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THE CHRISTIAN YEAR THE CHRISTIAN YEAR, also known as the Liturgical Year, is made up of a cycle of liturgical seasons which determine when various feasts (meaning "holy days") are to be observed. Specific selections of scripture which tie into the various seasons are appointed to be read. The Christian year is broken down below. Click on a season to learn more about it.
Advent, meaning "arrival" or "coming", is the first season of the church year. It begins four Sundays before Christmas and lasts until Christmas Eve. It is a time of preparation for the coming of both the Christ-child at Christmas, and the second coming of Christ. The Sundays of the season are often marked by an Advent wreath, an evergreen wreath containing five candles, one for each of the four Sundays, and a fifth candle which is not lit until Christmas. The color of the season is purple.
The Christmas Season begins on Christmas Eve and lasts until the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6th. This season celebrates the birth of Christ. Its color is white.
The Epiphany, meaning "appearance" or "manifestation", commemorates the time from the visitation of Christ by the Magi to the Baptism of Christ. While the season is often shortened to just "Epiphany", the season is technically the "Season after the Epiphany", or simply "Ordinary Time" from the root word ordinal meaning "the counted weeks". It lasts from The Feast of the Epiphany on January 6th until Ash Wednesday. The color for this season is green.
Lent, from the old Germanic word lencten or lenct meaning "spring", is a contemplative time which begins forty days before Easter on Ash Wednesday (well, actually 46 days since Sundays don't count!). The season is symbolic of the forty days Jesus spent fasting and fighting temptation in the wilderness before beginning his ministry. Because of this, many Christians fast during the season. This is why we are supposed to "give up something for Lent"! The last week of the season is Holy Week, which leads into Easter. This week begins with Palm Sunday which commemorates the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem in the days before his crucifixion. Maundy Thursday commemorates Jesus's last supper with his disciples. Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion and burial of Christ and Holy Saturday commemorates his laying in the tomb. The color for this season is purple except for Palm Sunday (red), Maundy Thursday (white), Good Friday (black or barren), and Holy Saturday (barren).
Easter, ironically derived from the name of an Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring, celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. Easter Day occurs between March 22 and April 25, depending upon the phase of the moon. It lasts until Pentecost Sunday. Ascension Thursday occurs forty days after Easter Day and commemorates the ascension of Jesus to heaven in the presence of his Apostles. The color for Easter is white.
Pentecost occurs ten days after Ascension Thursday and commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles. The color of Pentecost is red. Trinity Sunday is the following Sunday and celebrates God as the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. The color of Trinity Sunday is white. All Saints' Day, or All Hallows (Giving us "Hallow"-een) is always on November 1st. It celebrates all the Saints and Martyrs, known and unknown. The color of All Saints' Day is white. The Season after Pentecost extends to Advent. The time in between each of these Holy Days is known as "Ordinary Time". This comes from the root word ordinal meaning "the counted weeks". Green is the color of this Ordinary Time between the Holy Days. |
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St. Mark's Episcopal Church |
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State & Ellis Streets