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. | December 31, 2017
(January 14, 2018) |
December 30, 2018
(January 13, 2019) |
January 5, 2020
(January 12, 2020) |
| Sunday after Theophany | January 7, 2018
(January 21, 2018 ) |
January 13, 2019
(January 20, 2019 ) |
January 12, 2020
(January 26, 2020 ) |
| Zacchaeus Sunday (Slavic Tradition) | January 21, 2018 | February 10, 2019 | February 2, 2020 |
| Publican & Pharisee Sunday - fast free week | January 28, 2018 | February 17, 2019 | February 9, 2020 |
| Sunday of the Prodigal Son | February 4, 2018 | February 24, 2019 | February 16, 2020 |
| Meat Fare Sunday (Sunday of Last Judgement) | February 11, 2018 | March 3, 2019 | February 23, 2020 |
| fast for 6 days | Mon, February 12, 2018 | Mon, March 4, 2019 | Mon, February 24, 2020 |
| Cheesefare (Forgiveness) Sunday
Expulsion from Paradise |
February 18, 2018 | March 10, 2019 | March 1, 2020 |
| Great Lent begins - fast for 6 weeks | Mon, February 19, 2018 | Mon, March 11, 2019 | Mon, March 2, 2020 |
| Sunday of Orthodoxy
1st Sunday of Lent |
February 25, 2018 | March 17, 2019 | March 8, 2020 |
| Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas
2nd Sunday of Lent |
March 4, 2018 | March 24, 2019 | March 15, 2020 |
| Sunday of the Holy Cross
3rd Sunday of Lent |
March 11, 2018 | March 31, 2019 | March 22, 2020 |
| Sunday of St. John Climacus
4th Sunday of Lent |
March 18, 2018 | April 7, 2019 | March 29, 2020 |
| Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt
5th Sunday of Lent |
March 25, 2018 | April 14, 2019 | April 5, 2020 |
| Lazarus Saturday | Sat, March 31, 2018 | Sat, April 20, 2019 | Sat, April 11, 2020 |
| Palm Sunday | April 1, 2018 | April 21, 2019 | April 12, 2020 |
| Holy Week starts - fast all week | Mon, April 2, 2018 | Mon, April 22, 2019 | Mon, April 13, 2020 |
| Holy Thursday | Thu, April 5, 2018 | Thu, April 25, 2019 | Thu, April 16, 2020 |
| Holy Friday | Fri, April 6, 2018 | Fri, April 26, 2019 | Fri, April 17, 2020 |
| Holy Saturday | Sat, April 7, 2018 | Sat, April 27, 2019 | Sat, April 18, 2020 |
| Pascha - fast free week | April 8, 2018 | April 28, 2019 | April 19, 2020 |
| Sunday of St. Thomas
2nd Sunday of Pascha |
April 15, 2018 | May 5, 2019 | April 26, 2020 |
| Sunday of Myrrh-bearing Women
3rd Sunday of Pascha |
April 22, 2018 | May 12, 2019 | May 3, 2020 |
| Sunday of the Paralytic
4th Sunday of Pascha |
April 29, 2018 | May 19, 2019 | May 10, 2020 |
| Midfeast of Pentecost | Wed, May 2, 2018 | Wed, May 22, 2019 | Wed, May 13, 2020 |
| Sunday of the Samaritan Woman
5th Sunday of Pascha |
May 6, 2018 | May 26, 2019 | May 17, 2020 |
| Sunday of the Blind Man
6th Sunday of Pascha |
May 13, 2018 | June 2, 2019 | May 24, 2020 |
| Leavetaking of Pascha | Wed, May 16, 2018 | Wed, June 5, 2019 | Wed, May 27, 2020 |
| AscensionThursday | May 17, 2018 | June 6, 2019 | May 28, 2020 |
| Fathers of the 1st Ecumenical Council
7th Sunday of Pascha |
May 20, 2018 | June 9, 2019 | May 31, 2020 |
| Pentecost Sunday - fast free week | May 27, 2018 | June 16, 2019 | June 7, 2020 |
| Day of the Holy Spirit | Mon, May 28, 2018 | Mon, June 17, 2019 | Mon, June 8, 2020 |
| Sunday of All Saints
1st Sunday after Pentecost |
June 3, 2018 | June 23, 2019 | June 14, 2020 |
| Apostles fast begins | June 4, 2018
for 25 Days ( 38 Days OC) |
June 24, 2019
for 5 Days ( 18 Days OC) |
June 15, 2020
for 14 Days ( 27 Days OC) |
| All Saints of North America
2nd Sunday after Pentecost |
June 10, 2018 | June 30, 2019 | June 21, 2020 |
| Fathers of the First Six Councils | July 15, 2018
(July 29, 2018) |
July 14, 2019
(July 28, 2019) |
July 19, 2020
(July 26, 2020) |
| Sunday before Elevation of the Cross | September 9, 2018
(September 23, 2018) |
September 8, 2019
(September 22, 2019) |
September 13, 2020
(September 20, 2020) |
| Sunday after Elevation of the Cross
- Lukan Jump next day - |
September 16, 2018
(September 30, 2018 ) |
September 15, 2019
(September 29, 2019 ) |
September 20, 2020
(October 4, 2020 ) |
| Fathers of the 7th Ecumenical Council | October 14, 2018
(October 28, 2018 ) |
October 13, 2019
(October 27, 2019 ) |
October 11, 2020
(October 25, 2020 ) |
| 2nd Sunday before Nativity | December 16, 2018
(December 30, 2018) |
December 15, 2019
(December 29, 2019) |
December 13, 2020
(December 27, 2020) |
| Sunday before Nativity | December 23, 2018
(January 6, 2019) |
December 22, 2019
(January 5, 2020) |
December 20, 2020
(January 3, 2021) |
| Sunday after Nativity | December 30, 2018
(January 13, 2019 ) |
December 29, 2019
(January 12, 2020 ) |
December 27, 2020
(January 10, 2021 ) |
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
