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 10
|
Sunday After Theophany
|
January 18 | Martin Luther King Day (USA) |
January 17 | Sunday of Zacchaeus |
January 24 | 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 31 | 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 6 | First All-Souls Saturday |
February 7 | Sunday of the Second Coming of Christ (Meat-Fare) |
February 17 | President's Day (USA) |
February 14 | Forgiveness Sunday (Cheese-Fare) |
February 15 | Beginning of the Holy Forty Days Fast |
February 21 | First Sunday of the Great Fast (Sunday of Orthodoxy) |
February 27 | Second All-Souls Saturday |
February 28 | Second Sunday of the Great Fast (St. Gregory Palamas) |
March 6 | Third All Souls Saturday |
March 7 | Third Sunday of the Great Fast (Veneration of the Cross) |
March 13 | Fourth All-Souls Saturday |
March 14 | Fourth Sunday of the Great Fast (St. John of the Ladder) |
March 18 | Canon of St. Andrew of Crete |
March 20 | Akathistos Saturday |
March 21 | Fifth Sunday of the Great Fast (St. Mary of Egypt) |
March 25 | Annunciation to the Mother of God |
March 27 - April 4 | Great and Holy Week |
March 27 | Lazarus Saturday |
March 28 |
Palm (Flowery) Sunday - Entrance into Jerusalem |
March 29 | Great and Holy Monday |
March 30 | Great and Holy Tuesday |
March 31 | Great and Holy Wednesday |
April 1 | Great and Holy Thursday |
April 2 | Great and Holy Friday |
April 3 | Great and Holy Saturday |
April 4 |
Pascha - Feast of the Resurrection of Christ (Easter Sunday) |
April 4-11 | Bright Week |
April 11 | Second Sunday of Pascha (Apostle Thomas) |
April 18 | Third Sunday of Pascha (Myrrh-Bearing Women) |
April 25 | Fourth Sunday of Pascha (Healing of the Paralytic) |
April 28 | Mid-Pentecost |
May 2 | Fifth Sunday of Pascha (Samaritan Women at the Well) |
May 9 | Sixth Sunday of Pascha (Man Born Blind) |
May 11 | Feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius |
May 13 |
Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord, God, and Savior, Jesus Christ |
May 16 | Seventh Sunday of Pascha (Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council) |
May 22 | Fifth All-Souls Saturday |
May 23 |
Pentecost - Descent of the Holy Spirit |
May 24 | Feast of the Holy Trinity |
May 30 | All Saints Sunday |
May 30 - June 28 | The Apostles' Fast |
May 31 | Memorial Day (USA), Victoria Day (Canada) |
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 18 | 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 (7528) |
September 5 | Labor Day (USA), Labour Day (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 11 | Columbus Day (USA), Thanksgiving Day (Canada |
October 17 | Sunday of the Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council |
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 25 | 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 |
December 12 | Second Sunday Before Christmas (Holy Forefathers) |
December 19 | 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,unday after Christmas: Commemoration of the Holy Righteous David the King, Joseph the Betrothed, and James the Brother of the Lord
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 |
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 2020 the Gregorian date is April 12 and the Julian date is April 19.