The Church Year Explained: Seasons, Colours, Dates
Six seasons, from Advent round to Advent. A way of keeping time that tells the story of Christ every year.
The church year, or liturgical year, is the cycle of seasons and feasts by which many Christians keep time: a year that begins at Advent and moves through Christmas, Epiphany, Lent and Easter to the long green season of Ordinary Time. Each season has its own scriptures, prayers and colour, and together they retell the life of Christ every year.
This guide follows the Western calendar kept by Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Methodist and many other churches. Orthodox churches keep a related calendar with different dates.
This church year at a glance
Today it is Ordinary Time, week 24 of 27. The church year runs from 30 Nov 2025 to 28 Nov 2026.
| Season | This year | Colour |
|---|---|---|
| Advent | 30 Nov 2025 to 24 Dec 2025 | Purple or blue |
| Christmas | 25 Dec 2025 to 5 Jan 2026 | White or gold |
| Epiphany | 6 Jan 2026 to 17 Feb 2026 | White, then green |
| Lent | 18 Feb 2026 to 4 Apr 2026 | Purple |
| Eastertide | 5 Apr 2026 to 24 May 2026 | White or gold; red at Pentecost |
| Ordinary Time | 25 May 2026 to 28 Nov 2026 | Green |
The seasons, one by one
Advent
Waiting and preparation for the coming of Christ, at Christmas and at the end of time.
Christmas
The birth of Jesus: twelve days of celebration, from Christmas Day to Epiphany.
Epiphany
Christ made known to the nations: the magi, his baptism, the first signs.
Lent
Forty days of return, prayer and fasting, from Ash Wednesday to Holy Week.
Eastertide
The resurrection, kept for fifty days, ending with the gift of the Spirit at Pentecost.
Ordinary Time
Steady growth in ordinary days, from Pentecost until Advent comes round again.
How the dates are set
Two dates anchor the year. Christmas is fixed on 25 December, so Advent always begins on the fourth Sunday before it. Easter moves: Western churches keep it on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after 21 March, using fixed tables. Ash Wednesday falls 46 days before Easter, and Pentecost 49 days after. Everything else follows from those two points.
Why keep the church year
Keeping the seasons gives faith a rhythm that is not set by the news or the working week. Advent teaches waiting; Lent, return; Easter, joy that lasts longer than a day. Ordinary Time reminds us that most of discipleship happens in unremarkable weeks.
The seasons also make natural points to look back. Many groups review their rule of life at the turn of each season, keeping what helped and letting go of what did not.
How Ordo helps
Ordo follows the church year throughout. The app’s photographs, prompts and readings turn with the season; your Personal tab draws the year as a ring with today marked; and every day you keep is filled in on a grid for the season. When a season closes, you receive a formation letter drawn from your reflections, and past seasons are kept as an archive.
Groups keep their daily rhythm of reflection, scripture and check-in together, season by season. Ordo is in beta on iPhone; join the waitlist to keep this year with a few others.
Questions
When does the church year begin?
On the first Sunday of Advent, the fourth Sunday before Christmas, usually in late November or the first days of December. It ends on the Saturday before the next Advent.
Why does the date of Easter change every year?
Western churches keep Easter on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after 21 March (calculated by a fixed table rather than observation). Lent, Ash Wednesday and Pentecost move with it.
Do all churches use the same colours?
Broadly, but not exactly. Many churches use purple or blue for Advent, white or gold for Christmas and Easter, purple for Lent, red for Pentecost and green for Ordinary Time. Local customs vary.
Is Ordinary Time unimportant?
No. "Ordinary" comes from the counted, ordinal weeks, not from being dull. It is the longest part of the year, given to steady growth in faith through ordinary days.