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 3, 2016
(January 17, 2016) |
January 1, 2017
(January 15, 2017) |
December 31, 2017
(January 14, 2018) |
| Sunday after Theophany | January 10, 2016
(January 24, 2016 ) |
January 8, 2017
(January 22, 2017 ) |
January 7, 2018
(January 21, 2018 ) |
| Zacchaeus Sunday (Slavic Tradition) | February 14, 2016 | January 29, 2017 | January 21, 2018 |
| Publican & Pharisee Sunday - fast free week | February 21, 2016 | February 5, 2017 | January 28, 2018 |
| Sunday of the Prodigal Son | February 28, 2016 | February 12, 2017 | February 4, 2018 |
| Meat Fare Sunday (Sunday of Last Judgement) | March 6, 2016 | February 19, 2017 | February 11, 2018 |
| fast for 6 days | Mon, March 7, 2016 | Mon, February 20, 2017 | Mon, February 12, 2018 |
| Cheesefare (Forgiveness) Sunday
Expulsion from Paradise |
March 13, 2016 | February 26, 2017 | February 18, 2018 |
| Great Lent begins - fast for 6 weeks | Mon, March 14, 2016 | Mon, February 27, 2017 | Mon, February 19, 2018 |
| Sunday of Orthodoxy
1st Sunday of Lent |
March 20, 2016 | March 5, 2017 | February 25, 2018 |
| Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas
2nd Sunday of Lent |
March 27, 2016 | March 12, 2017 | March 4, 2018 |
| Sunday of the Holy Cross
3rd Sunday of Lent |
April 3, 2016 | March 19, 2017 | March 11, 2018 |
| Sunday of St. John Climacus
4th Sunday of Lent |
April 10, 2016 | March 26, 2017 | March 18, 2018 |
| Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt
5th Sunday of Lent |
April 17, 2016 | April 2, 2017 | March 25, 2018 |
| Lazarus Saturday | Sat, April 23, 2016 | Sat, April 8, 2017 | Sat, March 31, 2018 |
| Palm Sunday | April 24, 2016 | April 9, 2017 | April 1, 2018 |
| Holy Week starts - fast all week | Mon, April 25, 2016 | Mon, April 10, 2017 | Mon, April 2, 2018 |
| Holy Thursday | Thu, April 28, 2016 | Thu, April 13, 2017 | Thu, April 5, 2018 |
| Holy Friday | Fri, April 29, 2016 | Fri, April 14, 2017 | Fri, April 6, 2018 |
| Holy Saturday | Sat, April 30, 2016 | Sat, April 15, 2017 | Sat, April 7, 2018 |
| Pascha - fast free week | May 1, 2016 | April 16, 2017 | April 8, 2018 |
| Sunday of St. Thomas
2nd Sunday of Pascha |
May 8, 2016 | April 23, 2017 | April 15, 2018 |
| Sunday of Myrrh-bearing Women
3rd Sunday of Pascha |
May 15, 2016 | April 30, 2017 | April 22, 2018 |
| Sunday of the Paralytic
4th Sunday of Pascha |
May 22, 2016 | May 7, 2017 | April 29, 2018 |
| Midfeast of Pentecost | Wed, May 25, 2016 | Wed, May 10, 2017 | Wed, May 2, 2018 |
| Sunday of the Samaritan Woman
5th Sunday of Pascha |
May 29, 2016 | May 14, 2017 | May 6, 2018 |
| Sunday of the Blind Man
6th Sunday of Pascha |
June 5, 2016 | May 21, 2017 | May 13, 2018 |
| Leavetaking of Pascha | Wed, June 8, 2016 | Wed, May 24, 2017 | Wed, May 16, 2018 |
| AscensionThursday | June 9, 2016 | May 25, 2017 | May 17, 2018 |
| Fathers of the 1st Ecumenical Council
7th Sunday of Pascha |
June 12, 2016 | May 28, 2017 | May 20, 2018 |
| Pentecost Sunday - fast free week | June 19, 2016 | June 4, 2017 | May 27, 2018 |
| Day of the Holy Spirit | Mon, June 20, 2016 | Mon, June 5, 2017 | Mon, May 28, 2018 |
| Sunday of All Saints
1st Sunday after Pentecost |
June 26, 2016 | June 11, 2017 | June 3, 2018 |
| Apostles fast begins | June 27, 2016
for 2 Days ( 15 Days OC) |
June 12, 2017
for 17 Days ( 30 Days OC) |
June 4, 2018
for 25 Days ( 38 Days OC) |
| All Saints of North America
2nd Sunday after Pentecost |
July 3, 2016 | June 18, 2017 | June 10, 2018 |
| Fathers of the First Six Councils | July 17, 2016
(July 31, 2016) |
July 16, 2017
(July 30, 2017) |
July 15, 2018
(July 29, 2018) |
| Sunday before Elevation of the Cross | September 11, 2016
(September 25, 2016) |
September 10, 2017
(September 24, 2017) |
September 9, 2018
(September 23, 2018) |
| Sunday after Elevation of the Cross
- Lukan Jump next day - |
September 18, 2016
(October 2, 2016 ) |
September 17, 2017
(October 1, 2017 ) |
September 16, 2018
(September 30, 2018 ) |
| Fathers of the 7th Ecumenical Council | October 16, 2016
(October 30, 2016 ) |
October 15, 2017
(October 29, 2017 ) |
October 14, 2018
(October 28, 2018 ) |
| 2nd Sunday before Nativity | December 11, 2016
(December 25, 2016) |
December 17, 2017
(December 24, 2017) |
December 16, 2018
(December 30, 2018) |
| Sunday before Nativity | December 18, 2016
(January 1, 2017) |
December 24, 2017
(December 31, 2017) |
December 23, 2018
(January 6, 2019) |
| Sunday after Nativity | January 1, 2017
(January 8, 2017 ) |
December 31, 2017
(January 14, 2018 ) |
December 30, 2018
(January 13, 2019 ) |
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
