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Holidays, Observances and Religious Holy Days

Saint Louis University provides a calendar of holidays, observances and religious holy days — sourced from Jesuit Resource — for informational purposes. To learn more about which days SLU is formally closed or class is not in session, please view the University's holiday calendar and the University academic calendar.  

The following definitions, also sourced from Jesuit Resource, should be considered when reviewing the calendar.

  • Meaningful: Days marked as meaningful are not work-restricted by definition but may be particularly significant to people attending or working at Saint Louis University.

  • Special Worship: Special worship days are not by definition work-restricted but may involve a special worship or observance.

  • Work-Restricted:  Days denoted as work-restricted are recognized denominational sacred or holy days where religious beliefs, laws/doctrines, tenets, canons or theology restrict or limit work (be it physical or mental). This definition may include academic examinations, classroom activities and research or out-of-classroom learning experiences.

    Learn More About Work-Restricted Days from Jesuit Resource

2024 Dates   Name Type of Observance
January 1 Feast of Mary Mother of God (Catholic) Special worship
January 15 Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Federal) Meaningful
January 17 Christmas (Eastern Orthodox) Special worship
January 17 Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib (Sikh) Special worship
January 18 Bodhi Day (Buddhist) Special worship
February 10 Chinese New Year Meaningful
February 14 Ash Wednesday (Catholic) Special worship
February  14 - March 31 Lent  (Catholic) Special worship
March 8 Maha Shivaratri (Hindu) Work-restricted
March 12 Shri Ramakrishna Jayanti (Hindu) Work-restricted
March 19 Naw-Ruz (Bahá'í) Work-restricted
March 23-24 Purim (Jewish) Special worship
March 10 - April 8 Ramadan (Islam) Work-restricted
March 24 Palm Sunday (Christian) Meaningful
March 25  Feast of the Annunciation (Catholic) Meaningful
March 29 Good Friday (Christian) Special worship
March 30 Ramanavami (Hindu) Work-restricted
March 31 Easter (Christian) Special worship
April 10 Eid al-Fitr (Islam) Work-restricted
April 22- April 30 Passover (Jewish) Work-restricted
April 28 Palm Sunday (Eastern Orthodox) Meaningful 
April 14 Vaisakhi (Sikh) Special worship
April 29 Ridvan (Bahá'í) Work-restricted
May 3 Good Friday (Eastern Orthodox) Meaningful
May 5 Easter (Eastern Orthodox) Special worship
May 6 Yom Ha'Shoah (Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day) (Judaism) Meaningful
May 9 Feast of Ascension (Catholic) Special worship
May 22 Vesak (Buddhist) Work-restricted
May 22 Declaration of the Bab (Bahá'í) Work-restricted
May 28 Ascension of Bahá'u'lláh (Bahá'í) Work-restricted
June 11 -June 13 Shavuot (Jewish) Work-restricted
June 14 - June 19 Hajj – Annual Islamic Pilgrimage Special worship
June 16 Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev Sahib (Sikh) Work-restricted
June 19 Juneteenth (Federal) Meaningful
 June 19 Eid-ul-Adha (Islam) Work-restricted
July 9 Martyrdom of the Bab (Bahá'í) Work-restricted
August 12- August 13 Tisha B'Av Begins (Jewish) 25-hour fasting, work-restricted optional
July 31 Feast of St. Ignatius Loyola (Catholic) Special worship
August 15 Feast of the Assumption of Mary (Catholic) Special worship
August 26 Krishna Janmashtami (Hindu) Work-restricted
August 31 Paryushan (Jain) Special worship
October 2 - October 4 Rosh Hashanah (Jewish) Work-restricted
October 11 - October 12 Yom Kippur (Jewish) Work-restricted
October 16 - October 23 Sukkot (Jewish) Work-restricted
October 23 - October 24 Shemini Atzeret (Jewish) Work-restricted
October 24 - October 25 Simchat Torah (Jewish) Work-restricted
October 20 Birth of the Bab (Bahá'í) Work-restricted
November 1 All Saints Day (Catholic) Special worship
November 2 All Souls Day (Catholic) Special worship
November 12 Diwali (Hindu, Jain) Special worship
November 15 Birthday of Guru Nanak Dev Sahib (Sikh) Work-restricted
November 16 Remembering the Martyrs of the UCA (Secular) Meaningful
November 24 Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib (Sikh) Work-restricted
November 28 Thanksgiving (Federal) Meaningful
December 3 Feast of St. Francis Xavier (Catholic) Meaningful
December 9 Feast of the Immaculate Conception (Catholic) Special worship
December 12 Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Catholic) Meaningful
December 25 Christmas (Christian) Special worship
December 25 - January 2, 25 Hanukkah Special worship
December 26-January 1 Kwanzaa (Ethnic) Meaningful