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Calendar of the Church Year

Introduction

God gave Israel a calendar of holy days to remember and celebrate his works in history. Throughout his earthly life, Jesus participated in these sacred rhythms. Christ even observed feasts of human appointment (John 10:22), honoring the godly traditions of his people. When God sent his Son to be born in the fullness of time, and poured out the Holy Spirit on the feast of Pentecost, the Church naturally set aside days and seasons to remember and celebrate the works of the Triune God in the gospel. After centuries of development, the Church established its own calendar to sanctify the whole year to God, exalt Christ as Lord of time itself, and honor the lives of saints and martyrs for the gospel. Christians throughout history have gladly received this tradition as a gift which honors the Holy One who has entered and sanctified our time and space.

As with all good things, the Church Calendar is susceptible to corruption and abuse. Nevertheless, abuse does not take away proper use (abusus non tollit usum). The earliest Protestants upheld the Church’s holy days (Augsburg Confession 15) while insisting that all things be done for edification (1 Corinthians 14:26). Manmade traditions must not infringe on Christian liberty (Romans 14:5), indulge in superstition, or detract from Sunday, the Lord’s Day, as a holy day of apostolic appointment. Today, some Christians have overreacted to abuse by rejecting all Church tradition, or only observing select days such as Christmas and Easter. The major days and seasons of the Church Year, however, are best observed together, since they tell the unified story of God and his people, beginning with the prophetic hopes of ancient Israel. Recovering the major fasts and feasts of the Church’s year can provide spiritual direction to help us orient our lives continually toward Christ’s second coming and the eternal Sabbath.

Advent

The Church Year begins with the season of Advent (from the Latin adventus, which means “coming”). Advent always begins four Sundays before Christmas Day. The Church delays and deepens its celebration of Christmas by joining ancient Israel with the cry of “Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!” While reading the Old Testament Messianic prophecies, reflecting on the darkness of sin, and lighting candles in hopeful anticipation of the coming Light, the Church simultaneously looks forward to the Messiah’s second advent. Most traditions mark Advent with purple, the color of royalty, to signify the coming of the Davidic King. The use of a pink or rose-colored candle in most Advent candlesticks marks a transition towards joy as Christmas draws nearer.

Christmas

Christmas is a 12-day season of celebration that begins on Christmas Day (always December 25). Since Christmas Eve is observed after sunset, it is considered the beginning of Christmas. Christmas, also called the Feast of our Lord’s Nativity, means “Mass on Christ’s Day” or “the Lord’s Supper on Christ’s Day.” It is a time for Christ’s body, the Church, to celebrate the Son’s incarnation in a body, especially by eating his body in the bread of the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 10:16–17). The cry of “Come, Lord Jesus!” gives way to the confession that “Christ has come!” and deepens the Church’s confidence that Christ will come again. The feast ends on January 5, the day before the Epiphany. The color of Christmas is white (and sometimes gold), the color of purity and glory, pointing to Christ as the spotless sacrificial Lamb and incarnate Son of God.

Epiphany

The feast of Epiphany is always January 6. Epiphany means “manifestation,” and celebrates the Lord’s manifestation to the magi or “wise men” and thus to the Gentiles. It is a time to celebrate that the promised Messiah of Israel is the Savior of all nations. While some traditions celebrate a separate feast for the Baptism of the Lord, Epiphany is also closely connected with the divine manifestation or “theophany” of the Holy Trinity at Christ’s baptism. The Church celebrates that Jesus is able to save all people because he is the incarnate Son of God, the second person of the Trinity. Most traditions view the season after Epiphany as ordinary time and focus on the life and glory of Christ in the Gospels. White (and sometimes gold) continues to be used for the feast of Epiphany and, where they are observed, for feasts such as the Baptism of the Lord and the Transfiguration. The season of ordinary time after Epiphany is marked by green, which signifies life and growth.

Lent

Lent (which simply means “the spring season”) is a time of renewed repentance, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving in preparation for Easter. In church history, it was a time to prepare catechumens for baptism at the Easter Vigil. Lent is 40 days in length (not including Sundays), commemorating Christ’s 40-day fast in the wilderness. It always begins on a Wednesday, sometimes called “Ash Wednesday,” especially in traditions which sign their forehead with ashes in the shape of a cross (Daniel 9:3). Lent ends on Maundy Thursday, the evening before Good Friday, though fasting often continues until Easter Sunday. The burial and descent of Christ to the dead is remembered on Holy Saturday, the day after Good Friday. The period of time from the evening of Holy Thursday to the evening of Easter Sunday is called the Paschal Triduum. The color of Lent is purple, a sign of penitence because of its association with Christ’s suffering (Mark 15:17). Red is sometimes used during Holy Week as a sign of Christ’s passion.

Easter

Easter is a 50-day season that begins on Easter Sunday, runs through Ascension Day (on the 40th day) and concludes with Pentecost Sunday (on the 50th day). While some churches now hold an Easter sunrise service, the Church throughout history has begun celebrating even earlier, since Christ rose sometime during the night (John 20:1). The Great Vigil of Easter, held between sunset on Holy Saturday and sunrise of Easter Sunday, was the climax of the entire Church Year, and a favorite time to administer baptism. Since Easter is the Christian Passover, it is also called “Pascha” or “Great and Holy Pascha.” It is a time to celebrate that Christ, our Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7), is alive from the dead, has ascended to reign as Lord of all, and has poured out the Holy Spirit to empower the Church for mission. The color of Easter is white and sometimes gold (Revelation 1:14). Red is used on Pentecost Sunday as a reminder of the Spirit’s fiery descent (Acts 2:3).

Ordinary Time/After Pentecost

After celebrating the gospel of God from Christmas to Pentecost, the Church observes Trinity Sunday, the first Sunday after Pentecost, as a time to focus more intently on the God of the gospel. The God who sent the Son and the Spirit eternally exists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—“one God in Trinity, and Trinity in unity” (Athanasian Creed). The season after Pentecost is called “ordinary time,” but not because it is unimportant. The term comes from the Latin ordinalis, meaning “ordered” or “numbered,” and indicates that the weeks are counted. It is a time for the Church of the Triune God to renew its global mission. All Saints’ Day is celebrated on November 1 to honor the saints of the Church, past and present, especially those who do not have their own feast day. On the final Sunday of the Church Year, some traditions observe the Feast of Christ the King, a final reminder of Christ’s universal sovereignty before the Christian New Year—the First Sunday of Advent. Green is the color of ordinary time. White is used on Trinity Sunday, All Saints’ Day, and Christ the King Day.

Saint Days

Throughout the Church Year, saint days remind us that we belong to “the communion of saints” (Apostles’ Creed) and have come “to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven” (Hebrews 12:23). While most Protestants do not pray to or for the departed saints (Belgic Confession 26), our faith is greatly impoverished when we forget their living witness. Most saint days are observed on the date of the saint’s death, rather than their birth, as a reminder that for faithful saints and martyrs, death is victory.

The Calendar

The following calendar features the principal days and seasons of the Christian year (boldface font), other important “red-letter” holy days (italics), and selected saint days.

  • Advent can begin as early as Nov. 27 and as late as Dec. 3
  • Nov. 30: Andrew the Apostle
  • Dec. 4: John of Damascus
  • Dec. 5: Clement of Alexandria
  • Dec. 6: Nicholas of Myra
  • Dec. 7: Ambrose of Milan
  • Dec. 21: Thomas the Apostle
  • Dec. 25: Christmas Day
  • Dec. 26: Stephen the Martyr
  • Dec. 27: John, Apostle & Evangelist
  • Dec. 28: The Holy Innocents
  • Dec. 31: John Wycliffe
  • Jan. 1: The Circumcision & Holy Name
  • Jan. 6: The Epiphany
  • The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord can fall as early as Jan. 7 or as late as Jan. 13
  • Jan. 9: Gregory of Nyssa
  • Jan. 13: Hilary of Poitiers
  • Jan. 18: Confession of Peter the Apostle
  • Jan. 25: Conversion of Paul the Apostle
  • Jan. 28: Thomas Aquinas
  • Feb. 2: The Presentation (Candlemas)
  • Lent can begin as early as Feb. 4 and as late as Mar. 11
  • Feb. 14: Valentine, Cyril & Methodius
  • Feb. 18: Martin Luther
  • Feb. 23: Polycarp
  • Feb. 24: Matthias the Apostle
  • Mar. 3: John & Charles Wesley
  • Mar. 17: Patrick of Ireland
  • Mar. 18: Cyril of Jerusalem
  • Mar. 19: Joseph, guardian of Christ
  • Mar. 21: Thomas Cranmer
  • Easter Day can fall as early as Mar. 22 and as late as Apr. 25
  • Mar. 25: The Annunciation
  • Apr. 21: Anselm of Canterbury
  • Apr. 25: Mark the Evangelist
  • Apr. 29: Catherine of Siena
  • Ascension Day can fall as early as Apr. 30 and as late as June 3
  • May 2: Athanasius of Alexandria
  • May 3: Philip & James, Apostles
  • May 8: Julian of Norwich
  • May 9: Gregory of Nazianzus
  • Pentecost can fall as early as May 10 and as late as June 13
  • Trinity Sunday can fall as early as May 17 and as late as June 20
  • May 26: Augustine of Hippo
  • May 27: John Calvin
  • May 31: The Visitation
  • Jun. 1: Justin Martyr
  • Jun. 11: Barnabas the Apostle
  • Jun. 14: Basil of Caesarea
  • Jun. 24: Nativity of John the Baptist
  • Jun. 27: Cyril of Alexandria
  • Jun. 28: Irenaeus of Lyons
  • Jun. 29: Peter & Paul, Apostles
  • July 3: Thomas the Apostle
  • July 11: Benedict of Nursia
  • July 19: Macrina of Caesarea
  • July 22: Mary Magdalene
  • July 25: James the Apostle
  • Aug. 6: The Transfiguration
  • Aug. 15: The Virgin Mary
  • Aug. 20: Bernard of Clairvaux
  • Aug. 24: Bartholomew the Apostle
  • Aug. 28: Augustine of Hippo
  • Sep. 3: Gregory the Great
  • Sep. 13: John Chrysostom
  • Sep. 16: Cyprian of Carthage
  • Sep. 21: Matthew, Apostle & Evangelist
  • Sep. 30: Jerome
  • Oct. 4: Francis of Assisi
  • Oct. 6: William Tyndale
  • Oct. 15: Teresa of Avila
  • Oct. 17: Ignatius of Antioch
  • Oct. 18: Luke the Evangelist
  • Oct. 23: James of Jerusalem
  • Oct. 28: Simon & Jude, Apostles
  • Nov. 1: All Saints’ Day
  • The Feast of Christ the King can fall as early as Nov. 20 and as late as Nov. 26
  • Nov. 23: Clement of Rome

Additional Resources

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