Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar

Liturgical calendar used within Eastern Orthodox churches

"Orthodox year" redirects here. For the start of the Hebrew calendar in Orthodox Judaism, see Rosh Hashanah.

This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (May 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

Part of a series on the

Eastern Orthodox Church

Mosaic of Christ Pantocrator, Hagia Sophia

Overview

* Structure
* Theology (History of theology)
* Liturgy
* Church history
* Holy Mysteries
* View of Salvation
* View of Mary
* View of icons

Background

* Crucifixion / Resurrection / Ascension
of Jesus

* Christianity
* Christian Church
* Apostolic succession
* Four Marks of the Church
* Orthodoxy

Organization

* Autonomy
* Autocephaly
* Patriarchate
* Ecumenical Patriarch
* Episcopal polity
* Canon law
* Clergy
* Bishops
* Priests
* Deacons
* Monasticism
* Degrees
* Bratstvo

Autocephalous jurisdictions

Autocephalous Churches who are officially part of the communion:

* Constantinople
* Alexandria
* Antioch
* Jerusalem
* Russia
* Serbia
* Romania
* Bulgaria
* Georgia
* Cyprus
* Greece
* Poland
* Albania
* Czech Lands and Slovakia

Autocephaly recognized by some autocephalous Churches de jure:

* America
* North Macedonia

Autocephaly and canonicity recognized by Constantinople and 3 other autocephalous Churches:

* Ukraine (OCU)

Spiritual independence recognized by Georgian Orthodox Church:

* Ukraine (UOC)

Autonomous jurisdictions

* Sinai (JP)
* Finland (EP)
* Estonia (EP)
* Japan (MP)
* China (MP)
* Americas (RP)
* Bessarabia (RP)
* Moldova (MP)

Semi-Autonomous:

* Crete (EP)
* Estonia (MP)
* ROCOR (MP)

Episcopal assemblies

* Australia, New Zealand, and Oceania
* Austria
* Belgium, Holland, and Luxembourg
* Canada
* France
* Germany
* Great Britain and Ireland
* Italy and Malta
* Latin America
* Scandinavia
* Spain and Portugal
* Switzerland and Liechtenstein
* United States of America

Noncanonical jurisdictions

* Old Believers
* Spiritual Christianity
* True Orthodoxy
* Catacomb Church
* Old Calendarists
* American Orthodox Catholic Church
* American World Patriarchs

* National churches:

*     * Abkhazia
* Belarus
* Italy
* Latvia
* Montenegro
* Turkey
* UOC–KP

* Evangelical Orthodox

Ecumenical councils

* First Seven Ecumenical Councils:

* Nicaea I
* Constantinople I
* Ephesus
* Chalcedon
* Constantinople II
* Constantinople III
* Nicaea II

* Other possible ecumenical councils:

* Constantinople IV
* Constantinople V

* Other important councils:

* Quinisext Council
* Jassy
* Moscow
* Jerusalem
* Constantinople (1872)

History

* Church Fathers
* Pentarchy
* Byzantine Empire
* Christianization of Georgia
* Christianization of Bulgaria
* Christianization of Kievan Rus'
* Great Schism
* Russia
* Ottoman Empire
* North America
* Moscow–Constantinople schism
* 15th–16th c.
* 1996
* 2018

Theology

* History of Eastern Orthodox theology
* (20th century (Neo-Palamism))

* Apophaticism
* Chrismation
* Contemplative prayer
* Essence vs. Energies
* Hesychasm
* Holy Trinity
* Hypostatic union
* Icons
* Metousiosis
* Mystical theology
* Nicene Creed
* Nepsis
* Oikonomia vs Akribeia
* Ousia
* Palamism
* Philokalia
* Phronema
* Sin
* Theosis
* Theotokos

* Differences from the Catholic Church
* Opposition to the Filioque
* Opposition to papal supremacy

Liturgy and worship

* Divine Liturgy
* Divine Services

* Akathist
* Apolytikion
* Artos
* Ectenia
* Euchologion
* Holy Water
* Iconostasis
* Jesus Prayer
* Aprakos
* Kontakion
* Liturgical entrances
* Liturgical fans
* Lity
* Memorial service
* Memory Eternal
* Omophorion
* Eastern Orthodox bowing
* Eastern Orthodox marriage
* Praxis
* Paraklesis
* Paschal greeting
* Paschal Homily
* Paschal troparion
* Prayer rope
* Prosphora
* Russian bell ringing
* Semantron
* Sign of the cross
* Sticheron
* Troparion
* Vestments
* Use of incense

Liturgical calendar

* Paschal cycle
* 12 Great Feasts
* Other feasts:

* Feast of Orthodoxy
* Intercession of the Theotokos

* The four fasting periods:

* Nativity Fast
* Great Lent
* Apostles' Fast
* Dormition Fast

Major figures

Saints (Russian (until 15th century), Russian (post-15th century), Serbian, American)

* Justin Martyr
* Athanasius of Alexandria
* Ephraim the Syrian
* Basil of Caesarea
* Cyril of Jerusalem
* Gregory of Nazianzus
* Gregory of Nyssa
* John Chrysostom
* Cyril of Alexandria
* John Climacus
* Maximus the Confessor
* John of Damascus
* Theodore the Studite
* Kassia
* Cyril and Methodius
* Photius I of Constantinople
* Vladimir the Great
* Sava I of Serbia
* Gregory Palamas
* Innocent of Alaska

Other topics

* Architecture
* Folk
* Encyclical of the Eastern Patriarchs
* Cross
* Saint titles
* Statistics by country

* v
* t
* e

The Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar describes and dictates the rhythm of the life of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Passages of Holy Scripture, saints and events for commemoration are associated with each date, as are many times special rules for fasting or feasting that correspond to the day of the week or time of year in relationship to the major feast days.

There are two types of feasts in the Orthodox Church calendar: fixed and movable. Fixed feasts occur on the same calendar day every year, whereas movable feasts change each year. The moveable feasts are generally relative to Pascha (Easter), and so the cycle of moveable feasts is referred to as the Paschal cycle.

## Fixed feasts

[edit]

Russian icon depicting the calendar of saints (18th–19th century).

See also: Menologium

The following list of dates links only to fixed feasts of the Orthodox Church. These are the fixed dates; the particular day on which that date is observed differs depending upon whether one follows the Julian Calendar (sometimes referred to as the "Old Calendar") or the Revised Julian Calendar ("New Calendar"). All dates having to do with Pascha (Easter) - the beginning of Great Lent, Ascension, Pentecost, etc. - are moveable feasts, and thus are not on this calendar (see Paschal cycle).

These important notes should be remembered in using the following calendar:

* For the day in the modern Gregorian Calendar, on which churches following the Julian Calendar celebrate any fixed date's commemoration, the 13 days which were lapsed to correct the calendar to the seasons must again lapse, by adding the 13 days to the dates below. For example, Christmas Day (25 December) on the Julian Calendar falls on 7 January of the modern Gregorian Calendar.

The number of days by which the Gregorian calendar differs from the Julian calendar is currently 13, but will increase to 14 on 1 March 2100. Over the course of future centuries, the difference will continue to increase, limitlessly.

* For those churches which follow the Revised Julian Calendar, the dates below correspond exactly to the dates on the Gregorian Calendar.

The Eastern Orthodox liturgical year begins on 1 September.

September  | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

|

October  | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
November  | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
December     | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
January  | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
February  | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 (29)
March  | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
April  | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
May  | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
June  | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
July  | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
August  | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

## Moveable feasts

[edit]

Main article: Paschal cycle

See also: Movable Eastern Christian Observances

Pascha (Easter) is, by far, the most important day in the ecclesiastical year, and all other days, in one way or another, are dependent upon it. Pascha falls on different calendar dates from year to year, calculated according to a strict set of rules (see Computus for details). While the Fixed Cycle begins on September 1,[1] the new Paschal Cycle begins on "Zaccheus Sunday" in the Slavic tradition or the "Sunday of the Canaanite Woman" in the Greek tradition[citation needed] (the beginning of the preparatory season before Great Lent), eleven Sundays before Pascha, and continues until the Zaccheus Sunday or Sunday of the Canaanite Woman of the following year. The Epistle and Gospel readings at the Divine Liturgy throughout the year are determined by the date of Pascha.

## Great Feasts

[edit]

Main article: Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church

There are Twelve Great Feasts throughout the church year—not counting Pascha, which is above and beyond all other feast days. These are feasts which celebrate major historical events in the lives of Jesus Christ or the Theotokos (Virgin Mary). Of these, three are on the Paschal Cycle:

* Palm Sunday (the Sunday before Pascha)
* Ascension (forty days after Pascha)
* Pentecost (fifty days after Pascha)

The other Great Feasts are on the Fixed Cycle:

* The Nativity of the Theotokos — 8 September [O.S. 21 September]
* The Elevation of the Holy Cross — 14 September [O.S. 27 September]
* The Presentation of the Theotokos — 21 November [O.S. 4 December]
* The Nativity of the Lord — 25 December [O.S. 7 January]
* The Theophany (Epiphany) of the Lord — 6 January [O.S. 19 January]
* The Presentation of the Lord — 2 February [O.S. 15 February]
* The Annunciation — 25 March [O.S. 7 April]
* The Transfiguration of the Lord — 6 August [O.S. 19 August]
* The Dormition (Falling Asleep) of the Theotokos — 15 August [O.S. 28 August]

In addition, the feast day of the patron saint of a parish church or monastery is counted as a Great Feast, and is celebrated with great solemnity.

## Liturgical seasons

[edit]

In addition to Great Lent, there are three other lesser lenten seasons in the church year:

* Nativity Fast (40 days in preparation for the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord)
* Apostles' Fast (variable time from the second Monday after Pentecost until the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul)
* Dormition Fast (2 weeks from 1 August to 14 August in preparation for the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos)

The season from the Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee (three weeks before the Great Lent) through Holy Saturday is called Triodion, while the season from Pascha through Pentecost is called the Pentecostarion.

## Printed calendars

[edit]

Because of the complexity created by the intersection of the various cycles, a number of Orthodox institutions will print an annual calendar which contains rubrics for the services during that particular year. Simpler wall calendars will show the major commemoration of the day together with the appointed scripture readings.

## See also

[edit]

* Byzantine calendar
* List of Eastern Orthodox saint titles

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "The Orthodox Faith - Volume II - Worship - the Church Year - Church Year".

* For saints, feasts, and other commemorations:
* Complete lives of the saints for every day of the Byzantine liturgical year
* Lives of the Saints and Feast days Search at Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
* Orthodox Calendar at Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church
* Where to learn and purchase Orthodox Liturgical Calendars Archived 2019-07-04 at the Wayback Machine
* For scriptural readings:
* The Orthodox Study Bible \- Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1993: 771-780

* v
* t
* e

Calendars of saints

Roman Catholic|

* General Roman
* 1969
* 1960
* 1955
* pre-1955
* Tridentine
* Syro-Malabar

Eastern Orthodox|

* Menologium

Oriental Orthodox|

* Coptic
* Armenian

Anglican|

* Australia
* Brazil
* Canada
* England
* Hong Kong
* Korea
* Scotland
* Southern Africa
* United States
* Wales

Protestant|

* Lutheran

* v
* t
* e

Calendars

Systems|

* Lunar
* Lunisolar
* Solar

In wide use|

* Astronomical
* Buddhist
* Chinese
* Ethiopian
* Gregorian
* Hindu
* Lunar Hijri
* Solar Hijri
* ISO
* Unix time

In more
limited use

* Akan
* Armenian
* Assamese (Bhāshkarābda)
* Assyrian
* Baháʼí
* Badí‘
* Bali
* Pawukon
* Saka
* Bengali
* Bangladeshi
* Berber
* Borana
* Burmese
* Chinese
* Earthly Branches
* Heavenly Stems
* Minguo
* Solar term
* Germanic heathen
* Georgian
* Hebrew
* Hindu
* Vikram Samvat
* Saka
* Hmong
* Igbo
* Iranian
* Jalali
* medieval
* Zoroastrian
* Irish
* Gaelic
* Islamic
* Fasli
* Tabular
* Jain
* Japanese
* Javanese
* Korean
* Juche
* Kurdish
* Lithuanian
* Maithili
* Malayalam
* Mandaean
* Manipuri (Meitei)
* Melanau
* Mizo (Lushai)
* Mongolian
* Nepal
* Nepal Sambat
* Vikram Samvat
* Yele Sambat
* Nisg̱a'a
* Odia
* Punjabi
* Nanakshahi
* Romanian
* Shona
* Somali
* Sesotho
* Slavic
* Slavic Native Faith
* Macedonian
* Tamil
* Thai
* lunar
* solar
* Tibetan
* Tripuri
* Tulu
* Vietnamese
* Wicca
* Xhosa
* Yoruba
* Zulu

Types|

* Runic
* Mesoamerican
* Long Count
* Calendar round

Christian variants|

* Coptic
* Ethiopian and Eritrean
* Julian
* Revised
* Liturgical year
* Eastern Orthodox
* Saints

Historical|

* Arabian
* Attic
* Aztec
* Tōnalpōhualli
* Xiuhpōhualli
* Babylonian
* Bulgar
* Byzantine
* Cappadocian
* Celtic
* Cham
* Culāsakaraj
* Coligny
* Egyptian
* Enoch
* Florentine
* French Republican
* Germanic
* Greek
* Hindu
* Inca
* Macedonian
* Maya
* Haabʼ
* Tzolkʼin
* Muisca
* Pentecontad
* Pisan
* Qumran
* Rapa Nui
* Roman
* Rumi
* Sexagenary
* Soviet
* Swedish
* Turkmen

By specialty|

* Holocene
* anthropological
* Proleptic Gregorian / Proleptic Julian
* historiographical
* Darian
* Martian
* Dreamspell
* New Age
* Discordian
* 'Pataphysical

Reform proposals|

* Hanke–Henry Permanent
* International Fixed
* Pax
* Positivist
* Symmetry454
* World

Displays and
applications

* Electronic
* Perpetual
* Wall

Year naming
and numbering

| Terminology|

* Era
* Epoch
* Leap year
* New Year
* Regnal name
* Regnal year
* Year zero

|

Systems|

* Ab urbe condita
* Anka year
* Anno Domini/Common Era
* Anno Lucis
* Anno Martyrum
* Anno Mundi
* Assyrian
* Before Present
* Chinese Imperial
* Chinese Minguo
* English and British regnal year
* Hijri year
* Human (Holocene)
* Japanese
* Korean
* Nirayana system
* Seleucid
* Spanish
* Yugas
* Satya
* Treta
* Dvapara
* Kali
* Vietnamese

Fictional|

* Discworld (Discworld)
* Greyhawk (Dungeons & Dragons)
* Middle-earth (The Lord of the Rings)
* Stardate (Star Trek)

* List of calendars
* Category

* v
* t
* e

Topics about Saints

Calendar of saints|

* General Roman Calendar
* Tridentine calendar
* Eastern Orthodox calendar
* Anglican calendars
* Coptic calendar
* Lutheran calendar

Traditions|

* Folk saint
* Equal-to-apostles
* Relic
* Catacomb saints
* Translation
* Hagiography
* Lists of saints
* Catholic
* Child
* Orthodox
* Titles
* Symbology of the Saints
* Saints in Protestantism
* Levitation of saints

Theology|

* Communion of saints
* Veneration
* Intercession
* Prayer for the dead
* Confessors
* list
* Martyrs
* list
* Christian
* Diocletian
* Passion bearers
* Patron saint
* Places
* Mariology

Canonization process|

* Dicastery for the Causes of Saints
* Servant of God
* list
* The Venerable
* list
* Beatification
* list
* Equivalent canonization

Related topics|

* Apostle
* Bishop
* Companions
* Roman Martyrology
* Saints in Anglicanism
* Saints in Methodism
* Patristics
* Early Christian writers
* Church Fathers
* Women of the patristic age
* Prophet
* Phallic saint

Saints portal

* v
* t
* e

Ethiopian saints by feast day

January|

* Abeluzius (15th)
* Tsahma (24th)

March|

* Alef (20th)

May|

* Saint Abraham (5th)
* Yared (19th)
* Kaleb (28th)
* Ablak (30th)

June|

* Aftse (5th)
* Guba (5th)
* Gebre Meskel Lalibela (6th)
* Garima (24th)

July|

* Moses the Black (1st)
* Giyorgis of Segla (14th)

August|

* Tekle Haymanot (17th and 24th)

September|

* Dawit II (2nd)
* Abnodius (3rd)
* Melki of Clysma (11th)
* Daysa the Egyptian (12th)
* Mamas the Martyr (15th)
* Lebna Dengel (15th)
* Fasilidas (19th)
* Yasay (19th)
* Matronya (20th)
* Absadi (27th)

October|

* Ezana (1st)
* Saizana (1st)
* Matlan the physician (4th)
* Aregawi (24th)
* Yemrehana Krestos (29th)

November|

* Yem’ata (2nd)
* Baeda Maryam I (8th)
* Amda Seyon I (26th)

December|

* Iyasus Mo'a (5th)
* Liqanos (7th)
* Gebre Meskel (8th)
* Samuel of Waldebba (21st)
* Frumentius (27th)

All months|

* Gabra Manfas Qeddus (5th)
* Tekle Haymanot (24th)

Related topics

Giustino de Jacobis (Roman Catholic), Nine Saints • Armenian Apostolic liturgical calendar, Coptic calendar, Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar •  Category:Ethiopian saints
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template