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Answer
Human beings live their lives in cycles. There are seasons, years, and celebrations that mark the way. In the Old Testament, God ordained feasts that Israel was to observe each year to commemorate and reenact spiritual truth. In secular American culture, there are holidays and other special days scattered throughout the year that provide some structure to our lives: Presidents’ Day, Valentine’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, Father’s Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Halloween, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day. Additionally, there are other special days such as birthdays and anniversaries, along with significant cultural events that are not official holidays: Super Bowl Sunday, March Madness, spring break, summer vacations, elections, and “Black Friday.” Our lives revolve around regular events and celebrations. This helps establish order in our lives, and the events we commemorate reflect our values.
The Christian calendar is an annual schedule that honors specific days and seasons to help us recall the significant acts of God in the history of redemption. Some churches assign a particular passage of Scripture and/or event or person in church history to each day of the year. Some church members base their personal devotions on the liturgical calendar for each day of the year. The liturgical calendar was created at a time when people did not have access to all the devotional materials available today. Nowadays, many Christians follow a daily devotional with Scripture readings and meditations for each day, achieving much of what the liturgical calendar originally aimed for.
The Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Church, the Episcopal Church, the Lutheran Church, the Methodist Church, and many Presbyterian churches utilize a liturgical calendar. Non-liturgical churches (Baptist and other evangelical denominations) typically do not follow a set liturgical calendar but may still observe key Christian holidays and seasons in their worship services.
Angelical churches do not emphasize the Christian calendar as much. However, interest in the liturgical calendar appears to be increasing among non-liturgical Christians as a tool for personal devotion or to realign focus on the true significance of holidays like Easter and Christmas, which are often overshadowed by secular commercialization.
Below is a summary of the major days/seasons on the Christian liturgical calendar:
Advent: Advent simply means “coming.” On the liturgical calendar, Advent is the period leading up to Christmas dedicated to preparing our hearts for the celebration of Jesus’ arrival and recalling His promise to return. Advent commences on the fourth Sunday before Christmas (which falls between November 30 and December 3) and concludes on December 24. An Advent wreath with five candles is commonly used, lighting one candle each Sunday and the fifth, the Christ Candle, on December 24. Advent calendars and devotionals, offering daily reflections on various aspects of Christ’s coming, are also popular.
Christmas: In the West, Christmas is the most significant cultural holiday of the year, largely influenced by commercialization and secular observance. For Christians, Christmas is a day to commemorate God’s incarnation as a baby to live a sinless life and die for our sins as the ultimate sacrifice. While the exact date of Jesus’ birth is unknown, the crucial point is that He was born, Immanuel, God with us. In the West, Christmas is observed on December 25, whereas Eastern churches celebrate it on January 7—this difference stems from variations between the Julian and Gregorian calendars. According to the Western Christian calendar, the Christmas season begins on December 25 and lasts for twelve days, concluding on January 6, Epiphany.
Epiphany: The term epiphany means “manifestation,” and the feast of Epiphany (or Three Kings’ Day) commemorates the revelation of Christ to the Gentiles, symbolized by the visit of the Magi.
Presented by the Magi. As recorded in Matthew 2, the Magi did not come to the manger but to a house (verse 11) where the holy family was staying. According to tradition, the Magi showed up on “the twelfth day of Christmas,” or twelve days after Jesus’ birth.
Ash Wednesday: Ash Wednesday is the official beginning of the Lenten season and is commemorated by fasting, repentance, and prayer. (For many who are simply looking for a reason to live with abandon and essentially pervert the meaning of repentance, Ash Wednesday is preceded by Fat Tuesday, also called Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras, which concludes a time of debauchery—a final “celebration” of sinful, fleshly desires before they have to start “being good” on Ash Wednesday. The excesses of Mardi Gras and Carnival guarantee that a person has sins to repent of on Ash Wednesday.) The “Ash” in Ash Wednesday refers to the ashes obtained from burning the palm branches of the previous year’s Palm Sunday celebration. These ashes are placed on the forehead of the penitent upon his or her confession of sin.
Lent: Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and lasts for the forty days leading up to Easter (Sundays are not counted in the forty days). Lent is a time of repentance, prayer, and fasting in preparation for Easter observances. Many traditions emphasize giving up some item of pleasure for Lent. Catholics, for example, emphasize giving up red meat, and that’s why many fast-food restaurants start advertising their fish sandwiches during Lent. The purpose of Lent is to provide a solemn time of reflection and evaluation.
Palm Sunday: The Sunday before Easter is Palm Sunday, the start of what is often called Holy Week in the Christian calendar. Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem as He rode a donkey and as the crowd waved palm branches to welcome Him «took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord. », (John 12:13).
Good Friday: Good Friday commemorates the day when Jesus was crucified and is commonly observed in many evangelical churches through a Good Friday service. Good Friday follows Maundy Thursday, named after the mandate Jesus gave His disciples to love one another: “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”, (John 13:34)—the Latin term for “mandate” was mandatum, from which the word Maundy originated. Following Jesus’ arrest and unjust trials before the Sanhedrin, Pilate, and Herod, He was ultimately sentenced to crucifixion by Pilate. This most heinous act is remembered on “Good” Friday because it was Jesus’ sacrificial act that secured our salvation. It was the greatest good ever done for humanity.
Holy Saturday: Holy Saturday, the day before Easter, commemorates Christ’s repose in the tomb and His “Harrowing of Hell,” the descent into hell to free its captives (an event with questionable biblical support). Holy Saturday is also known as Great Sabbath, Black Saturday, Joyous Saturday, Saturday of Light, and Easter Eve.
Easter Sunday: Easter celebrates Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. Due to Easter’s pagan associations, many evangelical churches are increasingly referring to this day as Resurrection Sunday. It is a time of joyful celebration in churches. While Easter Sunday is an annual special celebration, Christian worship traditionally takes place on Sundays because Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week. The resurrection of Christ is so significant that it is commemorated weekly, not just annually, and naturally, the implications of the resurrection should be paramount.Every day.
Pentecost Sunday: Pentecost is observed fifty days (hence, pente) after Easter and commemorates the arrival of the Holy Spirit as described in Acts 2.
Trinity Sunday: Trinity Sunday on the Christian calendar falls on the first Sunday after Pentecost and is celebrated in honor of the Trinity. In a way, Trinity Sunday marks the conclusion of the significant events in the liturgical calendar. The Christian calendar commences with Advent—the arrival of the Son—and concludes with Pentecost—the arrival of the Spirit. Therefore, the complete Trinity is now revealed.
The Christian calendar includes numerous special days, yet the observance of these days is not mandated in Scripture. Christians are instructed to gather regularly and partake in communion as a remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins. Apart from that, no specific days are obligatory. Historically, some Christian factions have rejected the celebration of holidays because they believed they were easily influenced by the secular world. Other Christians have shown more interest in observing the feasts of Israel and recognizing their fulfillment in Christ. Ultimately, the teachings of Paul in Scripture should guide our observances: “One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat, eats to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains, abstains to the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living” (Romans 14:5-9).
