THE ETHICAL YEAR

Holiday and Special Days in Ethical Societies:Traditions and Opportunities

AUTUMNSeptember - November

AUTUMN: SEPTEMBER - NOVEMBER

Opening Sunday

Labor Day

Rosh Hashanah / Yom Kippur / Sukkot

9/11 Anniversary

Columbus Day

UN Sunday (on or before October 24)

Halloween / collecting for UNICEF

All Saints Day A favorite of Felix Adler’s – for remembering

people

DST ends

Election Day

Veterans’ Day

Harvest festivals e.g. Wampanoag

Stone Soup Sunday before Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving

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WINTERDecember - February

WINTER: DECEMBER - FEBRUARY

Hanukkah

Winter Equinox

Winter Festival (before Christmas or after New Year’s)

New Year

Superbowl Sunday (Feb 2, 2014) Sometimes it’s lower attendance, a kind

of anti-holiday

Martin Luther King Day

Groundhog Day

Valentine’s Day

Darwin Day / Lincoln’s Birthday

Presidents’ Day

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SPRINGMarch-May

SPRING: MARCH - MAY

Spring Festival (various formulae)

April Fool

DST begins – some may come late Hold a pre-meeting brunch?

Tax Day

Spring Equinox

Passover (moveable feast)

Palm Sunday, Easter (moveable)

Earth Day (April 22)

Day of Reason (May 1, 2014)

Cinco de Mayo

Buddha’s Birthday Chinese/lunar calendar dates:

2014/5/6; 2015/5/25; 2016/5/14

Founder’s Day (around May 15)

Mother’s Day (2nd Sunday in May)

Memorial Day

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SUMMERJune - August

SUMMER: JUNE - AUGUST

Flag Day

Father’s Day

Last meeting before summer break?

4th of July / Independence Day

Interdependence Day (July 4th)

Bastille Day

Felix Adler’s Birthday

Ramadan – 2014: June 28 – July 28 moves around the year

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YOURTURN Moving Into the Future

YOUR TURN

What holidays does your society celebrate now – listed or not?

What holidays does your society deliberately not celebrate?

What are your annual themes (by month? by season?)

What would you like to have your society begin to celebrate regularly?

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LET THE CREATIVITY BEGIN!