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Religious awareness days this December

28 Nov 2024

Observing religious celebrations this December

Religious Celebrations

We recognise that many members of our University community will be observing a variety of religious traditions and celebrations in the coming weeks. They include:

  • Sunday, 1 December – Advent begins (Christianity): Advent is a four-week period in the Christian calendar that prepares for the celebration of Christmas and the birth of Jesus Christ.
  • Friday, 6 December – Shaheedi Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib Ji (Sikhism): This day commemorates the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru, who sacrificed his life to protect religious freedom.
  • Wednesday, 11 December, Gita Jayanti (Hinduism):  Gita Jayanti celebrates the day when the Bhagawad Gita (a sacred text for Hindus) was recited by Shree Krishna to Arjuna. It is a day when devotees will sit and recite the whole (or parts of) the Gita.
  • Friday, 13 December – Bodhi Day (Buddhism): Bodhi Day celebrates the enlightenment of Siddhartha Gautama, who became the Buddha, achieving profound insight under the Bodhi tree.
  • Tuesday, 24 December – Christmas Eve (Christianity): Christmas Eve is the night before Christmas, marking the culmination of Advent and the anticipation of Jesus Christ’s birth.
  • Wednesday, 25 December – Christmas Day (Christianity): Christmas Day celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, celebrated widely by special church services and families exchanging gifts.
  • Wednesday, 25 December to Thursday, 2 January – Hanukkah (Judaism): Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, commemorates the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. The eight-day festival is celebrated by sharing food, gifts and lighting Menorah candles.

Following our 2024 EDI Diversity Calendar, we focus on the six major world faiths currently represented within our community – Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and Sikhism. This does not mean we do not recognise that there are many more faiths equally as important. 

We also recognise that a large proportion of our community may have no religion or belief or observe other secular events.

More information 

We aim to take an integrated approach that celebrates individuals and their many identities to ensure that we are truly inclusive of all our community. This is set out in our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy.  Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: Religion or belief (including no belief);