We bring to your attention the Orthodox (Church) calendar for 2024 with holidays and important dates, fasts (multi-day and one-day), as well as days set aside for commemoration of the departed.
Church calendar and its features
The Orthodox Church uses a special calendar to determine important dates, compile the annual cycle of fasts, and also respond to these events, taking into account all the holidays recorded in the Monthly Book, as well as the rules for determining the date of Easter and related to her holidays described in Paschalia.
We bring to your attention the current Russian Orthodox calendar of 2024 with fasts, holidays and continuous weeks, which will help you remember important church dates.
The Orthodox calendar for 2024 is based on materials from the site kalendar-365.ru.
Interesting facts:
- the Orthodox calendar for 2024 is compiled according to the Alexandrian Paschalia;
- according to the old style The Church year begins on September 1 with the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin, and ends, respectively, with the day of the Assumption of the Virgin;
- The New Julian calendar used by many Orthodox churches will only coincide with the Gregorian until 2800.
Great Orthodox holidays
In 2024, the church calendar establishes six great holidays:
| Holiday | Date | Day of the week |
| Circumcision of the Lord | 14.01.24 | Sunday |
| Easter | 05.05.24 | Sunday |
| Nativity of John the Baptist | 07.07.24 | Sunday |
| The Holy Apostles Peter and Paul | 12.07.24 | Friday |
| Beheading of John the Baptist | 11.09.24 | Wednesday |
| Protection of the Holy Mother of God | 14.10.24 | Monday |
Important! The date of the holy feast of Easter is determined by the lunar calendar. According to the Alexandrian Paschalia, this great feast is celebrated on the first Sunday after the full moon following the vernal equinox.
In the Gregorian (solar) calendar, the event falls on different days. The maximum date offset range is 35 days, from March 22 to April 25 Old Style or April 4 to May 8 New Style. At the same time, it is extremely rare for mankind to celebrate Easter on the “extreme” dates.
| Date | Previous time | Next time |
| April 4th | 1668, 1915, 2010 | 2105 |
| May 8 | 1736, 1983 | 2078 |
Transitional holidays
This category includes events of the Easter cycle, the days of celebration of which depend on the date on which the most important holiday of Orthodoxy - the Resurrection of Christ falls.
You can track how the dates of the main holidays of the Easter cycle change using the following table of dates for 2023 - 2030.
The full list of events, the dates of which depend on the date of the main Christian holiday, Easter, is given below:
| Event | Date |
| Cathedral of New Martyrs and Confessors | 04.02.24 |
| Week of Zacchaeus the Publican | 18.02.24 |
| The Week of the Publican and the Pharisee | 25.02.24 |
| Prodigal Son Week | 03.03.24 |
| Doomsday Week | 10.03.24 |
| Forgiveness Sunday | 17.03.24 |
| Triumph of Orthodoxy | 24.03.24 |
| 2nd Week of Lent St. Gregory Palamas, Archbishop Thessalonica | 31.03.24 |
| 3rd Week of Great Lent, Holy Cross | 07.04.24 |
| 4th Week of Great Lent, St. John of the Ladder | 14.04.24 |
| 5th Week of Great Lent, St. Mary of Egypt | 21.04.24 |
| Lazarus Saturday (Saturday of the 6th week of Great Lent) | 27.04.24 |
| The Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem | 28.04.24 |
| Good Monday | 29.04.24 |
| Good Tuesday | 30.04.24 |
| Great Wednesday | 01.05.24 |
| Maundy Thursday. Last Supper | 02.05.24 |
| Good Friday. Crucifixion of Christ | 03.05.24 |
| Good Saturday. Christ's Descent into Hell | 04.05.24 |
| Resurrection of Christ. Easter | 05.05.24 |
| Week 2 after Easter (Anti-Easter). Remembrance of the assurance of St. Thomas | 12.05.24 |
| 3rd Week after Easter, Holy Myrrh-Bearing Women | 19.05.24 |
| 4th week after Easter, about relaxed | 26.05.24 |
| 5th Week after Easter, about the Samaritan woman | 02.06.24 |
| 6th week after Easter, about the blind man | 09.06.24 |
| Ascension of the Lord (40th day after Easter, twelfth) | 13.06.24 |
| 7th Week after Easter, St. Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council | 16.06.24 |
| Pentecost. Holy Trinity Day | 23.06.24 |
| Holy Spirit Day | 24.06.24 |
| 1st Sunday after Pentecost, All Saints | 30.06.24 |
| 2nd week after Pentecost, all the saints who shone in the Russian land | 07.07.24 |
Twelfth holidays
This list includes the 12 most important Orthodox dates after Easter, associated with the earthly life of the Virgin and Christ.
| Event | Date |
| Christmas | 07.01.24 |
| Baptism of the Lord | 19.01.24 |
| The Presentation of the Lord | 15.02.24 |
| Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary | 07.04.24 |
| The Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem | 28.04.24 |
| Ascension of the Lord | 13.06.24 |
| Holy Trinity Day | 23.06.24 |
| Transfiguration of the Lord | 19.08.24 |
| Assumption of the Mother of God | 28.08.24 |
| Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary | 21.09.24 |
| Ex altation of the Holy Cross | 27.09.24 |
| Entering the Holy Mother of God into the Temple | 04.12.24 |
refer to passing holidays and change the date in the Gregorian calendar
Posts of 2024 in the Orthodox calendar
The Orthodox calendar establishes not only church holidays that every religious person will celebrate in 2024, but also the periods in which believers are supposed to fast.
There are only four multi-day posts in the calendar:
| Name | Start | End |
| Lent | 18.03.24 | 04.05.24 |
| Petrov post | 01.07.24 | 11.07.24 |
| Assumption Fast | 14.08.24 | 27.08.24 |
| Christmas post | 28.11.24 | 06.01.24 |
There are also one-day posts that traditionally fall on January and September:
- Epiphany Eve - 01/18/24;
- Beheading of John the Baptist - 09/11/24;
- Ex altation of the Holy Cross - 27.09.24.
For more information on what the menu should be on fasting days, when complete abstinence from food or dry eating is required, and on which days caviar and fish can be read in the materials of our website.
Continuous weeks
Periods in which there are no fast days are called Solid Weeks. As a rule, these are periods of preparation for multi-day fasts or festive 7 days after great holidays. There are five such periods in the 2024 calendar:
| Name | Start | End |
| Christmas Day | 07.01.24 | 14.01.24 |
| The publican and the Pharisee | 26.02.24 | 03.03.24 |
| Cheese (Shrovetide) | 11.03.24 | 17.03.24 |
| Easter (Light) | 06.05.24 | 12.05.24 |
| Troitskaya | 24.06.24 | 30.06.24 |
Memorial Days
The church calendar also has the concept of "parent's day" - these are the dates set aside for the commemoration of deceased relatives. Most often it is Saturday, although Radonitsa traditionally falls on Tuesday.
| Name | Date |
| Universal Parent Saturday | 09.03.24 |
| Saturday of the 2nd week of Great Lent | 30.03.24 |
| Saturday of the 3rd week of Great Lent | 06.04.24 |
| Saturday of the 4th week of Great Lent | 13.04.24 |
| Commemoration of the dead warriors | 09.05.24 |
| Radonitsa | 14.05.24 |
| Ecumenical Trinity parental Saturday | 22.06.24 |
| Dimitriev's parental Saturday | 02.11.24 |
Calendar by month
To find out exactly what holiday is today according to the church calendar on any day of 2024, we suggest using a convenient Orthodox calendar by month.
January
The following important church events await us in the first month of 2024:
| Event | Date |
| Christmas | 07.01.24 |
| Circumcision of the Lord | 14.01.24 |
| Baptism of the Lord | 19.01.24 |
February
In February there will be the Meeting of the Lord (15.02.24), as well as the continuous week of the Publican and the Pharisee (26.02.24 - 03.03.24)
March
The Orthodox calendar sets such church holidays and important dates in March 2024:
| Event | Date |
| Prodigal Son Week | 03.03.24 |
| Doomsday Week | 10.03.24 |
| Solid Cheese Week (Shrovetide) | 11.03.24 - 17.03.24 |
| Forgiveness Sunday | 17.03.24 |
| Start of Lent | 18.03.24 |
| Triumph of Orthodoxy | 24.03.24 |
| 2nd Week of Lent St. Gregory Palamas, Archbishop Thessalonica | 31.03.24 |
April
In April 2024, the Orthodox calendar prescribes important dates for such church holidays:
| Event | Date |
| Saturday of the 3rd week of Great Lent | 06.04.24 |
| 3rd Week of Great Lent, Holy Cross | 07.04.24 |
| Saturday of the 4th week of Great Lent | 13.04.24 |
| 4th Week of Great Lent, St. John of the Ladder | 14.04.24 |
| 5th Week of Great Lent, St. Mary of Egypt | 21.04.24 |
| Lazarus Saturday (Saturday of the 6th week of Great Lent) | 27.04.24 |
| The Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem | 28.04.24 |
| Good Monday | 29.04.24 |
| Good Tuesday | 30.04.24 |
Important! The whole month of Great Lent continues with a slight relaxation on Sunday, April 28.
May
In May we will celebrate the Bright Sunday of Christ. The full list of important days of the month will be:
| Event | Date |
| Great Wednesday | 01.05.24 |
| Maundy Thursday. Last Supper | 02.05.24 |
| Good Friday. Crucifixion of Christ | 03.05.24 |
| Good Saturday. Christ's Descent into Hell | 04.05.24 |
| Resurrection of Christ. Easter | 05.05.24 |
| Radonitsa | 09.05.24 |
| Week 2 after Easter (Anti-Easter). Remembrance of the assurance of St. Thomas | 12.05.24 |
| Parents Day | 14.05.24 |
| 3rd Week after Easter, Holy Myrrh-Bearing Women | 19.05.24 |
| 4th week after Easter, about relaxed | 26.05.24 |
June
In the first month of summer there will be such important Orthodox dates:
| Event | Date |
| Ascension of the Lord | 13.06.24 |
| Ecumenical Trinity parental Saturday | 22.06.24 |
| Holy Trinity Day | 23.06.24 |
| Continuous Trinity Week | 24.06.24 - 30.06.24 |
July
In the middle of summer, the following church events await believers:
| Event | Date |
| Petrov post | 01.07.24 - 11.07.24 |
| Nativity of John the Baptist | 07.07.24 |
| The Holy Apostles Peter and Paul | 12.07.24 |
August
The following holidays are expected in the last month of summer:
| Event | Date |
| Assumption Fast | 14.08.24 - 27.08.24 |
| Transfiguration of the Lord | 19.08.24 |
| Assumption of the Mother of God | 28.08.24 |
September
In September they celebrate:
| Event | Date |
| Beheading of John the Baptist | 11.09.24 |
| Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary | 21.09.24 |
| Ex altation of the Holy Cross | 27.09.24 |
October
The second month of autumn is not rich in holidays. This month there is only one important date - 10/14/24, Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos.
November
There are no big church holidays in November, but there are two important dates worth remembering:
- Dimitriev's parental Saturday 02.11.24.
- Beginning of Advent 28.11.24.
December
In the last month of the calendar year 2024, the Entry into the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos is celebrated on 04.12.24. Also, the Orthodox are ordered to fast for the whole month, which will end only by Christmas (in January 2025).
