House Bill 353 of the 134th General Assembly directed the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE) to develop a nonexhaustive list of major religious holidays or festivals for the next two academic years at the beginning of each academic year. Each state institution of higher education may adopt ODHE’s list in its entirety, or choose instead which holidays to include on its list. As required by the statute, the list of major religious holidays and festivals included herein is non-exhaustive and is not intended to purposefully exclude any religious holidays or festivals. This list is meant to serve solely as a resource for state institutions of higher education to utilize, at their discretion, in adopting a list on their websites.
Judaism
Tu BiShvat
Purim
Yorn HaShoah
Lag B’Omer Pesach (Passover)
Yorn HaSho’ah
Yorn Ha’Azmaut Shavuot
Tisha B’Av
Rosh Hashanah
Yorn Kippur
Sukkot
Shemini
Simchat Torah
Hanukkah
Christianity
Feast of Mary Mother of God
Christmas – Eastern Orthodox Epiphany
Ash Wednesday
Lent
Orthodox Lent
Feast of the Annunciation
Palm Sunday
Holy Thursday
Good Friday
Easter
Pascha/Easter (Eastern Orthodox)
Feast of the Ascension
Pentecost
Trinity Sunday
Corpus Christi Sunday
Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Nativity of St. John the Baptist
Feast of Saints Peter and Paul
Feast of St. Ignatius Loyola
Feast of the Assumption of Mary
All Saints Day
All Souls Day
Dia de los Muertos
Feast of Christ the King
Advent Season
Feast of St. Francis Xavier
Feast of the Immaculate Conception
Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Christmas
Islam
Sabe-Miraj or Lailatul Me’raj
Sabe Barat
Ramadan
Lailatul Qadr
Eid al-Fitr
Day of Arafa/Haj/Waqf of Arafa
Eid-ul Adha
Islamic New Year
Ashura
Mawlid-al-Nabi
Hinduism
Maha Shivaratri
Shri Ramakrishna Jayanti
Holi
Rama Navami
Mahavir-Jayanti
Raksha Bandhan
Krishna Janmashtami
Navaratri
Diwali
Buddhism
Bodhi Day
Lunar New Year
Magha Puja Day
Vesak
Buddha Day/Visakha Puja
Diwali
Sikh
Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib
Mahavir-Jayanti
Vaisakhi
Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev Sahib
Diwali
Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib
Birthday of Guru Nanak Dev Sahib
Baháʼí
‘Alá’ (Loftiness)
Naw-Rúz
Ridván
Declaration of the Bab
Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh
Martyrdom of the Bab
Birth of the Bab
Birth of Baháúllah
Ascension of ’Abdu’l-Bahá
Shinto
Gantan-sai
Setsubum-sai
Other
Kwanzaa
Lunar New Year
Agnosticism - belief that the existence of God or gods can not be known.
Atheism - disbelief in the existence of God or gods.
Baha'i - belief that there is only one god and that this one god is the source of all religions.
Buddhism - beliefs based on Gautama Buddha's teachings in which practitioners seek a state of enlightenment.
Christianity - beliefs based on Jesus Christ's teachings in which followers believe he is the Son of God and salvation from sin. Guidance for believers is found in the Holy Bible.
Hinduism - belief in the doctrines of samsara (cycle of life, death and reincarnation) and karma (law of cause and effect). Embraces a "way of life" as opposed to one, organized religion.
Islam - belief in one God and that Muhammad is the last messenger. Guidance for believers is found in the holy scriptures of the Qur'an and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad.
Jainism - nontheistic religion that practices self-discipline and abstention and has principles of non-absolutism, non-possessiveness and non-violence.
Judaism - belief in one god that was revealed to Abraham, Moses and other Hebrew prophets with whom believers have their own individual relationship. Guidance for believers is found in the Torah.
Odinism - ancient religion that believes in the worship of the Norse God Odin.
Shintoism - an indigenous religion in Japan in which practitioners believe that the Kami (unseen spiritual beings and powers) inhabit all things.
Sikhism - belief in one god and the teachings of the Ten Sikh Gurus enshrined in the Granth Sahib (sacred scripture) in in which believers are supposed to abide by equality, social justice, truthful living and the remembrance of God at all times.
Wiccan/Paganism - ancient tradition that has various views and beliefs and includes pagan practices focusing on nature and witchcraft.