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 3 | Sunday Before Theophany |
January 6
|
Theophany of Our Lord, God, and Savior, Jesus Christ
|
January 10
|
Sunday After Theophany
|
January 17 | Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee |
January 18 | Martin Luther King Day (USA) |
January 24 | Sunday of the Prodigal Son |
January 30 |
Synaxis of the Ecumenical Teachers and Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom
First All-Souls Saturday
|
January 31 | Sunday of the Secone Coming of Christ (Meat-Fare) |
February 2 |
Encounter of Our Lord, God, and Savior, Jesus Christ with Simeon and Anna
(Presentation of Our Lord Into the Temple)
|
February 7 | Forgiveness Sunday (Cheese-Fare) |
February 8 | Beginning of the Holy Forty Days Fast |
February 14 | First Sunday of the Great Fast (Sunday of Orthodoxy) |
February 15 | Washington's Birthday (President's Day) (USA) |
February 20 | Second All-Souls Saturday |
February 21 | Second Sunday of the Great Fast (St. Gregory Palamas) |
February 27 | Third All Souls Saturday |
February 28 | Third Sunday of the Great Fast (Veneration of the Cross) |
March 5 | Fourth All Souls Saturday |
March 6 | Fourth Sunday of the Great Fast (St. John of the Ladder) |
March 10 | Canon of St. Andrew of Crete |
March 12 | Akathistos Saturday |
March 13 | Fifth Sunday of the Great Fast (St. Mary of Egypt) |
March 19-27 | Great and Holy Week |
March 19 | Lazarus Saturday |
March 20 |
Palm (Flowery) Sunday - Entrance into Jerusalem |
March 21 | Great and Holy Monday |
March 22 | Great and Holy Tuesday |
March 23 | Great and Holy Wednesday |
March 24 | Great and Holy Thursday |
March 25 | Annunciation to the Mother of God / Great and Holy Friday |
March 26 | Great and Holy Saturday |
March 27 |
Pascha - Feast of the Resurrection of Christ (Easter Sunday) |
March 27 - April 3 | Bright Week |
April 3 | Second Sunday of Pascha (Apostle Thomas) |
April 10 | Third Sunday of Pascha (Myrrh-Bearing Women) |
April 17 | Fourth Sunday of Pascha (Healing of the Paralytic) Feast of Saints Cyril & Methodius |
April 20 | Mid-Pentecost |
April 24 | Fifth Sunday of Pascha (Samaritan Women at the Well) |
May 1 | Sixth Sunday of Pascha (Man Born Blind) |
May 5 |
Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord, God, and Savior, Jesus Christ |
May 8 | Seventh Sunday of Pascha (Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council) |
May 14 | Fifth All-Souls Saturay |
May 15 |
Pentecost - Descent of the Holy Spirit |
May 16 | Feast of the Holy Trinity |
May 22 | All Saints Sunday |
May 23 | Victoria Day (Canada) |
May 29 - June 28 | The Apostles' Fast |
May 30 | Memorial Day (USA) |
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 17 | 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 (7525) |
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 10 | Columbus Day (USA), Thanksgiving Day (Canada) |
October 16 | 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 24 | 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 11 | Second Sunday Before Christmas (Holy Forefathers) |
December 12 | Our Lady of Guadalupe |
December 18 |
Suday 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,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 2017 the calendars are both April 16th.