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Orthodox observances

The Orthodox calendar.

Eastern Orthodox Christianity uses different dates for many observances. The reason is the church's continued use of the Julian calendar for most of its liturgical calculations, even as the wider world adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1582. The two calendars currently differ by 13 days.

The Julian vs. Gregorian question

In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII introduced the Gregorian calendar to correct an accumulated drift in the older Julian calendar (which had been in use since Julius Caesar). Catholic countries adopted the Gregorian calendar quickly; Protestant countries took longer; the Orthodox world has largely kept the Julian calendar for ecclesiastical purposes.

The two calendars now differ by 13 days. An observance dated December 25 in the Julian calendar falls on January 7 in the Gregorian calendar a reader sees on a wall calendar. For this site, all Orthodox observances are listed at their Gregorian-equivalent dates so the dates match what shows on a typical phone or wall calendar.

A small number of Orthodox jurisdictions (notably the Greek Orthodox and several others) use the Revised Julian calendar for fixed feasts, which aligns with the Gregorian calendar in the short term. They still use the Julian calculation for Easter, which is why Greek Orthodox Christmas falls on December 25 but Greek Orthodox Easter still moves with the Orthodox Pascha calculation.

Orthodox Easter (Pascha)

Orthodox Easter is calculated using the Julian Computus rather than the Gregorian Computus. The two calculations sometimes coincide (most recently in 2025; next in 2028) and sometimes differ by a week or several weeks. The Orthodox calculation tends to fall later in the year on average because it adds a constraint requiring Pascha to fall after Passover.

Orthodox-specific observances

Observances marked only on the Orthodox calendar (no parallel in the Western traditions covered on this site). All dates are in the Gregorian calendar.

  • Orthodox Christmas Feast 01-07
  • Saint Basil the Great (Orthodox New Year) Saint's day 01-14
  • Theophany Feast 01-19
  • Pascha (Orthodox Easter) Feast julian-easter+0
  • Pentecost (Orthodox) Feast julian-easter+49
  • Dormition of the Theotokos Feast 08-28
  • Nativity of the Theotokos (Orthodox) Feast 09-21
  • Exaltation of the Cross (Orthodox) Feast 09-27

Observances shared with Western traditions (at different dates)

Observances the Orthodox calendar shares with at least one Western tradition. Where the Orthodox date differs from the Western date, both are surfaced in the main calendar view.

  • Christmas Eve Feast 12-24
  • Presentation of the Lord (Candlemas) Feast 02-02
  • Annunciation Feast 03-25
  • Birth of John the Baptist Saint's day 06-24
  • Saints Peter and Paul Saint's day 06-29
  • Transfiguration Feast 08-06
  • Nativity of Mary Feast 09-08
  • Holy Cross Day Feast 09-14
  • Presentation of the Virgin Mary Feast 11-21
  • Saint Andrew's Day Saint's day 11-30
  • Saint Nicholas Day Saint's day 12-06
  • Palm Sunday Feast easter-7
  • Good Friday Fast easter-2
  • Holy Saturday Fast easter-1
  • Ascension Feast easter+39
  • Pentecost Feast easter+49

For dated entries see the main calendar or a specific year permalink like 2027.

Last updated: May 17, 2026