Major Feasts and Fasts
January 1
|
Circumcision of Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ
Feast of St. Basil the Great
New Year's Day (Civil)
|
January 6
|
Theophany of Our Lord, God, and Savior, Jesus Christ
|
January 7
|
Sunday After Theophany
|
January 14 | Sunday of Zacchaeus |
January 15 | Martin Luther King Day (USA) |
January 21 | Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee |
January 30 | Synaxis of the Ecumenical Teachers and Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom |
January 28 | Sunday of the Prodigal Son |
February 2 | Encounter of Our Lord, God, and Savior, Jesus Christ with Simeon and Anna (Presentation of Our Lord Into the Temple) |
February 3 | First All-Souls Saturday |
February 4 | Sunday of the Second Coming of Christ (Meat-Fare) |
February 11 | Forgiveness Sunday (Cheese-Fare) |
February 12 | Beginning of the Holy Forty Days Fast |
February 18 | First Sunday of the Great Fast (Sunday of Orthodoxy) |
February 19 | President's Day (USA) |
February 24 | Second All-Souls Saturday |
February 25 | Second Sunday of the Great Fast (St. Gregory Palamas) |
March 2 | Third All Souls Saturday |
March 3 | Third Sunday of the Great Fast (Veneration of the Cross) |
March 9 | Fourth All-Souls Saturday |
March 10 | Fourth Sunday of the Great Fast (St. John of the Ladder) |
March 14 | Canon of St. Andrew of Crete |
March 17 | Fifth Sunday of the Great Fast (St. Mary of Egypt), Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel |
March 22 | End of the Holy Forty Day's Fast (at sunset or after Vespers or Presanctified on Friday) |
March 23-30 | Great and Holy Week |
March 23 | Lazarus Saturday |
March 24 |
Palm (Flowery) Sunday - Entrance into Jerusalem |
March 25 | Annunciation to the Mother of God, Great and Holy Monday |
March 26 | Great and Holy Tuesday |
March 27 | Great and Holy Wednesday |
March 28 | Great and Holy Thursday |
March 29 | Great and Holy Friday |
March 30 | Great and Holy Saturday |
March 31 |
Pascha - Feast of the Resurrection of Christ (Easter Sunday) |
March 31 - April 7 | Bright Week |
April 7 | Second Sunday of Pascha (Apostle Thomas) |
April 14 | Third Sunday of Pascha (Myrrh-Bearing Women) |
April 21 | Fourth Sunday of Pascha (Healing of the Paralytic) |
April 24 | Mid-Pentecost, Feast of SS Cyril & Methodius |
April 28 | Fifth Sunday of Pascha (Samaritan Women at the Well) |
May 4 | Sixth Sunday of Pascha (Man Born Blind) |
May 9 |
Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord, God, and Savior, Jesus Christ |
May 12 | Seventh Sunday of Pascha (Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council) |
May 18 | Fifth All-Souls Saturday |
May 19 |
Pentecost - Descent of the Holy Spirit |
May 20 | Pentecost Monday: Feast of the Holy Trinity |
May 26 | All Saints Sunday |
May 26 | Memorial Day (USA), Victoria Day (Canada) |
May 5 - June 29 | The Apostles' Fast (The fast begins with the vespers on Sunday evening and concludes on June 29th) |
June 24 | Nativity of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John |
June 29 | The Holy Glorious and All-Praised Leaders of the Apostles, Peter & Paul |
July 1 | Canada Day (Canada) |
July 4 | Independence Day (USA) |
July 14 | Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the First Six Ecumenical Councils |
July 20 | Holy, Glorious Prophet Elijah |
August 1-14 |
Dormition Fast
|
August 6 | Transfiguration of Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ |
August 15 | The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady, the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary |
August 29 | The Beheading of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John |
September 1 | Liturgical New Year (7533) |
September 2 | Labor Day (USA & Canada) |
September 8 | The Nativity of our Most Holy Lady, the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary |
September 14 | The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross |
October 1 | The Protection of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary |
October 13 | Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council |
October 14 | Columbus Day (USA), Thanksgiving Day (Canada) |
November 8 | Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers |
November 11 | Veterans' Day (USA), Remembrance Day (Canada) |
November 15 | Nativity Fast (Philip's Fast also known as Advent) |
November 21 | The Entry of the Most Holy Mother of God into the Temple |
November 28 | Thanksgiving Day (USA) |
December 6 | St Nicholas the Wonderworker and Archbishop of Myra in Lycia |
December 9 (8) | The Conception of the Most Holy Mother of God by the Righteous Anna |
December 12 | Our Lady of Guadalupe (Ruthenians, USA) |
December 15 | Second Sunday Before Christmas (Holy Forefathers) |
December 22 | Sunday Before Christmas (Holy Fathers) |
December 24 | Christmas Eve |
December 25 | The Nativity of our Lord God and Savior, Jesus Christ |
December 26 |
Synaxis of the Most Holy Mother of God, Boxing Day (Canada)
|
December 27 | First-Martyr and Archdeacon Stephen |
December 28 | 20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia |
December 29 | 14,000 Infants (the Holy Innocents) Slain by Herod at Bethlehem |
December 29 | Sunday after Christmas: Commemoration of the Holy Righteous David the King, Joseph the Betrothed, and James the Brother of the Lord |
Note: The Byzantine liturgical year starts on September 1 and ends on August 31. The movable feasts are determined by the date of Pascha (the feast of the Resurrection). There are two systems currently in use to calculate Pascha - Gregorian (Western) and Julian (Eastern). Roman Catholics, most Byzantine Catholics in America and some Orthodox (notably those in Finland) follow the Gregorian date. Some Byzantines in America and most Byzantines and Orthodox in Canada and elsewhere follow the Julian date. In the year AD 2024 the Gregorian date is March 31 and the Julian date is May 5.