Home›High Holy Days›TraditionBrowse ByTraditionThis page groups holidays by the religion whose adherents keep them. Wikipedia notes that "a religious festival is a time of special importance marked by adherents to that religion." Browsing by tradition lets a visitor read every holiday from one religious tradition together.FactsLearn MoreTraditionSourcesComments (0)Reader Challenges (0)FactsOverviewWhat Defines This GroupingWell-attestedThe days a tradition ranks above all others in its year. The English phrase is a Jewish usage for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and the days between them; applying it to Easter, Pascha and Vesak is this classification's extension of the phrase and not those traditions' own term for their greatest days. 2DirectoryCategoryWell-attestedHolidays & Festivals 1Learn MoreThe high holy days This group gathers high holy days, the most sacred and solemn days of a tradition's calendar, set above ordinary festivals in importance. The term is most familiar from Judaism, where the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur open the year in awe and repentance. The browser will find the high holy days the atlas gathers. The entries describe each day's occasion, observance and meaning, noting the tradition to which it belongs.TraditionFilter Results54 entriesAdherents Today MaximumAll225,776 (1)278,000 (1)368,000 (1)400,910 (1)887,000 (1)1,000,000 (1)1,500,000 (3)2,130,000 (1)3,500,000 (2)17,887,212 (1)95,000,000 (1)100,000,000 (1)110,000,000 (1)260,000,000 (1)1,406,000,000 (1)Adherents Today MinimumAll225,776 (1)278,000 (1)368,000 (1)400,910 (1)887,000 (1)1,000,000 (1)1,200,000 (1)1,450,000 (1)1,500,000 (3)2,500,000 (1)3,500,000 (1)17,887,212 (1)53,871,526 (1)78,000,000 (1)80,000,000 (1)220,000,000 (1)1,406,000,000 (1)Bankruptcy FilingsAll28 (1)Basis of the Education Facility CountAllThe Body's Own Published Statistics (2)Basis of the Health Facility CountAllThe Body's Own Published Statistics (1)Basis of the Humanitarian Aid FigureAllThe Body's Own Published Statistics (1)Basis of the Membership FigureAllChurch-Reported Rolls (31)Independent Survey (15)National Census (12)Scholarly or Demographic Estimate (19)Basis of the Wealth FigureAllAudited Annual Report (6)Court-Documented Inventory (1)Journalistic or Scholarly Estimate (6)Regulator Filing (3)The Body's Own Published Statistics (3)Calendar SystemAllJulian (Old Calendar) (2)Church FamilyAllAnabaptist (3)Anglican (5)Baptist (3)Eastern Catholic (2)Eastern Orthodox (10)Evangelical (2)Latter Day Saint (1)Lutheran (3)Methodist (8)Moravian (1)Oriental Orthodox (5)Pentecostal (1)Reformed (4)Restorationist (1)Roman Catholic (1)Date of SeparationAll2022 (1)2019-2023 (1)Date of Separation End YearAll451 (2)1204 (2)1527 (1)1555 (2)1560 (1)1561 (1)1566 (1)1571 (1)1612 (1)1712 (1)1795 (1)1830 (1)1850 (1)1908 (1)1914 (1)1925 (1)2019 (1)Date of Separation Start YearAll451 (4)1054 (3)1346 (1)1448 (1)1457 (1)1517 (1)1521 (1)1525 (1)1534 (2)1536 (2)1560 (1)1609 (1)1666 (1)1693 (1)1736 (1)1784 (1)1787 (1)1796 (1)1804 (1)1811 (1)1830 (1)1833 (1)1843 (1)1858 (1)1870 (1)1881 (1)1885 (1)1895 (1)1906 (1)1915 (1)1961 (1)1993 (1)2018 (1)Defining Doctrinal PositionAllAffirms the Filioque: the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son (1)Chalcedonian: two natures in the one person of Christ (Chalcedon, 451) (5)Chalcedonian: two natures in the one person of Christ (Chalcedon, 451) (20)Liberation by the path of the arhat (1)Miaphysite: one incarnate nature of the Word, divine and human united (2)Miaphysite: one incarnate nature of the Word, divine and human united (3)Non-trinitarian: the Nicene doctrine of the Trinity is not held (1)Rejects the Filioque: the Spirit proceeds from the Father (1)Rejects the Filioque: the Spirit proceeds from the Father (10)Restorationist: holds the apostolic church to have been lost and restored (2)Trinitarian: one God in three persons (26)Trinitarian: one God in three persons (14)Documented Accused CountAll1 (1)3 (1)5 (1)19 (1)21 (1)237 (1)390 (1)800 (1)1670 (1)1880 (1)2900 (1)4392 (1)Education Facility Count As OfAll2023-12-31 (1)2026-03-29 (1)GovernanceAllA federation of autonomous member organisations (4)A single central governing body over the whole movement (1)Authority through monastic ordination lineage and its seats (1)Autonomous local bodies under a national umbrella association (3)Congregational: each congregation self-governing (5)Connexional: congregations bound in a conference with itinerant ministry (8)Delegated representation from congregations up to a general conference (1)Episcopal: governed by bishops (12)No central authority (8)Presbyterian: governed by elders in graded courts (4)Self-governing churches under patriarchs, deciding in synod (15)Synodal: governed by synods of clergy and lay delegates (4)Universal primacy of a single bishop (1)Health Facility Count As OfAll2023-12-31 (1)How the Expectation Is EnforcedAllCodified Obligation With Consequences (6)Customary Norm (12)Obligation to Support, No Set Rate (3)Preached Expectation, Not Enforced (10)Humanitarian Aid Figure As OfAll2025-12-31 (1)Liturgical LanguageAllChurch Slavonic (6)Classical Arabic (1)Classical Armenian (Grabar) (2)Classical Syriac (2)Coptic (2)Early Modern German (the Luther Bible) (1)Geez (3)Georgian (1)Greek (liturgical) (5)Latin (1)Pali (1)The vernacular (37)Membership Figure As OfAll1868-01-01 (1)1876-01-01 (1)1900-01-01 (1)1910-01-01 (1)1912-01-01 (2)1917-01-01 (1)1923-01-01 (1)1924-01-01 (1)1939-01-01 (1)1958-01-01 (1)1968-01-01 (2)1970-01-01 (2)1971-12-31 (1)1972-01-01 (1)1988-12-31 (1)1991-01-01 (1)1992-01-01 (1)1996-01-01 (1)2000-12-31 (1)2002-01-01 (1)2004-01-01 (1)2006-01-01 (2)2007-01-01 (4)2008-01-01 (2)2009-01-01 (1)2010-01-01 (9)2011-01-01 (6)2012-01-01 (1)2013-01-01 (2)2014-01-01 (6)2015-01-01 (4)2016-01-01 (5)2016-12-31 (1)2017-01-01 (2)2017-10-30 (1)2017-11-08 (1)2018-01-01 (4)2019-01-01 (3)2020-01-01 (6)2021-01-01 (3)2021-03-21 (1)2021-12-31 (1)2022-01-01 (13)2022-12-31 (2)2023-01-01 (3)2023-04-29 (1)2023-07-01 (1)2023-08-08 (1)2023-12-31 (1)2024-01-01 (6)2024-03-01 (1)2024-12-31 (3)2025-01-01 (5)2026-02-01 (1)2026-08-14 (3)2026-08-16 (1)OrdinationAllAn unpaid lay ministry rather than a professional clergy (2)Celibacy required of the ordained (2)Married clergy permitted (19)Open to women and men (19)Ordination is into a monastic order, not to a congregation (1)Restricted to men (22)The full female ordination lineage is held lapsed; revival contested (2)Varies between provinces or member bodies (13)Origin Period End YearAll52 (1)301 (1)337 (1)340 (2)410 (1)431 (1)451 (2)988 (1)1100 (1)1204 (1)1219 (1)1448 (1)1467 (1)1527 (2)1530 (1)1555 (1)1559 (2)1560 (1)1561 (1)1571 (2)1592 (1)1596 (1)1612 (1)1667 (1)1712 (1)1745 (1)1784 (1)1789 (1)1816 (1)1821 (1)1830 (1)1832 (1)1850 (1)1860 (1)1867 (1)1870 (1)1881 (1)1900 (1)1906 (1)1908 (1)1915 (1)1961 (1)1968 (2)1988 (1)2022 (1)Origin Period Start YearAll250 BCE (1)30 (3)42 (1)49 (1)295 (1)320 (2)326 (1)390 (1)431 (1)988 (2)1219 (1)1457 (1)1517 (2)1525 (1)1527 (1)1534 (3)1536 (2)1560 (2)1571 (1)1596 (1)1609 (1)1652 (1)1693 (1)1734 (1)1738 (1)1787 (1)1789 (1)1796 (1)1801 (1)1820 (1)1850 (1)1860 (1)1870 (1)1880 (1)1881 (1)1895 (1)1901 (1)1961 (1)1968 (2)1988 (1)2022 (1)Position on JustificationAllFaith Alone (3)No Communion Wide Standard (1)Position on MarriageAllMarriage is held to be a lifelong, monogamous, indissoluble union; remarriage after divorce is not sanctioned while a spouse lives (2)Marriage is held to be monogamous, with remarriage after divorce sanctioned under specified conditions (5)No single uniform teaching on marriage's terms holds across the body (1)Position on PredestinationAllDouble Predestination (1)Election Affirmed Reprobation Unstated (1)Single Predestination (1)Unsettled (1)Position on SexualityAllSame-sex marriage is performed and LGBT clergy are ordained on equal terms with heterosexual clergy (6)Same-sex orientation or practice is held to bar full membership or participation (2)Same-sex sexual relationships are held contrary to teaching; LGBT individuals are welcomed as members but not ordained, and same-sex unions are not blessed (15)Same-sex unions may be blessed, but ordination is not extended to partnered LGBT clergy (1)The body holds no single settled position; the question is actively and openly contested within it (7)Position on the EucharistAllNo Communion Wide Definition (1)Sacramental Union (1)Spiritual Reception by Faith (2)Position on UsuryAllInterest is permitted but bound by ethical constraints against exploiting the poor (1)Principle of WorshipAllNormative (3)Regulative (1)Relation to the StateAllDisestablished (5)Established (3)No Establishment (19)Privileged Never Established (10)Varies by Province (14)Rule Established or Last ChangedAll1838-07-08 (1)2000-01-01 (1)2007-11-28 (1)2010-10-24 (1)2019-01-01 (1)Sacraments RecognisedAllTwo (4)Settlement TotalAll500,000 (1)995,000 (1)137,300,000 (1)1,500,000,000 (1)5,590,000,000 (1)Standard Rate ExpectedAllFive percent. (1)Ten percent. (7)Standing of Holy OrdersAllHistoric Episcopate (1)Historic Episcopate Locally Adapted (1)Historic Episcopate Received Not Required (1)Ministry by Lawful Call (1)Status TodayAllDissolved; the community wound itself up (1)Living tradition, practised today (53)Wealth Figure As Of YearAll1997 (1)2007 (1)2008 (1)2009 (1)2014 (1)2016 (2)2018 (1)2019 (1)2023 (1)2024 (8)2025 (3)2026 (1)Show ResultsBrowseCompareAfrican Methodist Episcopal ChurchTradition1 entryAfrican Methodist Episcopal Zion ChurchTradition1 entryAmishTradition1 entryAnabaptismTradition1 entryAnglican CommunionTradition1 entryAnglicanismTradition1 entryArmenian Apostolic ChurchTradition1 entryBaptistTradition1 entryCalvinism (Reformed)Tradition1 entryChristian Methodist Episcopal ChurchTradition1 entryChurch of CyprusTradition1 entryChurch of EnglandTradition1 entryChurch of God (Anderson, Indiana)Tradition1 entryChurch of GreeceTradition1 entryChurch of IrelandTradition1 entryChurch of ScotlandTradition1 entryChurch of SwedenTradition1 entryChurch of the NazareneTradition1 entryCoptic OrthodoxyTradition1 entryDisciples of ChristTradition1 entryDutch Reformed ChurchTradition1 entryEastern OrthodoxyTradition1 entryEcumenical Patriarchate of ConstantinopleTradition1 entryThe Episcopal ChurchTradition1 entryEritrean Orthodox Tewahedo ChurchTradition1 entryEthiopian Orthodox Tewahedo ChurchTradition1 entryEvangelical Lutheran Church in AmericaTradition1 entryEvangelicalismTradition1 entryFree Methodist ChurchTradition1 entryGeorgian Orthodox ChurchTradition1 entryGlobal Methodist ChurchTradition1 entryGreek Orthodox ChurchTradition1 entryLatter-day Saints (Mormonism)Tradition1 entryLutheranismTradition1 entryMaronite ChurchTradition1 entryMennonitesTradition1 entryMethodismTradition1 entryMoravian ChurchTradition1 entryNational Baptist Convention of AmericaTradition1 entryOld BelieversTradition1 entryOriental OrthodoxyTradition1 entryPentecostalismTradition1 entryPresbyterianismTradition1 entryProgressive National Baptist ConventionTradition1 entryProtestantismTradition1 entryRoman CatholicismTradition2 entriesRomanian Orthodox ChurchTradition1 entryRussian Orthodox ChurchTradition1 entrySerbian Orthodox ChurchTradition1 entryTheravadaTradition1 entryUkrainian Greek Catholic ChurchTradition1 entryUkrainian Orthodox ChurchTradition1 entryThe United Methodist ChurchTradition1 entryWesleyan ChurchTradition1 entrySources1. Divinity Atlas Directory Taxonomy, First Edition Category Treetier 12. The Oxford Dictionary of World Religionstier 1John Bowker (ed.), Oxford University Press, 1997View the SourceDivinity Atlas Directory Prose, First Edition Category Descriptionstier 1Comments (0)No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.Sign in to join the discussion.Reader Challenges (0)No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.