Straight answers to the questions students search most often.
Easter Sunday (Resurrection Sunday) is the most important Christian holiday. It celebrates Jesus rising from the dead three days after his crucifixion. Every other feast in the church calendar — Christmas, Pentecost, and everything else — points back to Easter. Without the resurrection, Christians believe, the rest of the faith would not make sense.
There is no single official list. Most traditions agree on about 14 major universal feasts (Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, and so on). When you include saints' days, regional festivals, and denominational calendars, there are well over 200 significant observances worldwide — which is why this tool lists more than 200 entries across 15+ denominations.
Many Orthodox churches still use the Julian calendar for fixed feasts. That calendar runs 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar used in everyday life in the UK. So 25 December on the Julian calendar falls on 7 January in the modern calendar. Same celebration — different date, like how some families mark New Year on a different day.
Both are preparation seasons, but they point to different events. Advent (four Sundays before Christmas) gets ready for Jesus's birth. Lent (about 40 days before Easter) gets ready for his death and resurrection. Advent often uses purple or blue and feels hopeful; Lent is more solemn and involves fasting or giving something up.
In a typical UK school year you will encounter: Michaelmas and Harvest (September–October), All Saints' and All Souls' (November), Advent and Christmas (December–January), Epiphany (January), Ash Wednesday and Lent (February–March), Easter and Holy Week (March–April), Ascension and Pentecost (May–June), and various saints' days throughout. Easter moves every year, so the exact weeks shift.
Some of the most distinctive include Vardavar in Armenia (a nationwide water fight on Transfiguration Sunday), Timkat in Ethiopia (night processions with a replica of the Ark of the Covenant), Wet Monday (Śmigus-Dyngus) in Poland after Easter, and Meskel in Ethiopia (giant bonfires to celebrate the finding of the True Cross). Each blends deep faith with unforgettable local tradition.
Yes. Good Friday is a bank holiday in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Easter Monday is also a bank holiday in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland (but not Scotland). Christmas Day and Boxing Day are bank holidays too. Most other Christian feasts — Ash Wednesday, Ascension, All Saints' — are not public holidays in the UK.
Western churches (Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Methodist) calculate Easter using the Gregorian calendar: the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after 21 March. Orthodox churches use the same formula but on the Julian calendar, so Orthodox Easter (Pascha) usually falls one to five weeks later. Occasionally they coincide. Same resurrection — different maths.
Also called: Adviento (Spanish), Avent (French), Der Advent (German)
Four Sundays before Christmas (begins late Nov/early Dec)
All Christians
For four weeks before Christmas, millions of Christians light a new candle each Sunday and count down to the big day. Advent is the start of the church year…
On Christmas Day, churches worldwide celebrate the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem — with midnight Mass, carol services, nativity plays, and family feasts.…
Did you know? Armenian Christians are unique — they celebrate Christmas and Epiphany together on 6 January, a tradition older than the split between the two feasts.
The period from Christmas Day through the eve of Epiphany, known as the "Twelve Days of Christmas. " In Catholic tradition, the Christmas season extends…
Also called: Twelfth Night, Three Kings Day, Día de Reyes (Spanish)
January 6 (fixed)
All Christians
Epiphany marks the moment Jesus was revealed to the wider world — whether as the visit of the Wise Men (in the West) or his baptism in the River Jordan (in…
Also called: The Beginning of Lent, Dies Cinerum (Latin)
18 February 2026
CatholicAnglicanLutheran+2 more
Ash Wednesday is the startling start of Lent — you may see people with a grey cross on their foreheads heading to church on a random Wednesday in February…
Also called: Great Lent (Orthodox), Cuaresma (Spanish), Carême (French)
5 April 2026
All Christians
Lent is a bit like a 40-day New Year's resolution — except it's about getting closer to God, not going to the gym. Starting on Ash Wednesday (or Clean…
Also called: Domingo de Ramos (Spanish), Flowery Sunday, Hosanna Sunday
29 March 2026
All Christians
Palm Sunday opens Holy Week with a paradox — crowds wave palm branches and shout 'Hosanna!' as Jesus enters Jerusalem, but the same week ends with his…
Also called: Semana Santa (Spanish), Semaine Sainte (French), Karwoche (German)
Palm Sunday through Holy Saturday
All Christians
The final week of Lent, encompassing the most solemn church calendar days of the Christian year. egins with Palm Sunday, moves through Maundy Thursday (Last…
Also called: Jueves Santo, Jeudi Saint, Gründonnerstag
2 April 2026
All Christians
Maundy Thursday remembers the Last Supper — the night Jesus shared bread and wine with his friends and washed their feet. 'Maundy' comes from the Latin for…
Also called: Viernes Santo, Vendredi Saint, Karfreitag
3 April 2026
All Christians
Good Friday is the most solemn day in Christianity — the day Jesus was crucified and died on a cross outside Jerusalem. Churches hold stripped-back services…
Did you know? Good Friday is a UK bank holiday, but England and Wales do not have a public holiday on Easter Monday — Scotland and Northern Ireland do.
Also called: Silent Saturday, Easter Eve, Sabbato Santo
4 April 2026
All Christians
Holy Saturday is the quiet day between Good Friday and Easter — Jesus is in the tomb and churches feel strangely empty until nightfall. Catholics hold no…
Also called: Pascha (Greek/Orthodox), Pesach/Pâques, Ostern (German)
5 April 2026
All Christians
Every year, millions of Christians in Greece light candles at midnight and shout 'Christ is Risen!' before the fireworks start. Easter Sunday celebrates…
Did you know? In Poland, Easter Monday is called Śmigus-Dyngus — boys chase girls through the streets throwing buckets of water. It has been happening since the 1400s.
Also called: Lundi de Pâques, Ostermontag, Lunes de Pascua
6 April 2026
CatholicEastern OrthodoxAnglican+2 more
The day after Easter Sunday, widely observed as a public holiday and continuation of Easter celebrations across Europe, Latin America, Australia, and many…
Also called: Ascensiontide, Feast of the Ascension, Jesu Himmelfahrt (German)
14 May 2026
All Christians
Forty days after Easter, Christians remember Jesus ascending into heaven — seen by his disciples on a hill outside Jerusalem before he disappeared into the…
Also called: Whit Sunday (British), Pfingsten (German), Pentecôte (French)
24 May 2026
All Christians
Pentecost is the 'birthday of the Church' — fifty days after Easter, when the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus's followers like tongues of fire and they spoke…
Also called: Whitmonday, Lundi de Pentecôte, Pfingstmontag
25 May 2026
CatholicAnglicanLutheran+1 more
The day after Pentecost Sunday, observed as a public holiday in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Hungary, the Netherlands, and many other European…
Also called: All Hallows' Day, Allerheiligen (German), La Toussaint (French)
November 1
CatholicAnglicanLutheran+2 more
On 1 November, Christians honour every saint who has ever lived — famous ones like Francis and Joan of Arc, and ordinary faithful people whose names we will…
Also called: World Day of Peace, Feast of the Circumcision (former name)
January 1 (fixed)
CatholicAnglicanLutheran
The first day of the calendar year is celebrated in the Catholic Church as a Marian major feast, honoring Mary as the "Mother of God (Theotokos)" (Mother of…
Also called: Meeting of the Lord (Eastern), La Chandeleur (French), Lichtmess (German)
February 2 (fixed)
CatholicEastern OrthodoxAnglican+1 more
Candlemas on 2 February marks 40 days after Christmas, when Mary and Joseph brought baby Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem. Churches bless candles that…
Also called: San José (Spanish), Saint Joseph Patron of Workers (May 1, separate feast)
March 19 (fixed)
CatholicAnglicanLutheran
The feast honoring St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus and husband of the Virgin Mary. Joseph is the patron of the universal Church, workers, fathers, and a…
Also called: Lady Day, Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Feast of the Annunciation
March 25 (fixed)
CatholicEastern OrthodoxAnglican+2 more
Nine months before Christmas, Christians remember the day the angel Gabriel told Mary she would become the mother of Jesus — celebrated on 25 March. It is a…
Trinity Sunday is the Sunday after Pentecost when churches focus on one of Christianity's biggest ideas — that God is three persons (Father, Son, and Holy…
Also called: Boże Ciało (Polish), Fête-Dieu (French), Fronleichnam (German)
4 June 2026
Catholic
Corpus Christi is a Catholic feast celebrating the bread and wine of communion as the real presence of Jesus. In Spain and Latin America, streets fill with…
Also called: Midsummer Day, St. John's Eve, La Saint-Jean
June 24 (exactly six months before Christmas; Luke 1:26 sets Gabriel's visit to Mary six months after Elizabeth's conception)
CatholicEastern OrthodoxAnglican+1 more
John the Baptist — the wild preacher who baptised Jesus in the Jordan — gets one of only three birthdays celebrated in the church calendar (along with Jesus…
Also called: Feast of the Apostles Peter and Paul, SS. Pietro e Paolo (Italian), Den hellige Peter og Paul (Norwegian)
June 29 (fixed)
CatholicEastern OrthodoxAnglican+1 more
Peter and Paul were the two giants of the early church — a fisherman who denied Jesus then became the first Pope, and a persecutor who became Christianity's…
Also called: Feast of the Transfiguration, Vardavar (Armenian), Преображение (Preobrazhenie
August 6 (fixed)
CatholicEastern OrthodoxAnglican+1 more
The Transfiguration remembers the day Jesus glowed with divine light on a mountain before three disciples — Moses and Elijah appeared beside him. Orthodox…
Also called: Dormition (Eastern), L'Assomption (French), Ferragosto (Italy)
August 15 (fixed)
CatholicEastern OrthodoxAnglican+1 more
On 15 August, Catholics and Orthodox Christians remember Mary, the mother of Jesus — Catholics celebrate her being taken up to heaven; Orthodox call it the…
A Catholic memorial celebrating Mary's royal dignity as Queen of Heaven and Earth, instituted by Pope Pius XII in 1954 and placed eight days (an "octave")…
Also called: Holy Cross Day, Feast of the Holy Cross, Khatchverats (Armenian)
September 14 (fixed)
CatholicEastern OrthodoxAnglican+1 more
The feast commemorating the discovery of the True Cross by St. Helena (mother of Emperor Constantine) in Jerusalem in 326 AD, and the dedication of the…
The feast commemorating the dedication of the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran in Rome in 324 AD — the cathedral church of the Bishop of Rome (the Pope) and…
Also called: Feast of the Kingship of Christ, Cristo Rey (Spanish)
22 November 2026 (semi-fixed)
CatholicAnglicanLutheran+2 more
Christ the King Sunday closes the church year on the last Sunday before Advent — celebrating Jesus as ruler over all creation, politics, and history. It was…
Catholics celebrate 8 December as the day Mary was conceived without original sin — nine months before her birthday on 8 September. It is a Holy Day of…
On 12 December, millions of Mexicans celebrate Our Lady of Guadalupe — when Mary appeared to an indigenous convert named Juan Diego in 1531, leaving her…
Also called: Beginning of the Church Year, September 1, Blessings of Water for the New Year
September 1 (fixed)
Eastern Orthodox
The Orthodox ecclesiastical year begins on September 1, a date historically linked to the Byzantine Empire's tax calendar and associated with the beginning…
Also called: Entering of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple, Eisodos Theotokou (Greek), Введение во Храм
November 21 (fixed)
Eastern OrthodoxCatholicAnglican
The feast celebrating the tradition (from the Protoevangelium of James) that Mary was brought to the Jerusalem Temple as a child at the age of three, to be…
Also called: Holy Theophany, Blessing of the Waters, Αγία Θεοφάνεια (Theophania)
January 6 (fixed)
Eastern OrthodoxCatholicAnglican
For Orthodox Christians, 6 January (or 19 January in some traditions) is Theophany — when God appeared at Jesus's baptism in the Jordan River. Priests bless…
Also called: Ypapante (Greek: "Meeting"), Sreteniye (Russian), Candlemas (Western)
February 2 (fixed)
Eastern OrthodoxCatholicAnglican+1 more
*(See Candlemas entry under Catholic section. )* It usually falls on or around February 2 (fixed). It is especially important in Eastern Orthodox, Catholic,…
Also called: Resurrection of Christ, Feast of Feasts, Anastasis
12 April 2026
Eastern Orthodox
Orthodox Easter — called Pascha — is often a week or two after the Easter you get off school, because Orthodox churches calculate the date using the older…
The entire week following Orthodox Pascha (Orthodox Easter) is called Bright Week and is treated as one extended feast. tely forbidden during Bright Week.…
Also called: The Second Sunday of Pascha, Quasimodo Sunday (Western equivalent)
5 April 2026
Eastern OrthodoxCatholicAnglican
Commemorates the appearance of the risen Christ to the apostle Thomas ("Doubting Thomas"), who had been absent at the first post-resurrection appearance.…
Also called: Third Sunday of Pascha, Sunday of the Holy Myrrhbearers
5 April 2026
Eastern Orthodox
Commemorates the women who brought spices (myrrh) to anoint Christ's body in the tomb and were the first to witness the resurrection. A Sunday of special…
Commemorates the 318 Fathers of the First Council of Nicaea (325 AD), who defined the full divinity of Christ ("true God from true God, begotten not made,…
Also called: Sunday of All Saints, First Sunday after Pentecost
First Sunday after Pentecost
Eastern Orthodox
The Sunday on which the Orthodox Church commemorates all saints — known and unknown — in a single celebration. In the Orthodox calendar, this is equivalent…
Also called: Pokrov Bogoroditsy (Russian), Feast of the Veil of the Theotokos, Intercession of the Mother of God
October 1 (fixed)
Eastern Orthodox
The feast commemorating a vision seen by the fool-for-Christ St. Andrew of Constantinople in the 10th century: the Virgin Mary was seen in the air above the…
Also called: The Decapitation of John the Forerunner, Усекновение главы (Russian)
August 29 (fixed)
Eastern OrthodoxCatholic
The remembrance of the beheading of John the Baptist at the request of Salome (Matthew 14:1–12, Mark 6:14–29). ). This is a day of strict fasting in the…
The first day of the Coptic calendar (the month of Tut), and a remembrance of the many Christian martyrs who suffered under Emperor Diocletian (whose reign…
The Coptic celebration of Christ's Baptism in the Jordan River. A blessing of water is central to the feast. On the eve of the feast, a vigil is held and…
The feast commemorating the Holy Family's flight to Egypt to escape Herod's massacre (Matthew 2:13–15), uniquely celebrated as a major feast in Egypt. The…
The most important feast of the Coptic calendar, following 55 days of fasting during Coptic Lent. The fast is among the strictest in all of Christianity:…
The Coptic remembrance of the apostles Peter and Paul, celebrated on the same day as the Eastern Orthodox feast (June 29 Julian = July 12 Gregorian). ). It…
The feast of St. Mark the Evangelist, who is believed to have founded the Church of Alexandria and brought Christianity to Egypt in the first century. The…
The Ethiopian Orthodox celebration of the Nativity, observed on January 7, following 43 days of Advent fasting (Tsome Gahad). The name "Genna" is thought to…
Timkat is Ethiopia's most spectacular festival — a three-day celebration of Jesus's baptism with processions, chanting, and holy water everywhere. Priests…
Did you know? At Timkat in Ethiopia, priests carry a replica of the Ark of the Covenant through the streets all night, covered in embroidered cloth so holy that no one can look directly at it.
The most important religious celebration of the Ethiopian Orthodox calendar, preceded by the 55-day Great Lent (Hudade/Abye Tsome) — one of the strictest…
The Ethiopian New Year falls at the end of the long rainy season, when the highlands burst into color with golden Meskel daisies. "Enkutatash" means "gift…
Every year in September, huge bonfires called Demera light up Ethiopia to remember when St Helena supposedly found the cross Jesus died on. The bonfire at…
Did you know? The bonfire lit at Meskel in Addis Ababa is so large it is visible from space — and tradition says the direction the smoke blows tells you if the coming year will be good.
The Ethiopian Orthodox Great Lent, known as Hudade or Abye Tsome ("the Great Fast"), is 55 days long — longer than any other Christian tradition's Lenten…
Also called: Soorp Dzenoont (Armenian: Holy Birth), Theophany of Our Lord
January 6 (fixed)
Armenian Apostolic
The Armenian church uniquely combines the Nativity and Epiphany on January 6, preserving an ancient pre-4th-century practice. The Western and most Eastern…
Also called: Surb Zatik, elebrate as Soorb Zadig, Zatig
5 April 2026
Armenian Apostolic
The most sacred feast of the Armenian calendar, celebrating the resurrection of Christ. The Armenian church follows the Western Easter calculation (not the…
Also called: Festival of Roses, Water Festival, Vayfearavar
12 July 2026
Armenian Apostolic
Vardavar is Armenia's most fun church holiday — officially the Transfiguration, but everyone knows it as the day you soak strangers with water and nobody…
Did you know? In Armenia, it is completely acceptable — and considered good luck — to drench total strangers with water on Vardavar Sunday. Priests bless rose-water during the service; the rest goes in water guns.
Also called: Surp Asdvadzadzin ("Holy Mother of God"), Assumption of Mary (Armenian), Verapokhmoomn
Third Sunday of August
Armenian Apostolic
One of the Five Cardinal Feasts, celebrating the Assumption/Dormition of the Virgin Mary. The feast is preceded by a week-long fast (Navasard Fast). In…
Also called: Saints Mesrop and Sahak Feast, Feast of the Armenian Alphabet
Third Saturday of October
Armenian Apostolic
A feast unique to the Armenian church, honoring Mesrop Mashtots (360–440 AD), who created the Armenian alphabet, and Catholicos Sahak I (350–439 AD), who…
Monday – Saturday (week before the feast; varies by year)
Armenian Apostolic
A five-day fast honoring St. Gregory the Illuminator, the first Catholicos of Armenia, who is credited with converting the Armenian king Tiridates III to…
Also called: Ba'uta d'Ninwe (Syriac), Rogation of the Ninevites
3 weeks and 3 days before Great Lent (Monday – Wednesday)
Syriac OrthodoxCatholicCoptic Orthodox+1 more
A unique three-day fast observed before Lent, recalling the fast of the city of Nineveh (Jonah 3) as a model of repentance and God's mercy. This is observed…
The feast of the two founding apostles of the Church at Antioch, where Syriac Christianity traces its origins. The Syriac tradition particularly honors both…
Also called: Feast of the Holy Name, Circumcision (former name), New Year's Day feast
January 1 (fixed)
AnglicanEpiscopalLutheran
The feast marking the day Jesus received his name, eight days after his birth (Luke 2:21), in accordance with Jewish law. In older calendars this was called…
The feast of St. David (c. 500–589), Patron Saint of Wales and Bishop of Menevia, celebrated as a national day in Wales. It usually falls on or around March…
Also called: Lá Fhéile Pádraig (Irish), National Day of Ireland
March 17 (fixed)
CatholicAnglicanLutheran+1 more
St Patrick's Day on 17 March celebrates the missionary who brought Christianity to Ireland — famously explaining the Trinity with a shamrock. What started…
Also called: Andrew's Day, Patron of Scotland, St. Andrew's Cross
November 30 (fixed)
CatholicAnglicanLutheran
The feast of St. Andrew the Apostle (brother of Peter), Patron Saint of Scotland, Greece, Romania, Russia, Ukraine, and many other nations. Scotland's…
Also called: Patron of England, Georgia, and many other nations
April 23 (fixed)
AnglicanCatholicEastern Orthodox
St George — the soldier saint who slayed a dragon in legend — is patron saint of England, Georgia, Ethiopia, and many other places. His feast on 23 April is…
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday before Ascension Day
AnglicanCatholic
Three days of prayer for God's blessing on the crops and the land, with traditional "beating the bounds" processions around parish boundaries. The practice…
Four times per year: after Ash Wednesday, Pentecost, Holy Cross (Sep 14), and St. Lucy (Dec 13); specifically on the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday of those weeks
CatholicAnglicanLutheran
Quarterly periods of fasting and prayer for the sanctification of time and the ordination of clergy, observed on the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after…
Did you know? On Halloween 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to a church door in Wittenberg — the event that sparked the Protestant Reformation.
Last Sunday of Epiphany (immediately before Ash Wednesday)
LutheranMethodistAnglican
In the Lutheran calendar, the Transfiguration is celebrated on the Last Sunday after Epiphany as a bridge between the Epiphany season (Christ revealed) and…
The feast commemorating Peter's confession that Jesus is "the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:13–19), which Jesus declared as the "rock" on…
The remembrance of Martin Luther (1483–1546), reformer, biblical scholar, and hymn-writer, on the date of his death (February 18, 1546). ). Listed in the…
Also called: New Year's Eve Service, Freedom Night
December 31 (fixed)
MethodistBaptistEvangelical
A service of prayer, praise, and covenant renewal held on New Year's Eve, culminating at midnight. The tradition was established by John Wesley, who held…
The remembrance of John Wesley's "Aldersgate experience" on May 24, 1738, when, during a meeting in Aldersgate Street, London, at which Luther's Preface to…
The weekly celebration of Sunday as the Christian Sabbath and the "little Easter" — the day of Christ's resurrection and of his appearance to the disciples.…
Many Baptist and Evangelical churches prefer the term "Resurrection Sunday" over "Easter" (which some associate with pre-Christian spring festivals and the…
Observed by many Reformed and Presbyterian churches, this Sunday commemorates the Protestant Reformation and the principles of sola scriptura (Scripture…
A federally designated day of prayer in the United States (established by Congress in 1952, given its current form in 1988), widely observed by Evangelical,…
Pentecost Sunday carries particular theological weight in Pentecostal traditions, as it commemorates the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that gave rise to…
April 14, 1906 is the date of the initial outpouring of the Holy Spirit at 312 Azusa Street, Los Angeles, under the leadership of William J. Seymour — the…
Every Saturday (from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset)
Adventist
The Seventh-day Sabbath is the central distinctive observance of the Adventist faith, based on the Fourth Commandment (Exodus 20:8–11) and the Genesis…
Last Saturday of October (annually designated by the General Conference)
Adventist
An annual emphasis Sabbath celebrating God as Creator, established by the Adventist General Conference. Congregations focus on creation, stewardship of the…
Designated weeks each spring and fall (varying by year and division)
Adventist
Two periods each year designated by the Adventist General Conference for special prayer, revival, and commitment. The tradition of special weeks of prayer…
Also called: Misa de Aguinaldo, Night Mass, Misa de Gallo (final night)
December 16 (fixed)
CatholicMethodist
From 16 December, Filipino Catholics attend pre-dawn Mass for nine straight days — starting as early as 4am — called Simbang Gabi. Outside churches, vendors…
Did you know? The Philippines arguably has the longest Christmas in the world — it unofficially starts in September when the 'ber months' begin. The most dedicated Simbang Gabi attendees start going to 4am Masses on December 16.
For nine nights before Christmas, Mexican communities re-enact Mary and Joseph searching for a room in Bethlehem — singing call-and-response songs from…
Also called: Día de los Reyes Magos, Epifanía, La Cabalgata de Reyes
January 6 (fixed)
Catholic
In Spain and most Latin American countries, January 6 (Epiphany) is the traditional gift-giving day, not December 25. The "Wise Men" (Reyes Magos: Melchior,…
Also called: Christmas Eve Supper, Wieczerza Wigilijna
December 24 (fixed)
Catholic
The most important family gathering in the Polish Catholic year, observed on Christmas Eve (Wigilia means "Vigil"). The meal begins when the first star…
Also called: Dyngus Day, Lany Poniedziałek (Splashing Monday)
5 April 2026
Catholic
A uniquely Polish Easter Monday tradition in which people (especially boys) drench one another with water — originally by young men throwing buckets of…
Also called: Mid-August holiday, Feast of the Assumption (Assumption Day)
August 15 (fixed)
Catholic
In Italy, the Feast of the Assumption (Ferragosto) is the peak of the summer holiday season and a national public holiday. The name "Ferragosto" derives…
Also called: Matka Boska Częstochowska, Queen of Poland
August 26 (fixed)
Catholic
The feast of the famous icon of the Black Madonna enshrined at Jasna Góra Monastery in Częstochowa, Poland. The monastery and its miraculous icon are the…
Also called: Nossa Senhora Aparecida, Patroness of Brazil
October 12 (fixed)
Catholic
The feast of the Patroness of Brazil, commemorating the discovery of a small terracotta statue of the Virgin Mary by fishermen in the Paraíba River in 1717…
Also called: Traslación, Feast of the Black Nazarene of Quiapo
January 9 (fixed)
Catholic
The feast of the Black Nazarene, a dark-colored statue of Jesus Christ carrying the cross, enshrined in the Minor Basilica of Quiapo, Manila. The statue…
Also called: Feast of the Santo Niño de Cebú, Feast of the Holy Child
Third Sunday of January
Catholic
The feast of the Santo Niño (Holy Child Jesus) of Cebu — the oldest statue of Christianity in the Philippines, given by Ferdinand Magellan to the Queen of…
Also called: Mid-Lent Sunday, Laetare Sunday, Fourth Sunday of Lent
Fourth Sunday of Lent (mid-Lent)
AnglicanCatholicMethodist
A tradition with pre-Reformation origins, when servants were given the day off to visit their "mother church" (the cathedral or church of baptism). Families…
Also called: Sinterklaas (Netherlands/Belgium), Nikolaustag (Germany), Feast of St. Nicholas
December 6 (fixed)
CatholicLutheranEastern Orthodox+1 more
The feast of St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra (c. 270–343 AD), known for his generosity to the poor (including secretly providing dowries for three girls,…
On the eve of St. Nicholas Day (December 6), the companion figure of Krampus (a horned creature representing punishment for naughty children) traditionally…
On 4 October, Christians remember St Francis of Assisi — the saint who talked to birds, embraced poverty, and created the first Christmas crib scene in a…
While Corpus Christi is a universal Catholic feast, its outdoor processions take on special character in Bavaria, Austria, and Poland, where entire towns…
Also called: Feast of Doubting Thomas, St. Thomas the Apostle, Mar Thoma
July 3 (fixed)
CatholicAnglicanLutheran+1 more
The feast of St. Thomas the Apostle, who according to ancient tradition brought Christianity to India in 52 AD and was martyred in Chennai (Madras) in 72…
The feast of St. Francis Xavier (1506–1552), Jesuit missionary and "Apostle of the Indies," co-founder of the Jesuits with Ignatius Loyola. He is the patron…
The Greek Orthodox Easter combines church calendar major feast with vivid popular traditions. dnight service of Pascha (Orthodox Easter) ("Anastasis") sees…
The Holy Fire (Holy Light) ceremony at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem is one of the most ancient rituals in Eastern Christianity, attested…
The feast of St. Sava (Nemanjić, 1174–1236), founder of the Serbian Orthodox Church and the first Archbishop of Serbia, patron of the Serbs, of education,…
Also called: Julian Calendar Christmas, Russian Christmas, Рождество
January 7 (fixed)
Eastern OrthodoxRussian OrthodoxEthiopian Orthodox+1 more
While most UK shops pack away decorations on Boxing Day, millions of Orthodox Christians are only just getting started — their Christmas falls on 7 January.…
Did you know? Russian Orthodox Christmas is on 7 January because Russia still uses a calendar introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 BC — 13 days behind the modern one.