List of movable Western Christian observances

Updated on Oct 21, 2023

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This is a list of movable observances within Western Christianity. It includes secular observances which are calculated by religious observances.

This list does not necessarily imply either official status nor general observance.

Holy Week

Palm Sunday – March 20

World Youth Day (Roman Catholic), celebrated on Palm Sunday

Holy Monday – March 21

Holy Tuesday – March 22

Holy Wednesday – March 23

Maundy Thursday/Lent ends – March 24

Good Friday/Friday of Sorrows – March 25

Holy Saturday – March 26

Święconka, Polish regional variant of Holy Saturday

Easter Week

Lieldienas – March 27

Easter – March 27 (Eastertide begins)

Aberri Eguna (Basque)

Easter Monday, – March 28

Family Day (South Africa)

Śmigus-Dyngus, regional variant of Easter Monday (Poland, Ukraine)

Easter Tuesday, – March 29 Public holiday in Tasmania.

Easter Wednesday – March 30

Saint Gregory's Day – March 30 (Żejtun, Malta)

Easter Friday – April 1

Easter Saturday – April 2

Post-Easter

Divine Mercy Sunday – April 3 (Second Sunday after Easter)

Jubilate Sunday – April 10 (Third Sunday after Easter)

Hocktide – April 11-12 (England) (the Monday and Tuesday in the week following the second Tuesday after Easter)

Earth Day Sunday – April 17 (some Protestant denominations) (Sunday before Earth Day)

Good Shepherd Sunday – April 17 (Fourth Sunday after Easter)

Store Bededag – April 22 (Fourth Friday after Easter in Denmark)

Cantate Sunday – April 24

Minor Rogation days - May 2-4

Feast of the Ascension – May 5

Father's Day (Germany)

Festa della Sensa (Venice)

Global Day of Prayer

Sheep Festival (Cameroon)

Pentecost – May 15 (Eastertide)

Whitsun – May 15

Whit Monday – May 16

Azores Day (Portugal)

Whit Tuesday – May 17

Feast of Christ the Priest – May 19

Feast of the Crown of Thorns – May 20

Whit Friday (North West England)

Trinity Sunday – May 22

Corpus Christi (feast) – May 26

Lajkonik (Kraków, Poland) – June 2

Feast of the Sacred Heart – June 3.

Petertide (Anglican) – June 26 (Sunday nearest to June 29)

Sea Sunday – July 10 (second Sunday in July)

World Youth Day (Roman Catholicism) July 25–31

Reek Sunday (Ireland) – July 31 (last Sunday in July)

Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels: September 2 (Roman Catholic Church, October 2 in most locations, first Sunday in September by special dispensation)

Jeûne genevois Geneva, Switzerland: September 8 (Thursday following the first Sunday of September)

Feast of Sts Cosmas and Damian (Italian-American) – September 10–11 (weekend after Labor Day)

Racial Justice Sunday (British Churches) – September 11 (second Sunday of September)

Federal Day of Thanksgiving, Repentance and Prayer (Switzerland) - September 18 (third Sunday of September)

Lundi du Jeûne: (Vaud, Switzerland) - September 19 (Monday after third Sunday)

Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem - October 2 (First Sunday in October, Pentecostal Christians)

World Communion Sunday - October 2 (First Sunday in October)

White Sunday - October 9 (Second Sunday in October, Tonga and Samoa

World Mission Sunday – October 23 (Second to last Sunday of October)

All Saint's Day November 5 (Saturday between October 31-November 6 Finland and Sweden only)

Volkstrauertag – November 13 (Germany, second Sunday before Advent)

Buß- und Bettag – November 16 (Germany, Second Wednesday before the First Advent)

Feast of Christ the King – November 20 (Sunday before the first Sunday of Advent/ 28 days before the fourth Sunday of advent)

Totensonntag – November 20 (Mainly Lutheran) (Sunday before the first Sunday of Advent)

Stir-up Sunday (Anglican Church) – November 20 (Sunday before the first Sunday of Advent)

Advent Sunday: Start of Advent – November 27 (Fourth Sunday before Christmas Day)

Gospel Day: December 2 (Marshall Islands, first Friday in December)

Chalica (Unitarian Universalism) – December 5–12

Detinjci (Serbia) – December 11 (Sunday two weeks before Christmas Day)

Gaudete Sunday – December 11 (Third cardinal of Advent)

Blue Christmas – December 21 (date of Winter Solstice)

Chewidden Thursday (Cornwall) December 22 (Thursday of the last full week before Christmas)

National Regifting Day (secular, United States) December 22 (Last Thursday before Christmas)

Black Friday (partying) (secular, United Kingdom) – December 23 (Last Friday before Christmas)

Super Saturday (secular, United States) – December 24 (Last Saturday before Christmas)

Feast of the Holy Family – December 30 (Sunday after Christmas, or on the 30th if Christmas falls on a Sunday)

January

Christmas Sunday – January 1, 2017 (Sunday after Christmas)

Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus – (Roman Catholic Church, removed post-1969, still celebrated by some denominations) – January 2 (celebrated on Sunday between January 2 and 5, and celebrated on January 2nd when no Sunday exists in that time.)

Baptism of the Lord – (Roman Catholic, Anglicanism Lutheran, ) – January 8 (Sunday after January 6)

Plough Sunday – (secular, England) – January 8 (Sunday after January 6)

Baptism of the Lord – (Roman Catholic) – January 9 (Monday after January 6 in countries where Epiphany is celebrated on January 7 or 8.

Plough Monday – (secular, England) – January 9

Sinulog – (Philippines, Roman Catholic) January 15 (third Sunday in January)

February

Septuagesima – February 12

Sexagesima – February 19

Fat Thursday – February 23

Festum Ovorum (University of Oxford) – February 25 (Saturday before Ash Wednesday)

Quinquagesima – February 26 (Sunday before Ash Wednesday)

Shrove Monday – February 27

Fastelavn (Denmark/Norway)

Nickanan Night (Cornwall)

Rosenmontag (Germany)

Shrove Tuesday - February 28

Fastnacht (Pennsylvania Dutch)

Feast of the Holy Winding Sheet of Christ

Fettisdagen (Sweden)

Laskiainen (Finland, Finnish-Americans)

Mardi Gras

National Pancake Day (Netherlands)

Powder Day (Tolox, Spain)

Užgavėnės (Lithuania)

March

Ash Wednesday/Lent begins - March 1

National No Smoking Day (Ireland)

People's Sunday (Żabbar, Malta) - March 5

Quadragesima Sunday - March 5

Laetare Sunday/Mothering Sunday - March 26

Pretzel Sunday (Luxembourg) - March 26

April

Passion Sunday (5th Sunday of Lent): April 2 (no longer officially celebrated by Roman Catholic church, still celebrated by other denominations)

References

List of movable Western Christian observances Wikipedia

(Text) CC BY-SA

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