Contributed by Brian Carwana from Religions Geek

When it comes to religious literacy, often we don’t know where to start. Questions abound such as: what do I say? Will I offend someone? How do I let my team know that they are fully welcomed here and that they belong?

At Encounter, we want to help you – whether at work or in your neighbourhoods – feel more comfortable and competent about people’s diverse religious, secular, and spiritual identities. To that end, we have just published our 2025 Religious Holidays Guide. In recent years, this annual free resource has been very popular with businesses, schools, governments and others interested in knowing about the holidays and how they might impact their communities and their staff. The guide lists major religious holidays for the following year including dates and descriptions of each day.

Below are a few ways the Guide can be of value to you.

 

  • Expand Your Religious Literacy

Many of us wish we knew more about other religions. Opening conversations can be tricky when we feel like we lack the cultural knowledge base to speak comfortably about people’s religious traditions. Holidays are a great way to learn about a tradition’s major festivals, when they occur, what is being celebrated or remembered, and how devotees are marking the date.

 

  • Connect with Colleagues and Neighbours

Our cultural norms teach us that religion is a taboo topic. Unfortunately, this silence can make us feel distant from the people around us which costs us and them. Many of us wish this was different but are uncertain how to open a conversation on the topic, fearing we might make a mistake or that even the attempt will seem intrusive.

The beauty of religious holidays is they offer a great entry point into our varied religious traditions. Holidays evoke notions of annual traditions, time-honoured rituals, family gatherings, and of course, feasting. Wishing someone well before a holiday and asking about it afterwards can be a non-threatening way to give someone the opening to be able to share a little about themselves and their community.

When you do this, give folks space to decide how much they want to share. Some may be a bit reticent to share (especially given our cultural norms) so just open the door and allow them to steer the conversation. If they seem receptive, you can go a bit further in the conversation or, conversely, keep it short by taking your cue from your colleague or neighbour. Sometimes trust has to be built slowly by allowing things to develop over time.

 

  • Know How to Acknowledge the Holidays of People Around You

We all like to be seen. The guide helps you to know when are the major holidays for people on your team and maybe some folks on your street. It describes the basics for each day and gives you the opportunity to offer a greeting. In work settings, it will help you to be aware of nuances like Jewish holidays often begin at sundown the night before and that Ramadan has several aspects to consider. And all of this can also apply to kids on the soccer team you’re coaching.

The guide is a starting point that can prompt you to know when you need to do some research to know more (for example, around how to be thoughtful around Ramadan). On this front, we also offer free guides that go into more depth on Canada’s five largest minority traditions by addressing topics like: the Basics; Misconceptions; Things You May Not Know; Holidays; How to Foster Inclusion. These guides on Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism are available for download here.

 

  • Inclusive Scheduling

Here is a really simple practice that will be noticed by your team: every year at the start of January, use the Guide to find the key holidays that are relevant to your staff. Mark those dates on your calendar and, as far as possible, try not to schedule significant team events (important meetings, product launches, offsites, etc.) on those dates. This practice – called inclusive scheduling – makes sure that your staff are not placed in the bind of deciding whether to skip an important family event to be part of the team or, conversely, missing out on key steps in team development or in a project because they want to celebrate with their family. You can let relevant team members know you’re doing this and ask if you’ve noted down the appropriate key dates. This kind of action really demonstrates to team members that they matter to you as people.

For teachers and educators, this can be just as relevant in a school setting. Indeed, anyone leading a charity or organisation with volunteers might find this useful too. With a small manageable team, it won’t be difficult to do.

 

  • Create Welcoming and Inclusive Social Media or Newsletter Content

Folks working in public relations or human resources can use the guide to create content for internal or external communications that acknowledges key dates relevant to the staff or the community. This is helpful for businesses as well as any public-serving organisations like police and various levels of government.

 

  • Share it With Others

Finally, feel free to share the guide with your coworkers, your managers, your fellow teachers or volunteers. Religious literacy benefits us all and can help improve the sense of togetherness in our workplaces, our schools, and our neighbourhoods.

Download the 2025 Religious Holidays Guide