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Liturgical Year

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Liturgical year



 
 
The liturgical year, also known as the Christian year, consists of the cycle of liturgical
Liturgy

A liturgy is the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to their particular traditions. The word may refer to an elaborate formal ritual such as the Eastern Orthodox Divine Liturgy and Mass , or a daily activity such as the Muslim salat and Jewish Jewish services....
 seasons in Christian
Christianity

Christianity is a Monotheistic religion #Christian view religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus as New Testament view on Jesus' life....
 churches which determines when Feasts
Calendar of saints

The calendar of saints is a traditional Christianity method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as that saint's feast day....
, Memorials, Commemoration
Commemoration (prayer)

In the Tridentine Mass period of the Roman Rite, when a higher-ranked liturgy impeded the celebration of a lesser that, either permanently or by coincidence, fell on the same day, the prayer of the lower-ranked celebration was usually added to that of the higher....
s, and Solemnities
Solemnity

A Solemnity of the Roman Catholic Church is a principal holy day in the liturgical calendar, usually commemorating an event in the life of Jesus, his mother Blessed Virgin Mary, or other important saints....
 are to be observed and which portions of Scripture are to be read. Distinct liturgical colours
Liturgical colours

Liturgical colours are those specific colours which are used for vestments and Antependium within the context of Christianity liturgy. The symbolism of violet , white, green, red, gold , black, Rose , and other colours may serve to underline moods appropriate to a season of the liturgical year or may highlight a special occasion....
 may appear in connection with different seasons of the liturgical year. The dates of the festivals vary somewhat between the Western
Western Christianity

Western Christianity is a term used to include the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church, the Churches of the Anglican Communion and Protestantism, which share common attributes that can be traced back to their medieval heritage....
 (Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church, officially known as the Catholic Church is the world's largest Christianity Ecclesia , representing over half of all Christians and one-sixth of the world population....
 and Protestant
Protestantism

Protestantism is a movement within Christianity that originated in the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation. It is considered to be one of the three principal traditions of Christianity, together with Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy....
) churches and the Eastern Orthodox Church
Eastern Orthodox Church

The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian communion in the world with an estimated 225 million members worldwide. It is considered by its adherents to be the Four Marks of the Church established by Jesus Christ and his Apostles nearly 2000 years ago....
es, though the sequence and logic is the same.

In both the East and the West, the dates of many feasts vary from year to year, though in almost all cases this is due to the variation in the date of Easter
Easter

Easter is the most important religious feast in the Christianity liturgical year.Christians believe that Jesus was Resurrection of Jesus from the dead three days after his Crucifixion of Jesus, and celebrate this resurrection on Easter Day or Easter Sunday , two days after Good Friday....
 since most other dates follow from that event.






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Encyclopedia


The liturgical year, also known as the Christian year, consists of the cycle of liturgical
Liturgy

A liturgy is the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to their particular traditions. The word may refer to an elaborate formal ritual such as the Eastern Orthodox Divine Liturgy and Mass , or a daily activity such as the Muslim salat and Jewish Jewish services....
 seasons in Christian
Christianity

Christianity is a Monotheistic religion #Christian view religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus as New Testament view on Jesus' life....
 churches which determines when Feasts
Calendar of saints

The calendar of saints is a traditional Christianity method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as that saint's feast day....
, Memorials, Commemoration
Commemoration (prayer)

In the Tridentine Mass period of the Roman Rite, when a higher-ranked liturgy impeded the celebration of a lesser that, either permanently or by coincidence, fell on the same day, the prayer of the lower-ranked celebration was usually added to that of the higher....
s, and Solemnities
Solemnity

A Solemnity of the Roman Catholic Church is a principal holy day in the liturgical calendar, usually commemorating an event in the life of Jesus, his mother Blessed Virgin Mary, or other important saints....
 are to be observed and which portions of Scripture are to be read. Distinct liturgical colours
Liturgical colours

Liturgical colours are those specific colours which are used for vestments and Antependium within the context of Christianity liturgy. The symbolism of violet , white, green, red, gold , black, Rose , and other colours may serve to underline moods appropriate to a season of the liturgical year or may highlight a special occasion....
 may appear in connection with different seasons of the liturgical year. The dates of the festivals vary somewhat between the Western
Western Christianity

Western Christianity is a term used to include the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church, the Churches of the Anglican Communion and Protestantism, which share common attributes that can be traced back to their medieval heritage....
 (Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church, officially known as the Catholic Church is the world's largest Christianity Ecclesia , representing over half of all Christians and one-sixth of the world population....
 and Protestant
Protestantism

Protestantism is a movement within Christianity that originated in the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation. It is considered to be one of the three principal traditions of Christianity, together with Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy....
) churches and the Eastern Orthodox Church
Eastern Orthodox Church

The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian communion in the world with an estimated 225 million members worldwide. It is considered by its adherents to be the Four Marks of the Church established by Jesus Christ and his Apostles nearly 2000 years ago....
es, though the sequence and logic is the same.

In both the East and the West, the dates of many feasts vary from year to year, though in almost all cases this is due to the variation in the date of Easter
Easter

Easter is the most important religious feast in the Christianity liturgical year.Christians believe that Jesus was Resurrection of Jesus from the dead three days after his Crucifixion of Jesus, and celebrate this resurrection on Easter Day or Easter Sunday , two days after Good Friday....
 since most other dates follow from that event. The extent to which the feasts and festivals are celebrated also varies between churches; in general Protestant churches observe far fewer of them than Catholic and Orthodox churches, and in particular are less likely to celebrate feasts of the Virgin Mary
Blessed Virgin Mary

The Blessed Virgin Mary, sometimes shortened to The Blessed Virgin or The Virgin Mary, is a traditional title used by most Christians and most specifically used by liturgical Christians such as Roman Catholics, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholics, and some others to describe Mary, mother of Jesus, the mother of...
 and the Saint
Saint

A saint in Christianity is a human being who has been called to holiness. The term is used differently by various denominations, with some, such as the Anglicans, Methodists, and Lutherans distinguishing between Saints and saints....
s. See moveable feast
Moveable feast

In Christianity, a moveable feast or movable feast is a holy day — a feast day or a fast day — whose date is not fixed to a particular day of the calendar year but moves in response to the date of Easter, the date of which varies according to a computus....
s.

Liturgical cycle


The liturgical cycle divides the year into a series of seasons, each with their own mood, theological
Christian theology

Christian theology is discourse concerning Christianity faith. Christian theologians use biblical exegesis, rationality analysis and argument to understanding, explanation, test, critic#critique, defend or promote Christianity....
 emphases, and modes of prayer
Prayer

Prayer is the act of communicating with a deity or spirit in worship. Specific forms of this may include praise, requesting divine providence, confessing sins, as an act of reparation or an expression of one's emotional expression....
, which can be signified by different ways of decorating churches, colors of Paraments
Parament

A Parament or Parement; , a term applied by ancient writers to the hangings or ornaments of a room of state. Later it has referred to the liturgical hangings on and around the altar, as well as the cloths hanging from the pulpit and lectern....
 and Vestments
Vestment

Vestments are liturgy garments and articles associated primarily with the Christianity religions, especially the Latin Rite and other Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Anglicans, Methodists, and Lutheran Churches....
 for clergy, scriptural
Bible

The Bible is the central religious text of Judaism and Christianity. The exact Books of the Bible is dependent on the religious traditions of specific denominations....
 readings, themes for preaching and even different traditions and practices often observed personally or in the home. In churches that follow the liturgical year, the scripture passages for each Sunday (and even each day of the year in some traditions) are specified by a list called a lectionary
Lectionary

A Lectionary is a book or listing that contains a collection of scripture readings appointed for Christianity or Judaic worship on a given day or occasion....
.

Among non-Catholic Western Christians, Anglicans and Lutherans have traditionally followed the lectionary since the days of the Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reformation

The Protestant Reformation was a Christian reform movement in Europe. It is thought to have begun in 1517 with Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses and may be considered to have ended with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648....
. Following the Roman Catholic liturgical reform of the Roman Rite instituted by Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI

Pope Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Roman Catholic Church and monarch of Vatican City from 1963 to 1978....
 in 1970, the adoption and use of lectionaries in other Protestant churches (Methodist
Methodism

Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by John Wesley and his younger brother Charles Wesley that sought to keep Methodism as a Revivalism movement within the Church of England....
, Reformed
Reformed churches

The Reformed churches are a group of Christian Protestant Christian denomination formally characterized by a similar Calvinism system of doctrine, historically related to the churches that first arose especially in the Swiss Reformation led by Huldrych Zwingli and soon afterward appeared in nations throughout Western and Central Europe....
, United
United and uniting churches

United and uniting churches are churches formed from the merger or other form of union of two or more different Protestantism Christian denominations....
, etc.) increased. In particular, the growing influence of the Revised Common Lectionary
Revised Common Lectionary

The Revised Common Lectionary is a lectionary of readings or pericopes from the Bible for use in Christian Worship, making provision for the liturgical year with its pattern of observances of festivals and seasons....
 led to a greater awareness of the Christian year among Protestants in the later decades of the 20th century, especially among mainline denominations.

Biblical calendar


Biblical calendars are based on the cycle of the new moon
New moon

In astronomical terminology, the new moon is the lunar phase that occurs when the Moon, in its monthly orbital motion around Earth, lies between Earth and the Sun, and is therefore in Conjunction with the Sun as seen from Earth....
. The year is from the first new moon on or after the spring equinox to the next new moon on or after the spring equinox, which means it has no set starting point like the modern calendar. The basic formula for the calendar is found early in the Bible: "And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years" (Gen. 1:14). "This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you" (Exo. 12:1-2). "This day came ye out in the month Abib" (Exo. 13:4). A month is one new moon to the next new moon. "And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another (month), and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, said the LORD" (Isa.
Book of Isaiah

The Book of Isaiah is a book of the Bible traditionally attributed to the Prophet Isaiah, who lived in the second half of the 8th century BC. In the first 39 chapters, Isaiah prophesies doom for a sinful Judah and for all the nations of the world that oppose God....
 66:23). "In the first month, that is, the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of king Ahasuerus, they cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman from day to day, and from month to month, to the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar" (Est.
Book of Esther

The Book of Esther is one of the books of the Ketuvim of the Tanakh and of the Historical Books of the Old Testament. The Book of Esther or the Megillah is the basis for the Jewish celebration of Purim....
 3:7). The Biblical Calendar is laid out as follows, Nisan or Nissan (1st month) March-April, Iyar (2nd month) April-May, Sivan (3rd month) May-June, Tammuz (4th month) June-July, Av (5 month) July-August, Elul (6 month) August-September, Tishrei (7th month) September-October, Heshvan or Cheshvan (8th month) October-November, Kislev (9th month) November-December, Tevet (10th month) December-January, Shevat (11th month) January-February, Adar (12th month) February-March.

Western liturgical calendar


Western Christian liturgical calendars are based on the cycle of the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church, including Lutheran, Anglican, and other Protestant calendars since this cycle pre-dates the Reformation. Generally, the liturgical seasons in western Christianity are Advent
Advent

Advent is a Liturgical year of the Christianity, the period of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus; in other words, the period immediately before Christmas....
, Christmas
Christmas

Christmas , also referred to as Christmas Day, is an annual holiday celebrated on December 25 that commemorates the birth of Jesus. The day marks the beginning of the larger season of Christmastide, which lasts Twelve Days of Christmas....
, Ordinary Time (Time after Epiphany
Epiphany (Christian)

File:WiseMenAdorationMurillo.pngAfterfeast: The Feast of Theophany is followed by an eight-day Afterfeast on which the normal fasting laws are suspended....
), Lent
Lent

Lent, in Christianity, is the period of the liturgical year leading up to Easter. Conventionally it is described as being forty days long, though different Christian denominations calculate the forty days differently....
, Easter
Easter

Easter is the most important religious feast in the Christianity liturgical year.Christians believe that Jesus was Resurrection of Jesus from the dead three days after his Crucifixion of Jesus, and celebrate this resurrection on Easter Day or Easter Sunday , two days after Good Friday....
, and Ordinary Time (Time after Pentecost
Pentecost

Pentecost is one of the prominent feasts in the Christianity liturgical year, celebrated the 49th day after Easter Sunday?or the 50th day, inclusively, whence its name is derived from the Greek....
).

Roman Catholic Church liturgical year

The Catholic Church sets aside certain days and seasons of each year to recall and celebrate various events in the life of Christ. The liturgical year begins with Advent
Advent

Advent is a Liturgical year of the Christianity, the period of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus; in other words, the period immediately before Christmas....
, the time of preparation for both the celebration of Jesus' birth, and his expected second coming at the end of time. Christmas
Christmas

Christmas , also referred to as Christmas Day, is an annual holiday celebrated on December 25 that commemorates the birth of Jesus. The day marks the beginning of the larger season of Christmastide, which lasts Twelve Days of Christmas....
tide follows, beginning on the night of 24 December (Christmas Eve), and ending with the feast of the Baptism of Jesus
Baptism of the Lord

The Baptism of the Lord is the feast day commemorating the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. Originally the baptism of Christ was celebrated on Epiphany , which commemorates the coming of the Magi, the baptism of Christ, and the wedding at Cana....
 or later on Candlemas Day. Lent
Lent

Lent, in Christianity, is the period of the liturgical year leading up to Easter. Conventionally it is described as being forty days long, though different Christian denominations calculate the forty days differently....
 is the period of purification and penance which begins on Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday

In the Western Christianity calendar, Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent and occurs forty-six days before Easter. It falls on a different date each year, because it is dependent on the Computus; it can occur as early as February 4 or as late as March 10....
 and ends on Holy Thursday
Maundy Thursday

Maundy Thursday is the Christian feast or holy day falling on the Thursday before Easter that commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles....
. The Holy Thursday evening Mass of the Lord's Supper
Last Supper

In the Christian Gospels, the Last Supper was the last meal Jesus shared with his Twelve Apostles and Disciple before Crucifixion of Jesus. The Last Supper has been the subject of many paintings, perhaps The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci....
 marks the beginning of the Easter Triduum
Easter Triduum

Easter Triduum, Holy Triduum, or Paschal Triduum is a term used by some Christian churches, particularly the Roman Catholic Church, the Lutheran Church, and many Anglicans, to denote, collectively, the three days from the evening of Holy Thursday to the evening of Easter Sunday....
 which includes Good Friday
Good Friday

Good Friday, also called Holy Friday, Great Friday or Black Friday, is the Friday preceding Easter Sunday . It commemorates the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Golgotha....
, Holy Saturday
Holy Saturday

Holy Saturday is the day after Good Friday. It is the day before Easter and the last day of Holy Week, in which Christians prepare for Easter....
 and Easter Sunday. These days recall Jesus' last supper with his disciples, death on the cross, burial and resurrection. The seven-week liturgical season of Easter
Easter

Easter is the most important religious feast in the Christianity liturgical year.Christians believe that Jesus was Resurrection of Jesus from the dead three days after his Crucifixion of Jesus, and celebrate this resurrection on Easter Day or Easter Sunday , two days after Good Friday....
 immediately follows the Triduum climaxing at Pentecost
Pentecost

Pentecost is one of the prominent feasts in the Christianity liturgical year, celebrated the 49th day after Easter Sunday?or the 50th day, inclusively, whence its name is derived from the Greek....
. This recalls the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Jesus' disciples after the Ascension of Jesus. The rest of the liturgical year is commonly known as Ordinary Time
Ordinary Time

Ordinary Time is a season of the Christian liturgical calendar. The English name is intended to translate the Latin term Tempus per annum ....
.

The liturgy in the Catholic Church can use one of two forms. The Ordinary Form follows the changes of the Second Vatican Council, while the Extraordinary Form retains older practices. This difference includes some changes in the liturgical calendar. Specifically, the Christmas season is longer according to the Extraordinary Form, so the following time before Lent begins is correspondingly shorter. All other seasons of the liturgical year are the same for both forms, but the placement of specific feast days
Calendar of saints

The calendar of saints is a traditional Christianity method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as that saint's feast day....
 varies.

Advent


From the Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
 adventus
Adventus

Adventus is the Latin word for wiktionary:arrival, and may mean*The Latin word for the Christian season of Advent*A Roman cognomen, held by**Quintus Antistius Adventus, governor of Britain...
, "arrival" or "coming", the first season of the liturgical year begins four Sundays before Christmas and ends on Christmas Eve. Traditionally observed as a "fast", its purpose focuses on preparation for the coming of Christ
Christ

Christ is the English language term for the Greek meaning "the anointing", which is a title given to the Reigning Messiah in the given age of the Zodiac....
. Although often conceived as awaiting the coming of the Christ-child at Christmas, the modern Lectionary points the season more toward eschatological
Eschatology

Eschatology is a part of theology and philosophy concerned with what is believed to be the final events in the history of the world, or the ultimate destiny of All humanity, commonly referred to as the end of the world....
 themes—awaiting the final coming of Christ, when "the wolf shall live with the lamb" (Isaiah 11:6) and when God will have "brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly" (The Magnificat
Magnificat

The Magnificat is a canticle frequently sung liturgy in Christian church services. The text of the canticle is taken directly from the Gospel of Luke where it is spoken by the Virgin Mary upon the occasion of her Visitation to her cousin Elizabeth....
, Luke
Gospel of Luke

The Gospel of Luke is a Synoptic Gospels, and is the third and longest of the four Biblical canonical Gospels of the New Testament. The text narrates the life of Jesus of Nazareth....
 1:52)—particularly in the earlier half of the season. This period of waiting is often marked by the Advent Wreath
Advent wreath

The Advent wreath is a Christian tradition that symbolizes the passage of the four weeks of Advent in the liturgical calendar of the Western Christianity....
, a garland of evergreens with four candles. Although the main symbolism of the advent wreath is simply marking the progression of time, many churches attach themes to each candle, most often 'hope', 'faith', 'joy', and 'love'.

Color: Violet, but on the third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday
Gaudete Sunday

Gaudete Sunday is the third Sunday of Advent in the liturgical calendar of the Western churches, including the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, and liturgical Protestant churches....
, Rose may be used instead.

During this season, the Roman Catholic Church typically omits the "Gloria in Excelsis" during Mass
Mass (liturgy)

The Mass is the Eucharistic celebration in the Latin liturgical rites of the Roman Catholic Church. The term is used also of similar celebrations in Old Catholic Churches, in the Anglo-Catholic tradition of Anglicanism, and in some largely High Church Lutheranism Lutheranism regions, including the Scandinavian and Baltic states countries....
 when using the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite, but retains it for the Mass celebrating a feast. In this newer form, the "Alleluia" remains in all celebrations of the Mass, but the older Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite has only the Gradual
Gradual

The Gradual is a chant in the Roman Catholic Mass . In the Tridentine Mass#Present status of the Mass it is sung after the reading or singing of the Epistle and before the Alleluia, or, during penitential seasons, before the Tract ....
 without an "Alleluia", except on Sunday.

Christmas


The Christmas season immediately follows Advent. The traditional Twelve Days of Christmas
Twelve Days of Christmas

The Twelve Days of Christmas, and the associated evenings of those twelve days , are the festive days beginning on Christmas Day through to the evening of the Twelfth Day of Christmas, ....
 begin with Christmas Eve on the evening of December 24 and continue until the feast of Epiphany
Epiphany

Epiphany may refer to:* Epiphany , a Christian holiday on January 6 celebrating the visit of the Magi to the infant Jesus* Epiphany , the sudden realization or comprehension of the essence or meaning of something...
. With the newer calendar for the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite, the actual Christmas season does not end until the Feast of the Baptism of Christ, usually on the following Sunday. The older usage retained with the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite continues this season until Candlemas in early February, which is also the definition followed in the Anglican Church.

Color: White or Gold.

Rok Liturgiczny   Liturgical Year

Ordinary Time ("Time after Epiphany" and "Septuagesima")


"Ordinary" comes from the same root as our word "ordinal", and in this sense means "the counted weeks". In the Roman Catholic Church and in some Protestant traditions, these are the common weeks which do not belong to a proper season. This period includes a total of either 33 or 34 Sundays, depending on the year, and is divided into two sections. Since the Second Vatican Council, the first portion of Ordinary Time extends from the day following the Feast of the Baptism of Christ until the day before Ash Wednesday (the beginning of Lent). This first segment contains anywhere from three to eight Sundays, depending on how early or late Easter falls. Under the earlier definition of this period (used with the Extraordinary form of the Roman Rite), the equivalent to the first portion of “Ordinary Time” extends from the day following Candlemas Day until the day before Ash Wednesday. This older definition includes the two periods known as the "Time After Epiphany" and "Septuagesima" (pre-Lenten season), and is also used by some Protestant rites.

In the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, the Time after Epiphany can have anywhere from one to six Sundays. It precedes the 17-day season which starts with Septuagesima nine Sundays before Easter and ends on the day before Ash Wednesday. Any omitted Sundays after Epiphany are transferred to the Time after Pentecost and celebrated between the Twenty-Third Sunday and the Last Sunday. If, however, there are not enough Sundays in the year to accommodate all such Sundays, then the one which would otherwise occur on Septuagesima Sunday is celebrated on the previous day (Saturday); in the case of Easter falling so late that there are only 23 Sundays After Pentecost, the Mass for the 23rd Sunday was celebrated on the day before the Last Sunday after Pentecost, until Pope John XXIII decreed in 1960 that the displaced Sunday Mass should be dropped for that year. During Septuagesima, certain customs of Lent are adopted, including the suppression of the "Alleluia" and, on Sundays, the Gloria, and the vestments are violet.

Color: Green (or Violet for the pre-Lenten season, in the older form of the Roman Rite).

Lent and Passiontide


Lent is a major fast
FAST

Fast may refer to:* Fasting, abstaining from food* Nacional Fast Clube, a Brazilian football club* A speed racing for dirt horse racetracks* Fast Search & Transfer, a Norwegian company focusing on data search technologies...
 taken to prepare for Easter
Easter

Easter is the most important religious feast in the Christianity liturgical year.Christians believe that Jesus was Resurrection of Jesus from the dead three days after his Crucifixion of Jesus, and celebrate this resurrection on Easter Day or Easter Sunday , two days after Good Friday....
. It begins on Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday

In the Western Christianity calendar, Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent and occurs forty-six days before Easter. It falls on a different date each year, because it is dependent on the Computus; it can occur as early as February 4 or as late as March 10....
 and ends on Holy Saturday
Holy Saturday

Holy Saturday is the day after Good Friday. It is the day before Easter and the last day of Holy Week, in which Christians prepare for Easter....
, at the end of Holy Week
Holy Week

Holy Week in Christianity is the last week of Lent and the week before Easter. It includes the religious holidays of Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, and lasts from Palm Sunday until but not including Easter Sunday, as Easter Sunday is the first day of the new season of Pentecostarion....
. There are forty days of Lent, as the six Sundays in Lent are not counted. In both Forms of the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church, the Gloria
Gloria

Gloria may refer to:...
 and Te Deum
Te Deum

The Te Deum is an Early Christian hymn of praise. The hymn remains in regular use in the Roman Catholic Church in the Office of Readings found in the Liturgy of the Hours, and in thanksgiving to God for a special blessing either after Mass or Divine Office or as a separate religious ceremony....
 are not used in the Mass and Divine Office, except on Feasts, and the word Alleluia
Alleluia

The Alleluia is chanted before the Gospel lesson in the Eucharistic liturgies of the various Christian Christian liturgy. Alleluia will be solemnly chanted at other times also, usually in conjunction with Psalm verses....
 is never said, either being omitted or replaced with another Gospel Acclamation. Lutheran churches make these same omissions.

Traditionally, the last two weeks of Lent in the Catholic Church are known as Passiontide. During this season, the Gloria Patri is suppressed except after the Psalms in the Divine Office, the readings begin to focus even more on the Passion of Christ, and, most noticeably, the crucifixes and images of the saints are covered with violet cloth. On the Friday before Good Friday
Good Friday

Good Friday, also called Holy Friday, Great Friday or Black Friday, is the Friday preceding Easter Sunday . It commemorates the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Golgotha....
 is the Feast of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary. If the Feasts of St. Joseph or the Annunciation
Annunciation

In Christianity, the Annunciation is the revelation to Mary, the mother of Jesus, by the angel Gabriel that she would Conception a child to be born the Son of God....
 occur during Holy Week or the week after Easter in a particular year, they are transferred to different dates.

Color: Violet. In some traditions, Rose may be used on the 4th Sunday of Lent, called Laetare Sunday
Laetare Sunday

Laetare Sunday , so called from the incipit of the Introit at Mass, "Laetare Jerusalem" , is a name often used to denote the fourth Sunday of the season of Lent in the Christian liturgical calendar....
.

The Easter Triduum consists of:
  • Holy Thursday or Maundy Thursday
    Maundy Thursday

    Maundy Thursday is the Christian feast or holy day falling on the Thursday before Easter that commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles....
     


    • At the evening worship service or Mass of the Lord's Supper, some churches traditionally engage in the ritual of ceremonial footwashing.
    • It is customary on this night for a vigil involving private prayer to take place, beginning after the evening service and continuing until midnight. This vigil is occasionally renewed at dawn of Good Friday, continuing until the morning liturgy.
    • Color: White.


  • Good Friday
    Good Friday

    Good Friday, also called Holy Friday, Great Friday or Black Friday, is the Friday preceding Easter Sunday . It commemorates the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Golgotha....
    • The celebration of Christ's passion.
    • In the Roman Catholic Church, Mass is forbidden on this day, although prayer services are encouraged.
    • Color: Varies: No color, Red, or Black are used in different traditions. (Where colored hangings are removed for this day, liturgical color applies to vestments only.) Similarly, Lutheran chuches often either remove colorful adornments and icons, or veil them with drab cloth. The service is usually plain with somber music, ending with the congregation leaving in silence.
    • In the Roman Catholic, some Lutheran, and High Anglican rites, a crucifix (not necessarily the one which stands on or near the altar on other days of the year) is ceremoniously unveiled. (Traditionally, other crucifixes are to be unveiled, without ceremony, after the Good Friday service.)


  • Holy Saturday
    Holy Saturday

    Holy Saturday is the day after Good Friday. It is the day before Easter and the last day of Holy Week, in which Christians prepare for Easter....
    • Commemoration of the day Christ lay in the Tomb.
    • In the Roman Catholic Church, Mass is never offered on this day.
    • Color: None


  • Easter Vigil
    Easter Vigil

    The Easter Vigil, also called the Paschal Vigil or the Great Vigil of Easter, is a service held in many Christian churches as the first official celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus....
    • Held after sunset of Holy Saturday in anticipation of the celebration of the resurrection
      Resurrection

      Miraculous resurrection of one sort or another has been a recurrent theme or central doctrine of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and other Abrahamic religions....
      .
      See also Paschal candle
      Paschal candle

      The Paschal candle is a large, white candle used liturgy in the Latin liturgical rites of Christianity . A new Paschal candle is blessed and lit every year at Easter, and is used throughout the Paschal season and then throughout the year on special occasions, such as baptisms and funerals....
    • Color: White, often together with Gold.
    • Traditionally, in both of the Roman Catholic Forms of the Rite, during the "Gloria", the organ and bells are used in the liturgy for the first time in 2 days, and the statues, which have been veiled during Passion time, are unveiled.
      • In Lutheran churches, colors and icons are re-displayed as well.

Easter


Easter
Easter

Easter is the most important religious feast in the Christianity liturgical year.Christians believe that Jesus was Resurrection of Jesus from the dead three days after his Crucifixion of Jesus, and celebrate this resurrection on Easter Day or Easter Sunday , two days after Good Friday....
 is the celebration of Jesus' resurrection
Death and Resurrection of Jesus

Within the body of Christianity beliefs, the resurrection of Jesus is a core event on which much of Christian doctrine and theology depend. According to the New Testament, Jesus was Crucifixion, died, buried in a tomb, and resurrected three days later....
. The date of Easter varies from year to year, according to a lunar-calendar dating system (see computus
Computus

Computus is the calculation of the date of Easter in the Christian calendar. The name has been used for this procedure since the early Middle Ages, as it was one of the most important computations of the age....
 for details). In the ordinary Roman Rite calendar, the Easter season extends from the Easter Vigil
Easter Vigil

The Easter Vigil, also called the Paschal Vigil or the Great Vigil of Easter, is a service held in many Christian churches as the first official celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus....
 through Pentecost
Pentecost

Pentecost is one of the prominent feasts in the Christianity liturgical year, celebrated the 49th day after Easter Sunday?or the 50th day, inclusively, whence its name is derived from the Greek....
 Sunday. In the extraordinary calendar, this season includes the Octave
Octave (liturgical)

"Octave" has two senses in Christian liturgical usage. In the first sense, it is the eighth day after a feast, reckoning inclusively, and so always falls on the same day of the week as the feast itself....
 of Pentecost, so Eastertide lasts until None
None (liturgy)

None, or the Ninth Hour, is a fixed time of prayer of the Divine Office of almost all the traditional Christian liturgies. It consists mainly of psalms and is said around 3 p.m....
 of the following Ember Saturday.

In the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, the Easter octave allows no other feasts to be celebrated or commemorated during it; but if Easter falls on 25 April (its latest possible date), the Greater Litanies, are said on the following Tuesday.

Ascension Thursday, which celebrates the return of Jesus to heaven following his resurrection, is the fortieth day of Easter, but, in places where it is not observed as a Holy Day of Obligation
Holy Day of Obligation

In the Roman Catholic Church, Holy Days of Obligation or Holidays of Obligation, less commonly called Feasts of Precept, are the days on which, as of the Code of Canon law states,Eastern Catholic Churches...
, it is transferred to the following Sunday.

Pentecost is the fiftieth and last day of the Easter season. It celebrates the sending of the Holy Ghost to the Apostles, which traditionally marks the birth of the Church.

Color: Gold or white, except on Pentecost, on which the color is Red.

Ordinal or Ordinary Time ("Time after Pentecost" and "Kingdomtide")


Ordinary Time resumes after the Easter Season, on Pentecost Monday, and ends on the Saturday before the First Sunday of Advent. In the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, the Sundays in this part of the year are listed as "Sundays after Pentecost" by Roman Catholics; the Eastern Orthodox and some Protestants still adhere to this terminology. The first Sunday after Pentecost is Trinity Sunday
Trinity Sunday

Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday after Pentecost in the Western Christianity liturgical year, and the Sunday of Pentecost in Eastern Christianity....
 and in many traditions the last Sunday of Ordinary Time is the Feast of Christ the King
Christ the King

Christ the Monarch is a title of Jesus based on several passages of Bible and, in general, used by all Christians. Many denominations, including Catholics, Anglicans, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, and some Lutherans and Methodists, celebrate, in honour of Christ under this title, the Feast of Christ the King on the last Sunday of the liturgi...
.

Variations during this season include:
  • In the older Extraordinary Form of the Catholic liturgical calendar, Christ the King is the last Sunday in October rather than the final Sunday before Advent.
  • In the Catholic and some Anglican traditions the feast of Corpus Christi
    Corpus Christi (feast)

    Corpus Christi is a Christianity Religious festival. Its purpose is to honour the Eucharist, and as such it does not commemorate a particular event in Jesus' life....
     occurs eleven days after Pentecost, but is sometimes transferred to the following Sunday.
  • Also in the Catholic tradition, Friday in the third week after Pentecost is the feast of the Sacred Heart
    Sacred Heart

    The Sacred Heart is a religious devotion to Jesus's physical heart as the representation of the divine love for humanity.This devotion is predominantly used in the Roman Catholic Church, and also in strains of the Anglican Church and some Lutheran Churches....
     of Jesus.
  • Most Western traditions celebrate All Saints' Day on November 1 or the Sunday following. The liturgical color is White.
  • Some traditions celebrate St. Michael's Day
    Michaelmas

    Michaelmas, the feast of Michael is a day in the Christian calendar which occurs on 29 September. Because it falls near the equinox, it is associated in the northern hemisphere with the beginning of autumn and the shortening of days....
     (Michaelmas) on September 29.
  • Some traditions celebrate St. Martin's Day (Martinmas) on November 11.
  • In some Protestant traditions, especially those with closer ties to the Lutheran tradition, Reformation Sunday
    Reformation Day

    Reformation Day is a religious holiday celebrated on October 31 in remembrance of the Protestant Reformation, particularly by Lutheran and some Reformed church communities....
     is celebrated on the Sunday preceding October 31, commemorating the purported day Martin Luther
    Martin Luther

    Martin Luther was a Germans monk, theology, university professor, priest, father of Protestantism, and Protestant Reformers whose ideas started the Protestant Reformation and changed the course of Western culture....
     posted the 95 Theses
    95 Theses

    The Ninety-Five Theses on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences, commonly known as The Ninety-Five Theses, were written by Martin Luther in 1517 and are widely regarded as the primary catalyst for the Protestant Reformation....
     on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg
    Wittenberg

    Wittenberg, officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg, is a town in Germany in the States of Germany Saxony-Anhalt, on the Elbe River. It has a population of about 50,000....
    . The liturgical color is Red, celebrating the Holy Spirit
    Holy Spirit

    In Christianity, the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit is the spirit of God. The term Christ , is also used to refer to this presence. That is, the Spirit is considered to act in concert with and share an essential nature with God the Father and God the Son ....
    's continuing work in renewing the Church.
  • Many traditions treat the final few weeks of Ordinary Time as having a distinctive focus on the coming of the Kingdom of God (so that the liturgical year turns full circle by anticipating one of the predominant themes of Advent). In the Ordinary (modern
    Mass of Paul VI

    The Mass of Pope Paul VI is the liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church Mass of the Roman Rite Promulgation by Paul VI in 1969, after the Second Vatican Council ....
    ) Form of the Roman Rite, the final three Sundays have such an eschatological
    Eschatology

    Eschatology is a part of theology and philosophy concerned with what is believed to be the final events in the history of the world, or the ultimate destiny of All humanity, commonly referred to as the end of the world....
     theme, though without any change in designation for those Sundays. Some other denominations, however, change the designation and sometimes also the liturgical colour. For example, the Church of England
    Church of England

    The Church of England is the State religion Christianity Ecclesia in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the oldest among the communion's thirty-eight independent national and regional churches....
     uses the term "Sundays before Advent" for the final four Sundays and permits red vestments as an alternative. The term "Kingdomtide" is used by a number of denominations, among them the United Methodist Church
    United Methodist Church

    The United Methodist Church is a Christian Church that understands itself to be a part of the one Holy catholic Church of Jesus Christ and the Communion of Saints....
     and the Christian Church - Synod of Saint Timothy
    Synod of Saint Timothy

    The Christian Church ? Synod of Saint Timothy is a synod or Communion of local Christian churches that was established as an autocephalous body in 2004....
    . In the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod
    Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod

    The Lutheran Church?Missouri Synod , founded in 1847 in Chicago, is the eighth largest Protestantism denomination in the United States, and the second-largest Lutheranism body in the U.S....
     (LCMS), this is known as the "Period of End Times," and red vestments are worn on the first and second Sundays.


Color: Green

Assumption of Mary


Observed by Roman Catholics and some Anglicans on August 15. On this date, which is the same as the Eastern tradition of the Dormition, the bodily Assumption of Mary into heaven is celebrated. This feast day is perhaps the oldest feast day
Calendar of saints

The calendar of saints is a traditional Christianity method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as that saint's feast day....
 in the Christian Church, being celebrated in both the East and the West. The Roman Catholic teaching on this feast was defined as dogma
Dogma

Dogma is the established belief or doctrine held by a religion, ideology or any kind of organization: it is authority and not to be disputed, doubted or heresy....
 on November 1 1950 by Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII

Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as the 260th pope, head of the Roman Catholic Church and monarch of Vatican City, from March 2, 1939 until his death in 1958....
 in the Papal Bull
Papal bull

A Papal bull is a particular type of letters patent or charter issued by a pope. It is named after the bulla that was appended to the end to authenticate it....
, Munificentissimus Deus
Munificentissimus Deus

Munificentissimus Deus is the name of an Apostolic constitution written by Pope Pius XII. It defines ex cathedra the dogma of the Assumption of Mary of the BVM....
.

In the Anglican and Lutheran traditions, as well as a few others, August 15th is celebrated as St. Mary, Mother of the Lord.

Color: white

Anglican Church


The Church of England
Church of England

The Church of England is the State religion Christianity Ecclesia in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the oldest among the communion's thirty-eight independent national and regional churches....
 uses a liturgical year that is in most respects identical to that of the Roman Church. While this is less true of the calendars contained within the Book of Common Prayer
Book of Common Prayer

The Book of Common Prayer is the common title of a number of prayer books of the Church of England and used throughout the Anglican Communion. The first book, published in 1549 , in the reign of Edward VI of England, was a product of the English Reformation following the break with Roman Catholic Church....
 and the Alternative Service Book
Alternative Service Book

The Alternative Service Book 1980 was the first complete prayer book produced by the Church of England since 1662. Its name derives from the fact that it was proposed not as a replacement for the Book of Common Prayer but merely as an alternative to it....
 (1980), it is particularly true since the Anglican Church adopted its new pattern of services and liturgies contained within Common Worship
Common Worship

Common Worship is the name given to the series of services authorised by the General Synod of the Church of England and launched on the first Sunday of Advent in 2000....
, in 2000. Certainly, the broad division of the year into the Christmas and Easter seasons, interspersed with periods of Ordinary Time, is identical, and the majority of the Festivals and Commemorations are also celebrated, with some obvious exceptions, chiefly that of the Assumption
Assumption of Mary

The Roman Catholic Church teaches as Dogma that the Mary , "having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory." This means that Mary was transported into Heaven with her body and soul united....
.

In some Anglican traditions (including the Church of England) the Christmas season is followed by an Epiphany season, which begins on the Eve of the Epiphany (on 6 January or the nearest Sunday) and ends on the Feast of the Presentation
Presentation of Jesus at the Temple

The Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple celebrates an early episode in the life of Jesus, and falls on or around 2 February. In the Roman Catholic Church, the Presentation is the fourth Rosary#The Mysteries of the Rosary....
 (on 2 February or the nearest Sunday). Ordinary Time then begins after this period.

The Book of Common Prayer
Book of Common Prayer

The Book of Common Prayer is the common title of a number of prayer books of the Church of England and used throughout the Anglican Communion. The first book, published in 1549 , in the reign of Edward VI of England, was a product of the English Reformation following the break with Roman Catholic Church....
 contains within it the traditional Western Eucharistic lectionary which traces its roots to the Comes of St. Jerome in the 5th century. Its similarity to the ancient lectionary is particularly obvious during Trinity season (Sundays after the Sunday after Pentecost), reflecting that understanding of sanctification.

Eastern Orthodox Church


The Liturgical year in the Eastern Orthodox Church
Eastern Orthodox Church

The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian communion in the world with an estimated 225 million members worldwide. It is considered by its adherents to be the Four Marks of the Church established by Jesus Christ and his Apostles nearly 2000 years ago....
 is characterized by alternating fasts
Fasting

Fasting is primarily the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time. A fast may be total or partial concerning that from which one fasts, and may be prolonged or intermittent as to the period of fasting....
 and feasts
Calendar of saints

The calendar of saints is a traditional Christianity method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as that saint's feast day....
, and is in many ways similar to the Roman Catholic year described above. However, Church New Year (Indiction
Indiction

An indiction is any of the years in a 15-year cycle used to date medieval documents throughout Europe, both East and West. Each year was numbered: first indiction, second indiction, etc....
) traditionally begins on September 1, rather than the first Sunday of Advent. It includes both feasts on the Fixed Cycle and the Paschal Cycle
Paschal cycle

The Paschal cycle in the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Churches, is the cycle of the moveable feasts built around Easter . The cycle consists of approximately ten weeks before and seven weeks after Pascha....
 (or Moveable Cycle). The most important feast day by far is the Feast of Pascha
Easter

Easter is the most important religious feast in the Christianity liturgical year.Christians believe that Jesus was Resurrection of Jesus from the dead three days after his Crucifixion of Jesus, and celebrate this resurrection on Easter Day or Easter Sunday , two days after Good Friday....
 (Easter)—the Feast of Feasts. Then the Twelve Great Feasts, which commemorate various significant events in the lives of Jesus Christ and of the Theotokos
Theotokos

Theotokos is a title of Mary, the mother of Jesus used especially in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches....
 (Virgin Mary).

The majority of Orthodox Christians follow the Julian Calendar
Julian calendar

The Julian calendar, a reform of the Roman calendar, was introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 BC, and came into force in 45 BC . It was chosen after consultation with the astronomer Sosigenes of Alexandria and was probably designed to approximate the tropical year, known at least since Hipparchus....
 in calculating their ecclesiastical feasts, though many have adopted a Revised Julian Calendar
Revised Julian calendar

The Revised Julian calendar or, less formally, New Calendar, is a calendar scheme, originated in 1923, which effectively discontinued the 340 years of divergence between the naming of dates sanctioned by those Eastern Orthodoxy adopting it and the Gregorian calendar scheme that has come to predominate worldwide....
, preserving the Julian calculation for feasts on the Paschal Cycle, but using the modern Gregorian Calendar
Gregorian calendar

The Gregorian calendar is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was first proposed by the Calabrian doctor Aloysius Lilius, and decreed by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom it was named, on 24 February 1582 by the papal bull Inter gravissimas....
 to calculate those feasts which are fixed according to the calendar date. Between 1900 and 2100, there is a thirteen-day difference in the Julian and the Gregorian calendars. In some Eastern Orthodox countries certain civil holidays are calculated according to the Julian Calendar. Thus, for example, Christmas is celebrated on January 7 in these countries. The computation of the day of Pascha
Easter

Easter is the most important religious feast in the Christianity liturgical year.Christians believe that Jesus was Resurrection of Jesus from the dead three days after his Crucifixion of Jesus, and celebrate this resurrection on Easter Day or Easter Sunday , two days after Good Friday....
 (Easter) is, however, computed according to the Julian Calendar, even by those churches which observe the Revised Julian Calendar.

There are four fasting seasons during the year: The most important fast is Great Lent
Great Lent

Great Lent, or the Great Fast, is the most important fasting season in the church year in Eastern Christianity, which prepares Christians for the greatest feast of the church year, Easter ....
 which is an intense time of fasting, almsgiving and prayer, extending for forty days prior to Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday

Image:Meister der Palastkapelle in Palermo 002.jpg|thumb|300px|'The Entry of Christ into Jerusalem' mosaic by the Master of the Cappella Palatina in Palermo .]]...
 and Holy Week
Holy Week

Holy Week in Christianity is the last week of Lent and the week before Easter. It includes the religious holidays of Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, and lasts from Palm Sunday until but not including Easter Sunday, as Easter Sunday is the first day of the new season of Pentecostarion....
, as a preparation for Pascha
Easter

Easter is the most important religious feast in the Christianity liturgical year.Christians believe that Jesus was Resurrection of Jesus from the dead three days after his Crucifixion of Jesus, and celebrate this resurrection on Easter Day or Easter Sunday , two days after Good Friday....
. The Nativity Fast
Nativity Fast

The Nativity Fast, is a period abstinence and penance practiced by the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches, in preparation for the Nativity of Christ, ....
 (Winter Lent) is a time of preparation for the Feast of the Nativity of Christ
Nativity of Jesus

The Nativity of Jesus, or simply The Nativity, refers to the accounts of the Childbirth of Jesus in the Gospels and in various New Testament apocrypha texts that serve as key elements of Christian mythology....
 (Christmas), but whereas Advent in the West lasts only four weeks, Nativity Fast lasts a full forty days. The Apostles' Fast
Apostles' Fast

The Apostles' Fast, also called the Fast of the Holy Apostles, the Fast of Peter and Paul, or sometimes St. Peter's Fast, is a fasting observed by Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Christians....
 is variable in length, lasting anywhere from eight days to six weeks, in preparation for the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul
Feast of Saints Peter and Paul

The Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, or properly the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, is a feast commemorating the martyrdom at Rome of the apostles St....
 (June 29). The Dormition Fast lasts for two weeks from August 1 to August 14 in preparation for the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos
Dormition of the Theotokos

The Dormition of the Theotokos is a Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church of the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Churches and Eastern Catholic Churches which commemorates the "falling asleep" or death of the Theotokos ....
 (August 15). The liturgical year is so constructed that during each of these fasting seasons, one of the Great Feasts occurs, so that fasting may be tempered with joy.

In addition to these fasting seasons, Orthodox Christians fast on Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the year (and some Orthodox monasteries
Monastery

Monastery , a term derived from the Greek language word ???ast?????, neut. of ???ast????? - monasterios denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of Monk, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in Cenobium or alone ....
 also observe Monday as a fast day). Certain fixed days are always fast days, even if they fall on a Saturday or Sunday (in which case the fast is lessened somewhat, but not abrogated altogether); these are: The Decollation of St. John the Baptist
John the Baptist

John the Baptist was a mission preacher and a major religious figure who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River in expectation of a divine apocalypse that would restore occupied Israel....
, the Exaltation of the Cross and the day before the Epiphany (January 5th). There are several fast-free periods, when it is forbidden to fast, even on Wednesday and Friday. These are: the week following Pascha, the week following Pentecost
Pentecost

Pentecost is one of the prominent feasts in the Christianity liturgical year, celebrated the 49th day after Easter Sunday?or the 50th day, inclusively, whence its name is derived from the Greek....
, the period from the Nativity of Christ until January the 5th and the first week of the Triodion
Triodion

The Triodion , also called the Lenten Triodion , is the liturgical book used by the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches of Byzantine rite during Great Lent and the preparatory weeks leading up to it....
 (the week following the 33rd Sunday after the Pentecost).

Pascha

The greatest feast is Pascha, which for the Orthodox is calculated differently than in the West. Easter for both East and West is calculated as the first Sunday after the full moon
Full moon

Full moon is a lunar phase that occurs when the Moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun. More precisely, a full moon occurs when the geocentric apparent longitudes of the Sun and Moon differ by 180 degrees; the Moon is then in opposition with the Sun....
 that falls on or after March 21 (nominally the day of the vernal equinox). However, whereas Western Christians follow the Gregorian Calendar
Gregorian calendar

The Gregorian calendar is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was first proposed by the Calabrian doctor Aloysius Lilius, and decreed by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom it was named, on 24 February 1582 by the papal bull Inter gravissimas....
 in their calculations, the Orthodox calculate the fixed date of 21 March according to the Julian Calendar
Julian calendar

The Julian calendar, a reform of the Roman calendar, was introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 BC, and came into force in 45 BC . It was chosen after consultation with the astronomer Sosigenes of Alexandria and was probably designed to approximate the tropical year, known at least since Hipparchus....
, and observe the additional rule that Easter may not precede or coincide with the first day of the Jewish Passover
Passover

Passover is a Jewish and Samaritan holy day and festival commemorating God sparing the Israelites when He killed the first born of Egypt, and is followed by the seven day Feast of the Unleavened Bread commemorating the Exodus from Ancient Egypt and the liberation of the Israelites from Judaism and slavery....
 (see computus
Computus

Computus is the calculation of the date of Easter in the Christian calendar. The name has been used for this procedure since the early Middle Ages, as it was one of the most important computations of the age....
 for further details).

The date of Pascha is central to the entire ecclesiastical year, determining not only the date for the beginning of Great Lent and Pentecost, but affecting the cycle of moveable feasts, of scriptural readings and the Octoechos
Octoechos (liturgy)

The Octoechos —literally, the book "of the Eight Tones"—contains an eight-week cycle, providing texts to be chanted for every day at Vespers, Matins, the Divine Liturgy, Compline and the Midnight Office....
 (texts chanted according to the eight ecclesiastical modes) throughout the year. There are also a number of lesser feasts throughout the year that are based upon the date of Pascha. The moveable cycle begins on the Zacchaeus
Zacchaeus

Zacchaeus was a superintendent of customs; a chief publican at Jericho . Because the lucrative production and export of Balsam of Mecca was centered in Jericho, his position carried both importance and wealth....
 Sunday (the first Sunday in preparation for Great Lent or the 33rd Sunday after Pentecost as it is known), though the cycle of the Octoechos continues until Palm Sunday.

The date of Pascha affects the following liturgical seasons:
  • The period of the Triodion
    Triodion

    The Triodion , also called the Lenten Triodion , is the liturgical book used by the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches of Byzantine rite during Great Lent and the preparatory weeks leading up to it....
     (the Sundays before Great Lent, Cheesefare Week, Great Lent, Palm Sunday, and Holy Week)
  • The period of the Pentecostarion
    Pentecostarion

    The Pentecostarion is the liturgical book used by the Eastern Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite during the Paschal Season which extends from Easter to the Sunday following All Saints Day ....
     (Sunday of Pascha through the Sunday After Pentecost which is also called the Sunday of all saints)


The twelve Great Feasts


Some of these feasts follow the Fixed Cycle, and some follow the Moveable (Paschal) Cycle. Most of those on the Fixed Cycle have a period of preparation called a Forefeast
Afterfeast

An Afterfeast is a period of celebration attached to one of the Great Feasts celebrated by the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches ....
, and a period of celebration afterward, similar to the Western Octave
Octave

In music, an octave The octave is occasionally referred to as a diapason.The octave above an indicated note is sometimes abbreviated 8va, and the octave below 8vb....
, called an Afterfeast. Great Feasts on the Paschal Cycle do not have Forefeasts. The lengths of Forefeasts and Afterfeasts vary, according to the feast.
  • The Nativity of the Theotokos
    Nativity of the Theotokos

    The Nativity of the Theotokos, celebrating the birth of Mary , is one of the Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church of the Eastern Orthodox liturgical year....
     (September 8)
    • birth of the Theotokos
      Theotokos

      Theotokos is a title of Mary, the mother of Jesus used especially in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches....
       to Joachim
      Joachim

      Saint Joachim was the husband of Saint Anne and the father of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and therefore is ascribed the title of "forebearer of God", in the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Anglican traditions....
       and Anne
  • The Elevation of the Cross (September 14)
    • the rediscovery of the original Cross
      Christian cross

      The Christian cross is the best-known religious symbol of Christianity. It is a representation of the instrument of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ....
       on which Christ was crucified
  • Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple (November 21)
    • the entry of the Theotokos
      Theotokos

      Theotokos is a title of Mary, the mother of Jesus used especially in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches....
       into the Temple around the age of 3
  • Nativity
    Nativity of Jesus

    The Nativity of Jesus, or simply The Nativity, refers to the accounts of the Childbirth of Jesus in the Gospels and in various New Testament apocrypha texts that serve as key elements of Christian mythology....
     of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ
    (December 25)
    • the birth of Jesus
      Jesus

      Jesus of Nazareth , also known as Jesus Christ, is the central figure of Christianity and is revered by most Christian churches as the Son of God and the Incarnation ....
      , or Christmas
      Christmas

      Christmas , also referred to as Christmas Day, is an annual holiday celebrated on December 25 that commemorates the birth of Jesus. The day marks the beginning of the larger season of Christmastide, which lasts Twelve Days of Christmas....
  • Theophany
    Theophany

    Theophany, from the Greek language, theophaneia , refers to the appearance of a deity to a human, or to a divine disclosure. This term has been used to refer to appearances of the gods in the ancient Greek and Near Eastern religions....
     (January 6)
    • the baptism of Jesus Christ, Christ's blessing of the water, and the revealing of Christ as God
  • Presentation
    Presentation

    Presentation is the process of showing and explaining the content of a topic to an audience. A presentation program, such as OpenOffice.org#Components, Keynote or Microsoft PowerPoint, is often used to generate the presentation content....
     of Our Lord in the Temple
    (February 2)
    • Christ's presentation as an infant in the Temple by the Theotokos
      Theotokos

      Theotokos is a title of Mary, the mother of Jesus used especially in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches....
       and Joseph
      Saint Joseph

      Joseph "of the House of David" is known from the New Testament as the husband of Mary, mother of Jesus and although according to Christian tradition he was not the biological father of Jesus, he acted as his foster-father and as head of the Holy Family....
      .
  • Annunciation
    Annunciation

    In Christianity, the Annunciation is the revelation to Mary, the mother of Jesus, by the angel Gabriel that she would Conception a child to be born the Son of God....
     of the Theotokos
    Theotokos

    Theotokos is a title of Mary, the mother of Jesus used especially in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches....
     (March 25)
    • Gabriel's announcement to the Theotokos
      Theotokos

      Theotokos is a title of Mary, the mother of Jesus used especially in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches....
       that she will conceive the Christ, and her "Yes"
NOTE: In Eastern practice, should this feast fall during Holy Week or on Pascha itself, the feast of the Annunciation is not transferred to another day. In fact, the conjunction of the feasts of the Annunciation and Pascha, known as "Kyriou-Pascha," is considered an extremely wondrous event.
  • Entry into Jerusalem
    Palm Sunday

    Image:Meister der Palastkapelle in Palermo 002.jpg|thumb|300px|'The Entry of Christ into Jerusalem' mosaic by the Master of the Cappella Palatina in Palermo .]]...
     (Sunday before Pascha
    Easter

    Easter is the most important religious feast in the Christianity liturgical year.Christians believe that Jesus was Resurrection of Jesus from the dead three days after his Crucifixion of Jesus, and celebrate this resurrection on Easter Day or Easter Sunday , two days after Good Friday....
    )
    • known in the West as Palm Sunday.
  • Ascension (40 days after Pascha)
    • Christ's ascension into Heaven following his resurrection.
  • Pentecost
    Pentecost

    Pentecost is one of the prominent feasts in the Christianity liturgical year, celebrated the 49th day after Easter Sunday?or the 50th day, inclusively, whence its name is derived from the Greek....
     (50 days after Pascha)
    • The Holy Spirit
      Holy Spirit

      In Christianity, the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit is the spirit of God. The term Christ , is also used to refer to this presence. That is, the Spirit is considered to act in concert with and share an essential nature with God the Father and God the Son ....
       comes and indwells the apostles
      Twelve Apostles

      In Christianity, apostles were missionaries among the leaders in the Early Christianity and, in the Epistle to the Hebrews, Jesus Christ himself....
       and other Christian believers.
  • Transfiguration
    Transfiguration

    Transfiguration may refer to:In religion:* Transfiguration of Jesus, an event reported by the Synoptic Gospels in which Jesus underwent transfiguration with the prophets Moses and Elijah...
     of Our Lord
    (August 6)
    • Christ's Transfiguration as witnessed by Peter, James and John.
  • Dormition of the Theotokos
    Dormition of the Theotokos

    The Dormition of the Theotokos is a Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church of the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Churches and Eastern Catholic Churches which commemorates the "falling asleep" or death of the Theotokos ....
     (August 15)
    • The falling asleep of the Theotokos
      Theotokos

      Theotokos is a title of Mary, the mother of Jesus used especially in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches....
       (cf. the Assumption of Mary
      Assumption of Mary

      The Roman Catholic Church teaches as Dogma that the Mary , "having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory." This means that Mary was transported into Heaven with her body and soul united....
       in Western Christianity
      Western Christianity

      Western Christianity is a term used to include the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church, the Churches of the Anglican Communion and Protestantism, which share common attributes that can be traced back to their medieval heritage....
      )


Other Feasts

Some additional feasts are observed with as though they were Great Fests:
  • The The Protection of the Mother of God (October 1), especially among the Russian Orthodox
  • The Feast of Saint James
    Saint James

    Saint James can refer to the following:...
     (October 23)
  • The Feast of Saint Demetrius of Thessaloniki (October 26)
  • The Feast of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel (November 8)
  • The Feast of Saint Nicolae Bishop of Myra (December 6)
  • The Feast of Conception of Mary by Anna and Joachim (December 9)
  • The Feast of Saint Spiridon (December 12)
  • The Feast of Saint Stephen the Deacon (December 27)
  • The Feast of Saint Basil the Great and the Circumcision of Christ (January 1)
  • The Feast of the Three Holy Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom (January 30)
  • The Feast of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste (March 9)
  • The Feast of Saint George the Martyr (April 23)
  • The Feast of the Holy Emperors Constantine and his mother Helena (May 21)
  • The Nativity of St. John the Baptist
    John the Baptist

    John the Baptist was a mission preacher and a major religious figure who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River in expectation of a divine apocalypse that would restore occupied Israel....
     (June 24)
  • The Feast of Saints Peter and Paul
    Feast of Saints Peter and Paul

    The Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, or properly the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, is a feast commemorating the martyrdom at Rome of the apostles St....
     (June 29)
  • The Feast of Saint Elias (July 20)
  • The Beheading of St. John the Baptist (August 29)
  • Beginning of the Indiction-Ecclesiastical Year (September 1)
  • The Patronal Feast
    Patron saint

    A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, or person. Patron saints, because they have already transcended to the metaphysical, are able to intercede effectively for the needs of their special charges....
     of a church or monastery


Every day throughout the year commemorates some saint or some event in the lives of Christ or the Theotokos. When a feast on the moveable cycle occurs, the feast on the fixed cycle that was set for that calendar day is transferred, with the propers
Proper (liturgy)

The Proper is a part of the Christian liturgy that varies according to the date, either representing an observance within the Liturgical Year, or of a particular saint or significant event....
 of the feast often being chanted at Compline
Compline

Compline is the final church service of the day in the Christian tradition of canonical hours. The English word Compline is derived from the Latin completorium, as Compline is the completion of the working day....
 on the nearest convenient day.

Cycles


In addition to the Fixed and Moveable Cycles, there are a number of other liturgical cycles
Canonical hours

Canonical hours are divisions of time, developed by the Christianity Christian Church, serving as increments between the prescribed prayers of the daily round....
 in the ecclesiastical year that affect the celebration of the divine services. These include, the Daily Cycle
Canonical hours

Canonical hours are divisions of time, developed by the Christianity Christian Church, serving as increments between the prescribed prayers of the daily round....
, the Weekly Cycle
Canonical hours

Canonical hours are divisions of time, developed by the Christianity Christian Church, serving as increments between the prescribed prayers of the daily round....
, the Cycle of Matins Gospel
Matins Gospel

The Matins Gospel is the solemn chanting of a lection from one of the Gospel during Matins in the Eastern Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic churches which follow the Byzantine Rite....
s, and the Octoechos
Octoechos (liturgy)

The Octoechos —literally, the book "of the Eight Tones"—contains an eight-week cycle, providing texts to be chanted for every day at Vespers, Matins, the Divine Liturgy, Compline and the Midnight Office....
.

Secular observance

Because of the dominance of Christianity in Europe throughout the Middle Ages
Middle Ages

File:Karl 1 mit papst gelasius gregor1 sacramentar v karl d kahlen.jpgThe Middle Ages of European history are a period in history which lasted for roughly a millennium, commonly dated from the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century to the beginning of the Early Modern Period in the 16th century, marked by the division of Western Christi...
, many features of the Christian year became incorporated into the secular calendar. Many of its feasts (i.e., Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras

The terms "Mardi Gras" and "Mardi Gras season", in English language, refer to events of the Carnival celebrations, ending on the day before Ash Wednesday....
, Saint Patrick's Day
Saint Patrick's Day

Saint Patrick's Day , colloquially St. Paddy's Day or Paddy's Day, is an annual feast day which celebrates Saint Patrick , one of the patron saints of Ireland, and is generally celebrated on March 17....
) remain holidays, and are now celebrated by people of all faiths and none — in some cases worldwide. The secular celebrations bear varying degrees of likeness to the religious feasts from which they derived, often also including elements of ritual from pagan
Paganism

Paganism is the blanket term given to describe religions and spiritual practices of pre-Christian Europe, and by extension a term for polytheistic?traditions or folk religion?worldwide seen from a Western or Christian viewpoint....
 festivals of similar date.

Resources

  • Stookey, L.H. Calendar: Christ's Time for the Church, 1996. ISBN 0-687-01136-1
  • Hickman, Hoyt L., et al. Handbook of the Christian Year, 1986. ISBN 0-687-16575-X
  • Webber, Robert E. Ancient-Future Time: Forming Spirituality through the Christian Year, 2004. ISBN 0-8010-9175-6
  • Schmemann, Fr. Alexander. The Church Year (Celebration of Faith Series, Sermons Vol. 2), 1994. ISBN 0-88141-138-8


See also

  • Calendar of saints
    Calendar of saints

    The calendar of saints is a traditional Christianity method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as that saint's feast day....
  • Ranks of Catholic liturgical days
    Ranks of Catholic liturgical days

    Each day in the Catholic liturgical calendar has a rank. The four basic ranks are as follows:*Solemnity--the highest ranking feast....
  • Christian worship
    Christian worship

    In Christianity, worship has been considered by most Christians to be the central act of Christian identity throughout History of Christianity as the Church's act of giving honour to God, thereby becoming more truly God's people....
  • Computus
    Computus

    Computus is the calculation of the date of Easter in the Christian calendar. The name has been used for this procedure since the early Middle Ages, as it was one of the most important computations of the age....
     - computing the date of Easter
  • Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar
    Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar

    The Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar describes and dictates the rhythm of the life of the Eastern Orthodox Church. It is also shared with minor variations by the Byzantine Catholic churches that recognize the Pope of Rome....
  • Gregorian calendar
    Gregorian calendar

    The Gregorian calendar is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was first proposed by the Calabrian doctor Aloysius Lilius, and decreed by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom it was named, on 24 February 1582 by the papal bull Inter gravissimas....
  • Julian calendar
    Julian calendar

    The Julian calendar, a reform of the Roman calendar, was introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 BC, and came into force in 45 BC . It was chosen after consultation with the astronomer Sosigenes of Alexandria and was probably designed to approximate the tropical year, known at least since Hipparchus....
  • Syro Malabar Liturgical Calendar


External links

  • — A liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church including the liturgy of the hours and the mass readings.
  • - Greek Orthodox Calendar & Online Chapel
  • at HOLY TRINITY RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH
  • - For the study and use of the traditional Western Eucharistic lectionary.