The diverse community of American University celebrates several different religious and cultural holidays. Please be mindful of the following dates during the 2020-21 academic year that may require accommodation and are observed by a meaningful proportion of the AU community.  This list is not exhaustive of all holidays or observances, nor active religious communities on campus.  

 

Month	Date	Holy Day	Religion
August	20	Hirja (New Year)	Islam
September	19-20	Rosh Hashana	Judaism
	28	Yom Kippur	Judaism
October	3-4	First and Second Days of Sukkot	Judaism
	10-11	Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah	Judaism
	25	Vijaya Dashmi/Dussehra	Hinduism
November	14	Diwali	Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism
December	25	Christmas	Christianity
January	7	Julian Christmas	Orthodox Christianity
March	28-29	First Two Days of Passover	Judaism
	29	Holi	Hinduism
April	2	Good Friday	Christianity
	3	Holy Saturday	Christianity
	3-4	Last Two Days of Passover	Judaism
	4	Easter	Christianity
	12	New Year/Yugadi	Hinduism
	13	Ramadan Begins	Islam
May	2	Pesach/Easter	Orthodox Christianity
	17-18	Shavuot	Judaism
	24-26	Eid-al-Fitr	Islam

Please note:  For Jewish and Islamic holidays, one should consider the observance beginning at sundown on the day before the holiday; sundown will be at a multitude of times in a virtual teaching environment.  Jewish holy days end one hour after sunset of the concluding day. Islamic and Hindu holy days may also vary depending on the sighting of the moon

For some of the traditions represented on campus, the cessation of regular activities and/or work is a component of the holiday; this would impact a student’s participation in class and completion of assignments on those dates. It should be noted that preference to observe a religious or cultural holiday at a specific place or time, if not a component of the observance, does not qualify for an accommodation.  

The student is responsible for notifying their professor of conflicts with course materials and a religious or cultural observance in a timely manner. The expectation is that an arrangement can be made between the professor and the student. The student is responsible for managing the lost study and work time as a result of an observance. Students should not be penalized for excused absences and are required to make-up materials missed from an accommodation.   

If you need to make a request for a religious accommodation, you can do so through our online form.

If you have any questions about the policy or about religious observance, please contact the Office of the University Chaplain at KSLC@american.edu.