With the number of holy days out there, you'll only work half the year. If your boss wants to deny you the time off, just explain that you'll have to show up naked when celebrating a Digambara holiday or stoned when observing a Rastafari celebration. That should make him reconsider. Here are 10 holidays to get you started, o ye of lots of faith.
Obscure Religious Holidays
March 21st -- Ostara (Wicca)
Wiccans celebrate spring and Ostara, the Norse Goddess of fertility, by planting seeds in their spiritual gardens.
Scott Olson, Getty Images
March 13th -- L. Ron Hubbard Birthday (Scientology)
Scientologists celebrate their founder¹s birthday by expanding their services of giving E-meter readings and convincing others that psychiatry is an industry of death.
Hulton Archive
January 1st -4th -- Tewa: The Turtle Dance (Mayan Religion)
Mayans believed the world sat on a giant turtle¹s back. Each day celebrates a different direction (North, South, East, West) with a unique dance.
Mayela Lopez, AFP
First of the lunar month of Chet, usually in March -- Hola Mohalla (Sikhism)
Sikhs love a Renaissance fair more than high school drama students. This holiday is all about mock battles, displaying sword skills, and riding horses.
Narinder Nanu, AFP
August 20th -- Birth of the White Buffalo (Lakota Religion)
The white buffalo is considered a sign of peace on Earth. Lakota people celebrate the holy day by smoking a sacred peace pipe, sitting in a sweat lodge, making a vision quest for wisdom.
Karen Bleier, AFP
Elul 1st (12th month of the Hebrew calendar) -- Tithe of Animals (Judaism)
The Jewish people celebrate the taxes their ancestors paid for their animals. It¹s like celebrating our tax deadline on April 15th.
Jack Guez , AFP
September 5th -- Kshamavani, or Forgiveness Day (Jainism)
Digambara Digambar monks refuse clothing, opting to "wear the environment" instead. On this day, they beg everyone they see for forgiveness. Not for being naked, just for being human.
Dibyangshu Sarkar, AFP
February 6th -- Bob Marley¹s Birthday (Rastafari)
Rastas love three things: their god Jah, ganja, and their most famous disciple Bob Marley. Smoking weed on Bob¹s birthday is actually considered a religious observance.
Gianluigi Guercia, AFP
August 29th -- Beheading of St. John the Baptist (Christianity)
It¹s odd that the most famous image of St. John¹s martyrdom is his head on a plate. Maybe that¹s why Christians celebrate him with a feast day.
Getty Images
July 24 -- Pioneer Day (Mormonism)
A state and religious holiday in Utah, Mormon children delight in covered wagon parades to commemorate the flight of Brigham Young and his followers from persecution in Illinois.
Craig Line, AP
Network: 















Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibits employers from discriminating against an employee based on his religion. That means your boss can't fire you for ditching work on a religious holiday. Spend the next year exploring your faith and practicing different religions. 








Comments:
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Tuesday 24 March
By Inkfeather
Thanks for at least acknowledging Wiccan as a religion - the library still has it listed under occult.
Reply
Tuesday 24 March
By EatAPeachGirl
While I, too, am delighted that pagan practices are starting to be recognized as legitimate religious expressions, I think you meant you were happy to see the government "acknowledging WICCA"; a "Wiccan" is simply one who practices Wicca.
Tuesday 24 March
By kaibab
This is a an obsolete artical. For years most businesses offer several optional holidays to allow for various religious observances.
Reply
Tuesday 24 March
By sadiemae1214
While this is ARTICLE is true about businesses offering several choices, many religeons have more than 1 holy day per year yet only 1 is offered per each. Orthodox Jews celebrate Purum, Yom Kippor, Passover. Catholics celebrate Ash Wednesday, Lent, etc. Most holidays are unpaid.
Tuesday 24 March
By j.f.
The Govt of Mars welcomes and invites all religions and non-religions. Perhaps there are some non-religious saint days that could be added to a calendar.
Reply
Tuesday 24 March
By j.f.
The Church of Music is my favorite. Everyday has a song. Everyone has a voice. I've never heard of a fight breaking out in an orchestra pit. I've never heard a hockey game break out in song, either.
Reply
Tuesday 24 March
By yummy055
Spot on!
Tuesday 24 March
By snopro380
And then they fire your ass for not wanting to do your job.
Reply
Tuesday 24 March
By Jason
Ha ha, how did they leave that part out. I know that I would get canned if I tried to take off holidays not on "the list". When my company closes its doors for a snow day they tell us we have to use sick days to get paid. I can just imagine if I told them I was taking the day off and wanted to get paid for a random holiday.
Tuesday 24 March
By George
GAWD AOL...must be a dry news day
Reply
Wednesday 25 March
By mic
they left out my favorite olmalaquenya
Reply
Tuesday 24 March
By Dave Mayo
In 1962 at 16 years old I thought it would be great to play music at parties in between the band breaks to keep the party alive. There were radio disc jockeys that did "remotes" and moon lighted but they were RADIO Disc jockeys. I was a pioneer of the MOBILE Disc Jockey industry.
Can you beat going to a party instead of working? I party along with the guests. The guests will NOT have a great time if you just play music. I eat their food,I DO NOT drink their alcohol because it is nasty to pack up your equipment after a party if you are buzzed. It is more fun for this DJ to watch others get drunk. For 47 years life has been a party, if you call that work DUH!!
Do something you LOVE! Everyday is a holiday! You are still breathing, CELEBRATE!
Reply
Tuesday 24 March
By rick
Happy Festivus for the rest of us.
Reply
Tuesday 24 March
By Mike
My problem is not getting a day off... it is getting paid for a day off. The company I work for has just instituted alternate weekly layoffs, where workers are devided into 2 groups, and work every other week.
This time last year the company was talking about running 24/6½ having 12 hours shut down time for the equipment to cool off on sundays. I am waiting for the local bureau of employment services to respond to my application for benifits.
Reply
Tuesday 24 March
By John Fuller
Ryan McGee should do his homework before publishing something promoting an employment practice likely to get one fired. First of all, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 does prevent religious discrimination. However, an employee must request a reasonable accommodation for religious purposes. The belief must be a deeply held belief and a practice such as a holiday one of the tenets of the religion. An employee cannot just switch religions at a whim and expect an accommodation for every holiday under the sun. An employee who abuses the accommodation can be fired. All business should try to accommodate a person and their religious beliefs; however there are times when it does become unreasonable and they cannot particularly if it involves shift work and assigning undesireable shifts to other workers to accommodate. Bad advice to employees particularly in these times of financial crisis when they can be fired for such abuses.
Reply
Wednesday 25 March
By Tiarra
God the whole articles a joke ppl!
lighten up jesus christ!
In case you haven't noticed most articles on this site are full of sarcasum and humor. Verry little is to be taken seriously...i thought it was obvious...
Saturday 28 March
By I Love the USA
Hey...Here is a possible new holiday.The ACLU is trying to get it.They want an "OBAMA" Day for being the first Black Prez.But he is not the first Black Prez.Remember Clinton said he was,plus Obama is 1/2 white so why is he allowed to say he is black Call him what he is ..Bi-racial
Reply
Saturday 28 March
By Frank
Unfortunately if you work for America's largest retailer you are out of luck. You gotta work all the days religious holiday or not or risk losing your job.
Reply
Saturday 28 March
By Steph
HA! That's ha good one AOL, you must want us to lose our jobs.
I tried this. I worked in a store in a mall a couple years ago, tried to say I was Jewish and needed off around the Holidays, and my boss told me since I already signed a contract agreeing to overtime and working on Holidays, that she could not give me off, even without pay.
This article is a joke.
Reply
Saturday 28 March
By poor worker
with so many people out of work,would you or me do this,my boss man get 75 applicants a week for my/your job.as an employer i need a jod done and finished so i can get paided and pay you/me.if you want a day day off take the rest of the year.dont mind birthdays or anniversiries,but if you want everyday take it and get unempoyed!!!MAKE THE MONEY WHILE YOU CAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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