The previous post provided an overview of the Church Year’s origins and why Christians have observed its seasons since the Fourth Century AD. Observing these times offers believers a holy way to mark time and celebrate God’s works in history.

We observe the Church Year seasons because our faith is rooted in history, not myth. It’s centered on Christ’s birth, life, death, resurrection, ascension, and return. By marking these events annually, we show their importance in shaping our daily lives. The Christ Event gives our lives order and structure. This is the essence of living the Christian Year.

Walk Through the Seasons

For those not familiar with the Christian Year, a brief overview of the seasons may be helpful.

Advent (4 Sundays Prior to Christmas)

A new Church Year (or Christian Year, or Liturgical Year) begins with the First Sunday of Advent. This is always the Sunday nearest to November 30. Advent is always the four Sundays (and all the days in between) before Christmas. The Advent season is not the Christmas season. Christmas is celebratory: Advent is preparatory.

Advent puts us in the shoes of God’s people from long ago, waiting and longing for the Messiah’s birth. It also makes us look forward to Christ’s Second Coming. Advent is different from Christmas, just as Lent is from Easter. Advent has its own hymns, scripture readings, and colors (purple or blue). Unlike Christmas, in Advent we focus on longing and expectation rather than joy and celebration.

Christmas (12 Days: Sundown on December 24 through January 5)

December 24 is the last day of Advent. At sundown on December 24, a new season of the Church Year begins: the season of Christmas. That’s right, by December 25, the Christmas Season has scarcely begun.  December 26 is not the day to take down the Tree: it’s not the “day after Christmas.” December 26th is the Second Day of Christmas.

The Christmas Season is a 12-day celebration, from December 25 through January 5. Christmas carols, Christmas decorations, Christmas parties, Christmas food, Christmas presents, etc., are appropriate for the entire Twelve Days of Christmas, not just for the First Day of Christmas (December 25). Each of us gets one day per year for a birthday:  doesn’t Jesus deserve more than one day?

American Thanksgiving does not relate to the timing of the Christmas season in any way. Thanksgiving is a U.S. civil holiday declared a national holiday during Abraham Lincoln’s time. The idea that the day after Thanksgiving begins the Christmas Season started in the 1920s by retailers like Macy’s to encourage early shopping. In Christian tradition, the Christmas Season starts on Christmas Eve. The liturgical color for Christmas is white.

Epiphany (January 6)

January 6 was celebrated in the East as the Feast of the Nativity and later in the West as the arrival of the Magi or Wise Men. According to Matthew 2, the Magi did not come the night Jesus was born but about two years later. Matthew’s account says they arrived at the house where Mary and Joseph were living, not at a stable. (Jesus did not live in a barn for two years.)

Celebrating the Twelve Days of Christmas and Epiphany helps us remember Gospel events and highlight the Light of Christ spreading worldwide. In Louisiana and the Gulf Coast, Epiphany marks the first day to eat King Cake, a ring-shaped dessert decorated like a crown to honor the “Three Kings.” King Cake festivities last until Lent begins. The color for Epiphany and the Sunday after is white, with the following Sundays in green.

Lent (40 Days, from Ash Wednesday through Holy Saturday)

Lent is a 40-day period of preparation for Easter, marking the 40 days Jesus fasted in the wilderness. It starts on Ash Wednesday with the imposition of ashes as a sign of repentance with ashes, a symbol that goes back to the Old Testament.

Now, if you count the days from Ash Wednesday to Easter, you’ll see that Lent is 46 days, not 40. This is because Sundays aren’t counted! Every Sunday is a feast day, celebrating the resurrection of Christ, so Sunday is never a fast day. Lent is a penitential season, but the Sundays in Lent are feast days like all other Sundays. That’s why we call them Sundays “in” Lent, not Sundays “of” Lent. They fall within Lent but don’t belong to it. The color for Lent is purple.

Holy Week (Palm Sunday through Holy Saturday)

Holy Week, though part of Lent, stands out due to its significant events starting with Christ’s entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. It includes Maundy Thursday, when Christ instituted the Lord’s Supper, washed his disciples’ feet, prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, was betrayed by Judas, and went on trial.

Holy Week concludes with Good Friday (the day of the Crucifixion) and Holy Saturday (when Christ’s body was in the tomb). Traditionally, the color for Holy Week is red or crimson (oxblood), but many churches now use Lenten purple. On Good Friday and Holy Saturday, there are no colors–all decorations are removed from the church after the Maundy Thursday service.

Easter (50 Days: Easter Sunday through Pentecost)

Easter is known as “the queen of seasons” in one of the oldest and most beloved hymns. It was the first and most important feast day in the ancient church. Appropriately, it is the longest celebratory season in the Church Year. While Christmas lasts twelve days (December 25 – January 5), Easter lasts fifty days: from Easter Sunday to the Day of Pentecost.

Just like Christmas carols are meant for all Twelve Days of Christmas, Easter hymns are perfect for the entire Great Fifty Days. Unfortunately, many Christians only sing about Christ’s Resurrection on Easter Sunday. Easter, like Christmas, lasts for more than one day.

Ascension Day is forty days into the Easter season, marking when Christ ascended into heaven. Easter’s color is white, also used for Christmas, Epiphany, and other joyful Church events.

Pentecost (The Fiftieth Day)

Fifty days after the Resurrection, the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles. They preached to the crowds in Jerusalem for Shavuot, also called the Feast of Weeks, known in Greek as Pentecost (meaning “fifty days” or “the fiftieth day”). Over 3,000 people were converted and baptized. Since then, Christians celebrate Pentecost as the church’s “birthday.”

Pentecost’s color is red, symbolizing the Holy Spirit’s fire. The Sunday after Pentecost is Trinity Sunday, the only Sunday celebrating a doctrine instead of an event. The season after Pentecost is for reflection, much like the Sundays after Epiphany, lasting through summer and fall.

The last Sunday of the Church Year is Reign of Christ (or Christ the King) Sunday, celebrating Christ’s rule from his heavenly throne. After Reign of Christ, a brand-new Church Year starts with the First Sunday of Advent, and the cycle begins again.

An Ancient Rhythm that Continues to Guide Us Today

This rhythm of life has influenced generations of Christians. Over 1700 years of Christian wisdom and experience show this rhythm benefits our spiritual health far than the typical “holy days” of today: Labor Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day–the so-called “Hallmark holidays.” These are fine as civil observances, but they do not speak to Christ’s redemptive work in his life, death, and resurrection.

When we gather for worship, we come together as citizens of God’s kingdom, not of any earthly nation. God’s kingdom goes beyond nationality, race, gender, and any other divisions we create. Our worship should reflect this inclusiveness. We should never exclude anyone based on nationality or any other human-made barriers. Our worship should welcome all of God’s people from every nation, language, and tribe. Celebrating the church’s Holy Days instead of civil observances in worship is an excellent way to achieve this.

For more details on the Church Year, check out our Book of Common Worship. It explains each season of the Church Year and how they are celebrated in the Presbyterian Church.