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The liturgical year, also known as the Christian year, consists of the cycle of liturgical seasons in some Christian churches which determines when Feasts, Memorials, Commemorations, and Solemnities are to be observed and which portions of Scripture are to be read. Distinct liturgical colors may appear in connection with different seasons of the liturgical year. The dates of the festivals vary somewhat between the Western (Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Protestant) churches and the Eastern Orthodox Churches, though the sequence and logic is the same.

Moveable Feasts

Main article: Moveable feast
In both the East and the West, the dates of many feasts vary from year to year, though in almost all cases this is due to the variation in the date of Easter, and all other dates follow from that. The extent to which the fasts and festivals are celebrated also varies between churches; in general Protestant churches observe far fewer of them than Catholic and Orthodox churches, and in particular are less likely to celebrate feasts of the Virgin Mary and the Saints.

Liturgical cycle

The liturgical cycle divides the year into a series of seasons, each with their own mood, theological emphases, and modes of prayer, which can be signified by different ways of decorating churches, vestments for clergy, scriptural readings, themes for preaching and even different traditions and practices often observed personally or in the home. In churches that follow the liturgical year, the scripture passages for each Sunday (and even each day of the year in some traditions) are specified by a list called a lectionary. Following the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council in the 1960's, the adoption and use of lectionaries in Protestant churches increased. In particular, the growing influence of the Revised Common Lectionary led to a greater awareness of the Christian year among Protestants in the later decades of the twentieth century, especially among mainline denominations.

Western liturgical calendar

Western Christian liturgical calendars are based on the cycle of the Roman or Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church, including Protestant calendars since this cycle pre-dates the Protestant Reformation. Generally, the liturgical seasons in western Christianity are Advent, Christmas, Ordinary Time (Time after Epiphany), Lent, Easter, and Ordinary Time (Time after Pentecost).

Advent

The first season of the liturgical year, beginning four Sundays before Christmas and ending on Christmas Eve. Historically observed as a "fast", its purpose focuses preparation for the coming Christ. Although often conceived as awaiting the coming of the Christ-child at Christmas, the modern lectionary points the season more toward eschatological themes--awaiting the final coming of Christ, when "the wolf shall live with the lamb" (Isaiah 11:6) and when God will have "brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly" (The Magnificat, Luke 1:52)--particularly in the earlier half of the season. This period of waiting is often marked by the Advent Wreath, a garland of evergreens with 4 candles. Although the main symbolism of the advent wreath is simply marking the progression of time, many churches attach themes to each candle, most often 'hope', 'faith', 'joy', and 'love'.

Color: Violet, or in some traditions Blue. On the third Sunday of Advent, also called Gaudete Sunday, Rose/Pink is used in some places.

Christmas

Begins on the evening of Christmas Eve (December 24) and ends on the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6. Christmas Day itself is December 25. The 12-day length of the Christmas season gives rise to "The Twelve Days of Christmas"; despite what retailers and the media might have one believe, the Twelve Days begin on Christmas Day, instead of ending on it.

Color: White or Gold.

Ordinary Time ("Time after Epiphany" and "Septuagesima")

"Ordinary" comes from the same root as our word "ordinal", and in this sense means "the counted weeks." In the Roman Catholic Church and in some Protestant traditions, these are the common weeks which do not belong to a proper season. It consists of either 33 or 34 Sundays, depending on the year. In the modern Roman rite, the first portion of Ordinary Time extends from the day following the Feast of the Baptism of Christ until the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday (the beginning of Lent). This first instalment has anywhere from three to eight Sundays, depending on how early or late Easter falls in a given year. In other rites, including Protestant ones, Ordinary Time may start as early as the day after Epiphany or as late as the day after Candlemas.

The terminology of "Ordinary Time" replaces the older language of the Seasons of "Time After Epiphany" and "Septuagesima," which are still in use by traditional Catholics and other Catholics who attend the ancient, pre-Vatican II Mass known as the Tridentine Rite. Some Protestant rites also use the older terminology.

In the older Roman rite, the Time after Epiphany could have anywhere from one to six Sundays, with Septuagesima as a 17-day season beginning nine Sundays before Easter and ending on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. Any omitted Sundays after Epiphany are transferred to the time after Pentecost and celebrated between the Twenty-Third and the Twenty-Fourth and Last Sunday. If, however, there are not enough Sundays in the year to accommodate all such Sundays, then the one which would otherwise occur on Septuagesima Sunday is celebrated on the previous Sunday. The 1962 reform changed this, instead dropping that Sunday for the year.

Color: Green.

Lent

Lent is a major fast taken by the Church to prepare for Easter. It begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at the beginning of the Easter Vigil, at the conclusion of Holy Week. There are forty days of Lent, counting from Ash Wednesday through the Easter Triduum, but not including Sundays. The final week of Lent is known as Holy Week which begins on Palm Sunday. The final three days of Lent are known as the Easter Triduum.

Color: Violet. In some traditions, Rose may be used on the 4th Sunday of Lent, called Laetare Sunday.

The Easter Triduum consists of:

  • Holy Thursday or Maundy Thursday
    • at the evening worship service or Mass of the Lord's Supper
    • some churches who celebrate this day as Maundy Thursday engage in the ritual of ceremonial footwashing.
    • Color: White.

  • Good Friday
    • the celebration of His passion
    • Color: Varies: No color, Red, or Black are used in different traditions. (Where colored hangings are removed for this day, liturgical color applies to vestments only.)

  • Holy Saturday
    • commemoration of the day Christ lay in the Tomb
    • Color: None

  • Easter Vigil
    • held after sunset of Holy Saturday, or before dawn on Easter Day, in anticipation of the celebration of the resurrection.
      See also Paschal candle
    • Color: White, often together with Gold.

Easter

The date of Easter varies from year to year, but is set to be close to the date of Jesus' resurrection, which the holiday recognizes. The Easter season extends from the Easter Vigil through Pentecost Sunday on the Catholic and Protestant calendars. On the calendar used by traditional Catholics, Eastertide lasts until the end of the Octave of Pentecost, at None of the following Ember Saturday.

Color: White or Gold, except on Pentecost, on which the color is Red.

Ordinary Time ("Time After Pentecost")

Ordinary Time resumes after the Easter Season, on Pentecost Monday, and ends on the Saturday before the First Sunday of Advent. Before the Roman liturgical calendar was reformed at the Second Vatican Council, the Sundays in this part of the year were listed as "Sundays after Pentecost" by Roman Catholics; the Eastern Orthodox and some Protestants still adhere to this terminology. The first Sunday after Pentecost is Trinity Sunday and in many traditions the last Sunday of Ordinary Time is the Feast of Christ the King.

Variations during this season include:

  • In the traditional Catholic calendar, Christ the King is the last Sunday in October rather than the final Sunday before Advent.
  • Most Western traditions celebrate All Saints Day on November 1st or the Sunday following. The liturgical color is White.
  • In some Protestant traditions, especially those with closer ties to the Lutheran tradition, Reformation Sunday is celebrated on the Sunday preceeding October 31st, commemorating the purported day Martin Luther posted the 95 Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenburg. The liturgical color is Red, celebrating the Holy Spirit's continuing work in renewing the Church.
  • A few Protestant denominations, notably the United Methodist Church, sometimes refer to the post-Pentecost months of September through November as Kingdomtide. The term Kingdomtide is used by the Christian Church - Synod of Saint Timothy to describe the final four weeks of the Christian Year, with its focus on the coming of the Kingdom of God. In the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), this is known as the "Period of End Times," and red vestments are worn on the first and second Sundays.

Color: Green

Anglican and Protestant churches

Many Protestant churches recognize a liturgical year, including Anglicans/Episcopalians, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, the Reformed churches, and the United/Uniting churches (the United Church of Christ *, the United Church of Canada, and the Uniting Church in Australia).

Some Protestant churches label the seasons outside of the two festival cycles (Advent-Christmas-Epiphany Day and Lent-Easter-Pentecost Day) "Ordinary Time" like the current Roman Catholic calendar. In the United States, this includes the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the United Church of Christ; the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has proposed switching to this terminology as well. In other Protestant churches, these seasons retain their pre-Vatican II names of "Season after Epiphany" and "Season after Pentecost".

Certain minor differences exist between the Roman Catholic liturgical year and the Protestant one, but these differences vary among the different Protestant churches. Generally speaking, the Anglican/Episcopal churches have retained many of the minor festivals and commemorations, as have Lutheran churches to a lesser extent. Most other Protestant churches only observe the major seasons, although the 'ordinary time' lesser festivals of All Saints Day (November 1) and Christ the King (last Sunday of liturgical year) are observed by many. Churches in the Lutheran tradition, as well as some in the Reformed tradition, also observe Reformation Day on October 31st or its preceding Sunday.

Eastern Orthodox Church

See Eastern Orthodox Church calendar

In a few, predominantly Eastern Orthodox, nations, religious holidays are celebrated on the corresponding day in the Julian Calendar. From 1900 until 2100, there is a thirteen-day difference between the Julian and the Gregorian Calendar, which is used in most of the world as well as in Eastern Orthodox countries for civil purposes. Thus, for example, Christmas is celebrated on January 7 in these countries. The computation of the day of Easter is, however, completely different between the two calendars and does not differ in any straightforward way.

The Liturgical year in the Eastern Orthodox Church is characterized by alternating fasts and feasts, and is in many ways similar to the Roman Catholic year described above. However it is traditionally held to begin on September 1, not on the first Sunday of Advent. It includes the 12 Great Feasts, plus Pascha (Easter) itself, the Feast of Feasts. These feasts generally mark various significant events in the lives of Jesus Christ and of the Virgin Mary (Theotokos). Winter Lent is one name for the extended fast leading up to the Feast of the Nativity of Jesus Christ (Christmas). Great Lent is the extended fast leading up to Holy Week and Pascha. Other times are especially set aside as well. Two other extended fasts are the Apostles' Fast, generally about one to two weeks leading up to the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, and the fast leading up to the Dormition of the Theotokos, which is for the two weeks prior to that feast, from August 1 to August 14.

The twelve Great Feasts

Secular Observance

Because of the dominance of Christianity in Europe throughout the Middle Ages, many features of the Christian year became incorporated into the secular calendar. Many of its feasts remain holidays, and are now celebrated by people of all faiths and none - in some cases worldwide. The secular celebrations bear varying degrees of likeness to the religious feasts from which they derived, often also including elements of ritual from pagan festivals of similar date.

Resources

  • Stookey, L.H. Calendar: Christ's Time for the Church, 1996. ISBN 0687011361

  • Hickman, Hoyt L., et al. Handbook of the Christian Year, 1986. ISBN 068716575-X

See also

External links

  • The Christian Calendar — Christian Seasons Calendar: based on liturgical seasons rather than secular 12 months.
  • Universalis — A liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church including the liturgy of the hours and the mass readings.

Liturgical Calendar | Christian holy days

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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Liturgical year".

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