The Orthodox Church calendar for 2026: the twelve great feasts and important dates

In 2026, Orthodox believers will celebrate the full cycle of the twelve great feasts, great Lent, continuous weeks and memorial days, as well as key celebrations in honor of the Mother of God and the great saints. Special attention is drawn to the passing holidays — Easter, Trinity, Epiphany and Ascension, which play a central role in the church calendar. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.

The twentieth holidays of 2026 — a complete list with dates

In the church tradition, the twelve days are several major holidays dedicated to key events in the life of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, which are celebrated with constant theological significance. In 2026, among the non—recurring twelve—day holidays, the following dates occur: January 7 — Christmas; January 19 — Epiphany; February 15 — Presentation of the Lord; April 7 — Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos; August 19 — Transfiguration of the Lord; Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos — August 28; Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos - September 21; Exaltation of the Holy Cross - September 27; The entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the temple — December 4.

The upcoming twelve—day holidays of 2026 include: April 5 — Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday); May 21 — Ascension of the Lord; May 31 - Holy Trinity Day.

Knowing these dates is important for believers, since the twelve-day feasts are accompanied by liturgical services, church-wide veneration, and in some cases, a holiday weekend.

Great Lent, continuous weeks and memorial days in 2026

Among the fasts and special periods of the 2026 church calendar, Lent stands out first of all, which in 2026 begins on February 23 and lasts until April 11 inclusive.

There are preparatory weeks before Lent, including the so—called continuous weeks, periods when fast days on Wednesday and Friday are canceled and a certain liturgical bias is observed.

In 2026, these include, for example, the week from February 2 to February 8 and the week from February 16 to February 22. In addition to Great Lent, the calendar records other multi-day abstinences: for example, in 2026, the Apostolic (Peter's) fast and the Dormition Fast are also established.

Memorial (parental) days dedicated to the memory of the deceased are also celebrated before Great Lent, this is Myasopustnaya Saturday, then Radonitsa (Tuesday after Easter) and Trinity Parental Saturday (on the eve of Trinity).

For 2026, the dates have been published: Universal Parental Myasopustnaya Saturday — February 14 and Trinity Universal Parental Saturday — May 30.

Feasts in honor of the Virgin and great saints

The 2026 calendar celebrates a number of significant holidays dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, as well as great saints whose memory is revered by the church. Thus, the feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary falls on April 7. Another date is September 21— the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin, and August 28— the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin.

Among the holy great martyrs and the holy righteous, a special place is occupied, for example, by the day of remembrance of the martyrs for the faith, equal-to-the-apostles saints. In 2026, on April 17, the feast of the Icon of the Mother of God "Life-giving Spring" is celebrated.

These holidays are not only liturgically revered, but also play a role in the spiritual and cultural life of believers: they become an occasion for public worship, charity, intense prayer and church traditions passed down from generation to generation.