Major Feasts and Fasts
Pascha and the 12 Great Feasts are in bold.
Includes Major Civil Holidays in the United States and Canada
|
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 12
|
Sunday After Theophany
|
|
January 20
|
Martin Luther King Day (USA)
|
|
January 30
|
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)
Sunday of Zacchaeus |
| February 9 | Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee |
| February 16 | Sunday of the Prodigal Son |
| February 17 | Presidents' Day (USA) |
| February 22 | First All-Souls Saturday |
| February 23 | Sunday of the Second Coming of Christ (Meat-Fare) |
| March 2 | Forgiveness Sunday (Cheese-Fare) |
| March 3 | Beginning of the Holy Forty Days Fast |
| March 9 | First Sunday of the Great Fast (Sunday of Orthodoxy) |
| March 15 | Second All-Souls Saturday |
| March 16 | Second Sunday of the Great Fast (St. Gregory Palamas) |
| March 22 | Third All Souls Saturday |
| March 23 | Third Sunday of the Great Fast (Veneration of the Cross) |
| March 9 | Fourth All-Souls Saturday |
| March 25 | Annunciation to the Mother of God |
| March 30 | Fourth Sunday of the Great Fast (St. John of the Ladder) |
| April 3 | Canon of St. Andrew of Crete |
| April 5 | Akathistos Saturday |
| April 6 | Fifth Sunday of the Great Fast (St. Mary of Egypt) |
| April 12-19 | Great and Holy Week |
| April 12 | Lazarus Saturday |
| April 13 | Palm (Flowery) Sunday - Entrance into Jerusalem |
| April 14 | Great and Holy Monday |
| April 15 | Great and Holy Tuesday |
| April 16 | Great and Holy Wednesday |
| April 17 | Great and Holy Thursday |
| April 18 | Great and Holy Friday |
| April 19 | Great and Holy Saturday |
| April 20 | Pascha - Feast of the Resurrection of Christ (Easter Sunday) |
| April 20-27 | Bright Week |
| April 29 | Second Sunday of Pascha (Apostle Thomas) |
| May 4 | Third Sunday of Pascha (Myrrh-Bearing Women) |
| May 11 | Fourth Sunday of Pascha (Healing of the Paralytic) Feast of Saints Cyril & Methodius |
| May 14 | Mid-Pentecost |
| May 18 | Fifth Sunday of Pascha (Samaritan Women at the Well) |
| May 19 | Victoria Day (Canada) |
| May 25 | Sixth Sunday of Pascha (Man Born Blind) |
| May 26 | Memorial Day (USA) |
| May 29 | Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord, God, and Savior, Jesus Christ |
| June 1 | Seventh Sunday of Pascha (Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council) |
| June 7 | Fifth All-Souls Saturay |
| June 8 |
Pentecost - Descent of the Holy Spirit |
| June 15 | All Saints Sunday |
| June 16 - June 28 | The Apostles' Fast |
| 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 13 | 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 (7522) |
| September 1 | 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 13 | Columbus Day (USA), Thanksgiving Day (Canada) |
| October 19 | 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 27 | 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 12 | Our Lady of Guadalupe |
| December 14 | Second Sunday Before Christmas (Holy Forefathers) |
| December 21 | Suday Before Christmas (Holy Fathers) |
| 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 | Sunday after the Nativity: Commemoration of the Holy Righteous David the King, Joseph the Betrothed, and James the Brother of the Lord |
| 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 2014 the calendars are together and all celebrate the Feast of Feasts, the Resurrection of our Lord, on April 20th.