Christian Calendar 2026–2027
Easter, Lent, Advent and Christmas dates for Western and Orthodox churches, calculated and cross-checked with official holiday lists.
Updated · by ViralScopeHub Team
Christian dates 2026 and 2027
Western churches (Catholic, Protestant) and Orthodox churches that follow the Julian calendar for Easter often celebrate on different dates. Both are shown; the chip tells you which.
2026
| Date | Observance | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Epiphany | Western Visit of the Magi; many churches keep Twelfth Night the evening before. | |
| Orthodox Christmas | Orthodox Churches that keep the Julian calendar (Russia, Serbia, Ethiopia and others) celebrate on January 7. | |
| Theophany (Orthodox) | Orthodox Baptism of Jesus in Julian-calendar churches. | |
| Ash Wednesday | Western First day of Lent. | |
| Orthodox Great Lent begins (Clean Monday) | Orthodox Seven weeks before Pascha. | |
| Palm Sunday | Western Start of Holy Week. | |
| Maundy (Holy) Thursday | Western Last Supper. | |
| Good Friday | Western Crucifixion; a public holiday in Canada and many countries. | |
| Easter Sunday | Western Resurrection. First Sunday after the first full moon on or after March 21. | |
| Orthodox Palm Sunday | Orthodox | |
| Easter Monday | Western A holiday in some Canadian provinces and many countries. | |
| Orthodox Good Friday | Orthodox | |
| Orthodox Easter (Pascha) | Orthodox Julian calendar rule, shown in Gregorian dates. | |
| Ascension Day | Western Forty days after Easter, always a Thursday. | |
| Pentecost (Whitsunday) | Western Fifty days after Easter. | |
| All Saints’ Day | Western | |
| First Sunday of Advent | Western Four Sundays before Christmas; start of the Western church year. | |
| Christmas Eve | Western | |
| Christmas Day | Western Celebrated by most Western churches and many Orthodox churches that use the Revised Julian calendar. |
2027
| Date | Observance | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Epiphany | Western Visit of the Magi; many churches keep Twelfth Night the evening before. | |
| Orthodox Christmas | Orthodox Churches that keep the Julian calendar (Russia, Serbia, Ethiopia and others) celebrate on January 7. | |
| Theophany (Orthodox) | Orthodox Baptism of Jesus in Julian-calendar churches. | |
| Ash Wednesday | Western First day of Lent. | |
| Orthodox Great Lent begins (Clean Monday) | Orthodox Seven weeks before Pascha. | |
| Palm Sunday | Western Start of Holy Week. | |
| Maundy (Holy) Thursday | Western Last Supper. | |
| Good Friday | Western Crucifixion; a public holiday in Canada and many countries. | |
| Easter Sunday | Western Resurrection. First Sunday after the first full moon on or after March 21. | |
| Easter Monday | Western A holiday in some Canadian provinces and many countries. | |
| Orthodox Palm Sunday | Orthodox | |
| Orthodox Good Friday | Orthodox | |
| Orthodox Easter (Pascha) | Orthodox Julian calendar rule, shown in Gregorian dates. | |
| Ascension Day | Western Forty days after Easter, always a Thursday. | |
| Pentecost (Whitsunday) | Western Fifty days after Easter. | |
| All Saints’ Day | Western | |
| First Sunday of Advent | Western Four Sundays before Christmas; start of the Western church year. | |
| Christmas Eve | Western | |
| Christmas Day | Western Celebrated by most Western churches and many Orthodox churches that use the Revised Julian calendar. |
How the date of Easter is set
Easter is a moveable feast. In Western churches it is the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after March 21 (the church’s fixed date for the spring equinox). That makes Easter fall between March 22 and April 25. Lent, Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Ascension and Pentecost are all counted back or forward from Easter.
Orthodox churches use the same rule but with the older Julian calendar, which is 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar today. This puts Orthodox Easter (Pascha) later in most years. In 2026 the two Easters are one week apart (April 5 and April 12), and in 2027 they are five weeks apart (March 28 and May 2).
Christmas is on December 25 in Western churches. Several Orthodox churches (Russia, Serbia, Georgia, Ethiopia and others) keep December 25 on the Julian calendar, which is January 7 in the Gregorian calendar. Other Orthodox churches (Greece, Romania, Bulgaria and others) use the Revised Julian calendar and celebrate on December 25.
Frequently asked questions
When is Easter 2026?
Western Easter is on Sunday, April 5, 2026 and Orthodox Easter (Pascha) is on Sunday, April 12, 2026.
When is Easter 2027?
Western Easter is on Sunday, March 28, 2027 and Orthodox Easter is on Sunday, May 2, 2027.
When does Lent start?
Western Lent begins on Ash Wednesday: Wednesday, February 10, 2027 for 2027 (and Wednesday, February 18, 2026 for 2026).
Why are there two dates for Easter?
Western churches use the Gregorian calendar to find the spring full moon, and many Orthodox churches use the Julian calendar. The two calendars are 13 days apart.
Is there an API for Christian dates?
Easter and the dates that depend on it are exact calculations, so we generate them ourselves and cross-check Good Friday against public holiday data.
Sources and attribution
- Government of India, DoPT: Holiday lists from Government of India DoPT Office Memoranda F.No.12/2/2023-JCA
- Government of Canada: Federal general holidays from Canada.ca (Canada Labour Code)