Event Type: Multifaith Observance Event Sponsor: University Chaplaincy (Christianity-Catholic and Protestant) Period of four weeks in which Christians prepare for Christmas and meditate on the end of all time. In Western churches, the first Sunday of Advent marks the beginning of the Christian liturgical year.

Event Type: Multifaith Observance Event Sponsor: University Chaplaincy (Judaism) Begins at sundown on the first day listed. The Feast of Lights (Feast of Dedication) is celebrated for eight days to commemorate the rededication of the Temple following the Jews' victory over occupying forces in 165 BCE, which re-established for a time their religious and political freedom.