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 12
|
Sunday After Theophany
|
January 20 | Martin Luther King Day (USA) |
January 26 | Sunday of Zacchaeus |
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 2 | Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee |
February 9 | Sunday of the Prodigal Son |
February 15 | First All-Souls Saturday |
February 16 | Sunday of the Second Coming of Christ (Meat-Fare) |
February 17 | President's Day (USA) |
February 23 | Forgiveness Sunday (Cheese-Fare) |
February 24 | Beginning of the Holy Forty Days Fast |
March 1 | First Sunday of the Great Fast (Sunday of Orthodoxy) |
March 7 | Second All-Souls Saturday |
March 8 | Second Sunday of the Great Fast (St. Gregory Palamas) |
March 14 | Third All Souls Saturday |
March 15 | Third Sunday of the Great Fast (Veneration of the Cross) |
March 21 | Fourth All-Souls Saturday |
March 22 | Fourth Sunday of the Great Fast (St. John of the Ladder) |
March 24 | Canon of St. Andrew of Crete |
March 25 | Annunciation to the Mother of God |
March 28 | Akathistos Saturday |
March 29 | Fifth Sunday of the Great Fast (St. Mary of Egypt) |
April 4-11 | Great and Holy Week |
April 4 | Lazarus Saturday |
April 5 |
Palm (Flowery) Sunday - Entrance into Jerusalem |
April 6 | Great and Holy Monday |
April 7 | Great and Holy Tuesday |
April 8 | Great and Holy Wednesday |
April 9 | Great and Holy Thursday |
April 10 | Great and Holy Friday |
April 11 | Great and Holy Saturday |
April 12 |
Pascha - Feast of the Resurrection of Christ (Easter Sunday) |
April 12-19 | Bright Week |
April 19 | Second Sunday of Pascha (Apostle Thomas) |
April 26 | Third Sunday of Pascha (Myrrh-Bearing Women) |
May 3 | Fourth Sunday of Pascha (Healing of the Paralytic) |
May 6 | Mid-Pentecost |
May 10 | Fifth Sunday of Pascha (Samaritan Women at the Well) |
May 11 | Saints Cyril & Methodius, Apostles to the Slavs |
May 17 | Sixth Sunday of Pascha (Man Born Blind) |
May 21 |
Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord, God, and Savior, Jesus Christ |
May 24 | Seventh Sunday of Pascha (Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council) |
May 25 | Memorial Day |
May 30 | Fifth All-Souls Saturday |
May 31 |
Pentecost - Descent of the Holy Spirit |
June 1 | Feast of the Holy Trinity |
June 7 | All Saints Sunday |
June 8-28 | 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 19 | 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 (7527) |
September 7 | 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 | Sunday of the Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council |
October 12 | 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 26 | 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 13 | Second Sunday Before Christmas (Holy Forefathers) |
December 20 | 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 | Sunday after Christmas: Commemoration of the Holy Righteous David the King, Joseph the Betrothed, and James the Brother of the Lord, 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.