If you would like additional support or want to discuss how to communicate with faculty, staff, coaches, or supervisors, contact us at spirituallife@ithaca.edu.
Religious Observance
At Ithaca College we uphold the diverse religious and spiritual traditions - each with their own set of beliefs, practices, and observances that are part of our community. To this end we make a reasonable effort to support students seeking an accommodation for religious observance.
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Religious Observance Policy
Excerpt from the College's Attendance Policy: In accordance with New York State Education Law (Section 224-a), students who miss class due to their religious beliefs shall be excused from class or examinations on that day. The faculty member is responsible for providing the student with an equivalent opportunity to make up any examination, study, or work requirement that the student may have missed. Any such work is to be completed within a reasonable time frame, as determined by the faculty member.
A few suggestions:
- Notify your course instructors at at the beginning of the semester with anticipated absences so that proper arrangements may be made to make up any missed work or examination. The student should consult their academic dean if an instructor is unable or unwilling to grant the request.
- See this sample email to request an accommodation for your classes.
Religious Observances for 2024-2025
The following are important religious holidays from a wide variety of traditions. This listing is not meant to be comprehensive—for that, please see the following website: http://www.interfaith-calendar.org/. We try to reflect our own student population and needs in our community.
2024
| Date | Holiday | Religion | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | |||
| 1 | Feast of Mary Mother of God | Christian/Catholic | Special Worship |
| 6 |
Epiphany |
Christian/Catholic |
Meaningful |
| 7 |
Christmas - Eastern Orthodox |
Eastern Orthodox/Christian |
Special Worship |
| 17 |
Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib |
Sikh |
Special Worship |
| 18 | Bodhi Day | Buddhist | Special Worship |
| February | |||
| 14 | Ash Wednesday | Christian/Catholic | Special Worship |
| March | |||
| 8 | Maha Shivaratri | Hindu | Work-restricted |
| 10 | Ramadan begins | Islam | Work-restricted (Wednesday Afternoon) |
| 15 | Shri Ramakrishna Jayanti | Hindu | Work-restricted |
| 19-20 | Naw-Rúz | Baháʼí | Work-restricted |
| 20-21 | Nowruz | Persian | Work-restricted |
| 23-24 | Purim | Jewish | Special Worship |
| 24 | Palm Sunday | Eastern Orthodox/Christian | Meaningful |
| 25 | Feast of the Annunciation | Christian/Catholic | Meaningful |
| 28 | Holy Thursday | Christian | Special Worship |
| 29 | Good Friday | Christian | Special Worship |
| 31 | Easter | Christian | Special Worship |
| April | |||
| 9 | Ramadan ends | Islam | Work-restricted (Friday Afternoon) |
| 9-10 | Eid al-Fitr | Islam | Work-restricted |
| 13 | Vaisakhi | Sikh | Special Worship |
| 17 | Rama Navami | Hindu | Work-restricted |
| 21 | Ridván begins | Baháʼí | Work-restricted |
| 22 | Passover begins | Jewish | Work-restricted (1st, 2nd, and last 2 days) |
| 30 | Passover ends | Jewish | Work-restricted (1st, 2nd, and last 2 days) |
| May | |||
| 2 | Ridván ends | Baháʼí | Work-restricted |
| 3 | Good Friday | Eastern Orthodox | Special Worship |
| 5 | Easter | Eastern Orthodox | Special Worship |
| 9 | Feast of the Ascension | Christian/Catholic | Special Worship |
| 19 | Pentecost | Christian/Catholic | Meaningful |
| 22 | Declaration of the Bab | Baháʼí | Work-restricted |
| 23 | Vesak | Buddhist | Work-restricted |
| 26 | Trinity Sunday | Christian/Catholic | Meaningful |
| 29 | Ascension of Bahá'u'lláh | Baháʼí | Work-restricted |
| 30 | Corpus Christi Sunday | Christian/Catholic | Meaningful |
| June | |||
| 7 | Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus | Christian/Catholic | Meaningful |
| 11-13 | Shavuot | Jewish | Work-restricted |
| 16 | Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev Sahib | Sikh | Work-restricted |
| 16-17 | Eid-ul-Adha | Islam | Work-restricted |
| 24 | Nativity of St. John the Baptist | Christian/Catholic | Meaningful |
| 29 | Feast of Saints Peter and Paul | Christian/Catholic | Meaningful |
| July | |||
| 9 | Martyrdom of the Bab | Baháʼí | Work-restricted |
| 16-17 | Ashura | Islam | Work-restricted |
| 31 | Feast of St. Ignatius Loyola | Christian/Catholic | Meaningful |
| August | |||
| 12-13 | Tisha B'Av | Jewish | 25 hours fasting, Work-restricted optional |
| 15 | Feast of the Assumption of Mary | Christian/Catholic | Special Worship |
| 26 | Krishna Janmashtami | Hindu | Work-restricted |
| September | |||
| Aug. 31-7 | Paryushan | Jain | Special Worship |
| 15-16 | Mawlid-al-Nabi | Islam | Work-restricted |
| October | |||
| 2-4 | Rosh Hashanah | Jewish | Work-restricted |
| 11-12 | Yom Kippur | Jewish | Work-restricted |
| 16-23 | Sukkot | Jewish | Work-restricted |
| 23-25 | Shemini Atzeret | Jewish | Work-restricted |
| 24-25 | Simchat Torah | Jewish | Work-restricted |
| November | |||
| 1 | All Saints Day | Christian/Catholic | Special Worship |
| 1 | Diwali | Hindu, Jain | Special Worship |
| 2 | Birth of the Bab | Baháʼí | Work-restricted |
| 2 | All Souls Day | Catholic | Special Worship |
| 3 | Birth of Baháúllah | Baháʼí | Work-restricted |
| 15 | Birthday of Guru Nanak Dev Sahib | Sikh | Work-restricted |
| 16 | Remembering the Martyrs of the UCA | Secular | Meaningful |
| 24 | Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib | Sikh | Work-restricted |
| 24 | Feast of Christ the King | Christian/Catholic | Meaningful |
| 26-27 | Ascension of ’Abdu’l-Bahá | Baháʼí | Special Worship |
| 28 | Thanksgiving | Federal | Meaningful |
| December | |||
| 1 | Advent Season | Christian | Meaningful |
| 3 | Feast of St. Francis Xavier | Christian/Catholic | Meaningful |
| 8 | Feast of the Immaculate Conception | Christian/Catholic | Special Worship |
| 12 | Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe | Christian/Catholic | Meaningful |
| 25 | Christmas | Christian | Special Worship |
| 25 | Hanukkah Begins | Jewish | Special Worship |
| 26-Jan. 1 | Kwanzaa | Ethnic | Meaningful |
2025
| Date | Holiday | Religion | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | |||
| 1 | Feast of Mary Mother of God | Christian/Catholic | Special Worship |
| 6 |
Epiphany |
Christian/Catholic |
Meaningful |
| 7 |
Christmas - Eastern Orthodox |
Eastern Orthodox/Christian |
Special Worship |
| 7 |
Bodhi Day |
Buddhist |
Special Worship |
| 14 |
Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib |
Sikh |
Special Worship |
| February | |||
| 26 | Maha Shivaratri | Hindu | Work-restricted |
| 28 | Ramadan begins | Islam | Work-restricted (Friday Afternoon) |
| March | |||
| 5 | Ash Wednesday | Christian/Catholic | Special Worship |
| 13-14 | Purim | Jewish | Special Worship |
| 15 | Shri Ramakrishna Jayanti | Hindu | Work-restricted |
| 19-20 | Naw-Rúz | Baháʼí | Work-restricted |
| 20-21 | Nowruz | Persian | Work-restricted |
| 25 | Feast of the Annunciation | Christian/Catholic | Meaningful |
| 29 | Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev Sahib | Sikh | Work-restricted |
| 29-30 | Eid al-Fitr | Islam | Work-restricted |
| 30 | Ramadan ends | Islam | Work-restricted (Sunday Afternoon) |
| April | |||
| 6 | Rama Navami | Hindu | Work-restricted |
| 12 | Passover begins | Jewish | Work-restricted (1st, 2nd, and last 2 days) |
| 13 | Palm Sunday | Eastern Orthodox/Christian | Meaningful |
| 13 | Vaisakhi | Sikh | Special Worship |
| 17 | Holy Thursday | Christian/Eastern Orthodox | Special Worship |
| 18 | Good Friday | Christian/Eastern Orthodox | Special Worship |
| 20 | Easter | Christian/Eastern Orthodox | Special Worship |
| 20 | Passover ends | Jewish | Work-restricted (1st, 2nd, and last 2 days) |
| 20 | Ridván begins | Baháʼí | Work-restricted |
| May | |||
| 2 | Ridván ends | Baháʼí | Work-restricted |
| 12 | Vesak | Buddhist | Work-restricted |
| 22-23 | Declaration of the Bab | Baháʼí | Work-restricted |
| 27-28 | Ascension of Bahá'u'lláh | Baháʼí | Work-restricted |
| 29 | Feast of the Ascension | Christian/Catholic | Special Worship |
| June | |||
| 1-3 | Shavuot | Jewish | Work-restricted |
| 6-7 | Eid-ul-Adha | Islam | Work-restricted |
| 8 | Pentecost | Christian/Catholic | Meaningful |
| 15 | Trinity Sunday | Christian/Catholic | Meaningful |
| 22 | Corpus Christi Sunday | Christian/Catholic | Meaningful |
| 24 | Nativity of St. John the Baptist | Christian/Catholic | Meaningful |
| 27 | Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus | Christian/Catholic | Meaningful |
| 29 | Feast of Saints Peter and Paul | Christian/Catholic | Meaningful |
| July | |||
| 9 | Martyrdom of the Bab | Baháʼí | Work-restricted |
| 16-17 | Ashura | Islam | Work-restricted |
| 31 | Feast of St. Ignatius Loyola | Christian/Catholic | Meaningful |
| August | |||
| 12-13 | Tisha B'Av | Jewish | 25 hours fasting, Work-restricted optional |
| 15 | Feast of the Assumption of Mary | Christian/Catholic | Special Worship |
| 26 | Krishna Janmashtami | Hindu | Work-restricted |
| September | |||
| Aug. 31-7 | Paryushan | Jain | Special Worship |
| 15-16 | Mawlid-al-Nabi | Islam | Work-restricted |
| October | |||
| 2-4 | Rosh Hashanah | Jewish | Work-restricted |
| 11-12 | Yom Kippur | Jewish | Work-restricted |
| 16-23 | Sukkot | Jewish | Work-restricted |
| 23-25 | Shemini Atzeret | Jewish | Work-restricted |
| 24-25 | Simchat Torah | Jewish | Work-restricted |
| November | |||
| 1 | All Saints Day | Christian/Catholic | Special Worship |
| 1 | Diwali | Hindu, Jain | Special Worship |
| 2 | Birth of the Bab | Baháʼí | Work-restricted |
| 2 | All Souls Day | Catholic | Special Worship |
| 3 | Birth of Baháúllah | Baháʼí | Work-restricted |
| 15 | Birthday of Guru Nanak Dev Sahib | Sikh | Work-restricted |
| 16 | Remembering the Martyrs of the UCA | Secular | Meaningful |
| 24 | Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib | Sikh | Work-restricted |
| 24 | Feast of Christ the King | Christian/Catholic | Meaningful |
| 26-27 | Ascension of ’Abdu’l-Bahá | Baháʼí | Special Worship |
| 28 | Thanksgiving | Federal | Meaningful |
| December | |||
| 1 | Advent Season | Christian | Meaningful |
| 3 | Feast of St. Francis Xavier | Christian/Catholic | Meaningful |
| 8 | Feast of the Immaculate Conception | Christian/Catholic | Special Worship |
| 12 | Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe | Christian/Catholic | Meaningful |
| 25 | Christmas | Christian | Special Worship |
| 25 | Hanukkah Begins | Jewish | Special Worship |
| 26-Jan. 1 | Kwanzaa | Ethnic | Meaningful |
Work-restricted Religious Holy Days:
A recognized denominational sacred or holy day that is observed by persons or groups who are required - through a set or system of religious beliefs, laws/doctrines, tenets, canons or theology - to restrict or limit work and/or physical or mental activity directed toward the production or accomplishment of something; toil; labor. This definition may include academic endeavors (e.g. examinations, classroom activities and research, or out-of-classroom learning experiences).
-Hindu, Jain, and Sikh holy days are calculated on a lunar calendar and are observed at different times in different regions.
-All Jewish and Bahá'í holy days begin at sunset the previous day.
-Observances/practices vary from culture to culture within and across denominations.
Sunday is widely observed as a Sabbath and day of worship for many faith traditions. In the Jewish faith, Saturday (beginning at sunset on Friday) is a work-restricted Sabbath, Regulations governing observance for worship depend on regional customs.
There are no work-restricted holy days within the Christian faith by tenet. By custom, in the United States, Easter and Christmas (a federal holiday) are considered to be non-work days.
Special worship: Such religious observances listed above are NOT work-restricted by definition but may involve a special worship or observance.
Meaningful: Such days are NOT work-restricted by definition but may be particularly significant to persons attending or working at Ithaca College.
A comprehensive list of religious observances can be found here: https://www.interfaith-calendar.org