With the stores counting down the days to Christmas and many of us counting down the days to holidays, you'd be forgiven for thinking that there are only a couple of important dates to remember at this time of year. But did you know that Christmas isn't only celebrated on 25 December? For Eastern Orthodox Christians it's celebrated on 7 January.
You may have friends or neighbours from different cultures and the following is a guide to some of their important religious dates. But, firstly, here is a list of Queensland's Public Holidays:
Queensland Public Holidays
- Christmas Day - Thursday 25 December 2008
- Boxing Day - Friday 26 December 2008
- New Year's Day - Thursday 1 January 2009
- Australia Day - Monday 26 January 2009
- Good Friday - Friday 10 April
- Easter Saturday - Saturday 11 April
- Easter Monday - Monday 13 April
And, if the only dates that you're interested in right now are the ones when your favourite shops are closed, ourbrisbane.com also has them listed.
Religious Dates
Christian
- Christmas Day - Thursday 25 December 2008
- Boxing Day - Friday 26 December 2008
- New Year's Eve - Wednesday 31 December 2008
- New Year's Day - Thursday 1 January 2009
For more information on Christmas church services in Brisbane see the overview here.
Eastern Orthodox (Greek, Russian, Turkish, Balkans)
- Christmas Day - Wednesday 7 January 2009
- The Eve of the Epiphany - Tuesday January 6 2009
- New Year's Day (Eastern Orthodox Julian Calendar) - Wednesday 14 January 2009
Jewish
- Hanukkah (Festival of Light) - 21-29 December 2008
- Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year - Head of the Year in Hebrew) -18-20 September 2009
Muslim/Islamic
(Note - all holidays begin at sundown on the day before the date listed.)
- Eid-Al-Adha (Festival of Sacrifice) - 9 December 2008
- Muharram (The Islamic New Year) - 29 December 2008
- Mawlid al-Nabi (Muhammad's Birthday) - 9 March 2009
- Ramadan begins (the month of fasting) - 22 August 2009
- Eid-Al-Fitr (Festival of Breaking the Fast, Ramadan ends) - 21 September 2009
Hindu
- Diwali (Festival of Lights) - 17 October 2009 (tentative)
Buddhist
- Bodhi Day (Rohatsu, Buddha's enlightenment) 8 December 2008
Chinese/Vietnamese/Korean
- First day of the New Year is 26 January 2009
- 2008 is the Chinese Year of the Rat
- 2009 is the Chinese Year of the Ox
Why not try and meet people from different cultures? Your life will be enriched by new friends and different ways of seeing the world and just think of all the extra holidays you'll be able to celebrate...
