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").
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. | January 5, 2025
(January 12, 2025) |
January 4, 2026
(January 18, 2026) |
January 3, 2027
(January 17, 2027) |
| Sunday after Theophany | January 12, 2025
(January 26, 2025 ) |
January 11, 2026
(January 25, 2026 ) |
January 10, 2027
(January 24, 2027 ) |
| Zacchaeus Sunday (Slavic Tradition) | February 2, 2025 | January 25, 2026 | February 14, 2027 |
| Publican & Pharisee Sunday - fast free week | February 9, 2025 | February 1, 2026 | February 21, 2027 |
| Sunday of the Prodigal Son | February 16, 2025 | February 8, 2026 | February 28, 2027 |
| Meat Fare Sunday (Sunday of Last Judgement) | February 23, 2025 | February 15, 2026 | March 7, 2027 |
| fast for 6 days | Mon, February 24, 2025 | Mon, February 16, 2026 | Mon, March 8, 2027 |
| Cheesefare (Forgiveness) Sunday
Expulsion from Paradise |
March 2, 2025 | February 22, 2026 | March 14, 2027 |
| Great Lent begins - fast for 6 weeks | Mon, March 3, 2025 | Mon, February 23, 2026 | Mon, March 15, 2027 |
| Sunday of Orthodoxy
1st Sunday of Lent |
March 9, 2025 | March 1, 2026 | March 21, 2027 |
| Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas
2nd Sunday of Lent |
March 16, 2025 | March 8, 2026 | March 28, 2027 |
| Sunday of the Holy Cross
3rd Sunday of Lent |
March 23, 2025 | March 15, 2026 | April 4, 2027 |
| Sunday of St. John Climacus
4th Sunday of Lent |
March 30, 2025 | March 22, 2026 | April 11, 2027 |
| Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt
5th Sunday of Lent |
April 6, 2025 | March 29, 2026 | April 18, 2027 |
| Lazarus Saturday | Sat, April 12, 2025 | Sat, April 4, 2026 | Sat, April 24, 2027 |
| Palm Sunday | April 13, 2025 | April 5, 2026 | April 25, 2027 |
| Holy Week starts - fast all week | Mon, April 14, 2025 | Mon, April 6, 2026 | Mon, April 26, 2027 |
| Holy Thursday | Thu, April 17, 2025 | Thu, April 9, 2026 | Thu, April 29, 2027 |
| Holy Friday | Fri, April 18, 2025 | Fri, April 10, 2026 | Fri, April 30, 2027 |
| Holy Saturday | Sat, April 19, 2025 | Sat, April 11, 2026 | Sat, May 1, 2027 |
| Pascha - fast free week | April 20, 2025 | April 12, 2026 | May 2, 2027 |
| Sunday of St. Thomas
2nd Sunday of Pascha |
April 27, 2025 | April 19, 2026 | May 9, 2027 |
| Sunday of Myrrh-bearing Women
3rd Sunday of Pascha |
May 4, 2025 | April 26, 2026 | May 16, 2027 |
| Sunday of the Paralytic
4th Sunday of Pascha |
May 11, 2025 | May 3, 2026 | May 23, 2027 |
| Midfeast of Pentecost | Wed, May 14, 2025 | Wed, May 6, 2026 | Wed, May 26, 2027 |
| Sunday of the Samaritan Woman
5th Sunday of Pascha |
May 18, 2025 | May 10, 2026 | May 30, 2027 |
| Sunday of the Blind Man
6th Sunday of Pascha |
May 25, 2025 | May 17, 2026 | June 6, 2027 |
| Leavetaking of Pascha | Wed, May 28, 2025 | Wed, May 20, 2026 | Wed, June 9, 2027 |
| AscensionThursday | May 29, 2025 | May 21, 2026 | June 10, 2027 |
| Fathers of the 1st Ecumenical Council
7th Sunday of Pascha |
June 1, 2025 | May 24, 2026 | June 13, 2027 |
| Pentecost Sunday - fast free week | June 8, 2025 | May 31, 2026 | June 20, 2027 |
| Day of the Holy Spirit | Mon, June 9, 2025 | Mon, June 1, 2026 | Mon, June 21, 2027 |
| Sunday of All Saints
1st Sunday after Pentecost |
June 15, 2025 | June 7, 2026 | June 27, 2027 |
| Apostles fast begins | June 16, 2025
for 13 Days ( 26 Days OC) |
June 8, 2026
for 21 Days ( 34 Days OC) |
June 28, 2027
for 1 Days ( 14 Days OC) |
| All Saints of North America
2nd Sunday after Pentecost |
June 22, 2025 | June 14, 2026 | July 4, 2027 |
| Fathers of the First Six Councils | July 13, 2025
(July 27, 2025) |
July 19, 2026
(July 26, 2026) |
July 18, 2027
(August 1, 2027) |
| Sunday before Elevation of the Cross | September 7, 2025
(September 21, 2025) |
September 13, 2026
(September 20, 2026) |
September 12, 2027
(September 26, 2027) |
| Sunday after Elevation of the Cross
- Lukan Jump next day - |
September 21, 2025
(September 28, 2025 ) |
September 20, 2026
(October 4, 2026 ) |
September 19, 2027
(October 3, 2027 ) |
| Fathers of the 7th Ecumenical Council | October 12, 2025
(October 26, 2025 ) |
October 11, 2026
(October 25, 2026 ) |
October 17, 2027
(October 24, 2027 ) |
| 2nd Sunday before Nativity | December 14, 2025
(December 28, 2025) |
December 13, 2026
(December 27, 2026) |
December 12, 2027
(December 26, 2027) |
| Sunday before Nativity | December 21, 2025
(January 4, 2026) |
December 20, 2026
(January 3, 2027) |
December 19, 2027
(January 2, 2028) |
| Sunday after Nativity | December 28, 2025
(January 11, 2026 ) |
December 27, 2026
(January 10, 2027 ) |
December 26, 2027
(January 9, 2028 ) |
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