Wikipedia:Days of the year/Holidays and observances

This is the new proposal which will replace the current Holidays and observances guideline. The new guideline will probably be placed in a separate page linked to Days_of_the_year because of the different writing style.

Please comment on the talk page.--Rochelimit (talk) 04:28, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

=Holidays and observances guideline= This 'guideline' has been made based on the observations of the English Wikipedia's "Holidays and observances" section for date pages (e.g. January 1, January 2, January 3, etc.). It is the goal of this project to make all 366 "Holidays and observances" section consistent in style and content.

Basic rule

 * Entries should be listed in alphabetical order.
 * Only observances that are celebrated on a fixed day can be placed in the Holidays and observances section. This is valid for:
 * Observances that have a fixed day annually. (e.g. New Year's Day, Christmas Day, etc.)
 * Observances that have a fixed period annually. (e.g. Misa de Gallo, Naadam, etc.)
 * Observances that are celebrated based on solar movement. (equinoxes or solstices-based observances (e.g. Neopagan celebrations))
 * Observances that have a different day annually, but has a fixed range of period. (e.g. observances that are based on days of the week such as Thanksgiving Day, Whit Friday, etc.)
 * Avoid placing an observance with conflicting date.
 * Avoid writing a description of the observances in the Holidays and observances section. Description should be available on the provided link.
 * Always use the New style/Gregorian equivalent of the date to avoid duplicate entries. The Old style/Julian system should be avoided. In some cases (e.g. several Saint day celebrations in the Eastern Orthodox community) an observance may be celebrated on multiple days due to different handling of Old style dates. As long as each entry satisfies the notability requirements it is acceptable to include the entry on each day. (e.g. The Julian calendar date for The Assumption of Mary is a public holiday in Macedonia, Georgia, and Serbia.) see Saint days

Internal links

 * Each entry should contain a link to an article supporting it. References are not needed. However, references to support listed entries must be found in linked Wikipedia articles and not external links.
 * If a holiday or observance has an article of it's own this should be used as the internal link. Otherwise each entry should be linked to the article that gives the clearest information about the date of the holiday or observance. This is to make it easier for readers to verify the date of the holiday or observance. For example it is better to link the observance "Independence Day (Mexico)" to Public holidays in Mexico than to Mexican War of Independence.

English names

 * English names should be prioritized, unless the local name is particularly notable (e.g. the Japanese Gion Matsuri instead of Gion Festival).

Category of Holidays and observances
To check whether an observance can (or can not) be placed in the Holiday and observances section, refer to this guideline:

Ancient and Neopagan observances

 * Ancient observances use a variety of different calendar systems. Observances should only be included if the celebration date has a proper equivalent on the Gregorian calendar.
 * Some examples of ancient observances:
 * Roman festivals should not be placed in the Holidays and observances section, unless it is still being celebrated today. Roman calendar are luni-solar, depending on the Ides or Kalends.
 * Greek festivals should not be placed in the Holidays and observances section, unless it has an equivalent to the modern Gregorian calendar. Take into account that a month in the Greek calendar is different with a month in the Gregorian calendar (e.g. Boedromion 1 is not September 1). Also take into account that different polis in the ancient Greece has different calendar and celebrations.
 * Celtic festivals are now celebrated through the neopagan celebrations (e.g. Litha, Samhain, Imbolc, etc.). These neopagan festivals belong to the solar moving day, so these observances can be placed in the Holidays and observance section.
 * Ancient Latvian festivals are an equivalent of Celtic neopagan festivals in the Baltic culture of Latvia. Take into account that the article Latvian mythology, which is the main source of these celebrations in Wikipedia, is a disputed article in Wikipedia (as per August 10, 2010). But also take into account that some of the festivals, e.g. Jāņi, is a well-observed celebrations. Very minor observances should be ignored; observances that has equivalent with a Saint's Feast Day should be ignored. (e.g. Septiņu brāļu diena, held on July 10, which is equivalent to the Seven Brothers).
 * Germanic neopagan observances (e.g. Lindisfarne Day, Founder's Day, Stikklestad Day, etc.) should not be placed in the Holidays and observances section until there is a well-accepted Wikipedia article for these observances.
 * Other observances, as long as it follows the correct equivalent of the Gregorian calendar dates, can be placed in the Holidays and observances section (e.g. Inti Raymi.)

Awareness observances

 * Awareness observances are often minor creations of non-profit or private groups. These observances should not be placed in the Holidays and observances section unless the day is proven notable or has been passed into law, making it an official national day. (e.g. National Celiac Disease Awareness Day). This follows the guideline for several International observances that are not widely celebrated, but are acknowledged internationally through the United Nations.

Baháʼí Holy Days

 * Baháʼí Holy Days and the first day of each month of the Baháʼí calendar can be placed in the Holidays and observances section.
 * For the 12 days festival of Ridván, the first, ninth, and twelfth day of Ridván (a Baháʼí Holy Days) can be placed in the Holidays and observances section because of its special meaning. It is unnecessary to place the rest of the Ridván in the Holidays and observances section.

Christian observances

 * For Saints' feast days, See Saint Days.
 * Observances celebrating apparitions, such as the appearances of the Virgin Mary, should normally be placed under the subgroup "Christian Feast Day". Particularly notable observances may be placed independently, outside of the "Christian Feast Day" subgroup.
 * General Feast Day, can be placed under the subgroup "Christian Feast Days". If it is a very notable and distinct holiday (e.g. Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross), the day should be placed independent of the subgroup "Christian Feast Days".
 * Avoid placing an Old style/Julian calendar version of the feast day, unless it is a notable feast day or a National Day (e.g. Julian Calendar Assumption of Mary is a public holiday in Macedonia, Georgia, and Serbia). The reason for this is to avoid doubles that often happens in Christian celebrations.
 * Christian holiday with a moving day, e.g. Maundy Thursday and Ash Wednesday can be placed in the Holidays and observances section by following a certain fomatting. See Moving days

Historic observances

 * Unless the observances have at least some degree of modern impact, defunct or other historic observances should not be placed in the Historic and observances section.
 * see Ancient or neopagan observances

Independence day or national day

 * Independence Days, National Days, and other holidays celebrating the nationhood of a country should be followed with the year of the nationhood, the name of the country, and - if available - the name of the former colonizer.
 * example of formatting:


 * appears as
 * Independence Day or Republic Day, celebrates the proclamation of Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in 1948.
 * Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Tajikistan from USSR in 1991.


 * A micronation's nationhood celebration (e.g. Sealand's Foundation Day, etc.) should not be placed in the Holidays and observances section, unless it is proven to be notable.

Indian observances

 * Indian observances that are based on lunar calendar should not be placed in the Holidays and observances section. Indian observances that are based on sidereal calendar can be placed in the Holidays and observances section.
 * Sikh observances, based on Nanakshahi calendar, can be placed in the Holidays and observances section.

Definitive list of Hindu New Year festivals
This list of Indian New Year festival (based solely on sidereal vernal equinox) in April 14 has been definitive since 2009. Always refer back to this list if the article is manipulated:


 * New Year festivals in South and Southeast Asian cultures, celebrated on the sidereal vernal equinox:
 * Assamese New Year, or Rongali Bihu (India's Assam Valley)
 * Bengali New Year, or Pohela Boishakh (Bangladesh and India's West Bengal state)
 * Burmese New Year, or Thingyan (Burma)
 * Hindu and Sikh New Year, or Vaisakhi (Punjab region)
 * Khmer New Year, or Chol Chnam Thmey, most commonly celebrated on April 13 (Cambodia)
 * Lao New Year, or Songkan / Pi Mai Lao, generally celebrated from 13 to 15 April (Laos)
 * Mahl New Year, or Alathu Aharudhuvas (Maldives and India's Lakshadweep and Kerala state)
 * Malayali New Year, or Vishu (India's Kerala state)
 * Nepali New Year, or Bikram Samwat / Vaishak Ek (Nepal)
 * Oriya New Year, or Maha Visuba Sankranthi (India's Orissa state)
 * Sinhalese New Year, or Aluth Avurudhu (Sri Lanka)
 * Tamil New Year, or Puthandu (India's Tamil Nadu state)
 * Thai New Year, or Songkran, celebrated from 13 to 15 April (Thailand)
 * Tuluva New Year, or Bisu (India's Karnataka state)

Islamic holidays

 * Islamic holidays, a lunar calendar, should not be placed in the Holidays and observances.

International observances

 * International observances that are accepted by the United Nations can be placed in the Holidays and observances section.


 * example of formatting:
 * appears as
 * World AIDS Day (International) -- see December 1
 * World AIDS Day (International) -- see December 1

Jewish holidays

 * Jewish holidays, a lunar calendar, should not be placed in the Holidays and observances section.

Local celebrations

 * Local traditional celebrations can be placed into Holidays and observances section if they have a Wikipedia article. (e.g. Las Fallas)
 * Local national festival (e.g. Madrid Day, Andalucia Day) can be placed into the Holidays and observances section due to their national nature. see Statehood days

Lunar calendar observances

 * see specific observances, e.g. Islamic, Jewish, Oriental, etc.

Micronation observances

 * see Independence or National days

Modern cult or pseudoreligion observances

 * Modern cult, pseudoreligion, and parody religions observances, such as those of Church of scientology, Discordianism, and Church of the SubGenius, can only be placed in Holidays and observances section if they are supported by a well-established, well-resourced, and undisputed wiki article.
 * For New Age observances, see Ancient and Neopagan observances.

'More than one day' holidays
For the purpose of this guideline, a holiday with more than one day observances can be divided into:
 * Holiday with no specific/special observance for each of its days (e.g. Naadam). For this type of holiday, avoid mentioning each day in the Holidays and observances section and instead, use the following format only:
 * The first day of Naadam, celebrated until July 13. (Mongolia) -- see July 11


 * Holiday with specific/special observance on one or more than one day of its days (e.g. Golowan Festival (contains Mazey's Day, Quay Fair Day, etc.) and Gion Matsuri (contains Kujitorishiki, Gion Matsuri main day, etc.)). For this type of holiday, if one of the consecutive day is notable, the day can be placed in the Holidays and observances section.

Moving days
For the purpose of this guideline, a holiday with moving days can be divided into::
 * A day that doesn't have a fixed day nor period, e.g. an observation based on lunar calendar. For the purpose of this guideline, the term lunar moving day is used for this type of moving day.
 * A day that doesn't have a fixed day but has a fixed period, e.g. an observance based on days of the Gregorian calendar (e.g. National Grandparents Day, etc.), Christian calendar (Easter, Volkstrauertag, Advent, etc.), solstices, and equinoxes. For the purpose of this guideline, the term solar moving day is used for this type of moving day.

Lunar moving days should not be placed in the Holidays and observances section. Solar moving days can be placed in the Holidays and the observances section by placing the day on the article page of the earliest possible day of the observance, and by mentioning the latest possible day of the observance.

For solstices/equinoxes celebrations, the days are put under the subgroup of the particular solstices/equinoxes:

Example of formatting:
 * Observances based on days of the Gregorian calendar:


 * appears as
 * Earliest day on which Martin Luther King, Jr. Day can fall, while January 21 is the latest; celebrated on the third Monday in January. (United States) (see January 15)


 * Observances based on Christian calendar:


 * appears as
 * Earliest day on which Laetare Sunday can fall, while April 4 is the latest; observed on the fourth Sunday of Lent. (Western Christianity) (see March 1)
 * Earliest day on which National Day of Mourning or Volkstrauertag can fall, observed two Sundays before the first of Advent. (Germany) (see November 13)


 * Solstices/equinoxes observances:




 * appears as
 * Earliest date for the vernal equinox:
 * Baháʼí Naw-Rúz, started at sunset on March 20. The end of the 19-day sunrise-to-sunset fast. (Baháʼí Faith)
 * Chunfen (China)
 * Earth Day, during its first celebration in 1971. Now celebrated on April 22.
 * Nowruz (Iranian diaspora, Kurdish diaspora, Zoroastrians)
 * Ostara in the northern hemisphere, Mabon in the southern hemisphere. (Neopagan Wheel of the Year)
 * International Astrology Day (astrologers and astrology enthusiasts)
 * Shunbun no Hi, a national holiday in Japan.
 * World Storytelling Day, a global celebration of the art of oral storytelling.

Name days and/or similar

 * Name days or other similar type of day-naming should not be placed in the Holidays and observances section. (e.g. French Republican Calendar)

New observances

 * In general, new holidays and observances should not be placed in the Holidays and observances section; except if it is signed officially by a state or a country as a state or national holiday. New holidays that do not belong to this category can only be placed in the Holidays and observances section after the days are proven notable, with significant number of followers, and are not controversial. Keep in my mind that an observance may feels notable due to a trend that is usually short-lived. Wait until several years until the day is proven notable.
 * Keep in mind that Wikipedia is not a tool for promotion.
 * Samples of new holidays that should not be placed in Holiday and observances section.
 * Holidays that are "promoted", usually through Facebook fan page, Youtube or other blogs.
 * Holidays that are very new, never been observed, and placed in Holidays and observances section only for promotion.
 * Events or art movement, which may have a name that sounds like a Holiday or an observance. This type of holidays often occur in different days annually, or only celebrated once.
 * Samples:
 * Pangaea Day (2008), Purple Day, and Walk Safely to School Day are names of event, not an observance.
 * Everybody Draw Mohammed Day! is a title of an art and protest of the same name.
 * Peace One Day is a movement of the annual observance called International Day of Peace.

Oriental observances

 * Oriental observances that are based on the lunar calendar (e.g. those of Chinese, Korean, and traditional Japanese) should not be placed in the Holidays and observances section.
 * It is important to know that, even though the origin of Japanese observances are lunar, most of these observances has already been fixed to the General Roman Calendar (e.g. Tanabata), which means that Japanese holidays can be placed in the Holiday and observances section. To avoid doubles, avoid placing the traditional lunar calendar version of a Japanese observance, unless the day is notable.
 * Oriental observances that are based on the Chinese solar term can be placed in the Holidays and observances section.

Saint Days

 * Feast day of saints, often very minor, should be placed under the subgroup "Christian Feast Day". Notable saint's feast days celebrations, often secularized (e.g. St. Patrick's day and St. Lucy's day), can be placed independent of this category.
 * Avoid using Saint or St. before the name of the saints to avoid differing church opinions (usually betwen Roman Catholic church or Eastern Orthodox church) whether a person is recognized as their saint or not.
 * Beatified people should has the title Blessed before their name. This is to highlight that the person is officially not (yet) a saint.
 * Distinction between different churches observances can be shown within brackets, but not within groups.
 * If the saint has multiple feast days, the latest version should be chosen. Avoid using the Pre Roman Calendar version or the medieval version of the feast day, unless the day is historically notable. If the saint has multiple feast days even in the present time (e.g. Abd-al-Masih), a research should be made on which date are the most notable.
 * Avoid using Julian calendar version, unless it is a well-established observance (e.g. Eastern Orthodox's feast of Basil the Great). There is an existing page for Eastern orthodox liturgics observances, therefore a link should be placed at the bottom of the subgroup "Christian Feast Day",


 * example of formatting:
 * appear as:
 * Christian Feast Day:
 * Blessed Agnes
 * Our Lady of Prompt Succor
 * Paul
 * January 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
 * Christian Feast Day:
 * Blessed Agnes
 * Our Lady of Prompt Succor
 * Paul
 * January 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Secular observances

 * A secular observance should be proven notable to be placed in the Holidays and observances section. Extremely minor observances (e.g. Carl Sagan day) should not be placed in the Holidays and observances section.
 * Keep in mind that some secular observances may use the title "National" but are often disputed Hallmark holidays and is not officially signed by a president or a mayor. These kind of secular observances should not be placed in the Holidays and observances section. see International observances

Statehood days

 * Statehood day and other holidays celebrating the birth of a state or a province should not be placed in the holidays and observances section, unless the day has a certain notability.

Unofficial holidays

 * Unofficial holidays (e.g. parodic holidays, hallmark holidays, etc.) should not be placed in the Holidays and observances section, unless they have achieved a certain degree of notability. (e.g. Talk like a pirate day)