Orthodox Calendar 2026
Every feast, fast and saint of 2026, reckoned with the traditional Julian paschalion.
The Orthodox year is built around Pascha. In 2026 Great and Holy Pascha falls on Sunday, April 12, 2026, and every movable feast — Clean Monday, Palm Sunday, Ascension, Pentecost — is measured from it. Below is the complete 2026 calendar, month by month, with the fasting discipline marked on each day.
The pillars of 2026
- Clean Monday — Sunday, February 22, 2026: Great Lent begins.
- Sunday of Orthodoxy — Sunday, March 1, 2026.
- Palm Sunday — Sunday, April 5, 2026.
- Great & Holy Pascha — Sunday, April 12, 2026.
- Ascension — Thursday, May 21, 2026.
- Pentecost — Sunday, May 31, 2026.
- Apostles' Fast begins — Monday, June 8, 2026.
- Transfiguration — August 6, 2026.
- Dormition of the Theotokos — August 15, 2026.
- Exaltation of the Cross — September 14, 2026: strict fast.
- Nativity Fast begins — November 15, 2026.
- Nativity of Christ — December 25, 2026.
Twelve Great Feasts
Alongside Pascha — which stands above all feasts and is never counted among them — the Church keeps twelve Great Feasts each year: the Nativity of the Theotokos, the Exaltation of the Cross, the Entrance of the Theotokos, the Nativity of Christ, Theophany, the Meeting of the Lord, the Annunciation, Palm Sunday, Ascension, Pentecost, the Transfiguration and the Dormition.
Fasting through 2026
Four fasting seasons structure the year, along with most Wednesdays and Fridays. For the complete rules and what may be eaten on each kind of day, see the Orthodox fasting guide.