The Liturgical Year: Seasons, Feasts and Colours according to the 1962 Calendar
From the First Sunday of Advent to the Last Sunday after Pentecost: the seasons of the liturgical year according to the 1962 calendar, with the moveable feasts of 2027, Ember Days, classes of feasts and liturgical colours.
The Church begins her year with the First Sunday of Advent, in 2026 on 29 November. The liturgical year does not follow the civil calendar but the life of our Lord Jesus Christ: from the expectation of his coming, through his birth, Passion and Resurrection, to the sending of the Holy Ghost. This guide explains the Catholic liturgical year according to the 1962 calendar, as used by the Traditional Latin Mass. Here you will find its seasons, the moveable feasts with their dates for 2027, the Ember Days, the ranking of feasts and the liturgical colours.
- The liturgical year is the yearly order in which the Church celebrates, in Holy Mass and in the Breviary, the mysteries of the life of Christ and the feasts of the Saints.
- It begins with the First Sunday of Advent, the Sunday falling on or nearest to 30 November, and ends on the Saturday before the next First Sunday of Advent. In 2026 it begins on 29 November.
- The 1960 rubrics know six seasons: Advent, Christmastide, Septuagesima, Lent with Passiontide, Eastertide and the time after Epiphany and after Pentecost.
- Easter determines all the moveable feasts. In 2027 Easter falls on 28 March, Septuagesima on 24 January and Pentecost on 16 May.
- The Roman Church uses five liturgical colours: white, red, green, violet and black; on two Sundays rose is permitted.
What is the liturgical year?
The liturgical year is the order in which the Church celebrates each year, in Holy Mass and in the Breviary, the mysteries of the life of Christ, from the expectation of his coming to the sending of the Holy Ghost. Between them stand the feasts of Our Lady, of the Angels and of the Saints.
Pope Pius XII explained the liturgical year at length in 1947 in the encyclical Mediator Dei. According to it, the Mass and the Breviary revolve throughout the year around the person of Jesus Christ, around the mysteries of his humiliation, his redemption and his triumph. The feasts of the Saints are subordinate to these mysteries; they hold up models in whose virtues the splendour of Christ shines forth.
The celebration goes on day by day. Under the 1960 rubrics a liturgical day runs from midnight to midnight, and on every day the Church celebrates either a Sunday, a weekday (in Latin feria), a vigil, a feast or a day within an octave (Rubricae generales, nos. 4 and 6).
“The liturgical year, devotedly fostered and accompanied by the Church, is not a cold and lifeless representation of the events of the past (…). It is rather Christ Himself who is ever living in His Church.”
Pius XII, Mediator Dei, 20 November 1947, no. 165: Sed potius est Christus ipse, qui in sua Ecclesia perseveratWhen does the liturgical year begin?
The Catholic liturgical year begins with the First Sunday of Advent. Under the 1960 rubrics this is the Sunday that falls on 30 November or lies nearest to that day. In 2026 it is 29 November, in 2027 it is 28 November.
This is laid down in the Rubricae generales of the 1962 Missal (no. 20). The year ends with the Saturday before the First Sunday of Advent; the time after Pentecost lasts until then (no. 77). On the Last Sunday after Pentecost the Church always takes the Mass of the 24th Sunday, with the Gospel of the abomination of desolation and the end of time (Mt 24:15–35). The First Sunday of Advent takes up the theme: its Gospel foretells signs in the sun, the moon and the stars (Lk 21:25–33).
Between the two ends lies a small peculiarity. Sundays after Epiphany that are omitted because of an early Septuagesima are made up in the autumn after the 23rd Sunday after Pentecost (no. 18).
Excita, quaesumus, Domine, potentiam tuam, et veni: ut ab imminentibus peccatorum nostrorum periculis, te mereamur protegente eripi, te liberante salvari: Qui vivis et regnas cum Deo Patre in unitate Spiritus Sancti, Deus: per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.
Stir up Thy might, we beseech Thee, O Lord, and come: that from the threatening dangers of our sins we may deserve to be rescued by Thy protection and saved by Thy deliverance. Who livest and reignest with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.
Collect of the First Sunday of Advent, Missale Romanum 1962, no. 2; our translation from the LatinWhat are the seasons of the liturgical year?
Under the 1960 rubrics the liturgical year has six seasons: Advent, Christmastide, Septuagesima, Lent with Passiontide, Eastertide with the octave of Pentecost, and the time after Epiphany and after Pentecost, in Latin tempus per annum. Each season shapes the texts of the Mass and the colour of the vestments.
| Season | 2026/27 and rule | Colour |
|---|---|---|
| Advent |
29 Nov to 24 Dec 2026 First Sunday of Advent to Christmas Eve |
Violet |
| Christmastide |
25 Dec 2026 to 13 Jan 2027 Christmas to 13 January |
White |
| After Epiphany |
14 Jan to 23 Jan 2027 14 January to the Saturday before Septuagesima |
Green |
| Septuagesima |
24 Jan to 9 Feb 2027 Septuagesima Sunday to the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday |
Violet |
| Lent |
10 Feb to 13 Mar 2027 Ash Wednesday to the Saturday before the First Sunday of the Passion |
Violet |
| Passiontide |
14 Mar to 27 Mar 2027 First Sunday of the Passion to the Easter Vigil |
Violet |
| Eastertide |
27 Mar to 22 May 2027 Easter Vigil to the Saturday within the octave of Pentecost |
White; octave of Pentecost red |
| After Pentecost |
23 May to 27 Nov 2027 Trinity Sunday to the Saturday before Advent |
Green |
Christmastide begins with the First Vespers of Christmas; until 5 January it is called the season of Christmas, and from then until 13 January the season of Epiphany (Rubricae generales, no. 72). The week from Palm Sunday, the Second Sunday of the Passion, to Holy Saturday is called Holy Week; its last three days form the Sacred Triduum (no. 75). Eastertide is divided into the season of Easter, the season of the Ascension and the octave of Pentecost (no. 76). The dates in the table have been calculated for 2026/27 according to these rules.
How is the date of Easter determined?
According to the rule that the Missal traces back to the Council of Nicaea, Easter falls on the Sunday after the 14th day of the first spring moon, whose 14th day falls on 21 March or next follows it. All moveable feasts depend on Easter, from Septuagesima to the feast of the Sacred Heart.
If the 14th day of the moon itself falls on a Sunday, Easter is celebrated a week later. The Missal counts the days according to the Gregorian calendar: in 1582 Pope Gregory XIII had ten days omitted, so that 4 October, the feast of St Francis, was followed directly by 15 October, in order that the spring equinox should again fall on 21 March, where the Council of Nicaea had placed it.
| Moveable feast | 2027 | Distance from Easter |
|---|---|---|
| Septuagesima | 24 Jan | 9 weeks before |
| Ash Wednesday | 10 Feb | 46 days before |
| First Sunday of the Passion | 14 Mar | 2 weeks before |
| Palm Sunday | 21 Mar | 1 week before |
| Easter Sunday | 28 Mar | Reference day |
| Ascension | 6 May | 39 days after |
| Pentecost | 16 May | 7 weeks after |
| Corpus Christi | 27 May | Thursday after Trinity Sunday |
| Sacred Heart | 4 Jun | Friday after the 2nd Sunday after Pentecost |
What are Ember Days?
Ember Days are four groups of days of penance and fasting, each consisting of Wednesday, Friday and Saturday: after the Third Sunday of Advent, after the First Sunday of Lent, in Whit week and after the third Sunday of September. Their Latin name, Quatuor Tempora, means the four seasons.
So the 1962 Missal lays down in its section on the year and its parts. The Ember Days of Advent, Lent and September are weekdays of the second class and take precedence over all feasts of the third class and over particular feasts of the second class (Rubricae generales, nos. 24 and 91); in September the priest wears violet, although the time after Pentecost is otherwise green (no. 128). The Ember Days of Whit week fall within the octave of Pentecost and are days of the first class. The 1917 Code of Canon Law prescribed fasting and abstinence on all Ember Days (can. 1252 § 2).
The next Ember Days: 16, 18 and 19 December 2026; 17, 19 and 20 February 2027; 19, 21 and 22 May 2027; 22, 24 and 25 September 2027.
What do the classes of feasts in the liturgical year mean?
Since the 1960 rubrics every liturgical day belongs to one of four classes. The class decides which celebration takes precedence when two fall on the same day. The first class includes, for example, Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, Christ the King and the Assumption.
Sundays are of the first or second class: the Sundays of Advent, of Lent and Passiontide, Easter, Low Sunday and Pentecost are of the first class, all the others of the second class (nos. 11 and 12). Feasts have classes I to III, weekdays I to IV. Vigils are ranked too: of the first class are the vigils of Christmas and Pentecost, of the second class those of the Ascension, the Assumption, St John the Baptist and Ss Peter and Paul, of the third class the vigil of St Lawrence (nos. 30 to 32). Only Christmas, Easter and Pentecost still have an octave, that is, an eight-day celebration of the feast (no. 64).
What are the liturgical colours?
Under the 1960 rubrics the Roman Church uses five liturgical colours: white, red, green, violet and black. In addition there is rose, which may be worn on the Third Sunday of Advent and the Fourth Sunday of Lent, though only in the Mass and Office of the Sunday.
| Colour | When it is worn |
|---|---|
| White | Christmastide and Eastertide; Maundy Thursday; feasts of our Lord except those of his Passion; feasts of Our Lady, of the Angels, All Saints and of Saints who are not martyrs |
| Red | Vigil and octave of Pentecost; feasts of the Passion of Christ; Apostles (except St John on 27 December) and martyrs; blessing of palms |
| Green | Time after Epiphany from 14 January and time after Pentecost, on days without a feast of their own |
| Violet | Advent; Septuagesima to the Easter Vigil; September Ember Days; vigils of the second and third class outside Eastertide; Rogation processions |
| Rose | Gaudete (Third Sunday of Advent) and Laetare (Fourth Sunday of Lent) |
| Black | Good Friday until Communion; Masses for the dead |
The two rose Sundays take their names from the first word of their Introit: Gaudete in Domino semper, “Rejoice in the Lord always” (Phil 4:4), and Laetare, Ierusalem, “Rejoice, O Jerusalem” (Is 66:10). The rubrics also allow lawful local customs regarding other colours (Rubricae generales, nos. 117 to 132).
Must one keep every feast of the liturgical year?
Under the 1917 Code of Canon Law only Sundays and ten holy days of obligation are binding; on them Holy Mass must be heard and servile work avoided. All the other feasts of the liturgical year are an invitation, for instance to a weekday Mass, to reading the Mass texts or to the Rosary.
Can. 1247 § 1 names the ten holy days of obligation: Christmas, the Circumcision of the Lord on 1 January (in the 1962 Missal the octave day of Christmas), the Epiphany, the Ascension, Corpus Christi, the Immaculate Conception, the Assumption, St Joseph, the Apostles Peter and Paul, and All Saints. Patronal feasts do not fall under the obligation (§ 2). Where one of these feasts has been lawfully abolished or transferred, nothing may be changed without consulting the Apostolic See (§ 3). Your parish priest can tell you which days apply in your diocese. For following the year day by day, a calendar according to the 1962 rubrics is a help, such as our calendars for the liturgical year offer.
In our shop we carry the Berliner Marienkalender from the Marienverlag in Berlin (in German). The 2027 edition has a weekly overview across two pages from January to December and gives for each day all the liturgical information according to the 1962 rubrics: the General Roman Calendar, the particular calendars of the dioceses in the German-speaking countries and in neighbouring countries, and those of several traditional communities. In addition there are the days of fasting and abstinence and a prayer section in German and Latin, including the Rosary, grace at meals and the prayers after Low Mass.
The calendar measures 10 × 14.5 cm and has a flexible cover of bonded leather, an elastic band, a ribbon marker and a fold-out pocket at the back, for holy cards, for instance. The book block is thread-sewn, the paper ivory white at 90 g/m².
Mentioned in this article
Pocket Calendar 2027, Berliner Marienkalender
Every day with its rank, colour and feasts according to the 1962 rubrics, plus fast days and a prayer section (in German).
View the calendar
Mentioned in this article
Lenten Rosary, Violet
Hand-knotted from 8 mm violet beechwood beads, in the colour of Advent and Lent.
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Frequently asked questions about the liturgical year
When does the liturgical year end?
The liturgical year ends on the Saturday before the First Sunday of Advent, in 2026 therefore on 28 November. On the Sunday before, the Church celebrates the Last Sunday after Pentecost with the Gospel of the end of time.
Why is the Sunday called Septuagesima?
Septuagesima is Latin and means “the seventieth”. The three Sundays Septuagesima, Sexagesima and Quinquagesima count down in round tens towards Quadragesima, the forty days of Lent, whose first Sunday is called Dominica I in Quadragesima in the Missal. Under the rubrics Septuagesimatide lasts until the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.
What is the difference between Lent and Passiontide?
Lent and Passiontide together form the forty days before Easter. Lent runs from Ash Wednesday to the Saturday before the First Sunday of the Passion, Passiontide from that Sunday to the Easter Vigil (Rubricae generales, no. 74).
May one marry during Advent and Lent?
According to the 1962 Missal one may marry at any time of the year. From the First Sunday of Advent up to and including Christmas Day, and from Ash Wednesday up to and including Easter Sunday, only the solemn nuptial blessing is forbidden; the local Ordinary, as a rule the bishop, may permit it for a just cause and then admonishes the spouses to restraint in outward display. Suitable devotional articles for Lent can be found among our objects for Lenten meditation.
- Missale Romanum, Editio typica 1962: Rubricae generales nos. 4 to 132 (liturgical day, Sundays, weekdays, vigils, feasts, octaves, seasons of the year, order of precedence, colours); sections De anno et eius partibus, Quatuor Tempora, De nuptiarum celebratione and De festis mobilibus; Proprium de Tempore. Digitised copy on archive.org.
- Pius XII: Encyclical Mediator Dei on the Sacred Liturgy, 20 November 1947, nos. 151 to 170. Latin and English on vatican.va.
- Codex Iuris Canonici of 1917, can. 1247, 1248 and 1252. codex-iuris-canonici.de
- Dates for 2026/27 calculated according to the Easter rule of the Missal. Translations from the Latin by the editors; Bible references according to the Vulgate.
Last checked on 19 October 2026.
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