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Monthly Calendar Observances

Because we live in such beautifully diverse community, we work to avoid religious date conflicts for school events, meetings and activities that offer curricular value to our families and students, such as curriculum nights, conferences, board meetings and open houses. To help facilitate that process, a calendar noting significant religious and cultural holidays is shared with school leaders for planning purposes. 

Given that we schedule those important events to avoid curricular conflicts to the extent possible, there will sometimes be non-curricular events and activities, such as sporting events, groundbreakings, filmed community presentations, etc. that will fall on dates that have cultural or religious significance for families.

 Fakequity Collection of Dates (for more detailed information)

This list was compiled with the help of friends, my social media feeds, and basic internet research. It is biased towards US West Coast populations (where I live and have relationships with people and groups). Please check the dates with your local communities to see which ones are important to them and WHEN and how they celebrate, there are often local nuances to these dates. If you have corrections or see omissions please email fakequity@gmail.com.

2023 Culturally Significant Dates

Monthly Recognitions (September-December 2023)

  • Enkutatash – Ethiopian New Year – 9/11/23, annual date 9/11
  • Mid-Autumn Festival / Mooncake Festival – 9/29/23
  • Rosh Hashanah (Jewish) – 9/15- 9/17/23 (starts sundown)
  • Yom Kippur (Jewish) – 9/24 -9/25/23 (starts sundown)
  • Sukkot (Jewish) – 9/29-10/1/23, 10/2-10/6/23
  • United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples – 9/13 – annually recognized
  • Prophet Muhammed’s birthday (Palestine) – 9/27/23
  • Lotu Tamaiti – White Sunday (Samoa) – 10/8/23 – Second Sunday of October, public holiday
  • Indigenous Peoples’ Day – 10/9/23 – observed the second Monday of October
  • All Saints Day – 11/1/23 (annual date 1 Nov)
  • Día de los Muertos – 11/1/23 (annual date 1 Nov)
  • All Souls Day – 11/2/23  (annual date 2 Nov)
  • Diwali / Deepavali / Dipavali / Bandi Chhor Divas (Sikh) – 11/12/23
  • Transgender Day of Remembrance – 11/20/23 – annual date 11/20
  • Bodhi Day (Buddhist) – 12/8/23- annual date 8 Dec, or 1/18/24 for lunar Bodhi Day
  • Human Rights Day – 12/10/23 – annual date 10 Dec
  • Las Posadas and Noche Buena (Christian Latin American) – 12/16-24/23 – annual dates 16-24 Dec
  • Simbang Gabi (Filipino) – 12/16 – 12/24/23
  • Winter Equinox (northern hemisphere) 12/21/23, 7.27 p.m. PST
  • Hanukkah / Chanukah – 12/7-12/15/23 (starts and ends at nightfall)
  • St. Nicholas Feast Day (Orthodox) — 12/6/23, some observe the date as 12/5/23
  • Kwanzaa – 12/26-1/1/24 – annual dates 12/26-1/1
  • Orthodox / Ethiopian Orthodox Christmas / Eritrean Orthodox Christmas (Note: Not all Orthodox celebrate Christmas on this day, many celebrate Christmas on 12/25, the 1/7/24 date follows the ‘old calendar’) – 1/7/24
  • Korean American Day — 1/13/24, annual date 1/13

For a complete list of Jewish holiday dates, please consult this list.