However, if you are using the diary only for expression entries and holidays, it is faster to not use the above setting, but instead to copy or even move the entries into an Org file. Org mode evaluates diary-style expression entries, and does it faster.
Note that the expression entries must start at the left margin, no whitespace is allowed before them.
* Holidays :PROPERTIES: :CATEGORY: Holiday :END: %%(org-calendar-holiday) ; special function for holiday names * Birthdays :PROPERTIES: :CATEGORY: Ann :END: %%(org-anniversary 1956 5 14) Arthur Dent is %d years old %%(org-anniversary 1869 10 2) Mahatma Gandhi would be %d years old