I just saw a discussion among corporate event planners where one person was upset that event organizers don’t give proper consideration to scheduling over top of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.
I can appreciate the annoyance, when I was still a practicing Christian I would never think to schedule a work thing over Easter or Christmas. We should treat others with consideration, and should be mindful of what others view as important days. But I also don’t know what each religion considers to be major, non negotiable holidays. Do you?
Another question, does it matter where the event is? (for example, in the US should less consideration be given to holidays of religions that have fewer adherents?)
Every single Jewish holiday is crucial to our faith and its the kind of disrespect I’ve become accustomed to that I have to be at work, today, on Mishuga Tuesday.
As a secular American, I can tell you my favorite holidays.
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Independence Day - Hot Dogs, Outdoors, Beer, Fireworks
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Thanksgiving - Food, Wine, Family
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Halloween - Costumes, Candy, Booze
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New Year’s Eve - Party, Champagne, usually a charcuterie board
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St. Paddy’s Day - Beer, Corned Beef
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Memorial Day/Labor Day - Backyard BBQs, Beer
Maybe my religion is alcohol.
I understand that the roots of these holidays are religious. Even Christmas. However, I argue that the meaning and traditions of these holidays have been heavily high jacked by American culture and mean more to American culture than they do religion at this point. St. Patrick’s Day? The most people can tell you about St. Patrick’s day is that St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland. And by snakes, they meant Pagans. Who knows what the fuck Halloween means to religious people these days? Hell, without looking it up, what are its roots? I even argue that for a higher percentage of Americans, Christmas is more about presents and Santa than it is Jesus birthday.
I agree with you. St Patrick’s day is basically loved because it was a Holy Day during Lent - meaning people were able to break their fast. For me - a Protestant living in Northern Ireland - it always means a somewhat special Church service. I remember I was in Poland once on Halloween and a bunch of Churches were holding special masses. Halloween is the Eve of All Saint’s Day in Western Christianity. Ever since I chose to follow Christianity more, I have always viewed Christmas with the religious aspect, going to carol services, lighting candles at midnight, etc. But same cannot be said about society. St Valentine’s day is also Christian in origin, although I’ve never seen it that way. I guess it’s just the effect of a Christian society secularising. I believe a similar thing is actually happening on Eid in countries like Turkiye as well. Also with similar stuff in Japan.
I think the trick with a lot of religious holidays is that they’re based on different calendars and move around.
It’s not like Christmas or New Years which are reliably 12/25 and 1/1.
Look at Easter! It could be any Sunday between March 22 and April 25. I couldn’t tell you, without looking it up, when it will be next year. (Pro-tip - it’s 4/20/2025).
At work, we have a lot of folks who celebrate Indian holidays, but the dates for those can even vary regionally.
What’re you talking about? Hanukkah starts on the 25th of Kislev every year. It’s Christmas that shifts about all over the place! Luckily, this year it’s easy to remember as it also happens on the 25th of Kislev.
Though you wouldn’t know it’s one day from going to the stores! It feels like Christmas starts as early as the middle of Tishri these days!
Calendars are arbitrary. Rosh Hashanah is on the first of Tishrei every single year. Not my fault that Pope Gregory the 13th came up with some ridiculous contraption that doesn’t even follow the moon in the 1580s.
What a silly thing to cling to.
Tangentially, whose idea was it that the day starts and ends at some arbitrary point in the middle of the night, not when the sun goes down? Like hello, sun is gone, day is over
Sun goes down, are you crazy?
The sun rising in the morning is clearly the superior indicator for a new day starting. Otherwise we wouldn’t be able to talk about staying up until 2 a.m. on Friday night while hung over on Saturday morning. That would mean Saturday night comes before Saturday!
If anyone needs me I’ll be in the angry dome.
It’s not like Christmas or New Years which are reliably 12/25 and 1/1.
You say that, but then there’s Venezuela.
One thing to consider is that certain holidays (despite being ‘religious’ in nature) arent really treated as religious by the masses.
I dont believe in religions, but celibrate chrismas as a family holiday. Same with easter.
However other holidays are really only going to by celibrated by the religious because there arent enough non practitioners who would also use those holidays.
Theres also the fact that there is supposed to be a seperation of church and state but it is actually a christian controlled government.
Not necessarily, there are a lot of secular Jews who still celebrate chanukah and passover, and even Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
What is the ‘not necessarily’ to? I dont see how your comment disagrees with any of theirs.
Maybe I misunderstood, but I thought they were saying that there are not other holidays observed by secular folks
Wow, chat gpt is getting pretty good…
Here’s a copy/paste from there, I’m impressed.
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You raise an important point about being respectful of others’ beliefs and the holidays they observe. It’s helpful to be aware of the major holidays of different religions, especially when scheduling events. Here’s an overview of key holidays for several major world religions:
Christianity
- Christmas (December 25): Celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. Considered a non-negotiable holiday by most Christians.
- Easter (Date varies, usually in March or April): Celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. Another essential holiday in Christianity.
Judaism
- Rosh Hashanah (Date varies, usually September or October): Jewish New Year, a time of reflection and repentance.
- Yom Kippur (10 days after Rosh Hashanah): The Day of Atonement, considered the holiest day of the Jewish year.
- Passover (Dates vary, usually in March or April): Commemorates the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.
- Hanukkah (Date varies, usually in December): Festival of Lights, though this is less significant religiously than Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur.
Islam
- Eid al-Fitr (Date varies, depends on the lunar calendar): Marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting.
- Eid al-Adha (Date varies, depends on the lunar calendar): Commemorates Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God.
- Ramadan (Month of fasting, dates vary): While not a single day, the entire month of Ramadan is significant for Muslims, with fasting during daylight hours.
Hinduism
- Diwali (Date varies, usually in October or November): The festival of lights, symbolizing the victory of light over darkness and good over evil.
- Holi (Date varies, usually in March): The festival of colors, celebrating the arrival of spring and the victory of good over evil.
Buddhism
- Vesak (Date varies, usually in May): Celebrates the birth, enlightenment, and death of the Buddha.
Sikhism
- Vaisakhi (April 13 or 14): Commemorates the formation of the Khalsa (community of Sikhs) and the start of the Punjabi New Year.
- Guru Nanak Gurpurab (Date varies, usually in November): Celebrates the birth of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism.
Does it matter where the event is?
Yes, context matters. In places like the United States, where there are more Christians than adherents of other religions, Christian holidays like Christmas and Easter are more likely to be widely observed or acknowledged by businesses. However, even if a religion has fewer adherents in a region, showing respect for other religions’ major holidays—like Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur for Jews—is essential for inclusivity, especially in diverse workplaces or in situations where people of different faiths may be involved.
In the corporate world, being sensitive to major holidays across different religions is a sign of respect and can promote inclusivity. Ideally, event organizers should consider consulting with employees or clients from diverse religious backgrounds when planning key events to ensure that no one is put in a difficult position. This consideration helps avoid scheduling conflicts on days that are significant for their faith.
