This is a true “down season” in the liturgical calendar, a gap between the Declaration Thursday and the All Hallows / Thanksgiving introduction to the Calendar. For this reason, many of them have only Ultimate Thursdays. During the Summer Interval, the 12th may be the Ultimate Thursday of a Dozen if it has no other significance. Many of the Dozens are dedicated to inter-faith outreach.
12 Days of Fellowship (Buddhism) – (July 8 – 19)
~ Fellowship with Buddhism – The Ultimate Thursday of the Dozen, celebrating the beginning of Gautama Buddha’s ministry, roughly to coincide with Asalha Puja Day. This is a day for outreach to Buddhists.
12 Days of Fellowship (Judaism) – (July 20 – 31)
~ Fellowship with Judaism – The Ultimate Thursday of the Dozen, commemorating the destruction of the Second Temple by Rome on July 29th or 30th 70 CE. This is a day for outreach to Jews.
12 Days of Caution – (August 1 – August 12)
1st Day / Melville Day – Birth of Herman Melville. In years when two Thursdays fall into this Dozen, reserve the first for quoting Melville’s religious and moral passages, particularly his “sword-points” discussion on the Civil War.
~ Adrianopolis Day – The Ultimate Thursday of the Dozen, commemorating the conflict between Unitarian Goths and the Unitarian Emperor Valens, who death at the Battle of Adrianopolis on August 9th 378 opened the way for the Persecutions of Nicene Emperor Theodosius.
12 Days of Fellowship (Indigenous Americans) – (August 13 – August 24)
~ Fellowship with Indigenous America – Commemorating the establishment of the Maya Calendar, August 13th 3114 BCE, and celebrating the long history of civilization in the Americas.
12 Days of Fellowship (Hinduism) – (August 25 – September 3)
~ Fellowship with Hinduism – Celebrating the birth of Krishna, roughly to coincide with Janmashtami. This is a day for outreach to Hindus.
12 Days of Fellowship (Islam) – (September 4 – September 15)
~ Fellowship with Islam – Commemorating the beginning of the Hijra on Thursday, September 9th 622 CE. This is a day for outreach to Muslims.
~ 12th Day / Taft Day – Celebrating the birthday of William Howard Taft, Unitarian President and Chief Justice of the United States.
12 Open Days – (September 16 – September 27)
12 Days of Exegesis – (September 28 – October 9)
~ Jonathan Mayhew Day – The Ultimate Thursday of the Dozen, celebrating the birth on October 8th 1720 of the Father of American Unitarianism, Reverend Jonathan Mayhew, who is reported to have penned the slogan “No Taxation Without Representation.” Mayhew also wrote the sermon Discourse Concerning Unlimited Submission that effectively unravelled the scriptural arguments underpenning the Divine Right of Kings, leading eventually to the American Revolution.