The Holiday Season starts NOW: Navigating Inclusion and Belonging in the Fall
The days are getting shorter and students are returning to school. There are unique areas our businesses and organizaitons to be aware of as we embark on the shifting season–be that literal to the weather or taking note of the cultural, religious, and secular holidays, along with the needs of those who work within your organization. This is a key part of inclusion. Here are some of the dates and a little information about the fall holidays we are diving into.
The “holiday season” in many workplaces is often kicks off in December (or Thanksgiving in the US) and closes at Gregorian new year, January 1.Take note that there are many important holidays that happen in the fall (see a list below) that need to be considered when scheduling major events, deadlines,meetings, and important client engagements so as to not accidentally schedule or create offerings that are on important religious or spiritual dates for staff, clients, or customers.
The following is a list of some major fall holidays that are coming up. Does it mean each of these days are off limits to meetings or events? The short answer: no. The longer answer: it’s up to you, leadership, and the organization to build a culture that is aware of multiple holidays happening and checks in with the team working on the project to see that important dates to that team are respected. When a organization is offering client-facing programs it means, think about who you are attracting to your programs. If you’re looking to have more diverse clients, one small step you can take is to ensure the offering is not on a holy or otherwise significant day.
Important notes:
Many cultural holidays are sunset to sunset (so they span two days) rather than starting and ending within the same 24-hour period. Make sure to do some research or check in, build relationships with those who celebrate to see which days, before or after, are important to have time to be with family, friends, or rest.
Dates of cultural holidays are often not the same day every year but rather revolve around a lunar calendar or non-gregorian calendar, so make sure you check each year for accurate dates (pro-tip check more than one source as not all sources have the same dates– i.e. even google calendar sometimes gets it wrong!).
Not everyone celebrates holidays in the same way. In creating a culture of inclusion, you’re building an environment where it would be safe for staff to request additional days/times to shift due to important holidays rather than making the assumptions that every person of x religion needs x time off. Check in with individuals and build a company culture that honors the time each person needs to connect with their faith and observances.
Some dates may not be official spirutal or religious holidays but they might be observances of losses. Consider how the date October 7th this year will mark 1 year of the violence between Hamas and Israel and the loss of 1,200 Jews on October 7th followed by 40K+ Palestinian lives over the course of this year.
United States Federal Holidays
Labor Day - September 2
Indigenous Peoples Day (formerly known as Columbus Day) - October 7
Veterans Day - November 11
Thanksgiving - November 28
Christmas Eve - December 24
Christmas - December 25
New Years Eve - December 31st
New Years Day - January 1st
Religious/Spiritual Holidays
Note: these are consolidated from Interfaith America and Lewis & Clark University
August 25-26 Arbaeen: the day marking the end of the 40-day mourning period after the Day of Ashura, the anniversary of the death of Husayn ibn Ali, the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, for Shia Muslims.
August 26 Janmashtami: Hindus celebrate Janmashtami, the birth of the God Krishna. Many celebrate with festivals, recitation of religious texts, and dances enacting the life of Krishna.
September 7 Ganesh Chaturthi: Hindus start the celebrations for Ganesh Chaturthi, a 10-day festival marking the birth of Ganesha, the elephant-headed God of prosperity and wisdom. Festivities include setting up Ganesha deities, made of clay and decorated with flowers and lights, in homes and/or temporary public stages called pandals. Food blessed by the deity is given to community members.
September 11 Coptic New Year: also called Norouz, is a feast day that commemorates martyrs and confessors in Coptic Orthodox Christianity
September 15-16 Mawlid: The celebration of the Prophet Muhammad’s birth in the Islamic faith.
September 17- October 2 Pitru Paksha: A period when members of the Hindu faith pay homage to their ancestors, often through food offerings.
September 21-24 Mabon/Autumn Equinox: Pagan and Wiccan religions use this day to mark the autumnal equinox, celebrating a day with equal light and darkness and the second harvest. To celebrate, some pagans might feast with friends and family. Some also pick apples, a common symbol of the second harvest.
October 2 & 3 Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kippur (October 2-12 is the full high holiday time): This is a 10-day event that opens with the new year and closes with a day of atonement. Rosh Hashana (kicks off at sundown on Oct 2nd) begins with the Jewish New Year that highlights rest and reflection is one of the most important Jewish holy days. During the days of repentance, people make amends for all the misdeeds, mistakes, and harm caused in the previous year, knowingly or unknowingly. Yom Kippur closes the holiday Friday evening October 11 and a day of fasting on Saturday October 12th.
October 3-October 12 Navaratri: This annual Hindu festival honors Durga, a goddess also known as Adi Parashakti, who defeated a demon after a battle that lasted nine days and nights. Celebrations begin with worship, scripture readings, and dancing. It ends on the tenth day with Dussehra, which commemorates her victory.
October 11-12 Yom Kippur: This is one of the Jewish faith’s most essential Jewish high holy days. The central themes of Yom Kippur are atonement and repentance.
October 12 Dussehra: One of the significant Hindu festivals celebrated at the end of Navaratri, Dussehra holds different significance in various regions of India. For some, it represents the end of Durga Puja, commemorating Durga’s victory in restoring dharma. For others, it marks Rama’s victory over Ravana during Ramlila. The festivities include fireworks, music performances, and waterfront processions with Durga clay statues.
October 16- 23 Sukkot: A 7-day holiday commemorating when Jews journeyed to the desert on the way to the promised land.
October 20 Birth of the Báb: The Báb, also known as Siyyid-Ali-Muhammad, is a symbolic figure believed to have been sent to tell the Manifestations of God or Baha’u’llah. The day of the Birth of the Báb begins with prayers and devotional readings. It continues with a festive social gathering at home or in a place of worship. In keeping with the essence of Bahá’Ă, the celebrations are open to all.
October 23- 25 Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah: Shemini Atzeret is the first day and celebrates the end of Sukkot. Simchat Torah is the second day that marks the conclusion of the annual cycle of Torah readings.
October 31- November 1 Samhain and Halloween: Samhain was first observed by Celtic Pagans and marked the Celtic New Year, the end of summer, and the end of the harvest season. The Holiday signaled the beginning of winter, which Pagans associated with death. It was considered a time when the veil between the physical world and the Otherworld was thin, allowing spirits of the dead to visit the living. Rituals may include dancing, feasting, being in nature, and building altars to honor ancestors. Samhain is the origin of Halloween.
November 1-2 Dias de los Muertos, Samhain, All Saints, and All Souls: Multiple overlapping religious traditions and cultures, including Wiccan/Neo-Pagan and Christian communities and Mexican and other Latin/x communties. Observance and duration vary.
November 2 Anniversary of the Crowning of Haile Selassie: The day when Haile Selassie ascended the Ethiopian throne. This is one of the holiest days in the Rastafarian year.
November 2* Birth of the Bab: A day honoring the birthday of a co-founder of the Baha’i faith.
November 3 Birth of Baha’u’llah: One of the nine holy days in the Baha’i faith that honors the birthday of one of the co-founders.
November 15* Guru Nanak Ji’s Birthday: A day commemorating the birth of Guru Nanak Ji who founded Sikhism.
November 30 St. Andrew’s Feast Day: St. Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland, Greece, Russia, Ukraine, Barbados, and Romania. This day honors him, his good works, and his canonization in the Catholic Church.
December 1 to December 24 Advent: Advent, from the Latin “coming,” is a season of four weeks of preparation for the coming of Christ, which Christians commemorate on December 25. These four weeks are a time of joyful preparation. The Christian community in the Roman Catholic and Protestant parts of the Christian world celebrate the First Sunday of Advent four weeks prior to Dec. 25. Orthodox Christians follow the Julian calendar and their celebration of Christmas follows a slightly different calendar.
December 8 Feast of the Immaculate Conception: The day that Roman Catholics celebrate Mary’s conception without original sin.
December 21 - January 1 Yule: A Pagan and Wiccan holiday that celebrates the winter solstice.
December 25 Christmas: An important Christian holiday commemorating the birth of Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
December 26 - January 1 Kwanzaa: Kwanzaa is a time for families and communities to come together to remember the past and to celebrate African American culture. Created in 1966 by Maulana Ron Karenga, Kwanzaa is an African American and Pan-African holiday that celebrates history, values, family, community and culture.
December 26 to January 2 Hanukkah: An 8-day celebration in the Jewish faith that honors the victory of Jews over Syrian Greeks.
December 26 St. Stephen’s Feast Day: The day commemorating St. Stephen’s life and service as he became the first Christian to die for the faith.
While every organization is not expected to know, celebrate, observe, or create events around every holiday around the globe, there are so many resources and curated lists of holidays out there. It’s possible to include resources for teams that are planning or creating company calendars to take into consideration. Think about what policies and practices you can implement to in order to care for staff who may need time off, may be hosting family, and/or may be experiencing the start of a new year and the end to the last one while the whole company is still running.
What steps can you take as a manager to support your team? As a teammate what can you do to check in with colleagues around how they would like to observe their upcoming holidays? See what shifts and changes can occur to project timelines to ensure the wellbeing of each person.
Looking for more resources?
Try looking university or interfaith websites to learn more. f you aren’t sure who is religious or oberserves different holidays, it’s a great time to support managers and HR in thoughtfully connecting with staff to learn how the work place can support staff through cultural, religious, or faith centered observances.
