Key Religious / Cultural Festivals 2006
Please Note:
* Holy days usually begin at sundown the day before this date.
** Local or regional customs may use a variation of this date.
01-Jan-06
New Years Day
05-Jan-06
Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh (Sikh)
06-Jan-06
Epithany (Christian)
08-Jan-06
Baptism of Jesus (Christian)
Waqf al Arafa (Muslim)
10-Jan-06 to 13-Jan-06
Eid-Ul-Adha The Festival of Sacrifice (Muslim)
13-Jan-06
Maghi (Sikh)
14-Jan-06
Makar Sankrant/Lohri (Hindu)
17-Jan-06
Blessing of the Animals (Christian)
25-Jan-06
Conversion of St Paul (Christian)
29-Jan-06 to 31-Jan-06
Chinese New Year (Year of the Dog) (Chinese)
31-Jan-06
Al-Hijra New Years Day (Muslim)
02-Feb-06
Candlemas Christian (Catholic)
Vasanti Panchami/Sarawati Puja (Hindu) to 3 Feb
03-Feb-06
St Blaze Day (Christian)
09-Feb-06
Ashura (Muslim)
12-Feb-06
Lantern Festival (1st full moon) (Chinese)
Triodion (Christian)
13-Feb-06
Tu B'Shevat (Jewish)
Magha Puja (Buddhist)
14-Feb-06
St Valentine's Day
26-Feb-06
Mahashivratri (Great Shiva Night) (Hindu)
28-Feb-06
Shrove Tuesday (Christian)
01-Mar-06
Ash Wednesday (Christian)
Lent (Christian) to 16 April
St David's Day
12-Mar-06
Orthodox Sunday (Orthodox Christian)
14-Mar-06
Purim (Jewish)
Holi (Hindu)
Magha Puja Day (Buddhist)
15-Mar-06
Hola Mahalla/Mohalla (Sikh)
17-Mar-06
St Patrick's Day
19-Mar-06
St Joseph, Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Christian)
21-Mar-06
Jamshedi Noruz (Zoroastrian)
Naw-Ruz (Baha'I)
25-Mar-06
Annunciation of the Lord/Blessed Virgin (Lady Day) (Christian)
26-Mar-06
Mothering Sunday (Christian)
Khordad Sal (Zoroastrian)
05-Apr-06
Ching Ming - Ancestral Day (Chinese)
06-Apr-06
Rava Navami (Hindu)
09-Apr-06
Palm Sunday (Christian)
11-Apr-06
Prophet Muhammad's Birthday (Muslim)
12-Apr-06
Lord's Evening Meal (Christian)
13-Apr-06
Maundy Thursday (Christian)
Hanuman Jayanti (Hindu)
Passover/Pesach (Jewish) to 20 April
14-Apr-06
Good Friday (Christian)
Vaisakhi (Baisakhi) (Sikh)
16-Apr-06
Easter Day (Christian)
21-Apr-06
Ridvan (Baha'I) to 2 May
Holy Friday (Orthodox Christian)
23-Apr-06
Easter Day/Pascha (Orthodox Christian)
St George's Day
25-Apr-06
Yom Ha-Shoah (Holocaust Day) (Jewish)
30-Apr-06
St James the Great Day (Orthodox Christian)
Saints Philip & James (Christian)
13-May-06
Vesakha Puja/Wesak/Buddha Day
16-May-06
Lag B'Omer (Jewish)
23-May-06
Anniversary of the Declaration of the Bab (Baha'I)
25-May-06
Ascension Day (Christian)
29-May-06
Anniversary of the Ascension of Baha'U'Llah (Baha'I)
01-Jun-06
Ascension of Jesus (Orthodox Christian)
02-Jun-06
Shavuot - Festival Weeks - Pentecost (Jewish) to 3 June
04-Jun-06
Pentecost/Whitsuntide (Christian)
09-Jun-06
St Columba of Iona (Christian)
11-Jun-06
Trinity (Christian)
15-Jun-06
Corpus Christi (Christian - Catholic)
16-Jun-06
Martyrdom of Guru Arjan (Sikh)
18-Jun-06
All Saints (Orthodox Christian)
21-Jun-06
Summer Solstice
23-Jun-06
Sacred Heart of Jesus (Christian)
29-Jun-06
Feast Day of Saints Peter & Paul (Christian)
09-Jul-06
Anniversary of the Martyrdom of Bab (Baha'I)
11-Jul-06
St Benedict Day (Christian)
Guru Purnima (Hindu)
Asalha Puja Day (Buddhist)
13-Jul-06
Obon-Ulambana (Buddhist)
15-Jul-06
St Vladimir the Great Day (Orthodox Christian)
25-Jul-06
St James the Great Day (Christian)
01-Aug-06
Lammas (Christian)
03-Aug-06
Tish B'Av (Jewish)
06-Aug-06
The Transfiguration (Christian)
08-Aug-06 to 9-Aug-06
Raksha Bandhan (Hindu)
15-Aug-06
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Christian)
16-Aug-06
Janamashtami/Krishna Jayanti (Hindu)
27-Aug-06
Ganesh Chaturthi (Hindu)
01-Sep-06
Religious Year Begins (Orthodox Christian)
08-Sep-06
Nativity of the Virgin Mary (Christian)
09-Sep-06
Lailat-Ul-Bara'h - Foregiveness Day (Muslim)
14-Sep-06
Holy Cross (Christian)
23-Sep-06
Rosh Hashanah (Jewish) to 24 Sept
Navaratri begins (Hindu) to 1 Oct
25-Sep-06 to 23-Oct-06
Ramadan (provisional date) (Muslim)
29-Sep-06
St Michael & All Angels (Christian)
02-Oct-06
Yom Kippur (Jewish)
Dasera (Hindu)
04-Oct-06
St Francis' Day (Christian)
Blessing of the Animals (Christian)
07-Oct-06 to 15-Oct-06
Sukkot Jewish
13-Oct-06
Shemini Atzeret (Jewish)
15-Oct-06
Simchat Torah (Jewish)
18-Oct-06
St Luke Apostle & Evangelist (Christian)
20-Oct-06
Anniversary of the Birth of the Bab (Baha'I)
Lailat-Ul-Qadr (Muslim)
Jummatul Wida (Muslim)
Installation of the scriptures of Guru Granth (Sikh)
21-Oct-06
Divali (Sikh/Hindu/Jain)
24-Oct-06
Eid-Ul-Fitr (Muslim)
31-Oct-06
All Hallows Eve (Christian)
Reformation Day (Christian)
01-Nov-06
All Saints' Day (Christian)
02-Nov-06
All Souls' Day (Christian)
05-Nov-06
Birthday of Guru Nanak (Sikh)
12-Nov-06
Anniversary of the Birth of Baha'U'Llah (Baha'I)
15-Nov-06
Nativity Fast begins (Christian)
24-Nov-06
Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur (Sikh)
26-Nov-06
Christ the King (Baha'I)
30-Nov-06
St Andrew's Day
03-Dec-06
Advent Sunday (Christian)
08-Dec-06
Immaculate Coception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Christian)
Bodhi Day - Rohatsu (Buddhist)
12-Dec-06
Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Christian)
16-Dec-06
Hanukah (Jewish) to 23-Dec-06
Posadas Navidenas (Christian)
21-Dec-06
Winter Solstice
Yule (Christian)
24-Dec-06
Christmas Eve (Christian)
25-Dec-06
Christmas Day (Christian)
Feast of the Nativity (Orthodox Christian)
26-Dec-06
Zarthusht-No-Diso (Zoroastrian)
Boxing Day (Christian)
St Stephen's Day (Christian)
28-Dec-06
Holy Innocents (Christian)
30-Dec-06
Holy Family (Christian)
Waqf al Arafa - Hajj Day (Muslim)
31-Dec-06
Eid Al Adha (Muslim)
Watch Night (Christian)