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 2, 2022
(January 16, 2022) |
January 1, 2023
(January 15, 2023) |
December 31, 2023
(January 14, 2024) |
| Sunday after Theophany | January 9, 2022
(January 23, 2022 ) |
January 8, 2023
(January 22, 2023 ) |
January 7, 2024
(January 21, 2024 ) |
| Zacchaeus Sunday (Slavic Tradition) | February 6, 2022 | January 29, 2023 | February 18, 2024 |
| Publican & Pharisee Sunday - fast free week | February 13, 2022 | February 5, 2023 | February 25, 2024 |
| Sunday of the Prodigal Son | February 20, 2022 | February 12, 2023 | March 3, 2024 |
| Meat Fare Sunday (Sunday of Last Judgement) | February 27, 2022 | February 19, 2023 | March 10, 2024 |
| fast for 6 days | Mon, February 28, 2022 | Mon, February 20, 2023 | Mon, March 11, 2024 |
| Cheesefare (Forgiveness) Sunday
Expulsion from Paradise |
March 6, 2022 | February 26, 2023 | March 17, 2024 |
| Great Lent begins - fast for 6 weeks | Mon, March 7, 2022 | Mon, February 27, 2023 | Mon, March 18, 2024 |
| Sunday of Orthodoxy
1st Sunday of Lent |
March 13, 2022 | March 5, 2023 | March 24, 2024 |
| Sunday of St. Gregory Palamas
2nd Sunday of Lent |
March 20, 2022 | March 12, 2023 | March 31, 2024 |
| Sunday of the Holy Cross
3rd Sunday of Lent |
March 27, 2022 | March 19, 2023 | April 7, 2024 |
| Sunday of St. John Climacus
4th Sunday of Lent |
April 3, 2022 | March 26, 2023 | April 14, 2024 |
| Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt
5th Sunday of Lent |
April 10, 2022 | April 2, 2023 | April 21, 2024 |
| Lazarus Saturday | Sat, April 16, 2022 | Sat, April 8, 2023 | Sat, April 27, 2024 |
| Palm Sunday | April 17, 2022 | April 9, 2023 | April 28, 2024 |
| Holy Week starts - fast all week | Mon, April 18, 2022 | Mon, April 10, 2023 | Mon, April 29, 2024 |
| Holy Thursday | Thu, April 21, 2022 | Thu, April 13, 2023 | Thu, May 2, 2024 |
| Holy Friday | Fri, April 22, 2022 | Fri, April 14, 2023 | Fri, May 3, 2024 |
| Holy Saturday | Sat, April 23, 2022 | Sat, April 15, 2023 | Sat, May 4, 2024 |
| Pascha - fast free week | April 24, 2022 | April 16, 2023 | May 5, 2024 |
| Sunday of St. Thomas
2nd Sunday of Pascha |
May 1, 2022 | April 23, 2023 | May 12, 2024 |
| Sunday of Myrrh-bearing Women
3rd Sunday of Pascha |
May 8, 2022 | April 30, 2023 | May 19, 2024 |
| Sunday of the Paralytic
4th Sunday of Pascha |
May 15, 2022 | May 7, 2023 | May 26, 2024 |
| Midfeast of Pentecost | Wed, May 18, 2022 | Wed, May 10, 2023 | Wed, May 29, 2024 |
| Sunday of the Samaritan Woman
5th Sunday of Pascha |
May 22, 2022 | May 14, 2023 | June 2, 2024 |
| Sunday of the Blind Man
6th Sunday of Pascha |
May 29, 2022 | May 21, 2023 | June 9, 2024 |
| Leavetaking of Pascha | Wed, June 1, 2022 | Wed, May 24, 2023 | Wed, June 12, 2024 |
| AscensionThursday | June 2, 2022 | May 25, 2023 | June 13, 2024 |
| Fathers of the 1st Ecumenical Council
7th Sunday of Pascha |
June 5, 2022 | May 28, 2023 | June 16, 2024 |
| Pentecost Sunday - fast free week | June 12, 2022 | June 4, 2023 | June 23, 2024 |
| Day of the Holy Spirit | Mon, June 13, 2022 | Mon, June 5, 2023 | Mon, June 24, 2024 |
| Sunday of All Saints
1st Sunday after Pentecost |
June 19, 2022 | June 11, 2023 | June 30, 2024 |
| Apostles fast begins | June 20, 2022
for 9 Days ( 22 Days OC) |
June 12, 2023
for 17 Days ( 30 Days OC) |
July 1, 2024
for no fast Days ( 11 Days OC) |
| All Saints of North America
2nd Sunday after Pentecost |
June 26, 2022 | June 18, 2023 | July 7, 2024 |
| Fathers of the First Six Councils | July 17, 2022
(July 31, 2022) |
July 16, 2023
(July 30, 2023) |
July 14, 2024
(July 28, 2024) |
| Sunday before Elevation of the Cross | September 11, 2022
(September 25, 2022) |
September 10, 2023
(September 24, 2023) |
September 8, 2024
(September 22, 2024) |
| Sunday after Elevation of the Cross
- Lukan Jump next day - |
September 18, 2022
(October 2, 2022 ) |
September 17, 2023
(October 1, 2023 ) |
September 15, 2024
(September 29, 2024 ) |
| Fathers of the 7th Ecumenical Council | October 16, 2022
(October 30, 2022 ) |
October 15, 2023
(October 29, 2023 ) |
October 13, 2024
(October 27, 2024 ) |
| 2nd Sunday before Nativity | December 11, 2022
(December 25, 2022) |
December 17, 2023
(December 24, 2023) |
December 15, 2024
(December 29, 2024) |
| Sunday before Nativity | December 18, 2022
(January 1, 2023) |
December 24, 2023
(December 31, 2023) |
December 22, 2024
(January 5, 2025) |
| Sunday after Nativity | January 1, 2023
(January 8, 2023 ) |
December 31, 2023
(January 14, 2024 ) |
December 29, 2024
(January 12, 2025 ) |
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
