Calendars should be more inclusive. Give us Eid, Lunar New Year, and Diwali off.

Coming home from my mosque after Eid prayer services two years ago, I felt a familiar buzz in my pocket. When I glanced at my phone, I quickly read an email from my teacher reminding me I had several assignments to make up for my one absence that day.

In order to attend the annual holiday service, I had to miss school, forcing me to make up various assignments from all my classes.

As a Muslim student currently attending public school, I have always had to specifically request the holiday of Eid al-Fitr (celebrating the end of Ramadan, the month Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset) off from school for myself. Every year, I come back to face a full day of work to make up for my day of observance.

I’m happy to see that some school districts — including the Philadelphia School District — now recognize Eid al-Fitr, giving students and teachers the day off. But that is the exception, not the norm; step outside Philadelphia to its bordering districts (such as Cheltenham or Lower Merion), and students who celebrate Eid al-Fitr are out of luck. My own district, East Penn, is giving students the day off on Eid in 2025, but it’s marked as a “professional development day,” not related to the holiday. What does that minor — yet unignorable — distinction communicate to Muslim students or staff who work in the district?

» READ MORE: See Philadelphia Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr to mark the end of Ramadan

Eid is hardly the only major holiday among non-Christian religions that is ignored by school and work calendars. It’s rare to find a school or place of business that recognizes Diwali, Lunar New Year, or Passover, for instance.

For those of us who celebrate non-Christian holidays, these oversights matter. Regardless of faith, some of our happiest memories are formed celebrating holidays. Baking fresh cookies and cakes with our families, ripping open gift-wrapped presents, or even just sharing a communal meal are all ways to enjoy the festivities. No matter the custom, this time is spent away from the daily stressors of work and school, simply reflecting for a day — something many students and their families cherish.

Instead, we’re forced to miss a day of school or work to simply enjoy our traditions, then spend the next day scrambling to make up the time.

America has become the home of countless cultures, and a change to the calendar reflecting these shifting demographics is long overdue. All students’ holidays, cultures, and traditions deserve to be celebrated, in order for them to feel they belong and that they are truly welcomed. As Washington Post columnist Petula Dvorak wrote in 2021, “A calendar should serve the population, rather than the population bowing to the calendar.”

Of course, when people ask for recognition of additional holidays, the primary objection I hear is that schools and workplaces can’t give people days off for every holiday. I get that: We have to draw the line somewhere.

But even if schools can’t give people a day off, they should not penalize people for whom that day is significant for taking the time to celebrate, nor schedule anything significant on those days — tests, meetings, or presentations, for instance. That way, we can celebrate with our families without worrying about the work that is piling up in our absence.

Don’t penalize people for whom that day is significant.

The current noninclusive calendar can also cause mental and emotional harm. When you’re sitting at home on Christmas with nothing to do because you don’t celebrate, but no one recognizes your own holiday, you can feel hurt and unseen, and perhaps even ashamed of your identity. Allocating over a week for “winter break” at Christmas while not permitting a single built-in cultural holiday sends a certain message to students not celebrating at that time: They do not belong.

Recognizing other holidays doesn’t just help those of us who celebrate non-Christian religions. More and more, being inclusive and globally aware is a requirement for getting ahead. In order to set a good example for its students, our schools must first exemplify these traits themselves. What’s more, early exposure to different races, cultures, and religions is crucial to stopping racism at an early age. When children see that all faith groups are treated equally by the school district, a source of authority, the chance for bias against specific populations is severely mitigated.

So let’s make our work and school calendars more inclusive. When that happens, Muslim students will be able to attend Eid prayer services and enjoy the communal feast without having to make up an exam. A Hindu family will be allowed to marvel together at the beauty of Diwali, the festival of lights, without worrying about the work they miss. A non-East Asian student may learn more about Lunar New Year through district acknowledgment of the historic festival.

And all of us — regardless of our age — will be able to grow both as individuals and as part of a larger community, one that values tolerance, diversity, and equity for all.

Ayaan Shah is a rising senior at East Penn School District in Emmaus.