Immoveable Feasts

There are numerous feasts which always fall on the same day of the month every year. These are called the immoveable feasts. For example, the Nativity of our Lord (Christmas) always falls on December 25, and the Dormition of the Mother of God always falls on August 15.  The cycle of immoveable feasts begins on September 1, the beginning of the Church Year, and ends on August 31. While the centre of the moveable feasts is Pascha (Easter), the centre of the immoveable feasts is the Nativity of our Lord (Christmas). Sometimes, the cycle of immoveable feasts is called the Christmas Cycle. Below is a listing of the more important feast days through the Church Year. For a complete listing for every day of the year, please refer to the Church Calendar.

September
1	Beginning of the Indiction, that is, the New Year; Commemoration of Our Holy Father Symeon the Stylite (459) and His Mother Martha; and the Synaxis of the Most Holy Mother of God of Miasenes
8	The Nativity of Our Most Holy Lady, the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary
13	Commemoration of the Dedication of the Holy Church of the Resurrection of Christ Our God (335); the Forefeast of the Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross; the Holy Priest-Martyr Cornelius the Centurion
14	The Universal Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross
23	The Conception of the Honorable and Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John
26	The Passing of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian
28	Our Venerable Father and Confessor Chariton (Pronounced “Káriton”) (350)
30	The Priest-Martyr Gregory, Bishop of Great Armenia (284-305)

October
1	The Protection of the Most Holy Mother of God; Holy Apostle Ananias, One of the Seventy Disciples; Our Venerable Father Roman Who Sang Sweetly (560)
6	The Holy and Glorious Apostle Thomas
9	The Holy Apostle James, Son of Alpheus
11	Sunday of the Commemoration of the 7th Ecumenical Council; otherwise the Sunday following October 11
18	The Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke
23	The Holy Apostle and Brother of the Lord in the Flesh James
26	The Holy and Glorious Great-Martyr Demetrius, from Whose Tomb Myrrh Streams Forth (285-310); and the Commemoration of the Great and Terrible Earthquake at Constantinople of 741 AD
28	The Holy Martyrs Terentius and Neonila, Our Venerable Father Stephen the Sabaite, Composer of Canons (9th c.); the Holy Martyr Parasceve of Iconium

November
8	Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers of Heaven
12	The Holy Priest-Martyr Josaphat, Archbishop of Polotsk (1623); Passing into Eternal Life (1950) of Blessed Hryhoriy (Gregory) Lakota, Auxiliary Bishop of Peremyshl and Confessor
13	Our Holy Father John Chrysostom (the Golden-Mouthed), Archbishop of Constantinople (407)
14	The Holy and All-Praiseworthy Apostle Philip
16	The Holy Apostle and Evangelist Matthew
21	The Entrance into the Temple of our Most Holy Lady, the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary
30	The Holy and All-Praiseworthy Apostle Andrew the First-Called

December
5	Our Venerable and God-bearing Father Sabbas the Sanctified (532)
6	Our Holy Father Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia (Traditionally ca. 337)
9	The Conception of Saint Anna, When She Conceived the Most Holy Mother of God
13	The Holy Martyrs Eustratios, Auxentius, Eugenius, Mardarius and Orestes (284-305); the Holy Martyr Lucia, the Virgin (284-305)
15	The Holy Priest-Martyr Eleutherius; Our Venerable Father Paul of Latra (956); Our Holy Father Stephen the Confessor, Archbishop of Surozh (8th c.)
25	The Nativity in the Flesh of Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ – Christmas
26	Post-feast of the Nativity of Christ; Synaxis of the Most Holy Mother of God; The Holy Priest-Martyr Euthymius, Bishop of Sardis (824)

January
1	The Circumcision of Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ; Our Father Among the Saints Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia (379)
6	The Holy Theophany of Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ
7	Post-feast of Theophany; the Synaxis of the Holy and Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John
11	Post-feast of Theophany; Our Venerable Father Theodosius, Founder of the Cenoebitic Monastic Life (529)
17	Our Venerable and God-bearing Father Anthony the Great (356)
20	Our Venerable and God-bearing Father Euthemius the Great (473)
25	Our Holy Father Gregory the Theologian, Archbishop of Constantinople (390)
27	The Transfer of the Precious Relics (438) of Our Father among the Saints John Chrysostom
30	The Three Holy and Great Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom; and the Holy Priest-Martyr Hippolytus (235)

February
2	The Encounter of Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ
14	The Repose of Our Venerable Father Constantine the Philosopher, in the Monastic Life, Cyril, Teacher of the Slavs (869); and our Venerable Father Auxentius (457-74); and the Venerable Maron the Wonderworker and Hermit
24	The First and Second Finding of the Precious Head of the Holy, Glorious Prophet and Forerunner John the Baptist

March
9	The Holy Forty Martyrs of Sebaste (321-23)
25	The Annunciation of Our Most Holy Lady, the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary; Passing into Eternal Life (1944) of Blessed Omelian (Emil) Kovch, Priest of Peremyshliany and Martyr of Majdanek
26	Synaxis of the Holy Archangel Gabriel

April
6	The Repose of Our Holy Father Methodius, Teacher of the Slavs (885) and our Holy Father Eutychius, Archbishop of Constantinople (587)
23	The Holy and Glorious Great Martyr, Victory-bearer and Wonderworker George
25	The Holy Apostle and Evangelist Mark (54-68)
30	The Holy Apostle James, Brother of Saint John the Theologian (c. 44)

May
3	The Repose of our Venerable Father Theodosius, Hegumen of the Monastery of the Caves at Kiev and Organizer of the Cenoebitic (Common) Life in Rus’ (1074) and the Holy Martyrs Timothy and Maura (286-305)
8	The Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian and Our Venerable Father Arsenius the Great (408-50)
9	The Transfer of the Relics (1087) of Our Holy Father Nicholas the Wonderworker from Myra to Bari and the Holy Prophet Isaiah (8th c. BC); the Holy Martyr Christopher (249-51)
10	The Holy Apostle Simon the Zealot
11	The Holy Cyril (869) and Methodius (885), Teachers of the Slavs and Equals to the Apostles and the Dedication of the City of Constantinople (330); the Holy Priest-Martyr Mocius (284-305); Passing into Eternal Life of Blessed Vasyl (Basil) Hopko, Auxiliary Bishop of Presvov (+1976)
15	Our Venerable Father Pachomius the Great (346)
21	The Holy Great Rulers Constantine (337) and Helen (330), Equals to the Apostles
24	Our Venerable Father Simeon of the “Mountain of Wonders” (596); The Venerable Nicetas the Stylite, Wonderworker of Pereiaslav (c. 1186)
25	The Third Finding of the Precious Head of the Holy, Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John; Passing into Eternal Life (1951) of Blessed Mykola (Nicholas) Tsehelsky, Priest and Martyr

June
11	The Holy Apostles Bartholomew and Barnabas
19	The Holy Apostle Jude, Brother of the Lord According to the Flesh
24	The Nativity of the Honorable and Glorious Prophet John, Forerunner and Baptist of Christ
29	The Holy, Glorious, All-Praiseworthy and Chief Apostles Peter and Paul; Passing into Eternal Life (1941) of Blessed Iakym (Joachim) (Senkivsky), Basilian Protohegoumen and Martyr of Drohobych, where his body was boiled
30	The Synaxis of the Holy, Glorious and All-Praiseworthy Twelve Apostles

July
2	The Placing of the Precious Robe of Our Most Holy Lady and the Mother of God in the Church at Blachernae in Constantinople; Verkhrats’ka Weeping Icon of the Mother of God (1688)
5	Our Venerable Father Athanasius of Athos (c. 1003)
10	Our Venerable Father Anthony of the Monastery of the Caves in Kiev (1073); and the Forty-Five Martyrs of Nicopolis in Armenia (321-3); and the Holy Brothers Francis, Mutius and Raphael and Those with Them, Martyred in Damascus (1860)
15	The Holy Grand Prince Vladimir (Volodymyr), Equal to the Apostles, Named Basil at Holy Baptism (1015) and the Holy Martyrs Cyricus and Julitta, His Mother
20	The Holy and Glorious Prophet Elijah (Elias) (9th c. BC)
24	The Holy Martyrs Borys and Hlib, Named Roman and David at Holy Baptism (1015); and the Holy Great Martyr Christine
25	The Dormition of Saint Anna, Mother of the Most Holy God-bearer (Theotokos) and the Holy Women Olympiada and Eupraxia (5th c.)
27	The Holy Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon (286-305); and Our Holy Father Clement the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Okhrid (910)

August
6	The Holy Transfiguration of Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ
9	Post-feast of the Transfiguration; the Holy Apostle Matthias
14	The Transfer of the Precious Relics of Our Venerable Father Theodosius, Hegumen of the Monastery of the Caves at Kiev (1091); Fore-feast of the Holy Dormition of the Mother of God; the Holy Prophet Micah (8th c. BC)
15	The Dormition of Our Most Holy Lady, the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary; Kievan-Caves Icon of the Mother of God (1073)
16	Post-feast of the Dormition; the Transfer from Edessa to Constantinople of the Holy Icon “Not Made with Hands” of Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ, also Called the Holy Veil, and the Holy Martyr Diomedes (284-305)
29	The Beheading of the Honorable and Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John
31	The Placing of the Precious Sash of Our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God in Calcoprateia (942)

Classes of Feasts
	Feast with all-night vigil and post-feast
	Feast with all-night vigil
	Polyeleos class feast
	Great Doxology class feast

page updated on: April 11, 2008

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