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An unlit chalice on a church altar

Unitarian Universalists honor and celebrate a wide range of holidays and occasions over the course of a year. Unlike other faith traditions that use a single lectionary (a collection of scripture readings appointed for a given day or occasion), the topics and themes for Unitarian Universalist worship services are usually chosen independently by worship leaders in congregations. These include unique UU traditions, like the Flower Ceremony, as well as holidays from other faith traditions, such as Christmas or Beltane.

View and download the 2023-24 UUA Worship Calendar (PDF), which includes faith-based and secular holidays that UU congregations often celebrate. The calendar also includes monthly worship themes used in popular theme-based ministry programs. To download or print, follow the link and use the File menu, then select the Landscape layout option.

LEADER RESOURCE 2 Rituals to Welcome a New Child
a medieval window from the Burrell Collection in Glasgow, Scotland, depicting the Nativity
Islamic prayer beads or Subha inside the Süleymaniye Moque (Istanbul).
An altar filled with candles, photos, and flowers

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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5

  • A white pillar candle is lit against a dark blue background.
    May we whisper thank you for all that is good in our lives. (Thank you) May we shout thank you! for the abundance of blessings. (Thank you) May we feel thank you, thank you, thank you, deep within our hearts and around us right now. May we be thankful, down to our bones, for this time together....
    Prayer | By Debra Haffner | November 16, 2021 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Abundance, Direct Experience, Gratitude, Thanksgiving, WorshipWeb, Worship
  • A red apple, from above, on a white plate.
    Happy new year! Happy new year for our beloved community. Happy new school year....
    Opening | By Debra Haffner | September 14, 2018 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Beginnings, Community, Homecoming / Ingathering, Inclusion, Judaism, Rosh Hashanah, Unitarian Universalism, Vision, Water Communion
  • Traditional Pesach items arranged on a seder plate
    We are on a journey. We didn’t plan it. We didn’t have time for the bread to rise. We may find ourselves in the wilderness, hungry, thirsty, Doubting that we should have ever come. But look around: We are not alone. It is our journey together: A journey to our better selves, A journey to a...
    Closing | By Debra Haffner | July 4, 2017 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Beginnings, Community, Connections, Courage, Doubt, Journey, Judaism, Passover (Pesach)
  • Against a stark grey sky, two tall evergreens are decked with simple white lights
    Spirit of life and love, we know you by many names or perhaps no name at all— yet together we know this is a holy night. We come from many different traditions or perhaps no tradition at all — We have celebrated decades of Christmases, or this might be only our first or second time at a...
    Prayer | By Debra Haffner | December 14, 2016 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Arts & Music, Awe, Christianity, Christmas Eve / Christmas, Connections, Direct Experience, Tradition, Unitarian Universalism
  • a jar of honey, two apples, a shofar, and an open Torah set the scene for Rosh Hashanah
    May the next ten days be days of reflection, introspection, and peace.
    Closing | By Debra Haffner | September 29, 2016 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Beginnings, Connections, Judaism, Letting Go, Rosh Hashanah