Nov. 5 Nov. 6 | Sundown - Fri Sundown - Sat | **Birth of the Báb Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities on this date. Baha’i employees suspend work on this day and will likely request to have this day off. | Bahá'í |
Nov. 6 Nov. 7 | Sundown - Sat Sundown - Sun | **Birth of Bahá’u’lláh Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities on this date. Baha’i employees suspend work on this day and will likely request to have this day off. | Bahá'í |
Nov. 28 Dec. 6 | Sundown - Sun Sundown - Mon | Hanukkah/Chanukah Recommended Accommodations: Academics and work permitted. Provide food accommodation as requested (kosher restrictions apply—potato pancakes, doughnuts or other fried food is customary). | Judaism |
Dec. 24 Dec. 25 | Friday Saturday | Christmas Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities on this date. Christian employees will likely request to have this day off. | Christianity (RC, P, O) |
Dec. 26 Jan. 1 | Sunday Saturday | **Kwanzaa Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities on this date. African American employees will likely request to have this day off. | African American |
2022 | DAYS | HOLIDAY | RELIGION |
Jan. 1 | Saturday | Gantan-sai Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events and activities on this date (work holiday) | Shinto |
Jan. 7 | Friday | Feast of the Nativity (Christmas) Religious accommodations: Many Eastern Orthodox employees will probably request this day off. | Orthodox Christian |
Feb. 1 | Tuesday | **Chinese New Year Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, and activities on this date. Chinese employees may request this day off. | Confucian, Daoist, Buddhist |
Mar. 2 | Wednesday | Ash Wed, Lent begins (food accommodation as requested) | Christianity (RC, P) |
Mar. 2 Mar. 20 | Wednesday Sunday | **‘Alá’ (Loftiness) 19-day fast, sunrise to sunset each day. Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events and activities on the date. Bahá’ís students and employees may be fasting. | Bahá'í |
Mar. 7 Apr. 23 | Monday Saturday | Great Lent begins/Clean Mon Note: Students and employees may be fasting. | Orthodox Christian |
Mar. 16 Mar. 17 | Sundown - Wed Sundown - Thurs | Purim Recommended Accommodations: Purim is not subject to the restrictions on work that affect some other holidays; however, some sources indicate that Jews should not go about their ordinary business at Purim out of respect for the festival. If planning an evening event, provide food accommodations if requested (kosher restrictions apply). | Judaism |
Mar. 18 Mar. 19 | Sundown - Fri Sundown - Sat | Holi – Festival of Colors (date may vary) Note: Celebrated over 2 days by people throwing colored powder and colored wate | Hinduism |
Apr. 1 Apr. 30 | Sundown - Fri Sundown - Sat | **Ramadan begins Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling major academic deadlines during this time. Be sensitive to the fact that students and employees celebrating Ramadan will be fasting during the day (continuously for 30 days) and will likely have less stamina as a result. If planning an evening event, provide food accommodations if requested (Islamic dietary restrictions apply). | Islam |
Apr. 10 | Sunday | Palm Sunday Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events and activities. Orthodox Christian employees that work on Suns may ask for this day off. | Christianity (RC, P, Eastern Orthodox) |
Apr. 14 | Tuesday | Mahavir-Jayanti Religious accommodation may be requested | Jainism, Sikhism, Hinduism |
Apr. 15 Apr. 23 | Sundown - Fri Sundown - Sat | **Pesach/Passover (first two and last two days) Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events and activities on the first two and last two days of the holiday, provide food accommodation as requested (kosher restrictions apply—the use of leavening is prohibited so, for example, matzah is eaten in place of bread.) | Judaism |
Apr. 15 | Friday | Good Friday Recommended Accommodations: Provide food accommodation as requested. Meat (fish not considered meat) is prohibited during meals for some. | Christianity (RC, P) |
Apr. 17 | Sunday | Easter Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events and activities. Christian employees that work on Suns may ask for this day off. | Christianity (RC, P) |
Apr. 20 Apr. 21 | Sundown - Wed Sundown - Thurs | Ridván (1st day) of Most Great Festival Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events and activities on the 1st day, 9th day, and 12th day of Ridván as work is suspended for Baha’is. | Bahá'í |
Apr. 22 | Friday | Orthodox Great Friday Recommended Accommodations: Great Friday is a strict day of fasting for many Greek Orthodox Christians in the United States. It is suggested to avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events and activities. | Orthodox Christian |
Apr. 24 | Sunday | Orthodox Easter/Pascha Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events and activities. Orthodox Christian employees that work on Sunday may ask for this day off. | Orthodox Christian |
Apr. 27 Apr. 28 | Sundown - Wed Sundown - Thurs | Yom HaSho’ah Recommended Accommodations: Academics and work are permitted. Provide food accommodation as requested (kosher restrictions apply). | Judaism |
Apr. 28 Apr. 29 | Sundown - Thurs Sundown - Fri | Ridván (9th day) Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events and activities on the 1st day, 9th day, and 12th day of Ridván as work is suspended for Baha’is. | Bahá'í |
May 1 May 2 | Sundown - Sun Sundown - Mon | Ridván (12th day) Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events and activities on the 1st day, 9th day, and 12th day of Ridván as work is suspended for Baha’is. | Bahá'í |
May 2 May 3 | Sundown - Mon Sundown - Tues | Eid al-Fitr (date can vary by a day) Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities on this date. Employees will likely ask to take a vacation day on this day, and that request should be granted if at all possible. If planning an evening event, provide food accommodations if requested (Islamic dietary restrictions apply). | Islam |
May 22 May 23 | Sundown - Sun Sundown - Mon | Declaration of the Báb Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events and activities. Work is suspended for Baha’is. | Bahá'í |
May 28 May 29 | Sundown - Sat Sundown - Sun | Ascension of Baha’u’lláh Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events and activities. Work is suspended for Baha’is. | Bahá'í |
June 4 June 6 | Sundown - Sat Sundown - Mon | **Shavuot Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events and activities on the first two and last two days of the holiday. Provide food accommodation as requested. (Kosher restrictions apply—although it is customary to eat dairy). | Judaism |
July 19 July 20 | Sundown - Tues Sundown - Wed | **Eid al-Adha (date can vary by a day) Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, and activities on the first day. If planning an evening event, provide food accommodations if requested (Islamic dietary restrictions apply). Date details: Lunar calendars vary based on region and practice. | Islam |
Aug. 5 Aug. 6 | Sundown - Fri Sundown - Sat | **Tisha B’ Av Recommended Accommodations: Avoid scheduling important academic deadlines, events, or activities on this date. Jewish students and employees may be fasting all day. | Judaism |