Seasonal Resources
As the Christian church has done since ancient times, The Episcopal Church follows the annual rhythm of the liturgical year. The liturgical year begins four Sundays before Christmas and includes seven seasons, counting Holy Week. The calendar can be found in the Book of Common Prayer (pgs. 15-33, with instructions on how to determine Easter Sunday on pgs. 880-885).
Each season features its own liturgical color, seen on clergy vestments and altar linens, and includes symbolic rituals and special observances. The Episcopal Church offers resources to help congregations mark these occasions. The Book of Occasional Services, a companion volume to the Book of Common Prayer, includes many seasonal rites and ceremonies.
Below find brief descriptions of the seasons, their colors, and links to churchwide resources.
Advent (purple or royal blue)
Advent, the first season of the year, begins four Sundays before Christmas and continues through Dec. 24. Advent is considered a time of preparation, hope, and expectation, as the church awaits both Christ’s earthly birth as the baby born in Bethlehem and his final coming “in power and glory,” as we confess in reciting the Nicene Creed. The Book of Occasional Services offers an Advent Festival of Lessons and Carols, a Las Posadas liturgy of hospitality, and more. Find artwork, customizable videos, and other churchwide offerings below.
Christmas (white on Christmas Day)
The Christmas season starts on Dec. 25 and lasts for 12 days, through Jan. 5. In many churches, the main liturgical celebration of Christmas takes place on Christmas Eve. The Book of Occasional Services offers a Christmas Festival of Lessons and Music and seasonal blessings, among other resources. Find more churchwide Christmas resources below.
Epiphany (green)
The season of Epiphany, which begins Jan. 6 with a celebration of the Magi’s visit to the holy family, focuses on revelations (“epiphanies”) of Jesus’ divinity during his time on Earth, including his baptism and first recorded miracle at a wedding in Cana. Many congregations hold baptisms on the first Sunday in Epiphany. The season, lasting four to nine weeks depending on the date of Easter, continues until the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.
Lent (purple/violet or unbleached linen; red or oxblood during Holy Week)
Known as a season of self-examination, fasting, and repentance, Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and extends for 40 days (excluding Sundays), ending with the first worship service marking the three-day period before Easter known as the Triduum: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. The Book of Occasional Services offers Stations of the Cross observances, as well as forms for Triduum services. Find links to other churchwide Lenten resources below.
Easter (white on Easter Day; red on Pentecost Sunday)
The Easter season—which begins sometime between March 22 and April 25 (see the Book of Common Prayer, pgs. 880-885)—celebrates Jesus’ resurrection after his crucifixion. The season begins with the Great Vigil of Easter on Easter Eve and continues for 50 days, ending with Pentecost Sunday. Pentecost commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit on Jesus’ followers in Jerusalem, as recounted in Acts 2, an event often understood as the birth of the church. Baptisms, as well as confirmations, receptions, and reaffirmations, are frequently celebrated during the Great Vigil and on Pentecost.
Season after Pentecost (green)
The season after Pentecost, the longest season of the liturgical year, begins on the Monday after Pentecost. Depending on the date of Easter, the season starts between mid-May and mid-June and continues through summer and autumn, ending the day before Advent begins.
