Church Calendar
The Church Calendar consists of a series of cycles by which feasts are celebrated in the Orthodox Church. There are currently three calendars in use in the Church, the Julian Calendar ("Old Calendar"), Revised Julian Calendar ("New Calendar"), and Gregorian Calendar ("New Calendar").
Contents
Usage
- The Julian Calendar churches are: Jerusalem, Russia, Serbia, Georgia, Poland, Sinai, Ukraine, and Japan.
- The Revised Julian Calendar churches are: Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Romania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Albania, Czech Lands and Slovakia, Estonia and the OCA.
- The Gregorian Calendar church is: Finland.
A number of the above churches also have some parishes and dioceses which are on a different calendar than their respective primates, most especially the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in the diaspora, which has many Julian Calendar parishes.
In terms of population, most Orthodox Christians follow the Julian Calendar (roughly 144 million to 41 million) but in terms of numbers of autocephalous and autonomous church bodies, the majority use one of the New Calendars (12 to 8).
Calendar fixed feast days
The following list of dates links only to fixed feasts of the Orthodox Church. The Church's year begins with the Indiction on September 1.
Calendar movable feast days
All dates are Gregorian. Dates in ( ) are Gregorian dates of movable feasts on the Julian Calendar when different.
| Movable feast day | Date this year | Date next year | Date in two years |
| Sunday before Theophany. | December 31, 2023
(January 14, 2024) |
January 5, 2025
(January 12, 2025) |
January 4, 2026
(January 18, 2026) |
| Sunday after Theophany | January 7, 2024
(January 21, 2024 ) |
January 12, 2025
(January 26, 2025 ) |
January 11, 2026
(January 25, 2026 ) |
| Zacchaeus Sunday (Slavic Tradition) | February 18, 2024 | February 2, 2025 | January 25, 2026 |
| Publican & Pharisee Sunday - fast free week | February 25, 2024 | February 9, 2025 | February 1, 2026 |
| Sunday of the Prodigal Son | March 3, 2024 | February 16, 2025 | February 8, 2026 |
| Meat Fare Sunday (Sunday of Last Judgement) | March 10, 2024 | February 23, 2025 | February 15, 2026 |
| fast for 6 days | Mon, March 11, 2024 | Mon, February 24, 2025 | Mon, February 16, 2026 |
| Cheesefare (Forgiveness) Sunday
Expulsion from Paradise |
March 17, 2024 | March 2, 2025 | February 22, 2026 |
| Great Lent begins - fast for 6 weeks | Mon, March 18, 2024 | Mon, March 3, 2025 | Mon, February 23, 2026 |
| Sunday of Orthodoxy
1st Sunday of Lent |
March 24, 2024 | March 9, 2025 | March 1, 2026 |
| Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas
2nd Sunday of Lent |
March 31, 2024 | March 16, 2025 | March 8, 2026 |
| Sunday of the Holy Cross
3rd Sunday of Lent |
April 7, 2024 | March 23, 2025 | March 15, 2026 |
| Sunday of St. John Climacus
4th Sunday of Lent |
April 14, 2024 | March 30, 2025 | March 22, 2026 |
| Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt
5th Sunday of Lent |
April 21, 2024 | April 6, 2025 | March 29, 2026 |
| Lazarus Saturday | Sat, April 27, 2024 | Sat, April 12, 2025 | Sat, April 4, 2026 |
| Palm Sunday | April 28, 2024 | April 13, 2025 | April 5, 2026 |
| Holy Week starts - fast all week | Mon, April 29, 2024 | Mon, April 14, 2025 | Mon, April 6, 2026 |
| Holy Thursday | Thu, May 2, 2024 | Thu, April 17, 2025 | Thu, April 9, 2026 |
| Holy Friday | Fri, May 3, 2024 | Fri, April 18, 2025 | Fri, April 10, 2026 |
| Holy Saturday | Sat, May 4, 2024 | Sat, April 19, 2025 | Sat, April 11, 2026 |
| Pascha - fast free week | May 5, 2024 | April 20, 2025 | April 12, 2026 |
| Sunday of St. Thomas
2nd Sunday of Pascha |
May 12, 2024 | April 27, 2025 | April 19, 2026 |
| Sunday of Myrrh-bearing Women
3rd Sunday of Pascha |
May 19, 2024 | May 4, 2025 | April 26, 2026 |
| Sunday of the Paralytic
4th Sunday of Pascha |
May 26, 2024 | May 11, 2025 | May 3, 2026 |
| Midfeast of Pentecost | Wed, May 29, 2024 | Wed, May 14, 2025 | Wed, May 6, 2026 |
| Sunday of the Samaritan Woman
5th Sunday of Pascha |
June 2, 2024 | May 18, 2025 | May 10, 2026 |
| Sunday of the Blind Man
6th Sunday of Pascha |
June 9, 2024 | May 25, 2025 | May 17, 2026 |
| Leavetaking of Pascha | Wed, June 12, 2024 | Wed, May 28, 2025 | Wed, May 20, 2026 |
| AscensionThursday | June 13, 2024 | May 29, 2025 | May 21, 2026 |
| Fathers of the 1st Ecumenical Council
7th Sunday of Pascha |
June 16, 2024 | June 1, 2025 | May 24, 2026 |
| Pentecost Sunday - fast free week | June 23, 2024 | June 8, 2025 | May 31, 2026 |
| Day of the Holy Spirit | Mon, June 24, 2024 | Mon, June 9, 2025 | Mon, June 1, 2026 |
| Sunday of All Saints
1st Sunday after Pentecost |
June 30, 2024 | June 15, 2025 | June 7, 2026 |
| Apostles fast begins | July 1, 2024
for no fast Days ( 11 Days OC) |
June 16, 2025
for 13 Days ( 26 Days OC) |
June 8, 2026
for 21 Days ( 34 Days OC) |
| All Saints of North America
2nd Sunday after Pentecost |
July 7, 2024 | June 22, 2025 | June 14, 2026 |
| Fathers of the First Six Councils | July 14, 2024
(July 28, 2024) |
July 13, 2025
(July 27, 2025) |
July 19, 2026
(July 26, 2026) |
| Sunday before Elevation of the Cross | September 8, 2024
(September 22, 2024) |
September 7, 2025
(September 21, 2025) |
September 13, 2026
(September 20, 2026) |
| Sunday after Elevation of the Cross
- Lukan Jump next day - |
September 15, 2024
(September 29, 2024 ) |
September 21, 2025
(September 28, 2025 ) |
September 20, 2026
(October 4, 2026 ) |
| Fathers of the 7th Ecumenical Council | October 13, 2024
(October 27, 2024 ) |
October 12, 2025
(October 26, 2025 ) |
October 11, 2026
(October 25, 2026 ) |
| 2nd Sunday before Nativity | December 15, 2024
(December 29, 2024) |
December 14, 2025
(December 28, 2025) |
December 13, 2026
(December 27, 2026) |
| Sunday before Nativity | December 22, 2024
(January 5, 2025) |
December 21, 2025
(January 4, 2026) |
December 20, 2026
(January 3, 2027) |
| Sunday after Nativity | December 29, 2024
(January 12, 2025 ) |
December 28, 2025
(January 11, 2026 ) |
December 27, 2026
(January 10, 2027 ) |
See also
Guidance on style
External links
- Ecclesiastical Calendar
- Orthodox calendar from Orthodox Menologion Online
- Online Ecclesiastical Calendar, with detailed fasting rubrics and the Menologion, according to the Old Calendar
Calendar use
- Frequently Asked Questions about Calendars by Claus Tondering (everything you ever wanted to know)
- Calendar and Easter Topics
- The Calendar Issue in the Orthodox Church (.pdf), by John Parsells
