The liturgical year is the Church’s way of living the whole mystery of Christ, from his coming at Christmas to his Resurrection, Ascension and sending of the Spirit, over the course of one year. It begins on the First Sunday of Advent and ends with the Solemnity of Christ the King. “In the course of the year the Church unfolds the whole mystery of Christ” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 102), so that the faithful may enter into it and be filled with its grace.
Below are the seasons of the liturgical year and what each means, why the year is built around Easter and Sunday, the cycles of readings, and simple ways to live the liturgical year at home. For specific dates, see the liturgical calendar 2026–2027.
The seasons of the liturgical year
| Season | Length | Color | What we celebrate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advent | Four Sundays before Christmas | Violet (rose on the third Sunday) | Waiting for Christ’s coming, at Christmas and at the end of time |
| Christmas | Christmas to the Baptism of the Lord | White | The Incarnation: God made man |
| Ordinary Time (I) | From the Baptism of the Lord to Ash Wednesday | Green | Christ’s public life and teaching |
| Lent | Ash Wednesday to Holy Thursday | Violet (rose on the fourth Sunday) | Conversion, penance, preparation for Easter |
| Easter Triduum | Holy Thursday evening to Easter Sunday evening | White, red, white | The Passion, death and Resurrection of the Lord |
| Easter | Fifty days, Easter Sunday to Pentecost | White (red at Pentecost) | The risen Christ and the gift of the Spirit |
| Ordinary Time (II) | From Pentecost to Christ the King | Green | Growing in the life of Christ and the Church |
See liturgical colors for the meaning of each color.
Easter, the heart of the year
The whole year revolves around the Easter Triduum, “the culmination of the entire liturgical year” (Universal Norms on the Liturgical Year, 18). Lent prepares for it, the fifty days of Easter prolong it, and every Sunday is a “little Easter,” the weekly celebration of the Resurrection (Catechism 1166–1167). See Easter 2027 and Holy Week.
Why the year begins in Advent
The liturgical year does not begin on January 1 but on the First Sunday of Advent (in 2026, November 29), because it starts with the expectation of Christ’s coming. It ends with the Solemnity of Christ the King, when the Church contemplates Christ’s final coming in glory. See Advent 2026 and Christ the King Sunday.
The sanctoral cycle: feasts of Mary and the saints
Alongside the seasons, the Church celebrates the Blessed Virgin Mary and the saints on fixed dates: solemnities such as the Immaculate Conception and All Saints, feasts of the apostles, and memorials of hundreds of saints. Find today’s celebration on the saint of the day page.
The cycles of readings
| Cycle | For | 2026–2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday Year A, B or C | Sunday Mass: Matthew (A), Mark (B), Luke (C); John is read especially in Lent and Easter | Year B (Mark), from November 29, 2026 |
| Weekday Year I or II | First reading on weekdays in Ordinary Time | Year I (odd-numbered years) |
| Four-week psalter | The Liturgy of the Hours | Begins at Week I in each season |
Over three years, Catholics who attend Sunday Mass hear most of the Bible’s key passages. See the Liturgy of the Hours and the order of the Mass.
How to live the liturgical year at home
- Advent: an Advent wreath and the O Antiphons.
- Christmas: keep celebrating for the whole season, through the Epiphany house blessing.
- Lent: prayer, fasting and almsgiving; Stations of the Cross on Fridays. See Lent 2027.
- Easter: fifty days of feasting, the Regina Caeli and the novena to the Holy Spirit before Pentecost.
- Ordinary Time: celebrate the saints’ days of your family’s names, and pray with the Liturgy of the Hours.
- November: pray for the dead, the month of the Holy Souls. See All Souls’ Day.
Frequently asked questions
When does the liturgical year start?
On the First Sunday of Advent: November 29, 2026, and November 28, 2027.
What is the longest season of the liturgical year?
Ordinary Time, which lasts 33 or 34 weeks, in two parts.
What liturgical year are we in?
From Advent 2026 the Sunday readings follow Year B (the Gospel of Mark), and the weekday readings in Ordinary Time follow Year I.
More liturgy guides
- Sunday Mass readings 2026–2027
- Trinity Sunday
- Prayers of the Faithful for Christ the King
- The responsorial psalm
- Liturgical calendar 2026–2027
- Liturgical colors
- Ordinary Time
- Holy days of obligation
- Saint of the day
Sources
- Second Vatican Council, Sacrosanctum Concilium (1963), chapter V, nos. 102–111.
- Universal Norms on the Liturgical Year and the General Roman Calendar (1969), nos. 18–44.
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1166–1171.