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 9
|
Sunday After Theophany
|
January 17 | Martin Luther King Day (USA) |
January 24 | Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee |
January 30 | Sunday of Zacchaeus, 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 6 | Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee |
February 13 | Sunday of the Prodigal Son |
February 19 | First All-Souls Saturday |
February 20 | Sunday of the Second Coming of Christ (Meat-Fare) |
February 21 | President's Day (USA) |
February 27 | Forgiveness Sunday (Cheese-Fare) |
February 28 | Beginning of the Holy Forty Days Fast |
March 6 | First Sunday of the Great Fast (Sunday of Orthodoxy) |
March 12 | Second All-Souls Saturday |
March 13 | Second Sunday of the Great Fast (St. Gregory Palamas) |
March 19 | Third All Souls Saturday |
March 20 | Third Sunday of the Great Fast (Veneration of the Cross) |
March 25 | Annunciation of the Mother of God |
March 26 | Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel (Fourth All-Souls Saturday cancelled or transferred this year) |
March 17 | Fourth Sunday of the Great Fast (St. John of the Ladder) |
March 31 | Canon of St. Andrew of Crete |
April 2 | Akathistos Saturday |
April 3 | Fifth Sunday of the Great Fast (St. Mary of Egypt) |
April 9 | End of the Holy Forty Day's Fast (at sunset or after Vespers or Presanctified on Friday) |
April 9-16 | Great and Holy Week |
March 27 | Lazarus Saturday |
April 10 |
Palm (Flowery) Sunday - Entrance into Jerusalem |
April 11 | Great and Holy Monday |
April 12 | Great and Holy Tuesday |
April 13 | Great and Holy Wednesday |
April 14 | Great and Holy Thursday |
April 15 | Great and Holy Friday |
April 17 | Great and Holy Saturday |
April 17 |
Pascha - Feast of the Resurrection of Christ (Easter Sunday) |
April 18-22 | Bright Week |
April 24 | Second Sunday of Pascha (Apostle Thomas) |
May 1 | Third Sunday of Pascha (Myrrh-Bearing Women) |
May 8 | Fourth Sunday of Pascha (Healing of the Paralytic) |
May 11 | Mid-Pentecost, Feast of SS Cyril & Methodiux |
May 15 | Fifth Sunday of Pascha (Samaritan Women at the Well) |
May 22 | Sixth Sunday of Pascha (Man Born Blind) |
May 26 |
Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord, God, and Savior, Jesus Christ |
May 29 | Seventh Sunday of Pascha (Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council) |
May 30 | Memorial Day (USA), Victoria Day (Canada) |
June 4 | Fifth All-Souls Saturday |
June 5 |
Pentecost - Descent of the Holy Spirit |
June 6 | Pentecost Monday: Feast of the Holy Trinity |
June 12 | All Saints Sunday |
June 12-29 | 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 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 (7531) |
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 (Ruthenians, USA) |
December 18 | 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 |
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 2022 the Gregorian date is April 17 and the Julian date is April 24.