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Liturgical year

February 16, 2024

For Dom Guéranger's series of books, see The Liturgical Year.
"Ecclesiastical year" redirects here. For the Jewish ecclesiastical new year, see Hebrew calendar § New year.
"Christian year" redirects here. For John Keble's series of poems, see The Christian Year.
"Liturgical calendar" redirects here. For the Lutheran liturgical calendar, see Liturgical calendar (Lutheran).
"Kalendar" redirects here. For kalendars in the context of archives, see Calendar (archives).

The liturgical year, also called the church year, Christian year or kalendar,[1][2] consists of the cycle of liturgical seasons in Christian churches that determines when feast days, including celebrations of saints, are to be observed, and which portions of Scripture are to be read either in an annual cycle or in a cycle of several years.[3]

Distinct liturgical colours may be used in connection with different seasons of the liturgical year. The dates of the festivals vary somewhat among the different churches, although the sequence and logic is largely the same.

Liturgical cycle edit

 
The liturgical year of some western churches, indicating the liturgical colours

The liturgical cycle divides the year into a series of seasons, each with their own mood, theological emphases, and modes of prayer, which can be signified by different ways of decorating churches, colours of paraments and vestments for clergy, scriptural 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 in a lectionary.

After the Protestant Reformation, Anglicans and Lutherans continued to follow the lectionary of the Roman Rite. Following a decision of the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church revised that lectionary in 1969, adopting a three-year cycle of readings for Sundays and a two-year cycle for weekdays.

Adaptations of the revised Roman Rite lectionary were adopted by Protestants, leading to the publication in 1994 of the Revised Common Lectionary for Sundays and major feasts, which is now used by many Protestant denominations, including also Methodists, United, some Reformed, etc. This has led to a greater awareness of the traditional Christian year among Protestants, especially among mainline denominations.

Biblical calendars edit

Scholars are not in agreement about whether the calendars used by the Jews before the Babylonian exile were solar (based on the return of the same relative position between the Sun and the Earth), lunisolar (based on months that corresponded to the cycle of the moon, with periodic additional months to bring the calendar back into agreement with the solar cycle) like the present-day Jewish calendar of Hillel II, or lunar, such as the Hijri calendar.[4]

The first month of the Hebrew year was called אביב (Aviv), evidently adopted by Moses from Ipip as the eleventh month of the non-lunar Egyptian calendar,[5][note 1] meaning the month of green ears of grain.[6] Having to occur at the appropriate time in the spring, it thus was originally part of a tropical calendar. At about the time of the Babylonian exile, when using the Babylonian civil calendar, the Jews adopted the term ניסן (Nisan) as the name for the month,[7] based on the Babylonian name Nisanu.[8] Thomas J Talley says that the adoption of the Babylonian term occurred even before the exile.[9]

In the earlier calendar, most of the months were simply called by a number (such as "the fifth month"). The Babylonian-derived names of the month that are used by Jews are:

  1. Nisan (March–April)
  2. Iyar (April–May)
  3. Sivan (May–June)
  4. Tammuz (June–July)
  5. Av (July–August)
  6. Elul (August–September)
  7. Tishrei (September–October)
  8. Marcheshvan (October–November)
  9. Kislev (November–December)
  10. Tevet (December–January)
  11. Shevat (January–February)
  12. Adar 1 (February; only during leap years)
  13. Adar (February–March)

In Biblical times, the following Jewish religious feasts were celebrated:

Eastern Christianity edit

East Syriac Rite edit

 
The liturgical seasons of East Syriac Catholic churches
Further information: Syro Malabar Liturgical Calendar

The Liturgical Calendar of the East Syriac Rite is fixed according to the flow of salvation history. With a focus upon the historical life of Jesus Christ, believers are led to the eschatological fulfillment (i.e. the heavenly bliss) through this special arrangement of liturgical seasons.[10] The liturgical year is divided into 8 seasons of approximately 7 weeks each but adjusted to fit the solar calendar. The arrangement of the Seasons in the Liturgical Year is based on seven central events on celebrations of the Salvation History. They are:

  1. Nativity of Christ
  2. Epiphany of Christ
  3. Resurrection of Christ
  4. Pentecost
  5. Transfiguration
  6. Glorious Cross
  7. Parousia (the Dedication of Church after Christ's second coming)

One of the oldest available records mentioning the liturgical cycle of east-syriac rite is handwritten manuscript named 'Preface to Hudra' written by Rabban Brick-Iso in 14th century.[11] The manuscript mentions that the liturgical year is divided into nine seasons starting from Subara and ends with Qudas Edta. Catholic churches of east-syriac rite maintains the same liturgical calendar until the current date except that many consider 7th and 8th seasons as a single one. The biblical reading and prayers during Mass and Liturgy of the Hours vary according to different seasons in the liturgical calendar.

Liturgical Calendar edit

The various seasons of the liturgical calendar of Syro-Malabar Church and Chaldean Catholic Church are given below.

Annunciation (Subara) edit

Weeks of Annunciation (Subara) is the first season of the liturgical year. The liturgical year begins with the commemoration of biblical events leading to the annunciation and birth of Jesus as expected savior in the old testament. The season begins on the Sunday just before the first of December and ends with the feast of Epiphany that is the Feast of the Baptism of Jesus. The faithful practice abstinence during December 1–25 in preparation for Christmas; this period is called "25 days Lent".[12]

Feasts celebrated during this season

Epiphany (Denha) edit

Weeks of Epiphany begins on the Sunday closest to the feast of Epiphany and runs to the beginning of Great Fast. The word denha in Syriac means sunrise. Church considers the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan as the first historical event in which the Trinity was revealed to humankind in the person of Jesus Christ. Thus the season commemorates the manifestation or revelation of Jesus and Trinity to the world. During the season the church celebrates the feasts of Saints in connection with the manifestation of the Lord.

Feasts celebrated during the period

Great Fast (Sawma Rabba) edit

During these weeks the faithful meditate over the 40-day fast of Jesus and the culmination of his public life in passion, death and burial. The season begins 50 days before Easter on Peturta Sunday and comprises the whole period of Great Lent and culminates on Resurrection Sunday. Word Peturta in Syriac means "looking back" or "reconciliation". Faithful enter the weeks of Great Fast, celebrating the memory of all the Faithful Departed on the last Friday of Denha.

According to the ecclesial tradition, the weeks of Great Fast is also an occasion to keep up the memory of the beloved Departed through special prayers, renunciation, almsgiving, and so on and thus prepare oneself for a good death and resurrection in Jesus Christ. During the fast faithful of Syro Malabar Church do not use meat, fish, egg, many dairy products, and most favorite food items, and avoid sexual contacts on all days including Sundays and Feast days. Before European colonization, Indian Nasranis used to have food only once a day (after 3:00 pm) on all days during Great Fast. - Feasts in the Lenten Season

The following feasts are always in the Lenten Season:

Resurrection (Qyamta) edit

The weeks of Great Resurrection begin on the Resurrection Sunday and run to the feast of Pentecost. The Church celebrates the Resurrection of our Lord during these seven weeks: Jesus' victory over death, sin, suffering and Satan. The church also commemorates various events that occurred after the resurrection of Christ, such as the visits of Jesus to the Apostles and the ascension of Jesus.

According to eastern Christianity, the Feast of Resurrection is the most important and the greatest feast in a liturgical year. Therefore, the season commemorating the resurrection of Christ is also of prime importance in the church liturgy. The first week of the season is celebrated as the 'Week of weeks' as it is the week of the resurrection of Christ.

Feasts celebrated during the period:

The following feasts are always in the season of resurrection:

Apostles (Slihe) edit

Weeks of apostles (Slihe) starts on the feast of Pentecost, fiftieth day of the Resurrection Sunday. During these days the church commemorates the inauguration of church and the acts of apostles and church fathers through which the foundation of the church was laid. Church meditates on the virtues of the early church: fellowship, breaking of bread and sharing of wealth, and the fruits and gifts of Holy Spirit. The spread of the church all over the world as well as her growth is also remembered during this season.

Feast celebrated during the season:

  • Feast of Pentecost on first Sunday of Slihe
  • Feast of Friday of Gold: The first commemoration of the first miracle of apostles done by Saint Peter.

The following feasts are commemorated in the season of Slihe

Qaita (Summer) edit

Along the weeks of Qaita maturity and fruitfulness of church are commemorated. The Syriac word Qaita means "summer" and it is a time of harvest for the Church. The fruits of the Church are those of holiness and martyrdom. While the sprouting and infancy of the Church were celebrated in 'the Weeks of the Apostles,' her development in different parts of the world by reflecting the image of the heavenly Kingdom and giving birth to many saints and martyrs are proclaimed during this season. Fridays of this Season are set apart for honoring saints and martyrs.

Feast celebrated during the season:

The following feasts are commemorated in the season of Qaita

Eliyah-Sliba-Moses edit

The name of the seasons of Eliyah-Sliba-Moses takes their origin from the feast of the transfiguration of Jesus. And the seasons revolve around the exaltation of the cross on the feast of the glorious cross on September 14. During the seasons of Eliyah and Sliba church reminds the faithful of the heavenly bliss which is promised to be inherited at the end of earthly life and the church commemorates the exaltic experience of the bliss through various sacraments. While during the season of Moses church meditates upon the end of time and the last judgment. Many at times the season of Moses is regarded as a distinct and separate season from the other two since it has a distinct theme.

The season of Eliyah has a length of one to three Sundays. Season of Sliba starts on Sunday on or after the feast of the glorious cross and has a length of three to four weeks. The first Sunday of Sliba is always considered as the fourth Sunday of the combined season. The season of Moses always has four weeks.

Feast celebrated during the seasons:

The following feasts are commemorated in the seasons of Eliyah-Sliba-Moses

  • Feast of Nativity of Mary on September 8 and the eight-day fast in preparation for the feast
Dedication of the church (Qudas Edta) edit

The weeks of the dedication of the church is the last liturgical season in the East Syriac rite.[13][14] It consists of four weeks and ends on the Saturday before Sunday between November 27 and December 3. The theme of the season is that the church is presented by Christ as his eternal bride before his father at the heavenly bride chamber. The period has its origin in the feast of the dedication of the church of Sephelcure or the Jewish feast of Hanukkah. However, the season was officially instituted by Patriarch Isho-Yahb III of Seleucia-Ctesiphon (647–657) by separating it from the season of Moses.[15]

Feasts celebrated during the season:

  • Feast of dedication of the church on 1st Sunday of Qudas Edta
  • Feast of Christ the King on last Sunday of Qudas Edta (Celebrated only in eastern catholic churches of the rite since pope Pius XI instituted it in Roman-rite).

Eastern Orthodox Church edit

Main article: Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar

The liturgical year in the Eastern Orthodox Church is characterized by alternating fasts and feasts, and is in many ways similar to the Catholic year. However, Church New Year (Indiction) traditionally begins on September 1 (Old Style or New Style), rather than the first Sunday of Advent. It includes both feasts on the Fixed Cycle and the Paschal Cycle (or Moveable Cycle). The most important feast day by far is the Feast of Pascha (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 (Virgin Mary).

The majority of Orthodox Christians (Russians, in particular) follow the Julian Calendar in calculating their ecclesiastical feasts, but many (including the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Church of Greece), while preserving the Julian calculation for feasts on the Paschal Cycle, have adopted the Revised Julian Calendar (at present coinciding with the Gregorian Calendar) to calculate those feasts which are fixed according to the calendar date.

Between 1900 and 2100, there is a thirteen-day difference between the dates of the Julian and the Revised Julian and Gregorian calendars. Thus, for example, where Christmas is celebrated on December 25 O.S. (Old Style), the celebration coincides with January 7 in the Revised Calendar. The computation of the day of Pascha (Easter) is, however, always computed according to a lunar calendar based on the Julian Calendar, even by those churches which observe the Revised Calendar.

There are four fasting seasons during the year: The most important fast is Great Lent which is an intense time of fasting, almsgiving and prayer, extending for forty days prior to Palm Sunday and Holy Week, as a preparation for Pascha. The Nativity Fast (Winter Lent) is a time of preparation for the Feast of the Nativity of Christ (Christmas), but whereas Advent in the West lasts only four weeks, Nativity Fast lasts a full forty days. The Apostles' Fast is variable in length, lasting anywhere from eight days to six weeks, in preparation for the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul (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 (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 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, the Exaltation of the Cross and the day before the Epiphany (January 5). 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, the period from the Nativity of Christ until January the 5th and the first week of the Triodion (the week following the 17th Sunday before Pentecost).

Pascha edit

Main article: Pascha

The greatest feast is Pascha. Easter for both East and West is calculated as the first Sunday after the full moon that falls on or after March 21 (nominally the day of the vernal equinox), but the Orthodox calculations are based on the Julian calendar, whose March 21 corresponds at present with April 3 of the Gregorian calendar, and on calculations of the date of full moon different from those used in the West (see computus 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 (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 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 (the Sundays before Great Lent, Cheesefare Week, Palm Sunday, and Holy Week)
  • The period of the Pentecostarion (Sunday of Pascha through the Sunday After Pentecost which is also called the Sunday of all saints)

The twelve Great Feasts edit

Main article: 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, and a period of celebration afterward, similar to the Western Octave, called an Afterfeast. Great Feasts on the Paschal Cycle do not have Forefeasts. The lengths of Forefeasts and Afterfeasts vary, according to the feast.

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 (dipli Paschalia, Greek: διπλή Πασχαλιά) is considered an extremely festive event.

Other feasts edit

Some additional feasts are observed as though they were Great Feasts:

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 of the feast often being chanted at Compline on the nearest convenient day.

Cycles edit

See also: Paschal Cycle

In addition to the Fixed and Moveable Cycles, there are a number of other liturgical cycles in the ecclesiastical year that affect the celebration of the divine services. These include, the Daily Cycle, the Weekly Cycle, the Cycle of Matins Gospels, and the Octoechos.

Oriental Orthodox and P'ent'ay Evangelical Churches edit

See also: Armenian calendar, Ethiopian calendar, and Coptic calendar

Western Christianity edit

 
The month of October from a liturgical calendar for Abbotsbury Abbey. 13th-century manuscript (British Library, Cotton MS Cleopatra B IX, folio 59r).
See also: Movable Western Christian observances

Western Christian liturgical calendars are based on the cycle of the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church, and are also followed in many Protestant churches, including the Lutheran, Anglican, and other traditions. Generally, the seasons in liturgical western Christianity are Advent, Christmas, Ordinary Time (Time after Epiphany), Lent, Easter, and Ordinary Time (Time after Pentecost). Some Protestant traditions do not include Ordinary Time: every day falls into a denominated season. Other Protestant churches, such as a minority in the Reformed tradition, reject the liturgical year entirely on the grounds that its observance is not directed in scripture.[17]

Vanderbilt University Professor Hoyt L. Hickman, with regard to the calendars of the Western Christians Churches that use the Revised Common Lectionary,[18] including Methodists, Anglicans/Episcopalians, Lutherans and some Baptists and Presbyterians, among others,[19] states that:[18]

All these calendars agree that the Lord's Day is of primary importance among the observances of the year and that the Christian Year contains two central cycles – the Easter cycle and the Christmas cycle. Each cycle includes a festival season (Easter and Christmas), preceded by a season of preparation and anticipation (Lent and Advent). In most denominational versions and in the Common Lectionary, Lent and Advent are immediately preceded by a transitional Sunday (Transfiguration and Christ the King), and the Easter and Christmas Seasons are immediately followed by a transitional Sunday (Trinity and Baptism of the Lord).[18]

Protestant Churches, with exception of the Lutheran and Anglican, generally observe fewer if any feasts with regard to the saints than the aforementioned liturgical denominations, in addition to the Catholic and Orthodox Churches.

Denominational specifics edit

Catholic Church edit

The Catholic Church sets aside certain days and seasons of each year to recall and celebrate various events in the life of Christ and his saints.

  1. In its Roman Rite the liturgical year begins with Advent, the time of preparation for both the nativity of Christ, and his expected second coming at the end of time.[20] The Advent season lasts until the first vespers of Christmas Eve on December 24.
  2. Christmastide follows, beginning with First Vespers of Christmas on the evening of December 24 and ending with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord,[20] on the first Sunday after Epiphany (the latter is on January 6 generally).[21]
  3. First ordinary time, includes the days between Christmastide and Lent.[22]
  4. Lent is the period of purification and penance that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Thursday.[23]
  5. The Mass of the Lord's Supper on the evening of Holy Thursday marks the beginning of the Easter Triduum, which includes Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday.[23] The days of the Easter Triduum recall Christ's last supper with his disciples, his capture and passion, his death on the cross, burial, and resurrection.[23]
  6. The seven-week liturgical Eastertide immediately follows the Triduum, climaxing at Pentecost. This last feast recalls the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Jesus' disciples after the Ascension of Jesus.[23]
  7. Second ordinary time, includes the days between Eastertide and Advent.[22]

There are many forms of liturgy in the Catholic Church. Even putting aside the many Eastern rites in use, the Latin liturgical rites alone include the Ambrosian Rite, the Mozarabic Rite, and the Cistercian Rite, as well as other forms that have been largely abandoned in favour of adopting the Roman Rite. There are also historical versions of the liturgy that varied greatly from the present one, such those used by the Anglo-Saxon Church.

The liturgical calendar in that form of the Roman Rite (see General Roman Calendar) of 1960 differs in some respects from that of the present form of the Roman Rite.

Lutheran Churches edit

 
Lutheran church year
Main article: Liturgical calendar (Lutheran)
Further information: Calendar of saints (Lutheran)

Anglican Church edit

Further information: List of Anglican Church Calendars

The Church of England, Mother Church of the Anglican Communion, uses a liturgical year that is in most respects identical to that of the 1969 Catholic Common Lectionary. While the calendars contained within the Book of Common Prayer and the Alternative Service Book (1980) have no "Ordinary Time", Common Worship (2000) adopted the ecumenical 1983 Revised Common Lectionary. The few exceptions are Sundays following Christmas and Transfiguration, observed on the last Sunday before Lent instead of on Reminiscere.

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 January 6 or the Sunday after January 1) and ends on the Feast of the Presentation (on February 2 or the Sunday after January 27). Ordinary Time begins after this period.

The Book of Common Prayer contains within it the traditional Western Eucharistic lectionary which traces its roots to the Comes of St. Jerome in the 5th century.[24] Its similarity to the ancient lectionary is particularly obvious during Trinity season (Sundays after the Sunday after Pentecost), reflecting that understanding of sanctification.[25]

Reformed Churches edit

Reformed Christians emphasize weekly celebration of the Lord's Day. While some of them celebrate also what they call the five evangelical feasts, others celebrate no holy days but the Lord's Day and reject the liturgical year as non-scriptural, and as therefore inconsistent with the regulative principle of worship.[17][26]

Liturgical calendar edit

Advent edit

 
Roman Rite liturgical year
Main article: Advent

Advent (from the Latin word adventus, which means "arrival" or "coming") is the first season of the liturgical year. It begins four Sundays before Christmas, the Sunday falling on or nearest to November 30, and ends on Christmas Eve. Traditionally observed as a "fast", it focuses on preparation for the coming of Christ, not only the coming of the Christ-child at Christmas, but also, in the first weeks, on the eschatological final coming of Christ, making Advent "a period for devout and joyful expectation".[27]

This season is often marked by the Advent Wreath, 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'. Other popular devotions during Advent include the use of the Advent Calendar or the Tree of Jesse to count down the days to Christmas.

Liturgical colour: violet or purple;[28] blue in some traditions, such as Anglican/Episcopalian, Methodist, and Lutheran.[29][30][31]

Christmastide edit

 
A white coloured parament hangs from the pulpit, indicating that the current liturgical season is Christmastide. The fact that the Christ Candle in the centre of the Advent wreath is lit also indicates that Christmas has arrived.
Main article: Christmastide

The Christmas season immediately follows Advent. The traditional Twelve Days of Christmas begin with Christmas Eve on the evening of December 24 and continue until the feast of Epiphany. The actual Christmas season continues until the Feast of the Baptism of Christ, which is celebrated on the Sunday after January 6, or the following Monday if that Sunday is kept as Epiphany.[32]

In the pre-1970 form, this feast is celebrated on January 13, unless January 13 is a Sunday, in which case the feast of the Holy Family is celebrated instead.[32] Until the suppression of the Octave of the Epiphany in the 1960 reforms, January 13 was the Octave day of the Epiphany, providing the date for the end of the season.

Traditionally, the end of Christmastide was February 2, or the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, also known as Candlemas. This feast recounts the 40 days of rest Mary took before being purified and presenting her first-born son to the Temple in Jerusalem. In medieval times, Candlemas eve (Feb. 1st) marked the day when all Christmas decorations, including the Christmas tree and the Nativity scene, were taken down. However, the tradition of ending Christmastide on Candlemas has slowly waned, except in some pockets of the Hispanic world where Candlemas (or La Fiesta de la Candelaria) is still an important feast and the unofficial end of the Christmas season.

Liturgical colour: white

Ordinary Time edit

Main article: Ordinary Time

"Ordinary" comes from the same root as our word "ordinal", and in this sense means "the counted weeks". In the Catholic Church and in some Protestant traditions, these are the common weeks which do not belong to a proper season. In Latin, these seasons are called the weeks per annum, or "through the year".

In the current form of the Roman Rite adopted following the Second Vatican Council, Ordinary Time consists of 33 or 34 Sundays and is divided into two sections. The first portion extends from the day following the Feast of the Baptism of Christ until the day before Ash Wednesday (the beginning of Lent). It contains anywhere from three to eight Sundays, depending on how early or late Easter falls.

The main focus in the readings of the Mass is Christ's earthly ministry, rather than any one particular event. The counting of the Sundays resumes following Eastertide; however, two Sundays are replaced by Pentecost and Trinity Sunday, and depending on whether the year has 52 or 53 weeks, one may be omitted.

In the pre-1970 form of the Roman Rite, the Time after Epiphany has anywhere from one to six Sundays. As in the current form of the rite, the season mainly concerns Christ's preaching and ministry, with many of his parables read as the Gospel readings. The season begins on January 14[33] and ends on the Saturday before Septuagesima Sunday. Omitted Sundays after Epiphany are transferred to Time after Pentecost and celebrated between the Twenty-Third and the Last Sunday after Pentecost according to an order indicated in the Code of Rubrics, 18, with complete omission of any for which there is no Sunday available in the current year.[34] Before the 1960 revisions, the omitted Sunday would be celebrated on the Saturday before Septuagesima Sunday,[35] or, in the case of the Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost, on the Saturday before the Last Sunday after Pentecost.[36]

Liturgical colour: green

Pre-Lent edit

Main article: Pre-Lent

Gregory the Great is the first to document a period of preparation for Easter beginning with Septuagesima, whose name refers to a period of around seventy days before Easter.[37][38] This pre-Lenten period lasts two and a half weeks, encompassing Sexagesima and Quinquagesima. It concludes with Carnival and Shrove Tuesday.

This period opens an educational period leading up to the reception of catechumens at Easter.[39] Events such as mystery plays from the Old Testament performed during this period historically supported this instructional campaign,[40] reflecting the traditional lectionary for the Canonical hours, which begins on Septuagesima with the Book of Genesis, as is still reflected in the Book of Common Prayer.[41]

The pre-Lenten liturgy introduces some customs of Lent, including the suppression of the Alleluia and its replacement at Mass with the Tract. The Gloria is no longer said on Sundays.[42]

The 1969 reform of the Roman Rite subsumed these weeks liturgically into Ordinary Time,[43] but Carnival is still widely celebrated. A pre-Lenten provision continues in many Anglican and Lutheran liturgies.[44]

Liturgical colour (where observed): violet or purple

Lent and Passiontide edit

Main articles: Lent, Passiontide, and Holy Week

Lent is a major penitential season of preparation for Easter. It begins on Ash Wednesday and, if the penitential days of Good Friday and Holy Saturday are included, lasts for forty days, since the six Sundays within the season are not counted.

In the Roman Rite, the Gloria in Excelsis Deo and the Te Deum are not used in the Mass and Liturgy of the Hours respectively, except on Solemnities and Feasts, and the Alleluia and verse that usually precede the reading of the Gospel is either omitted or replaced with another acclamation.

Lutheran churches make these same omissions.

As in Advent, the deacon and subdeacon of the pre-1970 form of the Roman Rite do not wear their habitual dalmatic and tunicle (signs of joy) in Masses of the season during Lent; instead they wear "folded chasubles", in accordance with the ancient custom.

In the pre-1970 form of the Roman Rite, the two weeks before Easter form the season of Passiontide, a subsection of the Lenten season that begins with Matins of Ash Wednesday and ends immediately before the Mass of the Easter Vigil.[45] In this form, what used to be officially called Passion Sunday,[46] has the official name of the First Sunday in Passiontide,[47] and Palm Sunday has the additional name of the Second Sunday in Passiontide.[48] In Sunday and ferial Masses (but not on feasts celebrated in the first of these two weeks) the Gloria Patri is omitted at the Entrance Antiphon[49] and at the Lavabo,[50] as well as in the responds in the Divine Office.

In the post-1969 form of the Roman Rite, "Passion Sunday" and "Palm Sunday" are both names for the Sunday before Easter, officially called "Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion". The former Passion Sunday became a fifth Sunday of Lent. The earlier form reads Matthew's account on Sunday, Mark's on Tuesday, and Luke's on Wednesday, while the post-1969 form reads the Passion only on Palm Sunday (with the three Synoptic Gospels arranged in a three-year cycle) and on Good Friday, when it reads the Passion according to John, as also do earlier forms of the Roman Rite.

The veiling of crucifixes and images of the saints with violet cloth, which was obligatory before 1970, is left to the decision of the national bishops' conferences. In the United States, it is permitted but not required, at the discretion of the pastor.[51] In all forms, the readings concern the events leading up to the Last Supper and the betrayal, Passion, and death of Christ.

The week before Easter is called Holy Week.

In the Roman Rite, feasts that fall within that week are simply omitted, unless they have the rank of Solemnity, in which case they are transferred to another date. The only solemnities inscribed in the General Calendar that can fall within that week are those of St. Joseph and the Annunciation.

Liturgical colour: violet or purple. The colour rose may be used, where it is the practice, on Laetare Sunday (4th Sunday of Lent). On Palm Sunday the colour since 1970 is red, by earlier rules violet or purple, with red being used after 1955 for the blessing of the palms.

Easter Triduum edit

Main article: Paschal Triduum

The Easter Triduum consists of Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday.[52] Each of these days begins liturgically not with the morning but with the preceding evening.

The triduum begins on the evening before Good Friday with Mass of the Lord's Supper, celebrated with white vestments,[53] and often includes a 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, continuing until the Good Friday liturgy.

During the day of Good Friday Mass is not celebrated in the Catholic Church. Instead a Celebration of the Passion of the Lord is held in the afternoon or evening. It consists of three parts: a Liturgy of the Word that includes the reading of the account of the Passion by John the Evangelist and concludes with a solemn Universal Prayer. Other churches also have their Good Friday commemoration of the Passion.

The colour of vestments varies: no colour, red, or black are used in different traditions. Coloured hangings may be removed. Lutheran churches often either remove colourful 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 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. Other crucifixes are unveiled, without ceremony, after the service.

Holy Saturday commemorates the day during which Christ lay in the tomb. In the Catholic Church, there is no Mass on this day; the Easter Vigil Mass, which, though celebrated properly at the following midnight, is often celebrated in the evening, is an Easter Mass. With no liturgical celebration, there is no question of a liturgical colour.

The Easter Vigil is held in the night between Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday, to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. See also Paschal candle. The liturgical colour is white, often together with gold. In the Roman Rite, during the "Gloria in Excelsis Deo" the organ and bells are used in the liturgy for the first time in two days, and the statues, which have been veiled during Passiontide (at least in the Roman Rite through the 1962 version), are unveiled. In Lutheran churches, colours and icons are re-displayed as well.

Eastertide edit

Main article: Eastertide

Easter is the celebration of Jesus' Resurrection. The date of Easter varies from year to year, according to a lunar-calendar dating system (see computus for details). In the Roman Rite, the Easter season extends from the Easter Vigil through Pentecost Sunday. In the pre-1970 form of the rite, this season includes also the Octave of Pentecost, so Eastertide lasts until None of the following Saturday.

In the Roman Rite, the Easter octave allows no other feasts to be celebrated or commemorated during it; a solemnity, such as the Annunciation, falling within it is transferred to the following Monday. If Easter Sunday or Easter Monday falls on April 25, the Greater Litanies, which in the pre-1970 form of the Roman Rite are on that day, are transferred to the following Tuesday.[54]

By a decree of May 5, 2000, the Second Sunday of Easter (the Sunday after Easter Day itself), is known also in the Roman Rite as the Feast of the Divine Mercy.[55]

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, the post-1969 form of the Roman rite transfers it to the following Sunday.[56]

Pentecost is the fiftieth and last day of the Easter season. It celebrates the sending of the Holy Spirit to the Apostles, which traditionally marks the birth of the Church, see also Apostolic Age.

Liturgical colour: white, but red on the feast of Pentecost.

Ordinary Time, Time after Pentecost, Time after Trinity, or Kingdomtide edit

Main articles: Ordinary Time and Kingdomtide

This season, under various names, follows the Easter season and the feasts of Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost. In the post-1969 form of the Roman rite, Ordinary Time resumes on Pentecost Monday, omitting the Sunday which would have fallen on Pentecost. In the earlier form, where Pentecost is celebrated with an octave, the Time after Pentecost begins at Vespers on the Saturday after Pentecost. The Sundays resume their numbering at the point that will make the Sunday before Advent the thirty-fourth, omitting any weeks for which there is no room (present-day form of the Roman Rite) or are numbered as "Sundays after Pentecost" (pre-1970 Roman Rite, Eastern Orthodoxy and some Protestants) or as "Sundays after Trinity" (some Protestants). This season ends on the Saturday before the First Sunday of Advent.

Feasts during this season include:

In the final few weeks of Ordinary Time, many churches direct attention to the coming of the Kingdom of God, thus ending the liturgical year with an eschatological theme that is one of the predominant themes of the season of Advent that began the liturgical year. For instance, in the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite, the Gospel of the Last Sunday is Matthew 24:15–35 and in the ordinary form of the Roman Rite all the last three Sundays of the liturgical year are affected by the theme of the Second Coming.

While the Roman Rite adopts no special designation for this final part of Ordinary Time, some denominations do, and may also change the liturgical colour. The Church of England uses the term "Sundays before Advent" for the final four Sundays and permits red vestments as an alternative. The United Methodist Church may use the name "Kingdomtide".[57] The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) uses the terms "Third-Last, Second-Last and Last Sunday in the Church Year" and does not change from green. The LCMS does not officially celebrate a "Feast of Christ the King." The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) uses the term "Period of End Times" and assigns red vestments to the first and second Sundays.

Calendar of saints edit

Main article: Calendar of saints

Liturgical colours: white if the saint was not martyred; red if the saint was martyred

Hierarchy of feast days edit
Main articles: Ranking of liturgical days in the Roman Rite and Principal Holy Day (Anglicanism)

There are degrees of solemnity of the office of the feast days of saints. In the 13th century, the Roman Rite distinguished three ranks: simple, semidouble and double, with consequent differences in the recitation of the Divine Office or Breviary. The simple feast commenced with the chapter (capitulum) of First Vespers, and ended with None. It had three lessons and took the psalms of Matins from the ferial office; the rest of the office was like the semidouble. The semidouble feast had two Vespers, nine lessons in Matins, and ended with Compline. The antiphons before the psalms were only intoned.

In the Mass, the semidouble had always at least three "orationes" or collects. On a double feast the antiphons were sung in their entirety, before and after the psalms, while in Lauds and Vespers there were no suffragia of the saints, and the Mass had only one "oratio" (if no commemoration was prescribed). If ordinary double feasts (referred to also as lesser doubles) occurred with feasts of a higher rank, they could be simplified, except the octave days of some feasts and the feasts of the Doctors of the Church, which were transferred.

To the existing distinction between major and ordinary or minor doubles, Pope Clement VIII added two more ranks, those of first-class or second-class doubles. Some of these two classes were kept with octaves. This was still the situation when the 1907 article Ecclesiastical Feasts in the Catholic Encyclopedia was written. In accordance with the rules then in force, feast days of any form of double, if impeded by "occurrence" (falling on the same day)[59] with a feast day of higher class, were transferred to another day.

Pope Pius X simplified matters considerably in his 1911 reform of the Roman Breviary. In the case of occurrence the lower-ranking feast day could become a commemoration within the celebration of the higher-ranking one. Until then, ordinary doubles took precedence over most of the semidouble Sundays, resulting in many of the Sunday Masses rarely being said. While retaining the semidouble rite for Sundays, Pius X's reform permitted only the most important feast days to be celebrated on Sunday, although commemorations were still made until Pope John XXIII's reform of 1960.

The division into doubles (of various kinds) semidoubles and simples continued until 1955, when Pope Pius XII abolished the rank of semidouble, making all the previous semidoubles simples, and reducing the previous simples to a mere commemoration in the Mass of another feast day or of the feria on which they fell (see General Roman Calendar of Pope Pius XII).

Then, in 1960, Pope John XXIII issued the Code of Rubrics, completely ending the ranking of feast days by doubles etc., and replacing it by a ranking, applied not only to feast days but to all liturgical days, as I, II, III, and IV class days.

The 1969 revision by Pope Paul VI divided feast days into "solemnities", "feasts" and "memorials", corresponding approximately to Pope John XXIII's I, II and III class feast days. Commemorations were abolished. While some of the memorials are considered obligatory, others are optional, permitting a choice on some days between two or three memorials, or between one or more memorials and the celebration of the feria. On a day to which no obligatory celebration is assigned, the Mass may be of any saint mentioned in the Roman Martyrology for that day.[60]

Assumption of Mary edit
Main article: Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Observed by Catholics and some Anglicans on August 15, which is the same as the Eastern and Orthodox feast of the Dormition, the end of the earthly life of the Virgin Mary and, for some, her bodily Assumption into heaven, is celebrated. The Catholic teaching on this feast was defined as dogma on November 1, 1950, by Pope Pius XII in his bull, Munificentissimus Deus.

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

Liturgical colour: white

Secular observance edit

Because of the dominance of Christianity in Europe throughout the Middle Ages, many features of the Christian year became incorporated into the secular calendar. Many of its feasts (e.g., Christmas, Mardi Gras, Saint Patrick's Day) 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 festivals of similar date.

Comparison edit

Date Range East Syriac Eastern Orthodox Western
Season Season Celebration Season Celebration
Counting in relation to Christmas
November 15 Dedication of the church (Qudas Edta) Nativity Fast (40 days)
5th Sunday before Christmas Christ the King Sunday
4th Sunday before Christmas Annunciation (Suvara) Advent Beginning of the Western Liturgical Calendar
3rd Sunday before Christmas
2nd Sunday before Christmas Gaudete Sunday
1st Sunday before Christmas
December 24 Christmas Eve
December 25 Christmastide Christmas Christmastide Christmas
December 25 to January 5 (includes 1 to 2 Sundays)
Counting in relation to Epiphany
January 6 Epiphany (Denha) Epiphany (Theophany) Christmastide Epiphany
1st Sunday after Epiphany Baptism of Jesus
Varies between zero and four Sundays Ordinary Time (After Epiphany)
Counting in relation to Easter
11th Sunday before Easter Epiphany (Denha) Zaccheaus Sunday (Slavic) or Sunday of the Canaanite (Greek) Ordinary Time (After Epiphany)
10th Sunday before Easter Pre-Lent The Publican and the Pharisee
9th Sunday before Easter The Prodigal Son
8th Sunday before Easter The Last Judgement or Meat-Fare Sunday
7th Sunday before Easter Great Fast (Sawma Rabba) The Sunday of Forgiveness or Cheesefare Sunday Transfiguration Sunday
48 days before Easter Great Lent

(40 days, including 5 Sundays)

Clean Monday
46 days before Easter Lent

(38 days and 6 Sundays, 44 days total)

Ash Wednesday
6th Sunday before Easter Triumph of Orthodoxy
5th Sunday before Easter St. Gregory Palamas
4th Sunday before Easter Adoration of the Cross
3rd Sunday before Easter St. John of the Ladder
2nd Sunday before Easter St. Mary of Egypt
8 days before Easter Great and Holy Week

(7 days including, 1 Sunday)

Lazarus Saturday
1st Sunday before Easter Palm Sunday Palm Sunday
Monday before Easter Great and Holy Monday Holy Monday
Tuesday before Easter Great and Holy Tuesday Holy Tuesday
Wednesday before Easter Great and Holy Wednesday Holy or Spy Wednesday
Thursday before Easter Great and Holy Thursday Maundy Thursday
Friday before Easter Great and Holy Friday Paschal Triduum Good Friday
Saturday before Easter Great and Holy Saturday Holy Saturday
Easter Sunday Resurrection (Qyamta) Pentecostarion (Paschaltide) Great and Holy Pascha Easter
Week after Easter Bright Week Eastertide
1st Sunday after Easter Thomas Sunday Divine Mercy Sunday
2nd Sunday after Easter The Holy Myrrhbearers
3rd Sunday after Easter The Paralytic
25 days after Easter (Wednesday) Mid-Pentecost
4th Sunday after Easter The Samaritan Woman
5th Sunday after Easter The Blind Man
40th day after Easter (Thursday) Ascension of Jesus Ascension of Jesus
6th Sunday after Easter The Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council
7th Sunday after Easter Apostles (Slihe) Pentecost Pentecost
Counting in relation to Pentecost
1st Sunday after Pentecost Apostles (Slihe) Pentecostarion (Paschaltide) All Saints Ordinary Time (After Pentecost) Trinity Sunday
8 days after Pentecost (Monday) Apostles' Fast begins (ends June 29)
2nd Sunday after Pentecost
7th Sunday after Pentecost Summer (Qaita)
August 1 to August 14 Dormition Fast
14th Sunday after Pentecost Eliyah-Sliba-Moses
September 1 Beginning of Eastern Liturgical Year
20th to 25th Sunday after Pentecost (Sunday between October 30 and November 5) Dedication of the church (Qudas Edta) All Saints' Sunday

See also edit

  • Christian worship – Act of attributing reverent honour and homage to God
  • Quarter tense – Three days fasting and prayer, quarterly

Notes edit

  1. ^ This is also the origin of Abib being the tenth month of the non-lunar Ethiopian calendar.

References edit

  1. ^ "Definition of KALENDAR". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved April 27, 2021. —used especially of ecclesiastical calendars // the Episcopal kalendar
  2. ^ "Kalendar". Anglican Catholic Church. 2015. Retrieved May 23, 2015. It is as a result of this connection that "kalendar/calendar" came to refer to the orderly arrangement of time as we now know it, but the established church retained the older "K" spelling to distinguish their kalendar from an ordinary list of events. In other words, a kalendar is simply a church calendar!
  3. ^ John Dowden (1910). The Church Year and Kalendar. Cambridge University Press. p. xi. The Church's Year, as it has been known for many centuries throughout Christendom, is characterised first, by the weekly festival of the Lord's Day (a feature which dates from the dawn of the Church's life and the age of the Apostles) and, secondly, by the annual recurrence of fasts and festivals, of certain days and certain seasons of religious observance. These latter emerged, and came to find places in the Kalendar at various times.
  4. ^ Stern, Sacha (2001). Calendar and Community: A History of the Jewish Calendar. Oxford University Press. pp. 2–3. ISBN 0-19-827034-8.
  5. ^ "This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you" (Exodus 12:2). "This day came ye out in the month Aviv" (Exodus 13:4)
  6. ^ "Genesis 1:1 (KJV)". Blue Letter Bible.
  7. ^ "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" (Esther 3:7),
  8. ^ "Jewish (Hebrew) Calendar - List Of Months". www.angelfire.com.
  9. ^ Talley, Thomas J. (1991). The Origins of the Liturgical Year. Pueblo Publishing Company. pp. 82–83. ISBN 978-0-8146-6075-1.
  10. ^ Pathikulangara, Varghese. Mar Toma Margam, (A New Catechism for the St. Thomas Christians of India), Kottayam: Denha Services, 2004
  11. ^ Rabban Brik-lso, Preface to Hudra in Cambridge Add. 1981, 4v; J.Mateos, Lelya-Sapra, 463-464.
  12. ^ Syro-Malabar Major Archiepiscopal Commission for Liturgy. "Syro-Malabar Liturgical Calendar: 2020–2021" (PDF). p. 3.
  13. ^ "Mar Toma Margam: 17. Weeks of Dedication of the Church (Qudas - Edta)". April 24, 2013.
  14. ^ "Period of the Dedication of the Church (Qudas Edta) – Dukhrana".
  15. ^ Rabban Brik-lso, Preface to Hudra in Cambridge Add. 1981, 4v; J. Mateos, Lelya-Sapra, 463–464.
  16. ^ St. Patrick's Day
  17. ^ a b "Why Doesn't the OPC Follow a Liturgical Year?". Orthodox Presbyterian Church. December 26, 2009. Those inheriting a Reformed theology (which would include the OPC) have adopted the stance that the church is only to practice in worship what the Bible actually establishes, often called the "regulative principle" of worship. Many in the Reformed tradition would exclude the practice of Lent on this basis—it lacks scriptural warrant. Furthermore, the Bible's liturgical calendar is remarkably simple—all men are duty-bound to keep the Lord's day!
  18. ^ a b c Hickman, Hoyt L. (October 1, 2010). The New Handbook of the Christian Year: Based on the Revised Common Lectionary. Abingdon Press. p. 31. ISBN 9781426730740.
  19. ^ Fisher, Jeanne (2015). (PDF). Third Presbyterian Church. Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 5, 2016. Retrieved September 29, 2015. The Revised Common Lectionary, used by Presbyterians, Methodists, Episcopalians, Lutherans and some Baptists, is arranged in a three-year cycle.
  20. ^ a b Belmonte, Charles (2006). Belmonte, Charles (ed.). Faith Seeking Understanding (PDF). Vol. I (2nd ed.). Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines: Studium Theologiae Foundation, Inc. p. 463. ISBN 971-91060-4-2.
  21. ^ "Christmas. Liturgical Notes for Christmas. Universal Norms". United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  22. ^ a b "Liturgical Year & Calendar. Liturgical Year". United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  23. ^ a b c d Barry, One Faith, One Lord (2001), p. 116
  24. ^ The Annotated Book of Common Prayer. Forgotten Books. ISBN 9781440091988 – via Google Books.
  25. ^ Sparrow, Anthony and John Henry Cardinal Newman. A Rationale upon the Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England, Oxford, UK
  26. ^ Strawbridge, Gregg. . allsaints-church.com. Lancaster, PA: All Saints Church. Archived from the original on May 13, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  27. ^ "General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar, 39".
  28. ^ General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 346
  29. ^ Discipleship Ministries. "The Color Blue in Advent - umcdiscipleship.org". www.umcdiscipleship.org.
  30. ^ "Liturgical Colors". Episcopal Church. May 22, 2012.
  31. ^ ""What is the meaning and use of liturgical colors?", Evangelical Lutheran Church in America" (PDF).
  32. ^ a b "Code of Rubrics included in the 1962 Roman Missal, 72" (PDF).
  33. ^ "1960 Code of Rubrics incorporated in the 1962 Roman Missal, 77" (PDF).
  34. ^ "The Sunday which is set down as XXIV after Pentecost is always put in the last place, omitting, if need be, any others for which there happens to be no place" (1960 Code of Rubrics, 18).
  35. ^ "If this II Sunday, or another after Epiphany, be impeded by Septuagesima supervening, and there be no place for it after Pentecost, according to the Rubrics, it is anticipated on Saturday with all privileges proper to an occurring Sunday." (Missale Romanum, 1939, Dominica II post Epiphaniam)
  36. ^ "If this Sunday be impeded by the last Sunday after Pentecost supervening, it is anticipated on Saturday with all privileges proper to an occurring Sunday, and in it is said Glória in excélsis, Credo, Preface of the Trinity and Ite, Missa est." (Missale Romanum, 1939, Dominica XXIII post Pentecosten)
  37. ^ Crampton, L. J. (April 1, 1968). "St Gregory's Homily XIX and the institution of Septuagesima Sunday". The Downside Review. 86 (283): 162–166. doi:10.1177/001258066808628306. ISSN 0012-5806. S2CID 164617825.
  38. ^ Callewaert, Camille (April 1, 1937). "L'œuvre liturgique de S. Grégoire. La septuagésime et l'alleluia". Revue d'Histoire Ecclésiastique (in French). 33 (2): 306–326. ISSN 0035-2381. ProQuest 1302425959.
  39. ^ Chavesse, Antoine (1950). "Temps de préparation à la Pâque d'après quelques livres liturgiques romains". Recherches de Science Religieuse (in French). 37 (1): 125–145. ISSN 0034-1258.
  40. ^ Craig, Hardin (April 1, 1913). "The origin of the Old Testament plays". Modern Philology. 10 (4): 473–487. doi:10.1086/386899. ISSN 0026-8232. JSTOR 386899. S2CID 161763679.
  41. ^ Willis, Geoffrey G. (April 1, 1958). "The historical background of the English lectionary of 1955". The Journal of Ecclesiastical History. 9 (1): 73–86. doi:10.1017/S0022046900063880. ISSN 0022-0469. S2CID 162572706.
  42. ^ Mahrt, William (2017). "Gregorian chant in the season of Lent". Antiphon: A Journal for Liturgical Renewal. 21 (2): 93–114. doi:10.1353/atp.2017.0012. ISSN 1543-9933. S2CID 194585704.
  43. ^ Pristas, Lauren (July 1, 2010). "Parachuted into Lent: The suppression of Septuagesima". Usus Antiquior. 1 (2): 95–109. doi:10.1179/175789410X12729674260985. ISSN 1757-8949.
  44. ^ Church of England, ed. (2000). Common worship: services and prayers for the Church of England. London: Church House. ISBN 978-0-7151-2000-2.
  45. ^ Code of Rubrics, 74
  46. ^ Missale Romanum, 1920 typical edition March 1, 2020, at the Wayback Machine, p. 156
  47. ^ Missale Romanum 1962 February 15, 2020, at the Wayback Machine, p. 118
  48. ^ Missale Romanum 1962 February 15, 2020, at the Wayback Machine, p. 130
  49. ^ Code of Rubrics, 428
  50. ^ Ritus servandus in celebratione Missae, VII, 6, in Missale Romanum 1962 February 15, 2020, at the Wayback Machine, p. LIX; cf. Missale Romanum 1962 February 15, 2020, at the Wayback Machine, p. 118
  51. ^ "Divine Worship". www.usccb.org.
  52. ^ . www.catholicliturgy.com. Archived from the original on April 11, 2009. Retrieved April 18, 2009.
  53. ^ Holy Thursday Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper April 4, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, 44
  54. ^ 1960 Code of Rubrics, 80
  55. ^ Our Sunday Visitor: Feast of the Divine Mercy[permanent dead link]
  56. ^ . www.scborromeo.org. Archived from the original on September 25, 2014. Retrieved August 7, 2008.
  57. ^ Various (2016). "Season After Pentecost (Ordinary Time)". The United Methodist Book of Worship. Nashville, Tenn. ISBN 978-1426735004.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  58. ^ "All Saints' Tide". Services and Prayers for the Season from All Saints to Candlemas. General Synod of the Church of England. For many twentieth-century Christians the All Saints-tide period is extended to include Remembrance Sunday. In the Calendar and Lectionary we have sought to make it easier to observe this without cutting across a developing lectionary pattern, and we have reprinted the form of service approved ecumenically for use on that day.
  59. ^ "Catholic Encyclopedia : Occurrence". home.newadvent.org.
  60. ^ General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 355 c

Further reading edit

  • 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
  • Talley, Thomas J. The Origins of the Liturgical Year, Ed. 2. 1991. ISBN 0-8146-6075-4

External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Liturgical year.
  • The Catholic Church's liturgical calendar, from US Catholic Bishops February 7, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, or from O.S.V. publishing November 13, 2013, at the Wayback Machine.
  • Universalis – A liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church including the Liturgy of the Hours and the Mass readings.
  • Greek Orthodox Calendar – Greek Orthodox Calendar & Online Chapel
  • Russian Orthodox Calendar at Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church
  • Lectionary Central – For the study and use of the traditional Western Eucharistic lectionary (Anglican).

February 16, 2024
liturgical, year, guéranger, series, books, liturgical, year, ecclesiastical, year, redirects, here, jewish, ecclesiastical, year, hebrew, calendar, year, christian, year, redirects, here, john, keble, series, poems, christian, year, liturgical, calendar, redi. For Dom Gueranger s series of books see The Liturgical Year Ecclesiastical year redirects here For the Jewish ecclesiastical new year see Hebrew calendar New year Christian year redirects here For John Keble s series of poems see The Christian Year Liturgical calendar redirects here For the Lutheran liturgical calendar see Liturgical calendar Lutheran Kalendar redirects here For kalendars in the context of archives see Calendar archives The liturgical year also called the church year Christian year or kalendar 1 2 consists of the cycle of liturgical seasons in Christian churches that determines when feast days including celebrations of saints are to be observed and which portions of Scripture are to be read either in an annual cycle or in a cycle of several years 3 Distinct liturgical colours may be used in connection with different seasons of the liturgical year The dates of the festivals vary somewhat among the different churches although the sequence and logic is largely the same Contents 1 Liturgical cycle 2 Biblical calendars 3 Eastern Christianity 3 1 East Syriac Rite 3 1 1 Liturgical Calendar 3 1 1 1 Annunciation Subara 3 1 1 2 Epiphany Denha 3 1 1 3 Great Fast Sawma Rabba 3 1 1 4 Resurrection Qyamta 3 1 1 5 Apostles Slihe 3 1 1 6 Qaita Summer 3 1 1 7 Eliyah Sliba Moses 3 1 1 8 Dedication of the church Qudas Edta 3 2 Eastern Orthodox Church 3 2 1 Pascha 3 2 2 The twelve Great Feasts 3 2 3 Other feasts 3 2 4 Cycles 3 3 Oriental Orthodox and P ent ay Evangelical Churches 4 Western Christianity 4 1 Denominational specifics 4 1 1 Catholic Church 4 1 2 Lutheran Churches 4 1 3 Anglican Church 4 1 4 Reformed Churches 4 2 Liturgical calendar 4 2 1 Advent 4 2 2 Christmastide 4 2 3 Ordinary Time 4 2 4 Pre Lent 4 2 5 Lent and Passiontide 4 2 6 Easter Triduum 4 2 7 Eastertide 4 2 8 Ordinary Time Time after Pentecost Time after Trinity or Kingdomtide 4 2 9 Calendar of saints 4 2 9 1 Hierarchy of feast days 4 2 9 2 Assumption of Mary 5 Secular observance 6 Comparison 7 See also 8 Notes 9 References 10 Further reading 11 External linksLiturgical cycle editThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed August 2016 Learn how and when to remove this template message nbsp The liturgical year of some western churches indicating the liturgical coloursThe liturgical cycle divides the year into a series of seasons each with their own mood theological emphases and modes of prayer which can be signified by different ways of decorating churches colours of paraments and vestments for clergy scriptural 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 in a lectionary After the Protestant Reformation Anglicans and Lutherans continued to follow the lectionary of the Roman Rite Following a decision of the Second Vatican Council the Catholic Church revised that lectionary in 1969 adopting a three year cycle of readings for Sundays and a two year cycle for weekdays Adaptations of the revised Roman Rite lectionary were adopted by Protestants leading to the publication in 1994 of the Revised Common Lectionary for Sundays and major feasts which is now used by many Protestant denominations including also Methodists United some Reformed etc This has led to a greater awareness of the traditional Christian year among Protestants especially among mainline denominations Biblical calendars editScholars are not in agreement about whether the calendars used by the Jews before the Babylonian exile were solar based on the return of the same relative position between the Sun and the Earth lunisolar based on months that corresponded to the cycle of the moon with periodic additional months to bring the calendar back into agreement with the solar cycle like the present day Jewish calendar of Hillel II or lunar such as the Hijri calendar 4 The first month of the Hebrew year was called אביב Aviv evidently adopted by Moses from Ipip as the eleventh month of the non lunar Egyptian calendar 5 note 1 meaning the month of green ears of grain 6 Having to occur at the appropriate time in the spring it thus was originally part of a tropical calendar At about the time of the Babylonian exile when using the Babylonian civil calendar the Jews adopted the term ניסן Nisan as the name for the month 7 based on the Babylonian name Nisanu 8 Thomas J Talley says that the adoption of the Babylonian term occurred even before the exile 9 In the earlier calendar most of the months were simply called by a number such as the fifth month The Babylonian derived names of the month that are used by Jews are Nisan March April Iyar April May Sivan May June Tammuz June July Av July August Elul August September Tishrei September October Marcheshvan October November Kislev November December Tevet December January Shevat January February Adar 1 February only during leap years Adar February March In Biblical times the following Jewish religious feasts were celebrated Pesach Passover 14 Nisan sacrifice of a lamb 15 Nisan Passover seder Chag HaMatzot Unleavened Bread 15 21 Nisan Reishit Katzir Firstfruits 16 Nisan Shavuot Weeks Fiftieth day counted from Passover normally 6 7 Sivan Rosh Hashanah Trumpets 1 2 Tishrei Yom Kippur Atonement 10 Tishrei Sukkot Tabernacles 15 21 Tishrei Chanukah Dedication 25 Kislev 2 3 Tevet instituted in 164 BC Purim Lots 14 15 Adar instituted in c 400 BC Eastern Christianity editEast Syriac Rite edit nbsp The liturgical seasons of East Syriac Catholic churchesFurther information Syro Malabar Liturgical Calendar The Liturgical Calendar of the East Syriac Rite is fixed according to the flow of salvation history With a focus upon the historical life of Jesus Christ believers are led to the eschatological fulfillment i e the heavenly bliss through this special arrangement of liturgical seasons 10 The liturgical year is divided into 8 seasons of approximately 7 weeks each but adjusted to fit the solar calendar The arrangement of the Seasons in the Liturgical Year is based on seven central events on celebrations of the Salvation History They are Nativity of Christ Epiphany of Christ Resurrection of Christ Pentecost Transfiguration Glorious Cross Parousia the Dedication of Church after Christ s second coming One of the oldest available records mentioning the liturgical cycle of east syriac rite is handwritten manuscript named Preface to Hudra written by Rabban Brick Iso in 14th century 11 The manuscript mentions that the liturgical year is divided into nine seasons starting from Subara and ends with Qudas Edta Catholic churches of east syriac rite maintains the same liturgical calendar until the current date except that many consider 7th and 8th seasons as a single one The biblical reading and prayers during Mass and Liturgy of the Hours vary according to different seasons in the liturgical calendar Liturgical Calendar edit The various seasons of the liturgical calendar of Syro Malabar Church and Chaldean Catholic Church are given below Annunciation Subara edit Weeks of Annunciation Subara is the first season of the liturgical year The liturgical year begins with the commemoration of biblical events leading to the annunciation and birth of Jesus as expected savior in the old testament The season begins on the Sunday just before the first of December and ends with the feast of Epiphany that is the Feast of the Baptism of Jesus The faithful practice abstinence during December 1 25 in preparation for Christmas this period is called 25 days Lent 12 Feasts celebrated during this season Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary mother of Jesus December 8 Feast of Miraculous Cross of Mylapore Saint Thomas Christian cross December 18 in Syro Malabar Church Nativity of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ or Christmas December 25 Feast of Holy Infants December 28 Feast of Name Iso January 1 Feast of Mary mother of Jesus last Friday of Season Epiphany Denha edit Weeks of Epiphany begins on the Sunday closest to the feast of Epiphany and runs to the beginning of Great Fast The word denha in Syriac means sunrise Church considers the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan as the first historical event in which the Trinity was revealed to humankind in the person of Jesus Christ Thus the season commemorates the manifestation or revelation of Jesus and Trinity to the world During the season the church celebrates the feasts of Saints in connection with the manifestation of the Lord Feasts celebrated during the period Feast of Epiphany or Feast of Baptism of the Lord January 6 Feast of Saint John the Baptist on first Friday of Epiphany Feast of Apostles Peter Kepha and Paul on second Friday of Epiphany Feast of Evangelists on third Friday of Epiphany Feast of Saint Stephan on fourth Friday of Epiphany Feast of Fathers of Church on fifth Friday of Epiphany Feast of Patron Saint of Church on sixth Friday of Epiphany Feast of all departed faithful on last Friday of EpiphanyGreat Fast Sawma Rabba edit During these weeks the faithful meditate over the 40 day fast of Jesus and the culmination of his public life in passion death and burial The season begins 50 days before Easter on Peturta Sunday and comprises the whole period of Great Lent and culminates on Resurrection Sunday Word Peturta in Syriac means looking back or reconciliation Faithful enter the weeks of Great Fast celebrating the memory of all the Faithful Departed on the last Friday of Denha According to the ecclesial tradition the weeks of Great Fast is also an occasion to keep up the memory of the beloved Departed through special prayers renunciation almsgiving and so on and thus prepare oneself for a good death and resurrection in Jesus Christ During the fast faithful of Syro Malabar Church do not use meat fish egg many dairy products and most favorite food items and avoid sexual contacts on all days including Sundays and Feast days Before European colonization Indian Nasranis used to have food only once a day after 3 00 pm on all days during Great Fast Feasts in the Lenten Season Peturta Sunday on First Sunday of Great Fast Ash Monday or Clean Monday on the first day Monday of Great Fast Lazarus Friday on the sixth Friday of Great Fast Oshana Sunday on the seventh Sunday of Great Fast Thursday of Pesha Friday of Passion or Good Friday Great Saturday or Saturday of LightThe following feasts are always in the Lenten Season Feast of Mar Cyril of Jerusalem March 18 Feast of Saint Joseph March 19 Feast of the Annunciation March 25 Resurrection Qyamta edit The weeks of Great Resurrection begin on the Resurrection Sunday and run to the feast of Pentecost The Church celebrates the Resurrection of our Lord during these seven weeks Jesus victory over death sin suffering and Satan The church also commemorates various events that occurred after the resurrection of Christ such as the visits of Jesus to the Apostles and the ascension of Jesus According to eastern Christianity the Feast of Resurrection is the most important and the greatest feast in a liturgical year Therefore the season commemorating the resurrection of Christ is also of prime importance in the church liturgy The first week of the season is celebrated as the Week of weeks as it is the week of the resurrection of Christ Feasts celebrated during the period Feast of Resurrection of Christ Feast of All Confessors Saints on the first Friday of Qyamta New Sunday or St Thomas Sunday on the second Sunday of Qyamta Feast of Ascension of Jesus on the sixth Friday of QyamtaThe following feasts are always in the season of resurrection Feast of Saint George April 24 Feast of Mark the Evangelist April 25 Feast of Saint Joseph the worker May 1 Feasts of Saint Philip and Saint James the apostles May 3 Apostles Slihe edit Weeks of apostles Slihe starts on the feast of Pentecost fiftieth day of the Resurrection Sunday During these days the church commemorates the inauguration of church and the acts of apostles and church fathers through which the foundation of the church was laid Church meditates on the virtues of the early church fellowship breaking of bread and sharing of wealth and the fruits and gifts of Holy Spirit The spread of the church all over the world as well as her growth is also remembered during this season Feast celebrated during the season Feast of Pentecost on first Sunday of Slihe Feast of Friday of Gold The first commemoration of the first miracle of apostles done by Saint Peter The following feasts are commemorated in the season of Slihe Feast of Mar Aphrem June 10 Feast of the Apostles Peter and Paul June 29 Feast of Mar Thoma founding father of east Syriac churches July 3 Feast of Mar Quriaqos and Yolitha July 15 Qaita Summer edit Along the weeks of Qaita maturity and fruitfulness of church are commemorated The Syriac word Qaita means summer and it is a time of harvest for the Church The fruits of the Church are those of holiness and martyrdom While the sprouting and infancy of the Church were celebrated in the Weeks of the Apostles her development in different parts of the world by reflecting the image of the heavenly Kingdom and giving birth to many saints and martyrs are proclaimed during this season Fridays of this Season are set apart for honoring saints and martyrs Feast celebrated during the season Feast of the twelve apostles and Nusardeil on the first Sunday of Qaita Nusardeil is a Persian word which means God given New Year Day Feast of Mar Jacob of Nisibis on the first Friday of Qaita Feast of Mar Mari on the second Friday of Qaita Feast of Marta Simoni and her Seven Children on the fifth Friday of Qaita Feast of Mar Shimun Bar Sabbai and Companions on the sixth Friday of Qaita Feast of martyr Mar Quardag on the seventh Friday of Qaita The following feasts are commemorated in the season of Qaita Feast of seventy disciples of Jesus July 27 Feast of Saint Alphonsa in Syro Malabar Catholic Church July 28 Feast of Transfiguration of Jesus August 6 Feast of Assumption of Mary August 15 Eliyah Sliba Moses edit The name of the seasons of Eliyah Sliba Moses takes their origin from the feast of the transfiguration of Jesus And the seasons revolve around the exaltation of the cross on the feast of the glorious cross on September 14 During the seasons of Eliyah and Sliba church reminds the faithful of the heavenly bliss which is promised to be inherited at the end of earthly life and the church commemorates the exaltic experience of the bliss through various sacraments While during the season of Moses church meditates upon the end of time and the last judgment Many at times the season of Moses is regarded as a distinct and separate season from the other two since it has a distinct theme The season of Eliyah has a length of one to three Sundays Season of Sliba starts on Sunday on or after the feast of the glorious cross and has a length of three to four weeks The first Sunday of Sliba is always considered as the fourth Sunday of the combined season The season of Moses always has four weeks Feast celebrated during the seasons Feast of the glorious CrossThe following feasts are commemorated in the seasons of Eliyah Sliba Moses Feast of Nativity of Mary on September 8 and the eight day fast in preparation for the feastDedication of the church Qudas Edta edit The weeks of the dedication of the church is the last liturgical season in the East Syriac rite 13 14 It consists of four weeks and ends on the Saturday before Sunday between November 27 and December 3 The theme of the season is that the church is presented by Christ as his eternal bride before his father at the heavenly bride chamber The period has its origin in the feast of the dedication of the church of Sephelcure or the Jewish feast of Hanukkah However the season was officially instituted by Patriarch Isho Yahb III of Seleucia Ctesiphon 647 657 by separating it from the season of Moses 15 Feasts celebrated during the season Feast of dedication of the church on 1st Sunday of Qudas Edta Feast of Christ the King on last Sunday of Qudas Edta Celebrated only in eastern catholic churches of the rite since pope Pius XI instituted it in Roman rite Eastern Orthodox Church edit Main article Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar The liturgical year in the Eastern Orthodox Church is characterized by alternating fasts and feasts and is in many ways similar to the Catholic year However Church New Year Indiction traditionally begins on September 1 Old Style or New Style rather than the first Sunday of Advent It includes both feasts on the Fixed Cycle and the Paschal Cycle or Moveable Cycle The most important feast day by far is the Feast of Pascha 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 Virgin Mary The majority of Orthodox Christians Russians in particular follow the Julian Calendar in calculating their ecclesiastical feasts but many including the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Church of Greece while preserving the Julian calculation for feasts on the Paschal Cycle have adopted the Revised Julian Calendar at present coinciding with the Gregorian Calendar to calculate those feasts which are fixed according to the calendar date Between 1900 and 2100 there is a thirteen day difference between the dates of the Julian and the Revised Julian and Gregorian calendars Thus for example where Christmas is celebrated on December 25 O S Old Style the celebration coincides with January 7 in the Revised Calendar The computation of the day of Pascha Easter is however always computed according to a lunar calendar based on the Julian Calendar even by those churches which observe the Revised Calendar There are four fasting seasons during the year The most important fast is Great Lent which is an intense time of fasting almsgiving and prayer extending for forty days prior to Palm Sunday and Holy Week as a preparation for Pascha The Nativity Fast Winter Lent is a time of preparation for the Feast of the Nativity of Christ Christmas but whereas Advent in the West lasts only four weeks Nativity Fast lasts a full forty days The Apostles Fast is variable in length lasting anywhere from eight days to six weeks in preparation for the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul 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 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 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 the Exaltation of the Cross and the day before the Epiphany January 5 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 the period from the Nativity of Christ until January the 5th and the first week of the Triodion the week following the 17th Sunday before Pentecost Pascha edit Main article Pascha The greatest feast is Pascha Easter for both East and West is calculated as the first Sunday after the full moon that falls on or after March 21 nominally the day of the vernal equinox but the Orthodox calculations are based on the Julian calendar whose March 21 corresponds at present with April 3 of the Gregorian calendar and on calculations of the date of full moon different from those used in the West see computus 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 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 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 the Sundays before Great Lent Cheesefare Week Palm Sunday and Holy Week The period of the Pentecostarion Sunday of Pascha through the Sunday After Pentecost which is also called the Sunday of all saints The twelve Great Feasts edit Main article 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 and a period of celebration afterward similar to the Western Octave called an Afterfeast Great Feasts on the Paschal Cycle do not have Forefeasts The lengths of Forefeasts and Afterfeasts vary according to the feast Nativity of the Theotokos September 8 birth of the Theotokos to Joachim and Anna Elevation of the Cross September 14 the rediscovery of the original Cross on which Christ was crucified Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple November 21 the entry of the Theotokos into the Temple around the age of 3 Nativity of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ December 25 the birth of Jesus or Christmas Theophany January 6 the baptism of Jesus Christ Christ s blessing of the water and the revealing of Christ as God Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple February 2 Christ s presentation as an infant in the Temple by the Theotokos and Joseph Annunciation of the Theotokos March 25 Gabriel s announcement to the Theotokos that she will conceive the Christ and her wilful agreement theretoNote 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 dipli Paschalia Greek diplh Pasxalia is considered an extremely festive event Entry into Jerusalem Sunday before Pascha known in the West as Palm Sunday Ascension 40 days after Pascha Christ s ascension into Heaven following his resurrection Pentecost 50 days after Pascha The Holy Spirit comes and indwells the apostles and other Christian believers Transfiguration of Our Lord August 6 Christ s Transfiguration as witnessed by Peter James and John Dormition of the Theotokos August 15 The falling asleep of the Theotokos cf the Assumption of Mary in Western Christianity Other feasts edit Some additional feasts are observed as though they were Great Feasts The Protection of the Mother of God October 1 especially among the Russian Orthodox The Feast of Saint James the Just 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 Nicholas the Bishop of Myra in Lycia December 6 The Feast of the Conception of Mary by Saints Joachim and Anne 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 Patrick March 17 16 The Feast of Saint George April 23 The Feast of the Holy Emperors Constantine and Helen May 21 The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist June 24 The Feast of Saints Peter and Paul June 29 The Feast of Saint Elijah the Prophet July 20 The Feast of Saint Christina of Bolsena the Great Martyr July 24 The Beheading of St John the Baptist August 29 Beginning of the Indiction Ecclesiastical Year September 1 The Patronal Feast of a church or monasteryEvery 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 of the feast often being chanted at Compline on the nearest convenient day Cycles edit See also Paschal Cycle In addition to the Fixed and Moveable Cycles there are a number of other liturgical cycles in the ecclesiastical year that affect the celebration of the divine services These include the Daily Cycle the Weekly Cycle the Cycle of Matins Gospels and the Octoechos Oriental Orthodox and P ent ay Evangelical Churches edit See also Armenian calendar Ethiopian calendar and Coptic calendarThis section is empty You can help by adding to it August 2022 Western Christianity edit nbsp The month of October from a liturgical calendar for Abbotsbury Abbey 13th century manuscript British Library Cotton MS Cleopatra B IX folio 59r See also Movable Western Christian observances Western Christian liturgical calendars are based on the cycle of the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church and are also followed in many Protestant churches including the Lutheran Anglican and other traditions Generally the seasons in liturgical western Christianity are Advent Christmas Ordinary Time Time after Epiphany Lent Easter and Ordinary Time Time after Pentecost Some Protestant traditions do not include Ordinary Time every day falls into a denominated season Other Protestant churches such as a minority in the Reformed tradition reject the liturgical year entirely on the grounds that its observance is not directed in scripture 17 Vanderbilt University Professor Hoyt L Hickman with regard to the calendars of the Western Christians Churches that use the Revised Common Lectionary 18 including Methodists Anglicans Episcopalians Lutherans and some Baptists and Presbyterians among others 19 states that 18 All these calendars agree that the Lord s Day is of primary importance among the observances of the year and that the Christian Year contains two central cycles the Easter cycle and the Christmas cycle Each cycle includes a festival season Easter and Christmas preceded by a season of preparation and anticipation Lent and Advent In most denominational versions and in the Common Lectionary Lent and Advent are immediately preceded by a transitional Sunday Transfiguration and Christ the King and the Easter and Christmas Seasons are immediately followed by a transitional Sunday Trinity and Baptism of the Lord 18 Protestant Churches with exception of the Lutheran and Anglican generally observe fewer if any feasts with regard to the saints than the aforementioned liturgical denominations in addition to the Catholic and Orthodox Churches Denominational specifics edit Catholic Church edit The Catholic Church sets aside certain days and seasons of each year to recall and celebrate various events in the life of Christ and his saints In its Roman Rite the liturgical year begins with Advent the time of preparation for both the nativity of Christ and his expected second coming at the end of time 20 The Advent season lasts until the first vespers of Christmas Eve on December 24 Christmastide follows beginning with First Vespers of Christmas on the evening of December 24 and ending with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord 20 on the first Sunday after Epiphany the latter is on January 6 generally 21 First ordinary time includes the days between Christmastide and Lent 22 Lent is the period of purification and penance that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Thursday 23 The Mass of the Lord s Supper on the evening of Holy Thursday marks the beginning of the Easter Triduum which includes Good Friday Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday 23 The days of the Easter Triduum recall Christ s last supper with his disciples his capture and passion his death on the cross burial and resurrection 23 The seven week liturgical Eastertide immediately follows the Triduum climaxing at Pentecost This last feast recalls the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Jesus disciples after the Ascension of Jesus 23 Second ordinary time includes the days between Eastertide and Advent 22 There are many forms of liturgy in the Catholic Church Even putting aside the many Eastern rites in use the Latin liturgical rites alone include the Ambrosian Rite the Mozarabic Rite and the Cistercian Rite as well as other forms that have been largely abandoned in favour of adopting the Roman Rite There are also historical versions of the liturgy that varied greatly from the present one such those used by the Anglo Saxon Church The liturgical calendar in that form of the Roman Rite see General Roman Calendar of 1960 differs in some respects from that of the present form of the Roman Rite Lutheran Churches edit nbsp Lutheran church yearMain article Liturgical calendar Lutheran Further information Calendar of saints Lutheran Anglican Church edit Further information List of Anglican Church Calendars The Church of England Mother Church of the Anglican Communion uses a liturgical year that is in most respects identical to that of the 1969 Catholic Common Lectionary While the calendars contained within the Book of Common Prayer and the Alternative Service Book 1980 have no Ordinary Time Common Worship 2000 adopted the ecumenical 1983 Revised Common Lectionary The few exceptions are Sundays following Christmas and Transfiguration observed on the last Sunday before Lent instead of on Reminiscere 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 January 6 or the Sunday after January 1 and ends on the Feast of the Presentation on February 2 or the Sunday after January 27 Ordinary Time begins after this period The Book of Common Prayer contains within it the traditional Western Eucharistic lectionary which traces its roots to the Comes of St Jerome in the 5th century 24 Its similarity to the ancient lectionary is particularly obvious during Trinity season Sundays after the Sunday after Pentecost reflecting that understanding of sanctification 25 Reformed Churches edit Reformed Christians emphasize weekly celebration of the Lord s Day While some of them celebrate also what they call the five evangelical feasts others celebrate no holy days but the Lord s Day and reject the liturgical year as non scriptural and as therefore inconsistent with the regulative principle of worship 17 26 Liturgical calendar edit Advent edit nbsp Roman Rite liturgical yearMain article Advent Advent from the Latin word adventus which means arrival or coming is the first season of the liturgical year It begins four Sundays before Christmas the Sunday falling on or nearest to November 30 and ends on Christmas Eve Traditionally observed as a fast it focuses on preparation for the coming of Christ not only the coming of the Christ child at Christmas but also in the first weeks on the eschatological final coming of Christ making Advent a period for devout and joyful expectation 27 This season is often marked by the Advent Wreath 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 Other popular devotions during Advent include the use of the Advent Calendar or the Tree of Jesse to count down the days to Christmas Liturgical colour violet or purple 28 blue in some traditions such as Anglican Episcopalian Methodist and Lutheran 29 30 31 Christmastide edit nbsp A white coloured parament hangs from the pulpit indicating that the current liturgical season is Christmastide The fact that the Christ Candle in the centre of the Advent wreath is lit also indicates that Christmas has arrived Main article Christmastide The Christmas season immediately follows Advent The traditional Twelve Days of Christmas begin with Christmas Eve on the evening of December 24 and continue until the feast of Epiphany The actual Christmas season continues until the Feast of the Baptism of Christ which is celebrated on the Sunday after January 6 or the following Monday if that Sunday is kept as Epiphany 32 In the pre 1970 form this feast is celebrated on January 13 unless January 13 is a Sunday in which case the feast of the Holy Family is celebrated instead 32 Until the suppression of the Octave of the Epiphany in the 1960 reforms January 13 was the Octave day of the Epiphany providing the date for the end of the season Traditionally the end of Christmastide was February 2 or the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord also known as Candlemas This feast recounts the 40 days of rest Mary took before being purified and presenting her first born son to the Temple in Jerusalem In medieval times Candlemas eve Feb 1st marked the day when all Christmas decorations including the Christmas tree and the Nativity scene were taken down However the tradition of ending Christmastide on Candlemas has slowly waned except in some pockets of the Hispanic world where Candlemas or La Fiesta de la Candelaria is still an important feast and the unofficial end of the Christmas season Liturgical colour white Ordinary Time edit Main article Ordinary Time Ordinary comes from the same root as our word ordinal and in this sense means the counted weeks In the Catholic Church and in some Protestant traditions these are the common weeks which do not belong to a proper season In Latin these seasons are called the weeks per annum or through the year In the current form of the Roman Rite adopted following the Second Vatican Council Ordinary Time consists of 33 or 34 Sundays and is divided into two sections The first portion extends from the day following the Feast of the Baptism of Christ until the day before Ash Wednesday the beginning of Lent It contains anywhere from three to eight Sundays depending on how early or late Easter falls The main focus in the readings of the Mass is Christ s earthly ministry rather than any one particular event The counting of the Sundays resumes following Eastertide however two Sundays are replaced by Pentecost and Trinity Sunday and depending on whether the year has 52 or 53 weeks one may be omitted In the pre 1970 form of the Roman Rite the Time after Epiphany has anywhere from one to six Sundays As in the current form of the rite the season mainly concerns Christ s preaching and ministry with many of his parables read as the Gospel readings The season begins on January 14 33 and ends on the Saturday before Septuagesima Sunday Omitted Sundays after Epiphany are transferred to Time after Pentecost and celebrated between the Twenty Third and the Last Sunday after Pentecost according to an order indicated in the Code of Rubrics 18 with complete omission of any for which there is no Sunday available in the current year 34 Before the 1960 revisions the omitted Sunday would be celebrated on the Saturday before Septuagesima Sunday 35 or in the case of the Twenty Third Sunday after Pentecost on the Saturday before the Last Sunday after Pentecost 36 Liturgical colour green Pre Lent edit Main article Pre Lent Gregory the Great is the first to document a period of preparation for Easter beginning with Septuagesima whose name refers to a period of around seventy days before Easter 37 38 This pre Lenten period lasts two and a half weeks encompassing Sexagesima and Quinquagesima It concludes with Carnival and Shrove Tuesday This period opens an educational period leading up to the reception of catechumens at Easter 39 Events such as mystery plays from the Old Testament performed during this period historically supported this instructional campaign 40 reflecting the traditional lectionary for the Canonical hours which begins on Septuagesima with the Book of Genesis as is still reflected in the Book of Common Prayer 41 The pre Lenten liturgy introduces some customs of Lent including the suppression of the Alleluia and its replacement at Mass with the Tract The Gloria is no longer said on Sundays 42 The 1969 reform of the Roman Rite subsumed these weeks liturgically into Ordinary Time 43 but Carnival is still widely celebrated A pre Lenten provision continues in many Anglican and Lutheran liturgies 44 Liturgical colour where observed violet or purple Lent and Passiontide edit Main articles Lent Passiontide and Holy Week Lent is a major penitential season of preparation for Easter It begins on Ash Wednesday and if the penitential days of Good Friday and Holy Saturday are included lasts for forty days since the six Sundays within the season are not counted In the Roman Rite the Gloria in Excelsis Deo and the Te Deum are not used in the Mass and Liturgy of the Hours respectively except on Solemnities and Feasts and the Alleluia and verse that usually precede the reading of the Gospel is either omitted or replaced with another acclamation Lutheran churches make these same omissions As in Advent the deacon and subdeacon of the pre 1970 form of the Roman Rite do not wear their habitual dalmatic and tunicle signs of joy in Masses of the season during Lent instead they wear folded chasubles in accordance with the ancient custom In the pre 1970 form of the Roman Rite the two weeks before Easter form the season of Passiontide a subsection of the Lenten season that begins with Matins of Ash Wednesday and ends immediately before the Mass of the Easter Vigil 45 In this form what used to be officially called Passion Sunday 46 has the official name of the First Sunday in Passiontide 47 and Palm Sunday has the additional name of the Second Sunday in Passiontide 48 In Sunday and ferial Masses but not on feasts celebrated in the first of these two weeks the Gloria Patri is omitted at the Entrance Antiphon 49 and at the Lavabo 50 as well as in the responds in the Divine Office In the post 1969 form of the Roman Rite Passion Sunday and Palm Sunday are both names for the Sunday before Easter officially called Palm Sunday of the Lord s Passion The former Passion Sunday became a fifth Sunday of Lent The earlier form reads Matthew s account on Sunday Mark s on Tuesday and Luke s on Wednesday while the post 1969 form reads the Passion only on Palm Sunday with the three Synoptic Gospels arranged in a three year cycle and on Good Friday when it reads the Passion according to John as also do earlier forms of the Roman Rite The veiling of crucifixes and images of the saints with violet cloth which was obligatory before 1970 is left to the decision of the national bishops conferences In the United States it is permitted but not required at the discretion of the pastor 51 In all forms the readings concern the events leading up to the Last Supper and the betrayal Passion and death of Christ The week before Easter is called Holy Week In the Roman Rite feasts that fall within that week are simply omitted unless they have the rank of Solemnity in which case they are transferred to another date The only solemnities inscribed in the General Calendar that can fall within that week are those of St Joseph and the Annunciation Liturgical colour violet or purple The colour rose may be used where it is the practice on Laetare Sunday 4th Sunday of Lent On Palm Sunday the colour since 1970 is red by earlier rules violet or purple with red being used after 1955 for the blessing of the palms Easter Triduum edit Main article Paschal Triduum The Easter Triduum consists of Good Friday Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday 52 Each of these days begins liturgically not with the morning but with the preceding evening The triduum begins on the evening before Good Friday with Mass of the Lord s Supper celebrated with white vestments 53 and often includes a 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 continuing until the Good Friday liturgy During the day of Good Friday Mass is not celebrated in the Catholic Church Instead a Celebration of the Passion of the Lord is held in the afternoon or evening It consists of three parts a Liturgy of the Word that includes the reading of the account of the Passion by John the Evangelist and concludes with a solemn Universal Prayer Other churches also have their Good Friday commemoration of the Passion The colour of vestments varies no colour red or black are used in different traditions Coloured hangings may be removed Lutheran churches often either remove colourful 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 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 Other crucifixes are unveiled without ceremony after the service Holy Saturday commemorates the day during which Christ lay in the tomb In the Catholic Church there is no Mass on this day the Easter Vigil Mass which though celebrated properly at the following midnight is often celebrated in the evening is an Easter Mass With no liturgical celebration there is no question of a liturgical colour The Easter Vigil is held in the night between Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus See also Paschal candle The liturgical colour is white often together with gold In the Roman Rite during the Gloria in Excelsis Deo the organ and bells are used in the liturgy for the first time in two days and the statues which have been veiled during Passiontide at least in the Roman Rite through the 1962 version are unveiled In Lutheran churches colours and icons are re displayed as well Eastertide edit Main article Eastertide Easter is the celebration of Jesus Resurrection The date of Easter varies from year to year according to a lunar calendar dating system see computus for details In the Roman Rite the Easter season extends from the Easter Vigil through Pentecost Sunday In the pre 1970 form of the rite this season includes also the Octave of Pentecost so Eastertide lasts until None of the following Saturday In the Roman Rite the Easter octave allows no other feasts to be celebrated or commemorated during it a solemnity such as the Annunciation falling within it is transferred to the following Monday If Easter Sunday or Easter Monday falls on April 25 the Greater Litanies which in the pre 1970 form of the Roman Rite are on that day are transferred to the following Tuesday 54 By a decree of May 5 2000 the Second Sunday of Easter the Sunday after Easter Day itself is known also in the Roman Rite as the Feast of the Divine Mercy 55 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 the post 1969 form of the Roman rite transfers it to the following Sunday 56 Pentecost is the fiftieth and last day of the Easter season It celebrates the sending of the Holy Spirit to the Apostles which traditionally marks the birth of the Church see also Apostolic Age Liturgical colour white but red on the feast of Pentecost Ordinary Time Time after Pentecost Time after Trinity or Kingdomtide edit Main articles Ordinary Time and Kingdomtide This season under various names follows the Easter season and the feasts of Easter Ascension and Pentecost In the post 1969 form of the Roman rite Ordinary Time resumes on Pentecost Monday omitting the Sunday which would have fallen on Pentecost In the earlier form where Pentecost is celebrated with an octave the Time after Pentecost begins at Vespers on the Saturday after Pentecost The Sundays resume their numbering at the point that will make the Sunday before Advent the thirty fourth omitting any weeks for which there is no room present day form of the Roman Rite or are numbered as Sundays after Pentecost pre 1970 Roman Rite Eastern Orthodoxy and some Protestants or as Sundays after Trinity some Protestants This season ends on the Saturday before the First Sunday of Advent Feasts during this season include Trinity Sunday the first Sunday after Pentecost Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ Roman Rite and some Anglican and Lutheran traditions Thursday of the second week after Pentecost often celebrated on the following Sunday Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Roman Rite Friday of the third week after Pentecost Assumption of Mary on August 15 Feast of Christ the King last Sunday before Advent Roman Rite Lutherans Anglicans or last Sunday in October 1925 1969 form of the Roman Rite In the final few weeks of Ordinary Time many churches direct attention to the coming of the Kingdom of God thus ending the liturgical year with an eschatological theme that is one of the predominant themes of the season of Advent that began the liturgical year For instance in the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite the Gospel of the Last Sunday is Matthew 24 15 35 and in the ordinary form of the Roman Rite all the last three Sundays of the liturgical year are affected by the theme of the Second Coming While the Roman Rite adopts no special designation for this final part of Ordinary Time some denominations do and may also change the liturgical colour The Church of England uses the term Sundays before Advent for the final four Sundays and permits red vestments as an alternative The United Methodist Church may use the name Kingdomtide 57 The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod LCMS uses the terms Third Last Second Last and Last Sunday in the Church Year and does not change from green The LCMS does not officially celebrate a Feast of Christ the King The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod WELS uses the term Period of End Times and assigns red vestments to the first and second Sundays Calendar of saints edit Main article Calendar of saints In some Protestant traditions especially those with closer ties to the Lutheran tradition Reformation Sunday is celebrated on the Sunday preceding October 31 commemorating the purported day Martin Luther posted the 95 Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg The liturgical colour is red celebrating the Holy Spirit s continuing work in renewing the Church Most Western traditions celebrate All Saints Day All Hallow s Day on November 1 or the Sunday following with the eve of this feast All Hallow s Eve being October 31 The liturgical colour is white The following day November 2 is All Souls Day The period including these days is often referred to as Allhallowtide or Allsaintstide 58 Saints Days are observed by Lutherans and include the apostles Virgin Mary and noteworthy figures in the Christian faith The Confession of St Peter Week of Prayer for Christian Unity starting on January 18 Conversion of St Paul ended week of prayer on January 25 Martin Luther King Jr renewer of society martyr January 15 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America only Presentation of Our Lord and Purification of the Mary Candlemas on February 2 Joseph Guardian of Jesus St Joseph on March 19 Annunciation March 25 Visitation of Mary on May 31 Lutherans also celebrate St John the Baptist or the Beheading of St John the Baptist on June 24 St Mary Magdalene July 22 St Mary Mother of Our Lord or the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on August 15 Holy Cross Day September 14 Francis of Assisi renewal of the Church St Francis of Assisi on October 4 and the Holy Innocents Martyrs December 28 Lesser Feasts and Commemorations on the Lutheran liturgical calendar include Anthony of Egypt on January 17 Henry Bishop of Uppsala martyr Henry of Uppsala on January 19 Timothy Titus and Silas missionaries St Timothy St Titus and St Silas Day on January 26 Ansgar Bishop of Hamburg missionary to Denmark and Sweden St Ansgar on February 3 Cyril monk and Methodius bishop missionaries to the Slavs St Cyril and St Methodius on February 14 Gregory the Great on March 12 St Patrick on March 17 Olavus Petri priest and Laurentius Petri Bishop of Uppsala on April 19 St Anselm on April 21 Catherine of Siena on April 29 St Athanasius on May 2 St Monica on May 4 Eric IX of Sweden on May 18 St Boniface on June 5 Basil the Great Gregory of Nyssa and Gregory of Nazianzus on June 14 Benedict of Nursia on July 11 Birgitta of Sweden on July 23 St Anne Mother of Mary on July 26 St Dominic on August 8 Augustine of Hippo on August 28 St Cyprian on September 16 Teresa of Avila on October 15 Martin de Porres on November 3 Martin of Tours on November 11 Elizabeth of Hungary on November 17 St Lucy on December 13 There are many other holy days in the Lutheran calendar Some traditions celebrate St Michael s Day Michaelmas on September 29 Some traditions celebrate St Martin s Day Martinmas on November 11 Liturgical colours white if the saint was not martyred red if the saint was martyred Hierarchy of feast days edit Main articles Ranking of liturgical days in the Roman Rite and Principal Holy Day Anglicanism There are degrees of solemnity of the office of the feast days of saints In the 13th century the Roman Rite distinguished three ranks simple semidouble and double with consequent differences in the recitation of the Divine Office or Breviary The simple feast commenced with the chapter capitulum of First Vespers and ended with None It had three lessons and took the psalms of Matins from the ferial office the rest of the office was like the semidouble The semidouble feast had two Vespers nine lessons in Matins and ended with Compline The antiphons before the psalms were only intoned In the Mass the semidouble had always at least three orationes or collects On a double feast the antiphons were sung in their entirety before and after the psalms while in Lauds and Vespers there were no suffragia of the saints and the Mass had only one oratio if no commemoration was prescribed If ordinary double feasts referred to also as lesser doubles occurred with feasts of a higher rank they could be simplified except the octave days of some feasts and the feasts of the Doctors of the Church which were transferred To the existing distinction between major and ordinary or minor doubles Pope Clement VIII added two more ranks those of first class or second class doubles Some of these two classes were kept with octaves This was still the situation when the 1907 article Ecclesiastical Feasts in the Catholic Encyclopedia was written In accordance with the rules then in force feast days of any form of double if impeded by occurrence falling on the same day 59 with a feast day of higher class were transferred to another day Pope Pius X simplified matters considerably in his 1911 reform of the Roman Breviary In the case of occurrence the lower ranking feast day could become a commemoration within the celebration of the higher ranking one Until then ordinary doubles took precedence over most of the semidouble Sundays resulting in many of the Sunday Masses rarely being said While retaining the semidouble rite for Sundays Pius X s reform permitted only the most important feast days to be celebrated on Sunday although commemorations were still made until Pope John XXIII s reform of 1960 The division into doubles of various kinds semidoubles and simples continued until 1955 when Pope Pius XII abolished the rank of semidouble making all the previous semidoubles simples and reducing the previous simples to a mere commemoration in the Mass of another feast day or of the feria on which they fell see General Roman Calendar of Pope Pius XII Then in 1960 Pope John XXIII issued the Code of Rubrics completely ending the ranking of feast days by doubles etc and replacing it by a ranking applied not only to feast days but to all liturgical days as I II III and IV class days The 1969 revision by Pope Paul VI divided feast days into solemnities feasts and memorials corresponding approximately to Pope John XXIII s I II and III class feast days Commemorations were abolished While some of the memorials are considered obligatory others are optional permitting a choice on some days between two or three memorials or between one or more memorials and the celebration of the feria On a day to which no obligatory celebration is assigned the Mass may be of any saint mentioned in the Roman Martyrology for that day 60 Assumption of Mary edit Main article Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Observed by Catholics and some Anglicans on August 15 which is the same as the Eastern and Orthodox feast of the Dormition the end of the earthly life of the Virgin Mary and for some her bodily Assumption into heaven is celebrated The Catholic teaching on this feast was defined as dogma on November 1 1950 by Pope Pius XII in his bull Munificentissimus Deus In other Anglican and Lutheran traditions as well as a few others August 15 is celebrated as St Mary Mother of the Lord Liturgical colour whiteSecular observance editBecause of the dominance of Christianity in Europe throughout the Middle Ages many features of the Christian year became incorporated into the secular calendar Many of its feasts e g Christmas Mardi Gras Saint Patrick s Day 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 festivals of similar date Comparison editDate Range East Syriac Eastern Orthodox WesternSeason Season Celebration Season CelebrationCounting in relation to ChristmasNovember 15 Dedication of the church Qudas Edta Nativity Fast 40 days 5th Sunday before Christmas Christ the King Sunday4th Sunday before Christmas Annunciation Suvara Advent Beginning of the Western Liturgical Calendar3rd Sunday before Christmas2nd Sunday before Christmas Gaudete Sunday1st Sunday before ChristmasDecember 24 Christmas EveDecember 25 Christmastide Christmas Christmastide ChristmasDecember 25 to January 5 includes 1 to 2 Sundays Counting in relation to EpiphanyJanuary 6 Epiphany Denha Epiphany Theophany Christmastide Epiphany1st Sunday after Epiphany Baptism of JesusVaries between zero and four Sundays Ordinary Time After Epiphany Counting in relation to Easter11th Sunday before Easter Epiphany Denha Zaccheaus Sunday Slavic or Sunday of the Canaanite Greek Ordinary Time After Epiphany 10th Sunday before Easter Pre Lent The Publican and the Pharisee9th Sunday before Easter The Prodigal Son8th Sunday before Easter The Last Judgement or Meat Fare Sunday7th Sunday before Easter Great Fast Sawma Rabba The Sunday of Forgiveness or Cheesefare Sunday Transfiguration Sunday48 days before Easter Great Lent 40 days including 5 Sundays Clean Monday46 days before Easter Lent 38 days and 6 Sundays 44 days total Ash Wednesday6th Sunday before Easter Triumph of Orthodoxy5th Sunday before Easter St Gregory Palamas4th Sunday before Easter Adoration of the Cross3rd Sunday before Easter St John of the Ladder2nd Sunday before Easter St Mary of Egypt8 days before Easter Great and Holy Week 7 days including 1 Sunday Lazarus Saturday1st Sunday before Easter Palm Sunday Palm SundayMonday before Easter Great and Holy Monday Holy MondayTuesday before Easter Great and Holy Tuesday Holy TuesdayWednesday before Easter Great and Holy Wednesday Holy or Spy WednesdayThursday before Easter Great and Holy Thursday Maundy ThursdayFriday before Easter Great and Holy Friday Paschal Triduum Good FridaySaturday before Easter Great and Holy Saturday Holy SaturdayEaster Sunday Resurrection Qyamta Pentecostarion Paschaltide Great and Holy Pascha EasterWeek after Easter Bright Week Eastertide1st Sunday after Easter Thomas Sunday Divine Mercy Sunday2nd Sunday after Easter The Holy Myrrhbearers3rd Sunday after Easter The Paralytic25 days after Easter Wednesday Mid Pentecost4th Sunday after Easter The Samaritan Woman5th Sunday after Easter The Blind Man40th day after Easter Thursday Ascension of Jesus Ascension of Jesus6th Sunday after Easter The Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council7th Sunday after Easter Apostles Slihe Pentecost PentecostCounting in relation to Pentecost1st Sunday after Pentecost Apostles Slihe Pentecostarion Paschaltide All Saints Ordinary Time After Pentecost Trinity Sunday8 days after Pentecost Monday Apostles Fast begins ends June 29 2nd Sunday after Pentecost7th Sunday after Pentecost Summer Qaita August 1 to August 14 Dormition Fast14th Sunday after Pentecost Eliyah Sliba MosesSeptember 1 Beginning of Eastern Liturgical Year20th to 25th Sunday after Pentecost Sunday between October 30 and November 5 Dedication of the church Qudas Edta All Saints SundaySee also edit nbsp Christianity portal nbsp Religion portalChristian worship Act of attributing reverent honour and homage to God Quarter tense Three days fasting and prayer quarterlyPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targetsNotes edit This is also the origin of Abib being the tenth month of the non lunar Ethiopian calendar References edit Definition of KALENDAR Merriam Webster Retrieved April 27 2021 used especially of ecclesiastical calendars the Episcopal kalendar Kalendar Anglican Catholic Church 2015 Retrieved May 23 2015 It is as a result of this connection that kalendar calendar came to refer to the orderly arrangement of time as we now know it but the established church retained the older K spelling to distinguish their kalendar from an ordinary list of events In other words a kalendar is simply a church calendar John Dowden 1910 The Church Year and Kalendar Cambridge University Press p xi The Church s Year as it has been known for many centuries throughout Christendom is characterised first by the weekly festival of the Lord s Day a feature which dates from the dawn of the Church s life and the age of the Apostles and secondly by the annual recurrence of fasts and festivals of certain days and certain seasons of religious observance These latter emerged and came to find places in the Kalendar at various times Stern Sacha 2001 Calendar and Community A History of the Jewish Calendar Oxford University Press pp 2 3 ISBN 0 19 827034 8 This month shall be unto you the beginning of months it shall be the first month of the year to you Exodus 12 2 This day came ye out in the month Aviv Exodus 13 4 Genesis 1 1 KJV Blue Letter Bible 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 Esther 3 7 Jewish Hebrew Calendar List Of Months www angelfire com Talley Thomas J 1991 The Origins of the Liturgical Year Pueblo Publishing Company pp 82 83 ISBN 978 0 8146 6075 1 Pathikulangara Varghese Mar Toma Margam A New Catechism for the St Thomas Christians of India Kottayam Denha Services 2004 Rabban Brik lso Preface to Hudra in Cambridge Add 1981 4v J Mateos Lelya Sapra 463 464 Syro Malabar Major Archiepiscopal Commission for Liturgy Syro Malabar Liturgical Calendar 2020 2021 PDF p 3 Mar Toma Margam 17 Weeks of Dedication of the Church Qudas Edta April 24 2013 Period of the Dedication of the Church Qudas Edta Dukhrana Rabban Brik lso Preface to Hudra in Cambridge Add 1981 4v J Mateos Lelya Sapra 463 464 St Patrick s Day a b Why Doesn t the OPC Follow a Liturgical Year Orthodox Presbyterian Church December 26 2009 Those inheriting a Reformed theology which would include the OPC have adopted the stance that the church is only to practice in worship what the Bible actually establishes often called the regulative principle of worship Many in the Reformed tradition would exclude the practice of Lent on this basis it lacks scriptural warrant Furthermore the Bible s liturgical calendar is remarkably simple all men are duty bound to keep the Lord s day a b c Hickman Hoyt L October 1 2010 The New Handbook of the Christian Year Based on the Revised Common Lectionary Abingdon Press p 31 ISBN 9781426730740 Fisher Jeanne 2015 The Liturgical Year PDF Third Presbyterian Church Presbyterian Church U S A Archived from the original PDF on March 5 2016 Retrieved September 29 2015 The Revised Common Lectionary used by Presbyterians Methodists Episcopalians Lutherans and some Baptists is arranged in a three year cycle a b Belmonte Charles 2006 Belmonte Charles ed Faith Seeking Understanding PDF Vol I 2nd ed Mandaluyong Metro Manila Philippines Studium Theologiae Foundation Inc p 463 ISBN 971 91060 4 2 Christmas Liturgical Notes for Christmas Universal Norms United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Retrieved January 22 2024 a b Liturgical Year amp Calendar Liturgical Year United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Retrieved January 22 2024 a b c d Barry One Faith One Lord 2001 p 116 The Annotated Book of Common Prayer Forgotten Books ISBN 9781440091988 via Google Books Sparrow Anthony and John Henry Cardinal Newman A Rationale upon the Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England Oxford UK Strawbridge Gregg What Time Is It A Defense of the Church Calendar allsaints church com Lancaster PA All Saints Church Archived from the original on May 13 2019 Retrieved August 13 2019 General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar 39 General Instruction of the Roman Missal 346 Discipleship Ministries The Color Blue in Advent umcdiscipleship org www umcdiscipleship org Liturgical Colors Episcopal Church May 22 2012 What is the meaning and use of liturgical colors Evangelical Lutheran Church in America PDF a b Code of Rubrics included in the 1962 Roman Missal 72 PDF 1960 Code of Rubrics incorporated in the 1962 Roman Missal 77 PDF The Sunday which is set down as XXIV after Pentecost is always put in the last place omitting if need be any others for which there happens to be no place 1960 Code of Rubrics 18 If this II Sunday or another after Epiphany be impeded by Septuagesima supervening and there be no place for it after Pentecost according to the Rubrics it is anticipated on Saturday with all privileges proper to an occurring Sunday Missale Romanum 1939 Dominica II post Epiphaniam If this Sunday be impeded by the last Sunday after Pentecost supervening it is anticipated on Saturday with all privileges proper to an occurring Sunday and in it is said Gloria in excelsis Credo Preface of the Trinity and Ite Missa est Missale Romanum 1939 Dominica XXIII post Pentecosten Crampton L J April 1 1968 St Gregory s Homily XIX and the institution of Septuagesima Sunday The Downside Review 86 283 162 166 doi 10 1177 001258066808628306 ISSN 0012 5806 S2CID 164617825 Callewaert Camille April 1 1937 L œuvre liturgique de S Gregoire La septuagesime et l alleluia Revue d Histoire Ecclesiastique in French 33 2 306 326 ISSN 0035 2381 ProQuest 1302425959 Chavesse Antoine 1950 Temps de preparation a la Paque d apres quelques livres liturgiques romains Recherches de Science Religieuse in French 37 1 125 145 ISSN 0034 1258 Craig Hardin April 1 1913 The origin of the Old Testament plays Modern Philology 10 4 473 487 doi 10 1086 386899 ISSN 0026 8232 JSTOR 386899 S2CID 161763679 Willis Geoffrey G April 1 1958 The historical background of the English lectionary of 1955 The Journal of Ecclesiastical History 9 1 73 86 doi 10 1017 S0022046900063880 ISSN 0022 0469 S2CID 162572706 Mahrt William 2017 Gregorian chant in the season of Lent Antiphon A Journal for Liturgical Renewal 21 2 93 114 doi 10 1353 atp 2017 0012 ISSN 1543 9933 S2CID 194585704 Pristas Lauren July 1 2010 Parachuted into Lent The suppression of Septuagesima Usus Antiquior 1 2 95 109 doi 10 1179 175789410X12729674260985 ISSN 1757 8949 Church of England ed 2000 Common worship services and prayers for the Church of England London Church House ISBN 978 0 7151 2000 2 Code of Rubrics 74 Missale Romanum 1920 typical edition Archived March 1 2020 at the Wayback Machine p 156 Missale Romanum 1962 Archived February 15 2020 at the Wayback Machine p 118 Missale Romanum 1962 Archived February 15 2020 at the Wayback Machine p 130 Code of Rubrics 428 Ritus servandus in celebratione Missae VII 6 in Missale Romanum 1962 Archived February 15 2020 at the Wayback Machine p LIX cf Missale Romanum 1962 Archived February 15 2020 at the Wayback Machine p 118 Divine Worship www usccb org Chapter II b The Yearly Cycle www catholicliturgy com Archived from the original on April 11 2009 Retrieved April 18 2009 Holy Thursday Evening Mass of the Lord s Supper Archived April 4 2014 at the Wayback Machine 44 1960 Code of Rubrics 80 Our Sunday Visitor Feast of the Divine Mercy permanent dead link Saint Charles Borromeo Catholic Church of Picayune MS General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar www scborromeo org Archived from the original on September 25 2014 Retrieved August 7 2008 Various 2016 Season After Pentecost Ordinary Time The United Methodist Book of Worship Nashville Tenn ISBN 978 1426735004 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link All Saints Tide Services and Prayers for the Season from All Saints to Candlemas General Synod of the Church of England For many twentieth century Christians the All Saints tide period is extended to include Remembrance Sunday In the Calendar and Lectionary we have sought to make it easier to observe this without cutting across a developing lectionary pattern and we have reprinted the form of service approved ecumenically for use on that day Catholic Encyclopedia Occurrence home newadvent org General Instruction of the Roman Missal 355 cFurther reading editStookey 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 Talley Thomas J The Origins of the Liturgical Year Ed 2 1991 ISBN 0 8146 6075 4External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Liturgical year The Catholic Church s liturgical calendar from US Catholic Bishops Archived February 7 2016 at the Wayback Machine or from O S V publishing Archived November 13 2013 at the Wayback Machine Universalis A liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church including the Liturgy of the Hours and the Mass readings Greek Orthodox Calendar Greek Orthodox Calendar amp Online Chapel Russian Orthodox Calendar at Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church Lectionary Central For the study and use of the traditional Western Eucharistic lectionary Anglican Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Liturgical year amp oldid 1205695091, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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