Major Feasts and Fasts
January 1
|
Circumcision of Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ
Feast of St. Basil the Great
Sunday Before Theophany
New Year's Day (Civil)
|
January 6
|
Theophany of Our Lord, God, and Savior, Jesus Christ
|
January 8
|
Sunday After Theophany
|
January 16 | Martin Luther King Day (USA) |
January 30 |
Synaxis of the Ecumenical Teachers and Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom
|
February 2 |
Encounter of Our Lord, God, and Savior, Jesus Christ with Simeon and Anna
(Presentation of Our Lord Into the Temple)
|
February 5 | Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee |
February 12 | Sunday of the Prodigal Son |
February 18 | First All-Souls Saturday |
February 19 | Sunday of the Second Coming of Christ (Meat-Fare) |
February 20 | Washington's Birthday (President's Day) (USA) |
February 26 | Forgiveness Sunday (Cheese-Fare) |
February 27 | Beginning of the Holy Forty Days Fast |
March 5 | First Sunday of the Great Fast (Sunday of Orthodoxy) |
March 11 | Second All-Souls Saturday |
March 12 | Second Sunday of the Great Fast (St. Gregory Palamas) |
March 18 | Third All Souls Saturday |
March 19 | Third Sunday of the Great Fast (Veneration of the Cross) |
March 25 | Annunciation to the the Mother of God (Fourth All-Souls Saturday cancelled) |
March 26 | Fourth Sunday of the Great Fast (St. John of the Ladder) |
March 30 | Canon of St. Andrew of Crete |
April 1 | Akathistos Saturday |
April 2 | Fifth Sunday of the Great Fast (St. Mary of Egypt) |
April 8-16 | Great and Holy Week |
April 8 | Lazarus Saturday |
April 9 |
Palm (Flowery) Sunday - Entrance into Jerusalem |
April 10 | Great and Holy Monday |
April 11 | Great and Holy Tuesday |
April 12 | Great and Holy Wednesday |
April 13 | Great and Holy Thursday |
April 14 | Great and Holy Friday |
April 15 | Great and Holy Saturday |
April 16 |
Pascha - Feast of the Resurrection of Christ (Easter Sunday) |
April 16-23 | Bright Week |
April 23 | Second Sunday of Pascha (Apostle Thomas) |
April 30 | Third Sunday of Pascha (Myrrh-Bearing Women) |
May 7 | Fourth Sunday of Pascha (Healing of the Paralytic) Feast of Saints Cyril & Methodius |
May 10 | Mid-Pentecost |
May 14 | Fifth Sunday of Pascha (Samaritan Women at the Well) |
May 21 | Sixth Sunday of Pascha (Man Born Blind) |
May 22 | Victoria Day (Canada) |
May 25 |
Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord, God, and Savior, Jesus Christ |
May 28 | Seventh Sunday of Pascha (Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council) |
May 29 | Memorial Day (USA) |
June 3 | Fifth All-Souls Saturday |
June 4 |
Pentecost - Descent of the Holy Spirit |
June 5 | Feast of the Holy Trinity |
June 11 | All Saints Sunday |
June 12 - June 28 | The Apostles' Fast |
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 16 | 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 (7526) |
September 4 | 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 9 | Columbus Day (USA), Thanksgiving Day (Canada) |
October 15 | 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 23 | 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 17 | Second Sunday Before Christmas (Holy Forefathers) |
December 24 |
Sunday Before Christmas (Holy Fathers) / 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 31 | 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 2017 the calendars are both April 16th.