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 5, 2020
(January 12, 2020) |
January 3, 2021
(January 17, 2021) |
January 2, 2022
(January 16, 2022) |
| Sunday after Theophany | January 12, 2020
(January 26, 2020 ) |
January 10, 2021
(January 24, 2021 ) |
January 9, 2022
(January 23, 2022 ) |
| Zacchaeus Sunday (Slavic Tradition) | February 2, 2020 | February 14, 2021 | February 6, 2022 |
| Publican & Pharisee Sunday - fast free week | February 9, 2020 | February 21, 2021 | February 13, 2022 |
| Sunday of the Prodigal Son | February 16, 2020 | February 28, 2021 | February 20, 2022 |
| Meat Fare Sunday (Sunday of Last Judgement) | February 23, 2020 | March 7, 2021 | February 27, 2022 |
| fast for 6 days | Mon, February 24, 2020 | Mon, March 8, 2021 | Mon, February 28, 2022 |
| Cheesefare (Forgiveness) Sunday
Expulsion from Paradise |
March 1, 2020 | March 14, 2021 | March 6, 2022 |
| Great Lent begins - fast for 6 weeks | Mon, March 2, 2020 | Mon, March 15, 2021 | Mon, March 7, 2022 |
| Sunday of Orthodoxy
1st Sunday of Lent |
March 8, 2020 | March 21, 2021 | March 13, 2022 |
| Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas
2nd Sunday of Lent |
March 15, 2020 | March 28, 2021 | March 20, 2022 |
| Sunday of the Holy Cross
3rd Sunday of Lent |
March 22, 2020 | April 4, 2021 | March 27, 2022 |
| Sunday of St. John Climacus
4th Sunday of Lent |
March 29, 2020 | April 11, 2021 | April 3, 2022 |
| Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt
5th Sunday of Lent |
April 5, 2020 | April 18, 2021 | April 10, 2022 |
| Lazarus Saturday | Sat, April 11, 2020 | Sat, April 24, 2021 | Sat, April 16, 2022 |
| Palm Sunday | April 12, 2020 | April 25, 2021 | April 17, 2022 |
| Holy Week starts - fast all week | Mon, April 13, 2020 | Mon, April 26, 2021 | Mon, April 18, 2022 |
| Holy Thursday | Thu, April 16, 2020 | Thu, April 29, 2021 | Thu, April 21, 2022 |
| Holy Friday | Fri, April 17, 2020 | Fri, April 30, 2021 | Fri, April 22, 2022 |
| Holy Saturday | Sat, April 18, 2020 | Sat, May 1, 2021 | Sat, April 23, 2022 |
| Pascha - fast free week | April 19, 2020 | May 2, 2021 | April 24, 2022 |
| Sunday of St. Thomas
2nd Sunday of Pascha |
April 26, 2020 | May 9, 2021 | May 1, 2022 |
| Sunday of Myrrh-bearing Women
3rd Sunday of Pascha |
May 3, 2020 | May 16, 2021 | May 8, 2022 |
| Sunday of the Paralytic
4th Sunday of Pascha |
May 10, 2020 | May 23, 2021 | May 15, 2022 |
| Midfeast of Pentecost | Wed, May 13, 2020 | Wed, May 26, 2021 | Wed, May 18, 2022 |
| Sunday of the Samaritan Woman
5th Sunday of Pascha |
May 17, 2020 | May 30, 2021 | May 22, 2022 |
| Sunday of the Blind Man
6th Sunday of Pascha |
May 24, 2020 | June 6, 2021 | May 29, 2022 |
| Leavetaking of Pascha | Wed, May 27, 2020 | Wed, June 9, 2021 | Wed, June 1, 2022 |
| AscensionThursday | May 28, 2020 | June 10, 2021 | June 2, 2022 |
| Fathers of the 1st Ecumenical Council
7th Sunday of Pascha |
May 31, 2020 | June 13, 2021 | June 5, 2022 |
| Pentecost Sunday - fast free week | June 7, 2020 | June 20, 2021 | June 12, 2022 |
| Day of the Holy Spirit | Mon, June 8, 2020 | Mon, June 21, 2021 | Mon, June 13, 2022 |
| Sunday of All Saints
1st Sunday after Pentecost |
June 14, 2020 | June 27, 2021 | June 19, 2022 |
| Apostles fast begins | June 15, 2020
for 14 Days ( 27 Days OC) |
June 28, 2021
for 1 Days ( 14 Days OC) |
June 20, 2022
for 9 Days ( 22 Days OC) |
| All Saints of North America
2nd Sunday after Pentecost |
June 21, 2020 | July 4, 2021 | June 26, 2022 |
| Fathers of the First Six Councils | July 19, 2020
(July 26, 2020) |
July 18, 2021
(August 1, 2021) |
July 17, 2022
(July 31, 2022) |
| Sunday before Elevation of the Cross | September 13, 2020
(September 20, 2020) |
September 12, 2021
(September 26, 2021) |
September 11, 2022
(September 25, 2022) |
| Sunday after Elevation of the Cross
- Lukan Jump next day - |
September 20, 2020
(October 4, 2020 ) |
September 19, 2021
(October 3, 2021 ) |
September 18, 2022
(October 2, 2022 ) |
| Fathers of the 7th Ecumenical Council | October 11, 2020
(October 25, 2020 ) |
October 17, 2021
(October 24, 2021 ) |
October 16, 2022
(October 30, 2022 ) |
| 2nd Sunday before Nativity | December 13, 2020
(December 27, 2020) |
December 12, 2021
(December 26, 2021) |
December 11, 2022
(December 25, 2022) |
| Sunday before Nativity | December 20, 2020
(January 3, 2021) |
December 19, 2021
(January 2, 2022) |
December 18, 2022
(January 1, 2023) |
| Sunday after Nativity | December 27, 2020
(January 10, 2021 ) |
December 26, 2021
(January 9, 2022 ) |
January 1, 2023
(January 8, 2023 ) |
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
