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, 2021
(January 17, 2021) |
January 2, 2022
(January 16, 2022) |
January 1, 2023
(January 15, 2023) |
| Sunday after Theophany | January 10, 2021
(January 24, 2021 ) |
January 9, 2022
(January 23, 2022 ) |
January 8, 2023
(January 22, 2023 ) |
| Zacchaeus Sunday (Slavic Tradition) | February 14, 2021 | February 6, 2022 | January 29, 2023 |
| Publican & Pharisee Sunday - fast free week | February 21, 2021 | February 13, 2022 | February 5, 2023 |
| Sunday of the Prodigal Son | February 28, 2021 | February 20, 2022 | February 12, 2023 |
| Meat Fare Sunday (Sunday of Last Judgement) | March 7, 2021 | February 27, 2022 | February 19, 2023 |
| fast for 6 days | Mon, March 8, 2021 | Mon, February 28, 2022 | Mon, February 20, 2023 |
| Cheesefare (Forgiveness) Sunday
Expulsion from Paradise |
March 14, 2021 | March 6, 2022 | February 26, 2023 |
| Great Lent begins - fast for 6 weeks | Mon, March 15, 2021 | Mon, March 7, 2022 | Mon, February 27, 2023 |
| Sunday of Orthodoxy
1st Sunday of Lent |
March 21, 2021 | March 13, 2022 | March 5, 2023 |
| Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas
2nd Sunday of Lent |
March 28, 2021 | March 20, 2022 | March 12, 2023 |
| Sunday of the Holy Cross
3rd Sunday of Lent |
April 4, 2021 | March 27, 2022 | March 19, 2023 |
| Sunday of St. John Climacus
4th Sunday of Lent |
April 11, 2021 | April 3, 2022 | March 26, 2023 |
| Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt
5th Sunday of Lent |
April 18, 2021 | April 10, 2022 | April 2, 2023 |
| Lazarus Saturday | Sat, April 24, 2021 | Sat, April 16, 2022 | Sat, April 8, 2023 |
| Palm Sunday | April 25, 2021 | April 17, 2022 | April 9, 2023 |
| Holy Week starts - fast all week | Mon, April 26, 2021 | Mon, April 18, 2022 | Mon, April 10, 2023 |
| Holy Thursday | Thu, April 29, 2021 | Thu, April 21, 2022 | Thu, April 13, 2023 |
| Holy Friday | Fri, April 30, 2021 | Fri, April 22, 2022 | Fri, April 14, 2023 |
| Holy Saturday | Sat, May 1, 2021 | Sat, April 23, 2022 | Sat, April 15, 2023 |
| Pascha - fast free week | May 2, 2021 | April 24, 2022 | April 16, 2023 |
| Sunday of St. Thomas
2nd Sunday of Pascha |
May 9, 2021 | May 1, 2022 | April 23, 2023 |
| Sunday of Myrrh-bearing Women
3rd Sunday of Pascha |
May 16, 2021 | May 8, 2022 | April 30, 2023 |
| Sunday of the Paralytic
4th Sunday of Pascha |
May 23, 2021 | May 15, 2022 | May 7, 2023 |
| Midfeast of Pentecost | Wed, May 26, 2021 | Wed, May 18, 2022 | Wed, May 10, 2023 |
| Sunday of the Samaritan Woman
5th Sunday of Pascha |
May 30, 2021 | May 22, 2022 | May 14, 2023 |
| Sunday of the Blind Man
6th Sunday of Pascha |
June 6, 2021 | May 29, 2022 | May 21, 2023 |
| Leavetaking of Pascha | Wed, June 9, 2021 | Wed, June 1, 2022 | Wed, May 24, 2023 |
| AscensionThursday | June 10, 2021 | June 2, 2022 | May 25, 2023 |
| Fathers of the 1st Ecumenical Council
7th Sunday of Pascha |
June 13, 2021 | June 5, 2022 | May 28, 2023 |
| Pentecost Sunday - fast free week | June 20, 2021 | June 12, 2022 | June 4, 2023 |
| Day of the Holy Spirit | Mon, June 21, 2021 | Mon, June 13, 2022 | Mon, June 5, 2023 |
| Sunday of All Saints
1st Sunday after Pentecost |
June 27, 2021 | June 19, 2022 | June 11, 2023 |
| Apostles fast begins | June 28, 2021
for 1 Days ( 14 Days OC) |
June 20, 2022
for 9 Days ( 22 Days OC) |
June 12, 2023
for 17 Days ( 30 Days OC) |
| All Saints of North America
2nd Sunday after Pentecost |
July 4, 2021 | June 26, 2022 | June 18, 2023 |
| Fathers of the First Six Councils | July 18, 2021
(August 1, 2021) |
July 17, 2022
(July 31, 2022) |
July 16, 2023
(July 30, 2023) |
| Sunday before Elevation of the Cross | September 12, 2021
(September 26, 2021) |
September 11, 2022
(September 25, 2022) |
September 10, 2023
(September 24, 2023) |
| Sunday after Elevation of the Cross
- Lukan Jump next day - |
September 19, 2021
(October 3, 2021 ) |
September 18, 2022
(October 2, 2022 ) |
September 17, 2023
(October 1, 2023 ) |
| Fathers of the 7th Ecumenical Council | October 17, 2021
(October 24, 2021 ) |
October 16, 2022
(October 30, 2022 ) |
October 15, 2023
(October 29, 2023 ) |
| 2nd Sunday before Nativity | December 12, 2021
(December 26, 2021) |
December 11, 2022
(December 25, 2022) |
December 17, 2023
(December 24, 2023) |
| Sunday before Nativity | December 19, 2021
(January 2, 2022) |
December 18, 2022
(January 1, 2023) |
December 24, 2023
(December 31, 2023) |
| Sunday after Nativity | December 26, 2021
(January 9, 2022 ) |
January 1, 2023
(January 8, 2023 ) |
December 31, 2023
(January 14, 2024 ) |
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
