Diwali and Hanukkah are over and Christmas Day is rapidly approaching. But Canadians of various backgrounds will continue to celebrate religious holidays well beyond Dec. 25 into early 2019.
According to the 2011 National Household Survey, just over 67 of Canadians self-identified as Christians, and most of them will celebrate Christmas on Dec. 25. But Canadian members of various Orthodox churches will not celebrate Christmas until Jan.7, 2019.
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Sikhs — who make some 1.4 per cent of the population — will mark Guru Gobind Singh’s birthday on Jan. 5, 2019.
Buddhists — who make 1.1 per cent of the Canadian population — will celebrate Bodhi Day on Jan. 13, 2019 commemorating the day on which the historical Buddha achieved enlightenment.
Looking ahead to the larger highlights of the religious calendar in 2019, Canadian Jews, some one per cent of the Canadian population, will start marking Passover on April 19, ending on April 27. Catholic and Protestant Christians will mark Easter on April 21, while Orthodox Christians will mark Easter on April 28.
Key holidays for Canadians of the Muslim faith — some 3.2 per cent of the population in 2011 — include the fasting month of Ramadan and the Feast of Sacrifice.
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The former starts on May 5 and ends on June 4 with the Eid al-Fitr. The Feast of Sacrifice also known as Eid al-Adha falls on Aug. 12.
Hindus — some 1.5 per cent of the population — will mark Diwali on Oct. 27, one day after Sikhs. 2019 will also see Hanukkah coincide with Christmas, as it runs from Dec. 23 to Dec. 30.
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