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Religious awareness days this July and August

30 Jun 2025

Observing religious celebrations and traditions in July and August.

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: 

July 

Ashura (Islam) Sunday, 6 July: The Day of Ashura falls on the tenth of Muharram that commemorates the day Noah left the Ark and the day God saved Moses from the Egyptians. For Shia Muslims, Ashura commemorates the martyrdom of Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. 

Dharma Day (Buddhism) Thursday, 10 July: Dharma Day marks the day the Buddha attained enlightenment and typically involves paying homage to his teachings, attending ceremonies at temples, and practising gratitude.  

Fast of 17 Tammuz (Judaism) Sunday, 13 July: The Fast of Tammuz is marked by the 17th day in the Hebrew month of Tammuz. This Jewish fast day commemorates the breach of Jerusalem’s walls before the destruction of the Second Temple. 

August 

Lammas (Wheel of the Year) Friday, 1 August: Lammas, meaning ‘loaf mass’ in Old English, signifies the first loaf of bread made from the new wheat crops. It is celebrated by baking bread, crafts and outdoor gatherings to honour the Earth’s abundance.  

Fast of Tisha B’Av (Judaism) Saturday, 2 to Sunday, 3 August: Tisha B’Av, the 9th day of the month of Av, is the saddest day on the Jewish calendar, on which Jewish people fast, deprive themselves and pray. It marks the destruction of both holy temples as well as other tragedies throughout history. 

Raksha Bandhan (Hinduism) Saturday, 9 August: This Hindu festival is dedicated to the god Krishna and celebrates the bond between siblings. Raksha Bandhan typically involves families celebrating together with an exchange of gifts between brothers, sisters, and other family members in modern day.  

Obon (Buddhism) Wednesday, 13 August: The Buddhist Obon Festival honours the dead and the spirits of their ancestors across a three-day celebration.  

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Christianity) Friday, 15 August: ‘The Assumption’ marks the Virgin Mary's bodily ascent to heaven at the end of her life. 

Krishna Janmashtami (Hinduism) Saturday, 16 August: The Krishna Janmashtami festival marks the birth of Krishna and is celebrated by families and friends sharing food, music, and dancing. 

Following our 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).