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. | January 4, 2026
(January 18, 2026) |
January 3, 2027
(January 17, 2027) |
January 2, 2028
(January 16, 2028) |
| Sunday after Theophany | January 11, 2026
(January 25, 2026 ) |
January 10, 2027
(January 24, 2027 ) |
January 9, 2028
(January 23, 2028 ) |
| Zacchaeus Sunday (Slavic Tradition) | January 25, 2026 | February 14, 2027 | January 30, 2028 |
| Publican & Pharisee Sunday - fast free week | February 1, 2026 | February 21, 2027 | February 6, 2028 |
| Sunday of the Prodigal Son | February 8, 2026 | February 28, 2027 | February 13, 2028 |
| Meat Fare Sunday (Sunday of Last Judgement) | February 15, 2026 | March 7, 2027 | February 20, 2028 |
| fast for 6 days | Mon, February 16, 2026 | Mon, March 8, 2027 | Mon, February 21, 2028 |
| Cheesefare (Forgiveness) Sunday
Expulsion from Paradise |
February 22, 2026 | March 14, 2027 | February 27, 2028 |
| Great Lent begins - fast for 6 weeks | Mon, February 23, 2026 | Mon, March 15, 2027 | Mon, February 28, 2028 |
| Sunday of Orthodoxy
1st Sunday of Lent |
March 1, 2026 | March 21, 2027 | March 5, 2028 |
| Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas
2nd Sunday of Lent |
March 8, 2026 | March 28, 2027 | March 12, 2028 |
| Sunday of the Holy Cross
3rd Sunday of Lent |
March 15, 2026 | April 4, 2027 | March 19, 2028 |
| Sunday of St. John Climacus
4th Sunday of Lent |
March 22, 2026 | April 11, 2027 | March 26, 2028 |
| Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt
5th Sunday of Lent |
March 29, 2026 | April 18, 2027 | April 2, 2028 |
| Lazarus Saturday | Sat, April 4, 2026 | Sat, April 24, 2027 | Sat, April 8, 2028 |
| Palm Sunday | April 5, 2026 | April 25, 2027 | April 9, 2028 |
| Holy Week starts - fast all week | Mon, April 6, 2026 | Mon, April 26, 2027 | Mon, April 10, 2028 |
| Holy Thursday | Thu, April 9, 2026 | Thu, April 29, 2027 | Thu, April 13, 2028 |
| Holy Friday | Fri, April 10, 2026 | Fri, April 30, 2027 | Fri, April 14, 2028 |
| Holy Saturday | Sat, April 11, 2026 | Sat, May 1, 2027 | Sat, April 15, 2028 |
| Pascha - fast free week | April 12, 2026 | May 2, 2027 | April 16, 2028 |
| Sunday of St. Thomas
2nd Sunday of Pascha |
April 19, 2026 | May 9, 2027 | April 23, 2028 |
| Sunday of Myrrh-bearing Women
3rd Sunday of Pascha |
April 26, 2026 | May 16, 2027 | April 30, 2028 |
| Sunday of the Paralytic
4th Sunday of Pascha |
May 3, 2026 | May 23, 2027 | May 7, 2028 |
| Midfeast of Pentecost | Wed, May 6, 2026 | Wed, May 26, 2027 | Wed, May 10, 2028 |
| Sunday of the Samaritan Woman
5th Sunday of Pascha |
May 10, 2026 | May 30, 2027 | May 14, 2028 |
| Sunday of the Blind Man
6th Sunday of Pascha |
May 17, 2026 | June 6, 2027 | May 21, 2028 |
| Leavetaking of Pascha | Wed, May 20, 2026 | Wed, June 9, 2027 | Wed, May 24, 2028 |
| AscensionThursday | May 21, 2026 | June 10, 2027 | May 25, 2028 |
| Fathers of the 1st Ecumenical Council
7th Sunday of Pascha |
May 24, 2026 | June 13, 2027 | May 28, 2028 |
| Pentecost Sunday - fast free week | May 31, 2026 | June 20, 2027 | June 4, 2028 |
| Day of the Holy Spirit | Mon, June 1, 2026 | Mon, June 21, 2027 | Mon, June 5, 2028 |
| Sunday of All Saints
1st Sunday after Pentecost |
June 7, 2026 | June 27, 2027 | June 11, 2028 |
| Apostles fast begins | June 8, 2026
for 21 Days ( 34 Days OC) |
June 28, 2027
for 1 Days ( 14 Days OC) |
June 12, 2028
for 17 Days ( 30 Days OC) |
| All Saints of North America
2nd Sunday after Pentecost |
June 14, 2026 | July 4, 2027 | June 18, 2028 |
| Fathers of the First Six Councils | July 19, 2026
(July 26, 2026) |
July 18, 2027
(August 1, 2027) |
July 16, 2028
(July 30, 2028) |
| Sunday before Elevation of the Cross | September 13, 2026
(September 20, 2026) |
September 12, 2027
(September 26, 2027) |
September 10, 2028
(September 24, 2028) |
| Sunday after Elevation of the Cross
- Lukan Jump next day - |
September 20, 2026
(October 4, 2026 ) |
September 19, 2027
(October 3, 2027 ) |
September 17, 2028
(October 1, 2028 ) |
| Fathers of the 7th Ecumenical Council | October 11, 2026
(October 25, 2026 ) |
October 17, 2027
(October 24, 2027 ) |
October 15, 2028
(October 29, 2028 ) |
| 2nd Sunday before Nativity | December 13, 2026
(December 27, 2026) |
December 12, 2027
(December 26, 2027) |
December 17, 2028
(December 24, 2028) |
| Sunday before Nativity | December 20, 2026
(January 3, 2027) |
December 19, 2027
(January 2, 2028) |
December 24, 2028
(December 31, 2028) |
| Sunday after Nativity | December 27, 2026
(January 10, 2027 ) |
December 26, 2027
(January 9, 2028 ) |
December 31, 2028
(January 14, 2029 ) |
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
