Welcome to TIO’s Religious Calendar

June and July 2026

June 2026

Friday, June 5

  • Núr – Bahá'í  Beginning of the fifth month of the Bahá'í year, meaning "Light."

Tuesday, June 9

  • St. Columba of Iona – Celtic Christian  Commemorates the sixth-century Irish monk and missionary Saint Columba of Iona, also known as St. Columcille.

Friday, June 12

  • Feast of the Sacred Heart – Christianity (Roman Catholic)  A devotional feast during which Catholic Christians reflect on God's compassionate love, symbolized by Christ's heart. Moveable feast; falls 68 days after Easter.

Sunday, June 14

  • Race Unity Day – Bahá'í National Spiritual Assembly  A day created to recognize and appreciate each other's diversity and come together to make the world a better place. Observed on the second Sunday in June each year.

Tuesday, June 16

  • Martyrdom of Gurū Arjan Dev Ji – Sikhism (Nanakshahi tradition)  The first Sikh martyr and fifth Gurū, Arjan (1563–1606 C.E.) built the Harimandir (Temple of God) in Amritsar with doors facing all four directions. He also compiled the Gurū Granth Sāhib. Fixed date in the Nanakshahi solar calendar.

  • Islamic New Year (Al-Hijra) – Islam  Marks the beginning of the new Islamic lunar year (1 Muharram 1448 AH), commemorating the Prophet Muhammad's migration from Mecca to Medina. The Islamic calendar shifts approximately 10–11 days earlier each Gregorian year.

Friday, June 19

  • New Church Day – Swedenborgian Christianity (Church of the New Jerusalem)  Annual commemoration of the visionary document The True Christian Religion, written by Emanuel Swedenborg in 1770 C.E. Fixed date.

Sunday, June 21

  • Summer Feast (Solstice) – Native American Spirituality  A day to honor the coming and going of the seasons, celebrated with songs, prayers, and storytelling. Summer solstice 2026 falls on June 21.

  • Litha (Midsummer) – Wicca  A celebration of the consummation of the sacred marriage, in which the male divine energy is poured out in the service of life. Solstice-based.

  • National Indigenous Peoples Day – Canada (Civic Observance)  A day Canada recognizes and celebrates the history, heritage, resilience, and diversity of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples. Fixed date (June 21) coincides with the summer solstice.

Wednesday, June 24

  • Rahmat – Bahá'í  Beginning of the sixth month of the Bahá'í year, meaning "Mercy."

  • Birthday of St. John the Baptist – Christianity (Eastern Churches)  Celebrates the prophet who foretold the coming of the Messiah in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, whom he later baptized in the Jordan River.

Thursday, June 25

  • Day of Ashura – Islam  Marks the tragic Battle of Karbala in which Husayn ibn Ali was killed. Millions of Muslims observe Ashura to remember Husayn's sacrifice and dignified stance on social justice. Falls on 10 Muharram 1448 AH.

Saturday, June 27

  • Anniversary of the Martyrdom of Joseph Smith – Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints  Recalls the assassination of the prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum while incarcerated in Carthage, Illinois, in 1844 C.E.

Monday, June 29

  • Ghambar Maidyoshem begins – Zoroastrianism  A celebration of the creation of water, the sowing of summer crops, and the harvesting of grain. Runs through July 3, 2026.

  • Feast of the Apostles Peter and Paul – Christianity (Western Churches)  Celebrates the two apostles who preached the Christian gospel in Rome. In Eastern churches this festival begins at sundown on June 24th.

July 2026

Friday, July 3

  • Jashn-e Tirgan – Zoroastrianism  The festival of water, celebrated by splashing water, dancing, reciting poetry, and serving traditional foods such as spinach soup. One of the four ancient Iranian festivals of seasons alongside Nowruz, Yalda, and Mehregan.

Sunday, July 5

  • Birthday of Gurū Hargobind Sahib Ji – Sikhism  Celebrating the sixth of the eleven Sikh Gurūs (1595–1644 C.E.), a renowned martial artist. Fixed date in the Nanakshahi calendar.

Monday, July 6

  • Birthday of the XIVth Dalai Lama – Tibetan Buddhism  Celebrating the 91st birthday of His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso, born July 6, 1935 in northeastern Tibet. Nobel Peace Prize laureate and spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism in exile; revered as the fourteenth manifestation of Avalokiteśvara.

Friday, July 10

  • Martyrdom of the Báb – Bahá'í  Anniversary of the martyrdom of the Báb, forerunner of Bahá'u'lláh, in Persia in 1850 C.E. The Báb and 20,000 followers were killed for their religious convictions. Work is suspended on this day.

Saturday, July 11

  • Feast Day of St. Benedict – Catholic Christianity  Celebrating the life of St. Benedict of Nursia (480–547 C.E.), the founder of Western Christian monasticism whose Rule is still widely read and practiced today.

Sunday, July 12

  • Anniversary of Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö – Buddhism (Tibetan tradition)  A celebration of the Tibetan lama (ca. 1893–1959) whose mastery of several lineages and insights have had a profound effect on numerous currently teaching lamas.

Monday, July 13

  • Kalimát – Bahá'í  Beginning of the seventh month of the Bahá'í year, meaning "Words."

Tuesday, July 14

  • Feast Day of St. Kateri Tekakwitha – Catholic Christianity and Native American Spirituality  Celebrating the life and ministry of Kateri Tekakwitha (1656–April 17, 1680), a Mohawk-Algonquin woman and the first Native American canonized by the Roman Catholic Church, recognized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012.

Wednesday, July 15

  • St. Vladimir the Great Day – Christianity  Celebrated by the Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Communion, Lutheranism, and Eastern Orthodoxy. Vladimir the Great was born about 958 and died July 15, 1015.

Wednesday, July 22

  • Feast of St. Mary Magdalene – Christianity (Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran)  Celebrated as one of Jesus' earliest and most faithful disciples, after being healed by him. Recognized as a witness to his death and the first recorded witness of his resurrection on Easter.

  • Khordad Sal – Zoroastrianism (Qadimi calendar)  The birth anniversary of the prophet Zarathustra (Zoroaster), according to the Qadimi calendar. The Shahenshahi tradition may observe this in August.

Thursday, July 23

  • Birthday of Gurū Har Krishan Sahib Ji – Sikhism (Nanakshahi calendar)  Marking the birth of the eighth and youngest of the eleven Sikh Gurūs (1656–1664 C.E.). Fixed date in the Nanakshahi calendar.

  • Birthday of Emperor Haile Selassie I – Rastafari  Celebrating the birth of Ras Tafari Makonnen (1892–1975 C.E.), who ruled as Emperor of Ethiopia and is professed by Rastafari believers as God incarnate.

Friday, July 24

  • Pioneer Day – Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints  Celebrated annually as the anniversary of the entry of LDS pioneers into the Valley of the Great Salt Lake, Utah, in 1847 C.E., after a historic trek across 1,300 miles of wilderness.

Saturday, July 25

  • St. James the Great Day – Christianity  Saint James the Greater was one of Jesus' first disciples, called from the shores of the Sea of Galilee.

  • Chaturmas – Hinduism and Jainism  Marks the beginning of a four-month period (ending in November) during which devotees observe vows of penance, fasting, and religious observances. An inauspicious time for weddings or thread ceremonies.

Wednesday, July 29

  • Gurū Purnima – Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism  Celebrates the ancient sage Veda Vyāsa, credited as compiler of the sacred Vedas, author of the Eighteen Puranas, and writer of the Mahābhārata. Jains and Buddhists also mark this day to thank their teachers. Falls on the full moon of Ashadha.

  • Asalha Puja Day (Dhamma Day) – Buddhism (Theravāda tradition)  Commemorates the historical Buddha's first sermon, "Turning of the Wheel of Dharma," following his enlightenment. Marks the beginning of the three-month Vassa (Rains Retreat) for Theravādin monastics—a period of Dharma study, meditation, and service. Falls on the same Ashadha full moon as Gurū Purnima.

Thursday, July 30

  • Oharai-taisai – Shinto  A purification ceremony to cleanse believers from offenses committed during the first half of the year. A large ring of woven grasses and reeds is placed at the entrance to Shinto shrines; people walk through the ring as a symbol of inner purification. Fixed date (last day of July).