2021-22 School Year Observances

*Revised on March 2, 2022 to reflect addition of the Govinda Dawadashi (Hindu), Meena

Sankranthi (Hindu) and Holika Dahan (Hindu) holidays.

The List of Religious Holidays Permitting Student Absence from School

WHEREAS, according to N.J.S.A. 18A:36-14 through 16 and N.J.A.C. 6A:32-8.3(j), regarding
student absence from school because of religious holidays, the Commissioner of Education, with the
approval of the State Board of Education, is charged with the responsibility of prescribing such rules and
regulations as may be necessary to carry out the purpose of the law; and

WHEREAS, the law provides that:

1. Any student absent from school because of a religious holiday may not be deprived of
any award or of eligibility or opportunity to compete for any award because of such
absence;

2. Students who miss a test or examination because of absence on a religious holiday must
be given the right to take an alternate test or examination;

3. To be entitled to the privileges set forth above, the student must present a written excuse
signed by a parent or person standing in place of a parent;

4. Any absence because of a religious holiday must be recorded in the school register or
in any group or class attendance record as an excused absence;

5. Such absence must not be recorded on any transcript or application or employment
form or on any similar form; and

6. The Commissioner, with the approval of the State Board of Education, is required to:

(a) prescribe such rules and regulations as may be necessary to carry out the purposes
of this act; and

(b) prepare a list of religious holidays on which it shall be mandatory to excuse a
student. The list, however, is to be a minimum list. Boards of education, at their
discretion, may add other days to the list for the schools of their districts; and

WHEREAS, the New Jersey Department of Education makes every attempt to ensure the accuracy
of the dates using the lunar, Gregorian and Julian calendars; and

WHEREAS, the district board of education has the right to add any bona fide religious holiday to
the list for its own schools;

WHEREAS, dates within this resolution may not be fixed before the State Board adopts the annual
calendar and may require additional revision; now therefore be it

RESOLVED, that the State Board of Education permits the Commissioner of Education, after
annual adoption by the State Board of Education, to revise the dates provided in list of religious holidays;
and be it further

RESOLVED, that the State Board of Education adopts the following list of religious holidays for
the 2021 - 2022 school year:

2021-22 School Year Observances

July 2021

Date	Observance
July 9	Martyrdom of the Bab (Baha’i)
July 17 - 22	Hajj Day (Islam)*
July 18	Tish’a B’Av (Jewish) Yawm al-Arafa (Islam Dawoodi Bohra)*
July 19	Eid al-Adha (Islam Dawoodi Bohra)*
July 19 - 23	Eid al-Adha (Islam)*
July 24	Asalha Puja Day (Buddhist) Guru Purnima
July 27	Eid-e-Ghadeer (Islam Dawoodi Bohra)*

August 2021

Date	Observance
August 1	Fast in Honor of the Holy Mother of Lord Jesus (Eastern Orthodox Christian) Lammas (Christian and Wicca)
August 6	Transfiguration of the Lord (Eastern Orthodox Christian)
August 9	1st Muharram (Islamic New Year) 1st Muharram (Islam Dawoodi Bohra)*
August 9 - 18	Ashara Mubaraka (Islam Dawoodi Bohra)*
August 12 - 23	Onam (Hindu)*
August 13	Naga Panchami (Hindu)*
August 13 - 15	Obon (Buddhist)
August 15	Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Catholic Christian) Dormition of the Theotokos (Orthodox Christian)
August 18	Yawm Aashura (Islam Dawoodi Bohra)*
August 22	Ulambana (Buddhist) Raksha Bandhan (Hindu)*
August 30	Krishna Janmashtami (Hindu)*

September 2021

Date	Observance
September 1	Ecclesiastical Year begins (Eastern Orthodox Christian)
September 3 - 10	Paryushana (Jain)*
September 6 - 8	Rosh Hashanah (Jewish)
September 7	His Holiness Skaya Trizin's Birthday (Buddhist) Feast of Trumpets (Church of God, Philadelphia Church of God)
September 8	Nativity of Mary (Christian)
September 10	Ganesh Chaturthi (Hindu)*
September 16	Yom Kippur (Jewish) Day of Atonement (Christian, Church of God, Philadelphia Church of God)
September 21	Nativity of the Theotokos (Eastern Orthodox Christian)
September 21 - 27	Sukkot (Jewish) Feast of Tabernacles (Church of God, Philadelphia Church of God)
September 21 - 29	Mabon (Wicca/Pagan)
September 27	The Elevation of the Holy Cross (Eastern Orthodox Christian) Chehlum Imam Hussain (Islam Dawoodi Bohra)*
September 28	Last Great Day (Church of God, Philadelphia Church of God) Sh’mini Atzeret (Jewish)
September 29	Simchat Torah (Jewish)

October 2021

Date	Observance
October 7 - 15	Navaratri (Hindu)*
October 18	Milad an-Nabi (Islam Dawoodi Bohra)*
October 19	Maulid al-Nabi (Islam)*
October 20	Installation of the Scriptures as Guru Granth (Sikh) Birth of B’ab (Bah’i)
October 22	Urus-Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin (Islam Dawoodi Bohra)*

November 2021

Date	Observance
November 1	All Saints’ Day (Christian) Samhain-Beltane (Wicca)
November 1 - 5	Diwali (Hindu, Jain, Puja, Deepavali and Sikh)*
November 2	All Souls’ Day (Christian)
November 5	Goverdhan Puja (Hindu)*
November 7	Birth of Baha’u’llah (Baha’i)
November 9	Milad Imam-uz-Zamaan (Islam Dawoodi Bohra)*
November 21	The Presentation of the Theotokos to the Temple (Eastern Orthodox Christian)
November 24	Guru Tegh Bahadur Martyrdom (Sikh)
November 25	Day of Covenant (Baha’i) Milad Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin (Islam Dawoodi Bohra)
November 27	Ascension of ‘Abdul’l Baha (Baha’i)
November 28th	Nativity Fast begins (Eastern Orthodox Christian) First Sunday of Advent (Christian)
November 28 - December 6th	Hanukkah (Jewish)

December 2021

Date	Observance
December 8	Immaculate Conception (Christian)
December 21 - 22	Yule (Wicca and Christian)
December 25	Christmas (Christian) The Nativity of Christ (Eastern Orthodox Christian)
December 26	Zarathosht Diso (Zoroastrian)

January 2022

Date	Observance
January 1	Gantan-sai (Shinto) Mary, Mother of God - Catholic Christian
January 3 - 10	Holy Convocation (Church of God and Saints of Christ)
January 5	Birthday of Guru Gobindh Singh Sahib (Sikh)
January 6	Feast of Epiphany (Christian) Feast of Theophany (Eastern Orthodox Christian) Nativity of Christ (Armenian Orthodox)
January 7	Feast of the Nativity (Eastern Orthodox Christian)
January 10	Bodhi Day (Buddhist)
January 13	Maghi (Sikh)
January 14	Makar Sankranti and Pongal (Hindu)*
January 16	World Religion Day (Baha’i)
January 17	Tu B’shvat (Jewish)

February 2022

Date	Observance
February 1	Chinese/Lunar New Year (Confucian, Daoist, Buddhist)
February 2	The Presentation of Our Lord to the Temple (Eastern Orthodox Christian) Imbolic-Candlemas (Wicca and Christian)
February 3 - 12	Midwinter Ceremonies (Native American)
February 5	Vasant Panchami (Hindu)*
February 15	Nirvana Day (Buddhist)
February 16	Ayyam al Beez (Islam Dawoodi Bohra)*
February 17	Jonah’s Passover (Eastern Orthodox Church)
February 20	Urus – Syedna Taher Saifuddin (Islam Dawoodi Bohra)
February 26 - March 1	Intercalary Days (Baha'i)
February 28	Yawm al-Mab’ath (Islam Dawoodi Bohra)

March 2022

Date	Observance
March 1	Shrove Tuesday (Christian) Maha Shivaratri (Hindu)* Lailat al Miraj (Islam)*
March 2	Ash Wednesday (Christian)
March 7	Clean Monday (Eastern Orthodox Christian)
March 13	L. Ron Hubbard’s Birthday (Church of Scientology)
March 14	Govinda Dwadashi (Hindu)*
March 15	Meena Sankranthi (Hindu)*
March 17	Purim (Jewish) Holika Dahan (Hindu)*
March 18	Holi (Hindu)* Hola Mohalla (Sikh)*
March 19	Lailat al Bara’ah (Islam)*
March 20	Ostara (Wicca)
March 21	Naw-Ryz (Baha’i)
March 22	Nowruz (Zoroastrian)
March 25	The Annunciation of the Theotokos (Eastern Orthodox Christian) The Annunciation of the Virgin Mary (Christian)
March 26	Khordad Sal (Zoroastrian)

April 2022

Date	Observance
April 1	Souramana Yugadi (Hindu)* Chandramana Yugadi(Hindu)*
April 2-May1	Ramadan (Islam)
April 8	Visakha Puja (Buddhist) Buddha’s Birthday/Buddha Day Buddha Day*
April 10	Palm Sunday Ramnavami (Hindu)*
April 13 - 20	Memorial of the Feast of the Lord’s Passover (Church of God and Saints of Christ)
April 14	Holy Thursday (Christian) Mahavir Jayanti (Jain)*
April 15	Holy Friday (Christian) Passover/Days of Unleavened Bread (Church of God and Saints of Christ) Lord’s Evening Meal (Christian, Jehovah’s Witness) Passover (United Church of God)
April 15 - 22	Passover (Jewish)
April 16	Lazarus Saturday (Eastern Orthodox Christian) Theravadin New Year (Buddhist) First Day of Unleavened Bread (Church of God)
April 16 - 22	Days of Unleavened Bread (Philadelphia Church of God)
April 17	Easter (Christian) Palm Sunday (Eastern Orthodox Christian)
April 18	Easter Monday (Christian)
April 20	First Day of Ridvan (Baha’i) Shahadat – Amirul Mumineen (Islam Dawoodi Bohra)*
April 21	Holy Thursday (Eastern Orthodox Christian)
April 22	Holy Friday (Eastern Orthodox Christian) The Last Friday of the Great Lent (Eastern Orthodox Church) Last Day of Unleavened Bread (Church of God)
April 23 - 24	Laylatul Qadr (Islam Dawoodi Bohra)*
April 24	Easter (Eastern Orthodox Christian) Milad Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin (Islam Dawoodi Bohra)*
April 25	The 11th Panchen Lama’s Birthday (Buddhist) Bright Monday (Eastern Orthodox Christian)
April 26	Hanuman Jayanti (Hindu)*
April 28	Ninth Day of Ridvan (Baha’i) Laylatul Qadr (Islam)*
April 29	Aakhir Jumo’a (Islam Dawoodi Bohra)*

May 2022

Date	Observance
May 1	Beltane (Wicca) Twelfth Day of Ridvan (Baha’i)
May 2	Eid al-Fitr (Islam Dawoodi Bohra)* Eid al Firt (Islam)*
May 5 - 6	Yom Ha’Azmaut (Jewish)
May 19	Lag B’Omer (Jewish)
May 24	Declaration of the Bab (Baha’i)
May 26	Ascension of Our Lord (Christian)
May 29	Ascension of Baha’u’llah (Baha’i)

June 2022

Date	Observance
June 5	Pentecost (Christian)
June 4 - 6	Shavuot (Jewish)
June 12	Pentecost (Eastern Orthodox Christian)
June 16	Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev Sahib (Sikh)
June 20	Fast of the Holy Apostles (Eastern Orthodox Christian)
June 24	Litha (Wicca)

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