LITUGICAL CALENDARS

PART OF SERIES, "TRACKING TIME: BEHIND THE CLOCK AND CALENDAR"

Author: Ken Klark L. Flores

Photo: HugotSeminarista

Introduction

A liturgical calendar is the annual cycle of seasons, feast days, and scripture readings used by many Christian churches to organize worship and commemorate the life of Jesus Christ and the saints. It begins each year with the season of Advent in late November or early December, unlike the secular calendar (Liturgical Calendar Overview & Secular Use | Study.com, 2025).

Liturgical Cycle

There are 6 main liturgical seasons that used in Western Christianity, including Catholic, Anglican, and many Protestant traditions like Methodist.

Advent Season is a period of 4 weeks of prayer, penance, and preparation for the birth of Jesus (Christmas) and his second coming. The liturgical color is violet (or blue in some traditions). Christmas Time, is a season of joy begins with Christmas Eve/Day and lasts until the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. The liturgical color is white or gold.

The first part of Ordinary Time, is a period of counted weeks focused on the life and teachings of Jesus after his infancy and before Lent. The liturgical color is green, symbolizing life and hope.

Lenten Season, a six-week (40 days, not including Sundays) penitential season beginning on Ash Wednesday, which recalls Jesus' time in the desert and focuses on his passion, the liturgical color is purple, which symbolizing Penance/Sacrifice. The Sacred Paschal Triduum immediately preceding Easter (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday), which recall Christ's suffering, death, and resurrection. 50-day period of joyful celebration of the Resurrection, lasting from the Easter Vigil to Pentecost Sunday. The liturgical color is white or gold, changing to red for Pentecost.

The Easter Time is a 50-day period of joyful celebration of the Resurrection, lasting from the Easter Vigil to Pentecost Sunday. The liturgical color is white or gold, changing to red for Pentecost (Liturgical Seasons, n.d.). The last of liturgical year is the second part of Ordinary Time, it is the longest season of the year, resuming after Pentecost and continuing until Advent begins again. The focus is on Christ's reign and the age of the Church, with the liturgical color of green. 

(Liturgical Year and Calendar | USCCB, n.d.; Liturgical Seasons, n.d.).

Dates for key events like Easter, and subsequently Lent, the Triduum, and Pentecost, change every year because they depend on the lunar cycle. Other celebrations, like Christmas (December 25) and various saints' days (e.g., the Annunciation on March 25), occur on the same calendar date annually. Specific colors are used for clerical vestments and church decorations during each season to reflect the theological mood and emphasis. Most denominations following a liturgical calendar use a lectionary, a pre-determined schedule of scripture readings for each day or Sunday, often following a three-year cycle (Years A, B, and C) for Sunday masses. 

Orthodox

Eastern Christian calendars share the core cycle of Easter and Christmas but often follow the Julian or Revised Julian calendar, which means dates for movable feasts like Easter, and even fixed ones like Christmas (which falls in early January for some), often differ from Western dates. The Eastern Orthodox Church calendar year begins on September 1 (The Christian Year: An Introduction, n.d.).

Eastern churches typically have stricter and more numerous fasting seasons and days throughout the year. There are twelve Great Feasts that are central to the calendar, in addition to Easter, many of which are dedicated to events in the life of Christ and the Virgin Mary. The date of Easter is calculated differently, leading to separate celebrations from the West. 

Protestant/Non-Catholic Christian Variations

While mainline Protestant denominations (like Anglican and Lutheran) closely follow the structure and lectionary of the Roman Catholic calendar, others do not observe the liturgical year as strictly. Some evangelical and non-denominational churches may only commemorate Christmas and Easter, while a minority reject the concept of a liturgical year entirely, believing it is not mandated by scripture. Many who do follow it use the ecumenical Revised Common Lectionary to align their scripture readings (Miller, 2024).

Reference

Liturgical Calendar Overview & Secular Use | Study.com. (2025). Study.com. https://study.com/academy/lesson/liturgical-calendar-history-feasts-holy-days.html

Liturgical Year and Calendar | USCCB. (n.d.). Www.usccb.org. https://www.usccb.org/prayer-worship/liturgical-year

Liturgical Seasons (n.d.). Sadlier Religion. Www.sadlier.com. https://www.sadlier.com/religion/liturgical-seasons

Miller, E. (2024, April 27). The Liturgical Calendar: Should Christians Observe It? - The Vanguard Voice. The Vanguard Voice. https://vanguarduniversityvoice.com/2024/04/26/the-liturgical-calendar-should-christians-observe-it/

The Christian Year: An Introduction. (n.d.). De Pree Center. https://depree.org/life-for-leaders/the-christian-year-an-introduction/