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The Paschal cycle in the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches, is the cycle of the 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 built around 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 cycle consists of approximately ten weeks before and seven weeks after Pascha. The ten weeks before Pascha are known as 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....
 (referring to the liturgical book
Liturgical book

A liturgical book is a book published by the authority of a Christian Clergy, that contains the text and directions for the liturgy of its official religious services....
 that contains the services for this liturgical season).






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Russian Resurrection Icon
The Paschal cycle in the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches, is the cycle of the 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 built around 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 cycle consists of approximately ten weeks before and seven weeks after Pascha. The ten weeks before Pascha are known as 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....
 (referring to the liturgical book
Liturgical book

A liturgical book is a book published by the authority of a Christian Clergy, that contains the text and directions for the liturgy of its official religious services....
 that contains the services for this liturgical season). This period includes the three weeks preceding 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 ....
 (the "pre-Lenten period"), the forty days of Lent, 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....
. The 50 days following Pascha are called 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 ....
 (again, named after the liturgical book).

The Sunday of each week has a special commemoration, named for the Gospel
Gospel

In Christianity, a gospel is generally one of the first four books of the New Testament that describe the birth, life, ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus....
 reading assigned to that day. Certain other weekdays have special commemorations of their own (see outline, below). The entire cycle revolves around Pascha. The weeks before Pascha end on Sunday (i.e., the Week of the Prodigal Son begins on the Monday that follows the Publican and the Pharisee). This is because everything in the Lenten period is looking forward towards Pascha. Starting on Pascha, the weeks again begin on Sunday (i.e., Thomas Week begins on the Sunday of St. Thomas). The Paschal cycle continues throughout the entire year, until the beginning of the next Pre-Lenten period. The Tone of the Week
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....
, the Epistle
Epistle

An epistle is a writing directed or sent to a person or group of people, usually a Letter and a very formal, often didactic and elegant one. The letters in the New Testament from Twelve apostles to Christians are usually referred to as epistles....
 and Gospel readings at the Divine Liturgy
Divine Liturgy

The Divine Liturgy is the common term for the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine church tradition of Christian liturgy. As such, it is used in the Eastern Orthodoxy and Eastern Catholic Churches....
, and the 11 Matins
Matins

Matins is the early morning or night prayer service in the Roman Catholic Church, Anglicanism, Lutheran and Eastern Orthodoxy liturgy of the canonical hours....
 Gospels with their accompanying hymns are dependent on it.

(For fixed feast
Fixed feast

A fixed feast is an annual celebration that is held on the same calendar date every year, such as Christmas, as distinguished from moveable feasts, such as Easter, whose calendar date varies....
s, see Eastern Orthodox Church calendar. For this year's date for Pascha, see 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....
. For the method used to calculate this date, 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....
.)

Pre-Lent

  • 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     (Slavic tradition) or Sunday of the Canaanite (Greek tradition): 11th Sunday before Pascha
  • The Publican and the Pharisee
    Pharisee and the Publican

    The Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican is a parable told by Jesus in the gospel of Luke. In it, a Pharisee, grateful for his own virtue, is judged lower than a tax collector who is ashamed of his own sin....
    : 10th Sunday before Pascha (70 days)
  • The Prodigal Son: 9th Sunday before Pascha (63 days)
  • The Last Judgment
    Last Judgment

    In Christian eschatology, the Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Judgment Day, or End time is the judgment by God of all nations....
    ; also, Meat-Fare Sunday (the last day meat may be eaten): 8th Sunday before Pascha (56 days)
  • Sunday of Forgiveness; also, Cheese-Fare Sunday (the last day dairy products may be consumed — during Great Lent fish, wine, and olive oil will be allowed only on certain days): 7th Sunday before Pascha (49 days)


Great Lent

  • Clean Monday
    Clean Monday

    Clean Monday , also known as Pure Monday, Ash Monday, Monday of Lent or Green Monday , is the first day of the Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Eastern Catholic Great Lent....
    , the actual beginning of Great Lent: 48 days before Pascha
  • Theodore
    Theodore of Amasea

    Saint Theodore of Amasea is one of the Greek military saints of the 4th century, the earlier patron saint of Venice, now outshone there by Saint Mark, but still represented atop one of the two Byzantine columns standing in the Piazzetta of the Piazza San Marco, treading upon the sacred crocodile of Egypt....
     Saturday    —1st Saturday in Great Lent—commemorating of the "miracle of the kolyva" (boiled wheat) by Theodore of Tyro
    Theodore of Amasea

    Saint Theodore of Amasea is one of the Greek military saints of the 4th century, the earlier patron saint of Venice, now outshone there by Saint Mark, but still represented atop one of the two Byzantine columns standing in the Piazzetta of the Piazza San Marco, treading upon the sacred crocodile of Egypt....
     during the reign of Julian the Apostate
    Julian the Apostate

    Flavius Claudius Julianus, known also as Julian or Julian the Apostate , was Roman Emperor of the Constantinian dynasty. He was the last non-Christian Roman Emperor, and expended much energy during his reign attempting to supplant the growing power of Christianity within the empire with officially revived Religion in ancient Rom...
  • Triumph of Orthodoxy—1st Sunday of Lent—commemoration of the restoration of icons after the defeat of the iconoclast
    Iconoclast

    An iconoclast is someone who performs iconoclasm ? destruction of religious symbols, or, by extension, established dogma or conventions.Iconoclast may also refer to:...
     heresy
    Heresy

    Heresy is an introduced change to some system of belief, especially a religion, that conflicts with the previously established canon of that belief....
     in 843: 6th Sunday before Pascha (42 days)
  • Memorial Saturdays—2nd, 3rd, and 4th Saturdays of Great Lent—commemorative Divine Liturgies
    Divine Liturgy

    The Divine Liturgy is the common term for the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine church tradition of Christian liturgy. As such, it is used in the Eastern Orthodoxy and Eastern Catholic Churches....
     and memorial service
    Memorial service (Orthodox)

    A memorial service is a liturgy observance in honor of the departed which is served in the Eastern Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholic Churches Churches....
    s for the dead are celebrated on the
  • Saint Gregory Palamas
    Gregory Palamas

    Saint Gregory Palamas was a monasticism of Mount Athos in Greece and later the Archbishop of Thessalonica known as a preeminent theologian of Hesychasm....
    —2nd Sunday of Lent—5th Sunday before Pascha (35 days)
  • Adoration of the Cross
    Feast of the Cross

    In the Christian liturgical calendar, there are several different feasts known as Feasts of the Cross, all of which commemorate the True Cross used in the crucifixion of Jesus....
     4th Sunday before Pascha and 3rd Sunday of Lent(28 days)
  • Saint John of the Ladder
    John Climacus

    Saint John Climacus , also known as John of the Ladder, John Scholasticus and John Sinaites, was a 6th century Christianity monasticism at the monastery on Mount Sinai....
    —4th Sunday of Lent—3rd Sunday before Pascha (21 days)
  • Saturday of the Akathist
    Akathist

    The Akathist Hymn is an Eastern Orthodoxy hymn dedicated to a saint, liturgical calendar, or one of the persons of the Holy Trinity. The name derives from the fact that during the chanting of the hymn, or sometimes the whole service, the congregation is expected to remain standing in reverence, not being allowed to sit down ....
    —5th Saturday of Great Lent
  • Saint Mary of Egypt
    Mary of Egypt

    Mary of Egypt is revered as the patron saint of penitents, most particularly in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodoxy, and Eastern Catholic churches, as well as in the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches....
    —5th Sunday of Lent—2nd Sunday before Pascha (14 days)


Great and Holy Week

  • Lazarus Saturday
    Lazarus Saturday

    Lazarus Saturday, in the Eastern Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite, is the day before Palm Sunday, and is liturgically linked to it....
    , the beginning of Holy Week (8 days before Pascha)
  • 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 .]]...
    , or the Triumphant Entry 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....
     into Jerusalem
    Jerusalem

    Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and its List of Israeli cities in both population and area, with a population of 747,600 residents over an area of if Positions on Jerusalem East Jerusalem is included....
    : last Sunday before Pascha (7 days)
  • Great and Holy Monday
    Holy Monday

    Holy Monday or Great and Holy Monday is the Monday of Holy Week, which precedes the commemoration of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus....
    : Joseph the All-Comely
    Joseph (Hebrew Bible)

    Joseph or Yosef , is a major figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible . He was Jacob's eleventh son and Rachel's first. He is also mentioned favourably in the Qur'an....
     (from the Old Testament
    Old Testament

    In Western Christianity, the Old Testament refers to the books that form the first of the two-part Christianity Bible Biblical canon. These works correspond to the Hebrew Bible , with some variations and additions....
    ), who was sold into slavery by his brethren, and the withering of the fig tree (6 days)
  • Great and Holy Tuesday
    Holy Tuesday

    Holy Tuesday or Great and Holy Tuesday is the Tuesday of Holy Week, which precedes the commemoration of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus....
    : Parable of the Ten Virgins
    Parable of the Ten Virgins

    The Parable of the Ten Virgins , or the Wise and Foolish Virgins, is a parables of Jesus told by Jesus in the gospel of Matthew . In it, the five virgins who are prepared for the bridegroom's arrival are rewarded and the five who are not prepared are excluded....
     (5 days)
  • Great and Holy Wednesday
    Holy Wednesday

    In Christianity, Holy Wednesday is the Wednesday of the Holy Week, the week before Easter. It is followed by Maundy Thursday ....
    : Anointing of Jesus with myrrh
    Myrrh

    Myrrh is a reddish-brown resinous material, the dried Plant sap of a number of trees, but primarily from Commiphora myrrha, native to Yemen, Somalia, the eastern parts of Ethiopia and Commiphora gileadensis, native to Jordan....
     by the woman in the house of Simon the Leper
    Simon the Leper

    Simon the Leper is a biblical figure mentioned by the Gospels according to Gospel of Matthew and Gospel of Mark . These two books narrate how Jesus christ made a visit to the house of Simon the Leper at Bethany during the course of which a woman anoints the head of Jesus with costly ointment....
     in Bethany; also, the Holy Unction (4 days)
  • Great and 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 washing of the disciples' feet, the institution of the Holy Eucharist
    Eucharist

    The Eucharist, also called Holy Communion or Lord's Supper and other names, is a Christianity sacrament commemorating, by consecrating bread and wine, the Last Supper, the final meal that Jesus Christ shared with his disciples before his arrest, and eventual crucifixion, when he gave them bread saying, "This is my body", and wine...
    , the "Marvelous Prayer", and the betrayal by Judas Iscariot
    Judas Iscariot

    'Judas Iscariot', "Yehuda" was, according to the New Testament, one of the twelve original Twelve Apostles of Jesus. Among the twelve, he was apparently designated to keep account of the "accountant" , but he is most traditionally known for his role in Jesus' betrayal into the hands of Roman authorities....
     (3 days)
  • Great and Holy 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 holy, saving and lifegiving Passion
    Passion (Christianity)

    The Passion is the Christian theological term used for the events and suffering ? physical, spiritual, and mental ? of Jesus in the hours before and including his trial and execution by crucifixion....
     of Christ; Joseph of Arimathea
    Joseph of Arimathea

    Joseph of Arimathea was, according to the Gospels, the man who donated his own prepared sepulchre for the burial of Jesus after Jesus' Crucifixion of Jesus....
     (2 days)
  • Great and 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....
    : The Sepulchre
    Sepulchre

    A sepulchre, or sepulcher, is a type of tomb or burial chamber. In ancient Hebrew practice, sepulchres were often carved into the rock of a hillside....
     of Christ, his descent into Hades
    Hades

    Hades refers both to the ancient Greek underworld, the abode of Hades, and to the god of the underworld. Hades in Homer referred just to the god; the genitive case , Haidou, was an elision to denote locality: "[the house/dominion] of Hades"....
     to raise up mankind and defeat the powers of death (last day before Pascha)


Great and Holy Pascha

  • 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....
     of Jesus Christ    : very late Saturday night (with the procession
    Crucession

    A Crucession, or Cross Procession , is a procession that takes place in the Eastern Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholic Churches liturgical traditions....
     starting at midnight)
  • Agape
    Agape

    Agape , is one of several Greek words for love. The word has been used in different ways by a variety of contemporary and ancient sources, including Bible authors....
     Vespers
    Vespers

    Vespers is the evening prayer service in the Roman Catholic, Byzantine Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox Church, Anglican, and Lutheran Liturgy of the canonical hours....
    : Proclamation of the Gospel
    Gospel

    In Christianity, a gospel is generally one of the first four books of the New Testament that describe the birth, life, ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus....
     to the four corners of the world, symbolized by the reading of the Gospel in various languages from the four corners of the Church building (Sunday afternoon)


Pentecostarion (Paschaltide)

  • Bright Week
    Bright Week

    Bright Week or Renewal Week is the name used by the Eastern Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholic Churches of the Byzantine Rite for the period of seven days beginning on Easter and continuing up to the following Sunday, which is known as Thomas Sunday....
    : Week following Pascha
  • Thomas Sunday (Sunday of Saint Thomas): 1st Sunday after Pascha (7 days)
  • Radonitsa: Tuesday after Thomas Sunday (9 days)
  • The Holy Myrrhbearers
    Myrrhbearers

    The term Myrrhbearers refers to the women who came to the Holy Sepulchre early in the morning and were the first witnesses of the Resurrection of Jesus....
    : 2nd Sunday after Pascha (14 days)
  • The Paralytic: 3rd Sunday after Pascha (21 days)
  • The Samaritan Woman (Photini): 4th Sunday after Pascha (28 days)
  • The Blind Man: 5th Sunday after Pascha (35 days)
  • The Ascension of Jesus Christ (39 days)
  • The Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council: 6th Sunday after Pascha (42 days)
  • 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....
    , when 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 ....
     descended on 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....
    : 7th Sunday after Pascha (49 days)
  • All Saints
    All Saints

    All Saints' Day , often shortened to All Saints, is a feast celebrated on November 1 in Western Christianity, and on the first Sunday after Pentecost in Eastern Christianity in honour of all the saints, known and unknown....
    : 8th Sunday after Pascha (56 days)