Orthodox Calendar with Saints, Feasts, Apostle, and Gospel of the Day
April 20, 2025 – Resurrection of the Lord (Holy Pascha)
The 12 Royal Feasts:
These are the feasts that celebrate major historical events in the life of our Savior Jesus Christ or the Blessed Virgin Mary.
(Note: the date in the Old Style calendar is in parentheses)
- September 8 (September 21): The Nativity of the Theotokos
- September 14 (September 27): The Exaltation of the Holy Cross
- November 21 (December 4): The Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple
- December 25 (January 7): The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)
- January 6 (January 19): The Epiphany, The Baptism of the Lord
- February 2 (February 15): The Presentation of the Lord
- March 25 (April 7): The Annunciation
- April 13, 2025: The Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, Palm Sunday
- May 29, 2025: The Ascension of the Lord
- June 23, 2025: The Descent of the Holy Spirit
- August 6 (August 19): The Transfiguration
- August 15 (August 28): The Dormition of the Theotokos
The ecclesiastical year, according to the Byzantine practice, starts on September 1st and is divided between feasts with movable dates and those with fixed dates.
The feasts with movable dates are determined by the date of Pascha, the most important of all days, and are an integral part of the Paschal cycle.
The determination of the date of Pascha was definitively regulated by the decision of the First Ecumenical Council held in Nicaea (325). After Pascha, the next most important feasts are the “twelve royal feasts,” three of which are movable. Eight of these feasts are dedicated to Christ, and four to the Theotokos.
Christians celebrate every Saturday the descent into Hades, or the definitive abolition of hell by our Savior. This is the day when Jesus resurrected the righteous who were in Sheol, the realm of the dead.
Also, Sunday is the day of the Resurrection of Christ, a great feast for all Orthodox Christians. Every Sunday is a Pascha. Sunday is the 8th day and is celebrated 52 times a year.
There are also a number of religious feasts of varying importance. Most of them commemorate more popular saints, with vigil services, or saints with great doxology or polyeleos. A special category includes local saints: Romanian saints or those whose relics are found in Romania.
Examples of feasts and saints from the calendar: Saints Michael and Gabriel (November 8), Saint Apostle Andrew (November 30), The Three Hierarchs: Basil, Gregory, and John (January 30), Protection of the Theotokos (October 1), Saint Valentine (July 30). Christians who bear the names of saints may mark their day by attending the Divine Liturgy and partaking of the Holy Mysteries on that day.
For simplicity, I have marked with Divine Liturgy ✟ the feast days with a red cross, on which no work is done. Additionally, Saturdays and feast days are marked with a red band on the left, in width.
The days when saints with great doxology are commemorated, or when only polyeleos is sung without vigil, as well as the days with Romanian saints, are marked with a yellow band in width. These are workdays.
Easter Dates in the Coming Years:
Year | Christian Orthodox Easter | Roman Catholic Easter |
---|---|---|
2023 | April 16 | April 9 |
2024 | May 5 | March 31 |
2025 | April 20 | April 20 |
2026 | April 12 | April 12 |
2027 | May 2 | May 2 |
2028 | April 16 | April 16 |
2029 | April 8 | April 8 |
2030 | April 28 | April 28 |
Roman Catholics and Protestants celebrate Easter according to the Gregorian calendar, while the Orthodox Church uses the Julian calendar (unadjusted) – with the exception of the Finnish Church.
The First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, held in the year 325, established that Easter should be celebrated on the Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equinox – the current beginning of spring. If the full moon happens to fall on a Sunday, Easter is celebrated the following Sunday. The date taken as the invariable date of the vernal equinox is March 21. Therefore, the determination of the date of Easter is governed by a process dependent on the vernal equinox and the phase of the moon.
Jewish Easter has a fixed date and is celebrated on April 14. If Orthodox Easter happens to fall on the same day as Easter in the Jewish calendar, the celebration is moved to the first Sunday after the full moon in the following month.
One-Day Fasts and Multi-Day Fasts:
- Every Wednesday and Friday throughout the year, except for feast days
- Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross – September 14
- Feast of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist – August 29
- Eve of the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord – January 5
- Great Lent or Lent of Easter: March 3, 2025 – April 20, 2025
- Nativity Fast – November 15 – December 24
- Dormition Fast – August 1 – August 14
- Fast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul
Sources Used to Create This Calendar
- The official website of the Romanian Patriarchate. We ensured that the “Christ in Africa” calendar aligns precisely with the official calendar published by the Romanian Orthodox Church for the current year.
- The website of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, for most of the biblical readings.
- The website of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Italy, from where we took the daily synaxarion.
- Doxologia.ro for completing the days when the Veneration of the Icons of the Mother of God is celebrated.
Thank you to everyone for your help!