№ The Church year · 2026
The 2026 Orthodox calendar.
Pascha is April 12.
Every Great Feast, the dates of Great Lent and the four fasts, and the whole Paschal cycle for 2026, on the New and the Old Calendar.
2026 at a glance
- Pascha (Orthodox Easter)
- April 12Sunday
- Great Lent begins
- February 23Clean Monday
- Holy Friday
- April 10
- Pentecost
- May 31
- Orthodox Christmas
- January 7Old Calendar · December 25 on the New
§ i · The Great Feasts of 2026
Twelve feasts and the Feast of Feasts,
on both calendars.
The fixed feasts keep their date in the Church's calendar, so a parish on the Old (Julian) Calendar keeps each one 13 days after a parish on the New Calendar. Pascha and the feasts that hang from it - Palm Sunday, the Ascension, Pentecost - fall on the same day for the whole Church.
| Feast | New Calendar | Old Calendar |
|---|---|---|
| Theophany - the Baptism of the Lord | January 6Tuesday | January 19Monday |
| The Meeting of the Lord in the Temple | February 2Monday | February 15Sunday |
| The Annunciation of the Theotokos | March 25Wednesday | April 7Tuesday |
| Palm Sunday - Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem | April 5Sunday | April 5Sunday |
| Pascha - the Resurrection of the Lord | April 12Sunday | April 12Sunday |
| Ascension of the Lord | May 21Thursday | May 21Thursday |
| Pentecost - Holy Trinity | May 31Sunday | May 31Sunday |
| The Transfiguration of the Lord | August 6Thursday | August 19Wednesday |
| The Dormition of the Theotokos | August 15Saturday | August 28Friday |
| The Nativity of the Theotokos | September 8Tuesday | September 21Monday |
| The Exaltation of the Holy Cross | September 14Monday | September 27Sunday |
| The Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple | November 21Saturday | December 4Friday |
| The Nativity of Christ | December 25Friday | January 7, 2027Thursday |
§ ii · The fasts of 2026
Lent and the four fasts,
and the weeks without one.
Outside these seasons, every Wednesday and Friday is a fast day, except in the fast-free weeks below. How strictly to keep each one is a question for your priest.
| Period | New Calendar | Old Calendar |
|---|---|---|
| Great LentClean Monday to Palm Sunday. Strict on weekdays, wine and oil on Saturdays and Sundays; fish on the Annunciation and Palm Sunday. | February 23 to April 5 | February 23 to April 5 |
| Holy WeekThe strictest week of the year. Wine and oil on Holy Thursday; Holy Friday is traditionally kept with no food at all, or as little as one can. | April 6 to April 11 | April 6 to April 11 |
| Apostles' FastFrom the Monday after All Saints to the eve of Sts Peter and Paul. Its length depends on the date of Pascha, so it changes every year. | June 8 to June 28 | June 8 to July 11 |
| Dormition FastTwo weeks before the Dormition of the Theotokos, kept like Lent; fish on the Transfiguration. | August 1 to August 14 | August 14 to August 27 |
| Nativity FastForty days before Christmas. Fish is allowed on most Saturdays and Sundays until the last days before the feast. | November 15 to December 24 | November 28 to January 6, 2027 |
Single strict fast days
| Fast day | New Calendar | Old Calendar |
|---|---|---|
| Eve of Theophany | January 5Monday | January 18Sunday |
| Beheading of St John the Baptist | August 29Saturday | September 11Friday |
| Exaltation of the Cross | September 14Monday | September 27Sunday |
Fast-free weeks
| Period | New Calendar | Old Calendar |
|---|---|---|
| ChristmastideFrom the Nativity of Christ to the eve of Theophany. | December 25 to January 4, 2027 | January 7 to January 17 |
| Week of the Publican and PhariseeThe week after the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee, three weeks before Lent. | February 2 to February 8 | February 2 to February 8 |
| Bright WeekPascha through Bright Saturday. | April 12 to April 18 | April 12 to April 18 |
| Trinity WeekThe week after Pentecost. | June 1 to June 7 | June 1 to June 7 |
§ iii · Every day of 2026
The fast, day by day,
through 2026.
Each day of 2026 coloured by its fasting rule. Hover or tap a date for the feast and the rule.
- Strict fast - No meat, dairy, fish, wine or oil
- Wine & oil - No meat, dairy or fish
- Fish allowed - Fish, wine and oil
- No meat - Dairy, eggs and fish allowed
- No fast - All foods
- Gold ring - a Great Feast
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1: Fast-free | 2: Fast-free | 3: Fast-free | ||||
4: Fast-free | 5: Eve of Theophany - strict fast | 6: Theophany - the Baptism of the Lord. No fast | 7: Wednesday - fast day | 8: No fast | 9: Friday - fast day | 10: No fast |
11: No fast | 12: No fast | 13: No fast | 14: Wednesday - fast day | 15: No fast | 16: Friday - fast day | 17: No fast |
18: No fast | 19: No fast | 20: No fast | 21: Wednesday - fast day | 22: No fast | 23: Friday - fast day | 24: No fast |
25: No fast | 26: No fast | 27: No fast | 28: Wednesday - fast day | 29: No fast | 30: Friday - fast day | 31: No fast |
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1: No fast | 2: The Meeting of the Lord in the Temple. Fast-free | 3: Fast-free | 4: Fast-free | 5: Fast-free | 6: Fast-free | 7: Fast-free |
8: Fast-free | 9: No fast | 10: No fast | 11: Wednesday - fast day | 12: No fast | 13: Friday - fast day | 14: No fast |
15: No fast | 16: Cheesefare week - no meat (dairy permitted) | 17: Cheesefare week - no meat (dairy permitted) | 18: Cheesefare week - no meat (dairy permitted) | 19: Cheesefare week - no meat (dairy permitted) | 20: Cheesefare week - no meat (dairy permitted) | 21: Cheesefare week - no meat (dairy permitted) |
22: Cheesefare week - no meat (dairy permitted) | 23: Clean Monday - Great Lent begins. Great Lent - strict fast | 24: Great Lent - strict fast | 25: Great Lent - strict fast | 26: Great Lent - strict fast | 27: Great Lent - strict fast | 28: Great Lent - wine and oil |
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1: Great Lent - wine and oil | 2: Great Lent - strict fast | 3: Great Lent - strict fast | 4: Great Lent - strict fast | 5: Great Lent - strict fast | 6: Great Lent - strict fast | 7: Great Lent - wine and oil |
8: Great Lent - wine and oil | 9: Great Lent - strict fast | 10: Great Lent - strict fast | 11: Great Lent - strict fast | 12: Great Lent - strict fast | 13: Great Lent - strict fast | 14: Great Lent - wine and oil |
15: Great Lent - wine and oil | 16: Great Lent - strict fast | 17: Great Lent - strict fast | 18: Great Lent - strict fast | 19: Great Lent - strict fast | 20: Great Lent - strict fast | 21: Great Lent - wine and oil |
22: Great Lent - wine and oil | 23: Great Lent - strict fast | 24: Great Lent - strict fast | 25: The Annunciation of the Theotokos. Great Lent - fish permitted (feast) | 26: Great Lent - strict fast | 27: Great Lent - strict fast | 28: Great Lent - wine and oil |
29: Great Lent - wine and oil | 30: Great Lent - strict fast | 31: Great Lent - strict fast |
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1: Great Lent - strict fast | 2: Great Lent - strict fast | 3: Great Lent - strict fast | 4: Great Lent - wine and oil | |||
5: Palm Sunday - Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem. Great Lent - fish permitted (feast) | 6: Holy Week - strict fast | 7: Holy Week - strict fast | 8: Holy Week - strict fast | 9: Holy Thursday - wine and oil | 10: Holy Friday. Holy Week - strict fast | 11: Holy Week - strict fast |
12: Pascha - the Resurrection of the Lord. Fast-free | 13: Fast-free | 14: Fast-free | 15: Fast-free | 16: Fast-free | 17: Fast-free | 18: Fast-free |
19: No fast | 20: No fast | 21: No fast | 22: Wednesday - fast day | 23: No fast | 24: Friday - fast day | 25: No fast |
26: No fast | 27: No fast | 28: No fast | 29: Wednesday - fast day | 30: No fast |
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1: Friday - fast day | 2: No fast | |||||
3: No fast | 4: No fast | 5: No fast | 6: Wednesday - fast day | 7: No fast | 8: Friday - fast day | 9: No fast |
10: No fast | 11: No fast | 12: No fast | 13: Wednesday - fast day | 14: No fast | 15: Friday - fast day | 16: No fast |
17: No fast | 18: No fast | 19: No fast | 20: Wednesday - fast day | 21: Ascension of the Lord. No fast | 22: Friday - fast day | 23: No fast |
24: No fast | 25: No fast | 26: No fast | 27: Wednesday - fast day | 28: No fast | 29: Friday - fast day | 30: No fast |
31: Pentecost - Holy Trinity. No fast |
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1: Fast-free | 2: Fast-free | 3: Fast-free | 4: Fast-free | 5: Fast-free | 6: Fast-free | |
7: Fast-free | 8: Apostles' Fast - wine and oil | 9: Apostles' Fast - wine and oil | 10: Apostles' Fast - strict (Wed/Fri) | 11: Apostles' Fast - wine and oil | 12: Apostles' Fast - strict (Wed/Fri) | 13: Apostles' Fast - fish permitted |
14: Apostles' Fast - fish permitted | 15: Apostles' Fast - wine and oil | 16: Apostles' Fast - wine and oil | 17: Apostles' Fast - strict (Wed/Fri) | 18: Apostles' Fast - wine and oil | 19: Apostles' Fast - strict (Wed/Fri) | 20: Apostles' Fast - fish permitted |
21: Apostles' Fast - fish permitted | 22: Apostles' Fast - wine and oil | 23: Apostles' Fast - wine and oil | 24: Apostles' Fast - strict (Wed/Fri) | 25: Apostles' Fast - wine and oil | 26: Apostles' Fast - strict (Wed/Fri) | 27: Apostles' Fast - fish permitted |
28: Apostles' Fast - fish permitted | 29: No fast | 30: No fast |
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1: Wednesday - fast day | 2: No fast | 3: Friday - fast day | 4: No fast | |||
5: No fast | 6: No fast | 7: No fast | 8: Wednesday - fast day | 9: No fast | 10: Friday - fast day | 11: No fast |
12: No fast | 13: No fast | 14: No fast | 15: Wednesday - fast day | 16: No fast | 17: Friday - fast day | 18: No fast |
19: No fast | 20: No fast | 21: No fast | 22: Wednesday - fast day | 23: No fast | 24: Friday - fast day | 25: No fast |
26: No fast | 27: No fast | 28: No fast | 29: Wednesday - fast day | 30: No fast | 31: Friday - fast day |
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1: Dormition Fast - wine and oil | ||||||
2: Dormition Fast - wine and oil | 3: Dormition Fast - strict fast | 4: Dormition Fast - strict fast | 5: Dormition Fast - strict fast | 6: The Transfiguration of the Lord. Dormition Fast - Transfiguration, fish permitted | 7: Dormition Fast - strict fast | 8: Dormition Fast - wine and oil |
9: Dormition Fast - wine and oil | 10: Dormition Fast - strict fast | 11: Dormition Fast - strict fast | 12: Dormition Fast - strict fast | 13: Dormition Fast - strict fast | 14: Dormition Fast - strict fast | 15: The Dormition of the Theotokos. No fast |
16: No fast | 17: No fast | 18: No fast | 19: Wednesday - fast day | 20: No fast | 21: Friday - fast day | 22: No fast |
23: No fast | 24: No fast | 25: No fast | 26: Wednesday - fast day | 27: No fast | 28: Friday - fast day | 29: Beheading of St John the Baptist - wine and oil |
30: No fast | 31: No fast |
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1: No fast | 2: Wednesday - fast day | 3: No fast | 4: Friday - fast day | 5: No fast | ||
6: No fast | 7: No fast | 8: The Nativity of the Theotokos. No fast | 9: Wednesday - fast day | 10: No fast | 11: Friday - fast day | 12: No fast |
13: No fast | 14: The Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Exaltation of the Cross - strict fast | 15: No fast | 16: Wednesday - fast day | 17: No fast | 18: Friday - fast day | 19: No fast |
20: No fast | 21: No fast | 22: No fast | 23: Wednesday - fast day | 24: No fast | 25: Friday - fast day | 26: No fast |
27: No fast | 28: No fast | 29: No fast | 30: Wednesday - fast day |
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1: No fast | 2: Friday - fast day | 3: No fast | ||||
4: No fast | 5: No fast | 6: No fast | 7: Wednesday - fast day | 8: No fast | 9: Friday - fast day | 10: No fast |
11: No fast | 12: No fast | 13: No fast | 14: Wednesday - fast day | 15: No fast | 16: Friday - fast day | 17: No fast |
18: No fast | 19: No fast | 20: No fast | 21: Wednesday - fast day | 22: No fast | 23: Friday - fast day | 24: No fast |
25: No fast | 26: No fast | 27: No fast | 28: Wednesday - fast day | 29: No fast | 30: Friday - fast day | 31: No fast |
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1: No fast | 2: No fast | 3: No fast | 4: Wednesday - fast day | 5: No fast | 6: Friday - fast day | 7: No fast |
8: No fast | 9: No fast | 10: No fast | 11: Wednesday - fast day | 12: No fast | 13: Friday - fast day | 14: No fast |
15: Nativity Fast - fish permitted | 16: Nativity Fast - wine and oil | 17: Nativity Fast - wine and oil | 18: Nativity Fast - strict (Wed/Fri) | 19: Nativity Fast - wine and oil | 20: Nativity Fast - strict (Wed/Fri) | 21: The Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple. Nativity Fast - Entry of the Theotokos, fish permitted |
22: Nativity Fast - fish permitted | 23: Nativity Fast - wine and oil | 24: Nativity Fast - wine and oil | 25: Nativity Fast - strict (Wed/Fri) | 26: Nativity Fast - wine and oil | 27: Nativity Fast - strict (Wed/Fri) | 28: Nativity Fast - fish permitted |
29: Nativity Fast - fish permitted | 30: Nativity Fast - wine and oil |
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1: Nativity Fast - wine and oil | 2: Nativity Fast - strict (Wed/Fri) | 3: Nativity Fast - wine and oil | 4: Nativity Fast - strict (Wed/Fri) | 5: Nativity Fast - fish permitted | ||
6: Nativity Fast - fish permitted | 7: Nativity Fast - wine and oil | 8: Nativity Fast - wine and oil | 9: Nativity Fast - strict (Wed/Fri) | 10: Nativity Fast - wine and oil | 11: Nativity Fast - strict (Wed/Fri) | 12: Nativity Fast - fish permitted |
13: Nativity Fast - fish permitted | 14: Nativity Fast - wine and oil | 15: Nativity Fast - wine and oil | 16: Nativity Fast - strict (Wed/Fri) | 17: Nativity Fast - wine and oil | 18: Nativity Fast - strict (Wed/Fri) | 19: Nativity Fast - fish permitted |
20: Nativity Fast - wine and oil | 21: Nativity Fast - wine and oil | 22: Nativity Fast - wine and oil | 23: Nativity Fast - strict (Wed/Fri) | 24: Nativity Fast - wine and oil | 25: The Nativity of Christ. Fast-free | 26: Fast-free |
27: Fast-free | 28: Fast-free | 29: Fast-free | 30: Fast-free | 31: Fast-free |
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1: Nativity Fast - wine and oil | 2: Nativity Fast - strict (Wed/Fri) | 3: Nativity Fast - wine and oil | ||||
4: Nativity Fast - wine and oil | 5: Nativity Fast - wine and oil | 6: Nativity Fast - wine and oil | 7: The Nativity of Christ. Fast-free | 8: Fast-free | 9: Fast-free | 10: Fast-free |
11: Fast-free | 12: Fast-free | 13: Fast-free | 14: Fast-free | 15: Fast-free | 16: Fast-free | 17: Fast-free |
18: Eve of Theophany - wine and oil | 19: Theophany - the Baptism of the Lord. No fast | 20: No fast | 21: Wednesday - fast day | 22: No fast | 23: Friday - fast day | 24: No fast |
25: No fast | 26: No fast | 27: No fast | 28: Wednesday - fast day | 29: No fast | 30: Friday - fast day | 31: No fast |
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1: No fast | 2: Fast-free | 3: Fast-free | 4: Fast-free | 5: Fast-free | 6: Fast-free | 7: Fast-free |
8: Fast-free | 9: No fast | 10: No fast | 11: Wednesday - fast day | 12: No fast | 13: Friday - fast day | 14: No fast |
15: The Meeting of the Lord in the Temple. No fast | 16: Cheesefare week - no meat (dairy permitted) | 17: Cheesefare week - no meat (dairy permitted) | 18: Cheesefare week - no meat (dairy permitted) | 19: Cheesefare week - no meat (dairy permitted) | 20: Cheesefare week - no meat (dairy permitted) | 21: Cheesefare week - no meat (dairy permitted) |
22: Cheesefare week - no meat (dairy permitted) | 23: Clean Monday - Great Lent begins. Great Lent - strict fast | 24: Great Lent - strict fast | 25: Great Lent - strict fast | 26: Great Lent - strict fast | 27: Great Lent - strict fast | 28: Great Lent - wine and oil |
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1: Great Lent - wine and oil | 2: Great Lent - strict fast | 3: Great Lent - strict fast | 4: Great Lent - strict fast | 5: Great Lent - strict fast | 6: Great Lent - strict fast | 7: Great Lent - wine and oil |
8: Great Lent - wine and oil | 9: Great Lent - strict fast | 10: Great Lent - strict fast | 11: Great Lent - strict fast | 12: Great Lent - strict fast | 13: Great Lent - strict fast | 14: Great Lent - wine and oil |
15: Great Lent - wine and oil | 16: Great Lent - strict fast | 17: Great Lent - strict fast | 18: Great Lent - strict fast | 19: Great Lent - strict fast | 20: Great Lent - strict fast | 21: Great Lent - wine and oil |
22: Great Lent - wine and oil | 23: Great Lent - strict fast | 24: Great Lent - strict fast | 25: Great Lent - strict fast | 26: Great Lent - strict fast | 27: Great Lent - strict fast | 28: Great Lent - wine and oil |
29: Great Lent - wine and oil | 30: Great Lent - strict fast | 31: Great Lent - strict fast |
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1: Great Lent - strict fast | 2: Great Lent - strict fast | 3: Great Lent - strict fast | 4: Great Lent - wine and oil | |||
5: Palm Sunday - Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem. Great Lent - fish permitted (feast) | 6: Holy Week - strict fast | 7: The Annunciation of the Theotokos. Holy Week - fish permitted (feast) | 8: Holy Week - strict fast | 9: Holy Thursday - wine and oil | 10: Holy Friday. Holy Week - strict fast | 11: Holy Week - strict fast |
12: Pascha - the Resurrection of the Lord. Fast-free | 13: Fast-free | 14: Fast-free | 15: Fast-free | 16: Fast-free | 17: Fast-free | 18: Fast-free |
19: No fast | 20: No fast | 21: No fast | 22: Wednesday - fast day | 23: No fast | 24: Friday - fast day | 25: No fast |
26: No fast | 27: No fast | 28: No fast | 29: Wednesday - fast day | 30: No fast |
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1: Friday - fast day | 2: No fast | |||||
3: No fast | 4: No fast | 5: No fast | 6: Wednesday - fast day | 7: No fast | 8: Friday - fast day | 9: No fast |
10: No fast | 11: No fast | 12: No fast | 13: Wednesday - fast day | 14: No fast | 15: Friday - fast day | 16: No fast |
17: No fast | 18: No fast | 19: No fast | 20: Wednesday - fast day | 21: Ascension of the Lord. No fast | 22: Friday - fast day | 23: No fast |
24: No fast | 25: No fast | 26: No fast | 27: Wednesday - fast day | 28: No fast | 29: Friday - fast day | 30: No fast |
31: Pentecost - Holy Trinity. No fast |
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1: Fast-free | 2: Fast-free | 3: Fast-free | 4: Fast-free | 5: Fast-free | 6: Fast-free | |
7: Fast-free | 8: Apostles' Fast - wine and oil | 9: Apostles' Fast - wine and oil | 10: Apostles' Fast - strict (Wed/Fri) | 11: Apostles' Fast - wine and oil | 12: Apostles' Fast - strict (Wed/Fri) | 13: Apostles' Fast - fish permitted |
14: Apostles' Fast - fish permitted | 15: Apostles' Fast - wine and oil | 16: Apostles' Fast - wine and oil | 17: Apostles' Fast - strict (Wed/Fri) | 18: Apostles' Fast - wine and oil | 19: Apostles' Fast - strict (Wed/Fri) | 20: Apostles' Fast - fish permitted |
21: Apostles' Fast - fish permitted | 22: Apostles' Fast - wine and oil | 23: Apostles' Fast - wine and oil | 24: Apostles' Fast - strict (Wed/Fri) | 25: Apostles' Fast - wine and oil | 26: Apostles' Fast - strict (Wed/Fri) | 27: Apostles' Fast - fish permitted |
28: Apostles' Fast - fish permitted | 29: Apostles' Fast - wine and oil | 30: Apostles' Fast - wine and oil |
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1: Apostles' Fast - strict (Wed/Fri) | 2: Apostles' Fast - wine and oil | 3: Apostles' Fast - strict (Wed/Fri) | 4: Apostles' Fast - fish permitted | |||
5: Apostles' Fast - fish permitted | 6: Apostles' Fast - wine and oil | 7: Apostles' Fast - wine and oil | 8: Apostles' Fast - strict (Wed/Fri) | 9: Apostles' Fast - wine and oil | 10: Apostles' Fast - strict (Wed/Fri) | 11: Apostles' Fast - fish permitted |
12: No fast | 13: No fast | 14: No fast | 15: Wednesday - fast day | 16: No fast | 17: Friday - fast day | 18: No fast |
19: No fast | 20: No fast | 21: No fast | 22: Wednesday - fast day | 23: No fast | 24: Friday - fast day | 25: No fast |
26: No fast | 27: No fast | 28: No fast | 29: Wednesday - fast day | 30: No fast | 31: Friday - fast day |
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1: No fast | ||||||
2: No fast | 3: No fast | 4: No fast | 5: Wednesday - fast day | 6: No fast | 7: Friday - fast day | 8: No fast |
9: No fast | 10: No fast | 11: No fast | 12: Wednesday - fast day | 13: No fast | 14: Dormition Fast - strict fast | 15: Dormition Fast - wine and oil |
16: Dormition Fast - wine and oil | 17: Dormition Fast - strict fast | 18: Dormition Fast - strict fast | 19: The Transfiguration of the Lord. Dormition Fast - Transfiguration, fish permitted | 20: Dormition Fast - strict fast | 21: Dormition Fast - strict fast | 22: Dormition Fast - wine and oil |
23: Dormition Fast - wine and oil | 24: Dormition Fast - strict fast | 25: Dormition Fast - strict fast | 26: Dormition Fast - strict fast | 27: Dormition Fast - strict fast | 28: The Dormition of the Theotokos. Great Feast - fish permitted | 29: No fast |
30: No fast | 31: No fast |
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1: No fast | 2: Wednesday - fast day | 3: No fast | 4: Friday - fast day | 5: No fast | ||
6: No fast | 7: No fast | 8: No fast | 9: Wednesday - fast day | 10: No fast | 11: Beheading of St John the Baptist - strict fast | 12: No fast |
13: No fast | 14: No fast | 15: No fast | 16: Wednesday - fast day | 17: No fast | 18: Friday - fast day | 19: No fast |
20: No fast | 21: The Nativity of the Theotokos. No fast | 22: No fast | 23: Wednesday - fast day | 24: No fast | 25: Friday - fast day | 26: No fast |
27: The Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Exaltation of the Cross - wine and oil | 28: No fast | 29: No fast | 30: Wednesday - fast day |
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1: No fast | 2: Friday - fast day | 3: No fast | ||||
4: No fast | 5: No fast | 6: No fast | 7: Wednesday - fast day | 8: No fast | 9: Friday - fast day | 10: No fast |
11: No fast | 12: No fast | 13: No fast | 14: Wednesday - fast day | 15: No fast | 16: Friday - fast day | 17: No fast |
18: No fast | 19: No fast | 20: No fast | 21: Wednesday - fast day | 22: No fast | 23: Friday - fast day | 24: No fast |
25: No fast | 26: No fast | 27: No fast | 28: Wednesday - fast day | 29: No fast | 30: Friday - fast day | 31: No fast |
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1: No fast | 2: No fast | 3: No fast | 4: Wednesday - fast day | 5: No fast | 6: Friday - fast day | 7: No fast |
8: No fast | 9: No fast | 10: No fast | 11: Wednesday - fast day | 12: No fast | 13: Friday - fast day | 14: No fast |
15: No fast | 16: No fast | 17: No fast | 18: Wednesday - fast day | 19: No fast | 20: Friday - fast day | 21: No fast |
22: No fast | 23: No fast | 24: No fast | 25: Wednesday - fast day | 26: No fast | 27: Friday - fast day | 28: Nativity Fast - fish permitted |
29: Nativity Fast - fish permitted | 30: Nativity Fast - wine and oil |
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1: Nativity Fast - wine and oil | 2: Nativity Fast - strict (Wed/Fri) | 3: Nativity Fast - wine and oil | 4: The Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple. Nativity Fast - Entry of the Theotokos, fish permitted | 5: Nativity Fast - fish permitted | ||
6: Nativity Fast - fish permitted | 7: Nativity Fast - wine and oil | 8: Nativity Fast - wine and oil | 9: Nativity Fast - strict (Wed/Fri) | 10: Nativity Fast - wine and oil | 11: Nativity Fast - strict (Wed/Fri) | 12: Nativity Fast - fish permitted |
13: Nativity Fast - fish permitted | 14: Nativity Fast - wine and oil | 15: Nativity Fast - wine and oil | 16: Nativity Fast - strict (Wed/Fri) | 17: Nativity Fast - wine and oil | 18: Nativity Fast - strict (Wed/Fri) | 19: Nativity Fast - fish permitted |
20: Nativity Fast - fish permitted | 21: Nativity Fast - wine and oil | 22: Nativity Fast - wine and oil | 23: Nativity Fast - strict (Wed/Fri) | 24: Nativity Fast - wine and oil | 25: Nativity Fast - strict (Wed/Fri) | 26: Nativity Fast - fish permitted |
27: Nativity Fast - fish permitted | 28: Nativity Fast - wine and oil | 29: Nativity Fast - wine and oil | 30: Nativity Fast - strict (Wed/Fri) | 31: Nativity Fast - wine and oil |
§ iv · The Paschal cycle in 2026
From the Publican and Pharisee
to All Saints.
The Triodion and Pentecostarion move with Pascha every year. These dates are the same on the Old and New Calendar.
- Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee
- Sunday of the Prodigal Son
- Sunday of the Last Judgment (Meatfare)
- Forgiveness Sunday (Cheesefare)
- Clean Monday - Great Lent begins
- Sunday of Orthodoxy
- Sunday of St Gregory Palamas
- Sunday of the Holy Cross
- Sunday of St John Climacus
- Sunday of St Mary of Egypt
- Lazarus Saturday
- Palm Sunday - Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem
- Holy Monday
- Holy Tuesday
- Holy Wednesday
- Holy Thursday
- Holy Friday - the Passion of the Lord
- Holy Saturday
- Pascha - the Resurrection of the Lord
- Thomas Sunday (Antipascha)
- Sunday of the Myrrh-bearing Women
- Sunday of the Paralytic
- Mid-Pentecost
- Sunday of the Samaritan Woman
- Sunday of the Blind Man
- Ascension of the Lord
- Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the First Council
- Pentecost - Holy Trinity
- Sunday of All Saints
§ v · Keeping the year
The calendar is how
the Church keeps time.
Each day of the Orthodox year remembers its saints, and each season has its feast or its fast. Read about the Orthodox Christian calendar - why there are two, and how the fixed and moving cycles fit together - or meet the saints of each day.
Questions
The 2026 calendar,
question by question.
- When is Orthodox Easter (Pascha) in 2026?
- Orthodox Pascha falls on Sunday, April 12, 2026. Holy Friday is April 10, the Ascension May 21, and Pentecost May 31. Old and New Calendar churches keep Pascha on the same day.
- Why is Orthodox Easter on a different date from Western Easter in 2026?
- In 2026 Western Easter is April 5 and Orthodox Pascha April 12, one week later. The Orthodox Church still reckons Pascha by the Julian calendar and the ancient tables of the moon, so it falls on the Western date or up to five weeks after it.
- When does Great Lent start in 2026?
- Great Lent begins on Clean Monday, February 23, 2026, the day after Forgiveness Sunday. Lent runs to Palm Sunday on April 5, and Holy Week follows. Cheesefare week, February 16 to February 22, is kept without meat.
- When is Orthodox Christmas in 2026?
- Churches on the Old (Julian) Calendar keep the Nativity of Christ on January 7, 2026. Churches on the New Calendar keep it on December 25, 2026. Both keep it on December 25 of the calendar they follow; the Julian calendar now runs 13 days behind.
- How long is the Apostles' Fast in 2026?
- On the New Calendar, 21 days, June 8 to June 28. On the Old Calendar it runs June 8 to July 11. It starts on the Monday after All Saints and ends on the eve of Sts Peter and Paul, so a late Pascha makes it short.
A saint for every day,
on your wall all year.
The 2027 Lives of the Saints calendar prints a saint's life for each day of the year, with the feast and the fasting rule beside it. Printed by our family since 1995.
§ Keep exploring
More from the tradition.
In print
The 2027 Lives of the Saints calendar
A saint's life for every day, with the feast and the fast.
ExploreThe fast
Orthodox fasting calendar
Every fast day of 2027, on the Old and New Calendar.
ExploreEvery day
Orthodox saints
The lives of the saints the Church remembers each day.
ExploreOn your phone
Orthodox calendar app
Today's saints, feast, and fast, on iPhone and Android.
Explore