| Holiday | Religion | Days Observed |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Src: Guide to Religions: Major Holidays and Suggested Accommodations
* 2013 has 18 days marked, description states 8 days - typo? |
|||
| 1 | Krishna Janmashtami | Hindu | 1 |
| 2 | Ramadan | Islamic | 30 |
| 3 | Eid al-Fitr | Islamic | 3-4 |
| 4 | Rosh Hashanah | Jewish | 2 |
| 5 | Mabon/Autumnal Equinox | Pagan/Wiccan | 5 |
| 6 | Yom Kippur | Jewish | 1 |
| 7 | Sukkot | Jewish | 7 |
| 8 | Navratri | Hindu | 5-9 |
| 9 | Shemini Atzeret | Jewish | 1 |
| 10 | Simchat Torah | Jewish | 1 |
| 11 | Diwali | Hindu | 1 |
| Buddhist | 1 | ||
| Sikhism | 1 | ||
| Jainism | 1 | ||
| 12 | Eid al-Adha | Islamic | 4 |
| 13 | Birth of Baha'u'llah | Baha'i | 1 |
| 14 | Samhain | Pagan/Wiccan | 1 |
| 15 | Hanukkah/Chanukah | Jewish | 8 * |
| 16 | Yule/Winter Solstice | Pagan/Wiccan | 2 |
| 17 | Christmas | Christian/Roman Catholic & Protestant | 2 |
| 18 | Gantan-sai | Shinto | 1 |
| 19 | Christmas | Eastern Orthodox Christianity | 1 |
| 20 | Epiphany/Twelfth Night | Christian/Roman Catholic & Protestant | 1 |
| 21 | Chinese New Year | Confucian | 1 |
| Taoist | 1 | ||
| Buddhist | 1 | ||
| 22 | Imbolc/Candlemas | Pagan/Wiccan | 2 |
| 23 | Setsubum-sai | Shinto | 1 |
| 24 | Ash Wednesday | Christian/Roman Catholic & Protestant | 1 |
| 25 | Purim | Jewish | 1 |
| 26 | Magha Puja Day | Buddhism | 1 |
| 27 | Holi | Hindu | 1 |
| 28 | Ostara/Spring Equinox | Pagan/Wiccan | 3 |
| 29 | Pesach/Passover | Jewish | 8 |
| 30 | Naw Ruz | Baha'i | 1 |
| 31 | Palm Sunday | Christian/Roman Catholic & Protestant | 1 |
| 32 | Palm Sunday | Eastern Orthodox Christianity | 1 |
| 33 | Maundy Thursday | Christian/Roman Catholic & Protestant | 1 |
| 34 | Good Friday | Christian/Roman Catholic & Protestant | 1 |
| 35 | Vaisakhi | Sikhism | 1 |
| 36 | Easter | Christian/Roman Catholic & Protestant | 1 |
| 37 | Yom HaSho'ah | Jewish | 1 |
| 38 | Beltane | Pagan/Wiccan | 1 |
| 39 | Holy Friday/Good Friday | Eastern Orthodox Christianity | 1 |
| 40 | Pascha/Easter | Easter Orthodox Christianity | 1 |
| 41 | Shavuot | Jewish | 1 |
| 42 | Buddha Day/Viskha Puja | Buddhist | 1 |
| 43 | Ascension of Baha'u'llah | Baha'i | 1 |
| 44 | Litha/Summer Solstice | Pagan/Wiccan | 2 |
| 45 | Tisha B'Av | Jewish | 1 |
| 46 | Lammas/Lughnasadh | Jewish | 2 |
| 47 | Raksha | Hindu | 1 |
You know, there are like ten of them. They outnumber most of the other, you know, religions - ACTUAL religions... Tammy Bruce
Not surprisingly, Fox News and Friends has caused quite the rumble within the Pagan/Wiccan community. Unfortunately for Fox News, the people responding with video responses go far beyond the stereotypes that they attempted to perpetuate. Enjoy the YouTube playlist of direct rebuttals, sarcastic replies, informative explanations, advice to fellow Pagans and Wiccans, conspiracy theories, rants and some lighthearted goodness.
...you get a ton of holidays - 20% of all school holidays, as described by the University of Missouri, are Wiccan holidays. Tucker Carlson
Has Tucker Carlson apologized?
This is a more detailed and objective overview of the religious holidays currently being recognized at the University of Missouri. The Pagan/Wiccan community had become the target of Fox News on a segment of Fox News and Friends, which aired 2013.02.17.
Fox News commentators Tucker Carlson, Clayton Morris & Anna Kooiman were discussing the number of holidays that are Pagan/Wiccan. There was also a clip from an earlier segment with Tucker Carlson & Tammy Bruce.
Tucker Carlson & Tammy Bruce
Tucker Carlson, Clayton Morris & Anna Kooiman
There are forty-seven holidays described in the university's guide, which accommodates thirteen religious groups and sects. There are a total of 122-127 days of observance in a calendar year.
The current guide lists dates for the years 2013, 2014 & 2015. Two holidays, Diwali and the Chinese New Year, are shared by multiple religions, and there is some variance in the number of days of observance for a few of the holidays as well.
| Religion | No. of Holidays | No. of Days Observed | Average Days/Holiday | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Src: Guide to Religions: Major Holidays and Suggested Accommodations | |||||
| Jewish | 11 | 21.6% | 32 | 26.1% | 2.9 |
| Pagan/Wiccan | 8 | 15.7% | 19 | 15.4% | 2.4 |
| Christian/Roman Catholic & Protestant | 7 | 13.7% | 8 | 6.5% | 1.1 |
| Hindu | 5 | 9.8% | 9 | 7.3% | 1.8 |
| Eastern Orthodox Christianity | 4 | 7.8% | 4 | 3.3% | 1 |
| Baha'i | 3 | 5.9% | 3 | 2.4% | 1 |
| Buddhist | 3 | 5.9% | 3 | 2.4% | 1 |
| Islam | 3 | 5.9% | 38 | 30.9% | 12.6 |
| Shinto | 2 | 3.9% | 2 | 1.6% | 1 |
| Sikhism | 2 | 3.9% | 2 | 1.6% | 1 |
| Confucian | 1 | 2.0% | 2 | 0.8% | 1 |
| Jainism | 1 | 2.0% | 2 | 0.8% | 1 |
| Taoist | 1 | 2.0% | 2 | 0.8% | 1 |
| TOTALS: | 51 | 100.1% | 123 | 99.9% | |
Evidently, the Pagan/Wiccan holidays do have a large percentage of the holidays, being 2nd for the number of holidays and 3rd for the number of observed days.
Right, but you get 20 holidays now if you're a Wiccan... Clayton Morris
Even so, Fox News still sensationalized the situation and gave false information. Stereotypes aside, there are 8 Pagan/Wiccan holidays - NOT 10 according to Tammy Bruce. These eight holidays account for approximately 15.5% of all holidays listed, not 20% as so erroneously reported by Tucker Carlson. The most accurate commentator was Clayton Morris, when he stated that Wiccans have 20... well, scratch that. He said 'holidays' and not 'days of observance'. The eight Pagan/Wiccan holidays have 19 days of observance as detailed in the guide.
| Holiday | Dates | Days Observed | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Src: Guide to Religions: Major Holidays and Suggested Accommodations | |||
| 1 | Mabon/Autumnal Equinox | September 20th - 24th | 5 |
| 2 | Samhain | Oct. 31st - Nov. 1st | 2 |
| 3 | Yule/Winter Solstice | December 21st - 22nd | 2 |
| 4 | Imbolc/Candlemas | February 1st - 2nd | 2 |
| 5 | Ostara/Spring Equinox | March 20th - 22nd | 3 |
| 6 | Beltane | May 1st | 1 |
| 7 | Litha/Summer Solstice | June 21st - 22nd | 2 |
| 8 | Lammas/Lughnasadh | August 1st - 2nd | 2 |
Even if you were to condense and simplify the calculations by combining the two Christian sects together, which removes four holidays due to multiplicity, and combine the religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, Baha'i, Shinto, Confucian, Taosism & Shinto into 'Other', Paganism/Wicca would still only have eight holidays out of the new total of forty-three. This calculates to 18.6% of all with these considerations.
| Religion | No. of Holidays | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Src: Guide to Religions: Major Holidays and Suggested Accommodations | ||
| Islamic | 3 | 7.0% |
| Christian | 7 | 16.3% |
| Pagan/Wiccan | 8 | 18.6% |
| Jewish | 11 | 25.6% |
| Other | 14 | 32.6% |
| TOTALS: | 43 | 100.1% |