Details are shown below relating to celebrations and feast honouring the most important Greek Orthodox Saints.
Whilst Saints Days can fall on any day of the week, often we celebrate them at Saints Constantine & Helen Church on the nearest Sunday to the actual day itself. See our forthcoming services calendar for precise details.
As mentioned, many Saints Days remain static throughout the year so they fall on the same day annually, whilst others move.
Details of the most important Saints Days are shown below, whilst the table shows a list of Saints/Name Days based on 2025 dates.
| January | February | March | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01-Jan | Vasilios, Vasiliki | 01-Feb | Trifonas | 01-Mar | Evdokia |
| 06-Jan | Theofanis, Theofania, Iordanis, Ourania | 02-Feb | Ipapadi | 02-Mar | Efthalia |
| 07-Jan | Ioannis, Ioanna, Prodromos | 03-Feb | Simeon | 07-Mar | Evgenios |
| 08-Jan | Domna | 04-Feb | Isidoros | 08-Mar | Woman’s day |
| 11-Jan | Theodosios | 05-Feb | Agathi | 09-Mar | Smaragda |
| 12-Jan | Tatiani | 06-Feb | Fotios | 11-Mar | Theodoros |
| 17-Jan | Antonios, Antonia | 07-Feb | Parthenios | 17-Mar | Alexios, Alexia |
| 18-Jan | Athanasios, Athanasia, Kirillos | 08-Feb | Zacharias | 19-Mar | Chisanthos, Chrisanthi |
| 19-Jan | Makarios | 10-Feb | Xaralabos, Xaralabia, Xariklia | 25-Mar | Evagelos, Evagelia |
| 20-Jan | Efthimios, Efthimia | 11-Feb | Vlassis, Theodora | ||
| 21-Jan | Agni, Maximos, Neofitos | 14-Feb | Valentinos, Valentini | ||
| 22-Jan | Anastasios, Timotheos | 19-Feb | Filothei | ||
| 23-Jan | Agathaggelos | 23-Feb | Polikarpos | ||
| 24-Jan | Xeni | 26-Feb | Fotini | ||
| 25-Jan | Grigorios, Grigoria | 27-Feb | Asklipios | ||
| 26-Jan | Xenofon | ||||
| 27-Jan | Xrisostomos | ||||
| 28-Jan | Palladios | ||||
| 31-Jan | Evdoxia, Xenia | ||||
| April | May | June | |||
| 06-Apr | Eftichios, Eftichia | 01-May | Ieremias | 02-Jun | Nikiforos |
| 09-Apr | Ermis | 05-May | Irini | 04-Jun | Martha |
| 10-Apr | Dimos, Epaminondas, Iraklis, Miltiadis, Periklis, Sofoklis | 07-May | Mother’s day, Magdalini | 05-Jun | Dorotheos, Dorothea, Apollon |
| 15-Apr | Lazaros, Leonidas | 09-May | Isaeas, Xristoforos | 08-Jun | Kalliopi |
| 16-Apr | Vaios, Vaia, Galini | 10-May | Simon | 11-Jun | Vartholomaios, Varnavas |
| 21-Apr | Alexsandra | 11-May | Methodios, Kirillos | 15-Jun | Avgoustinos |
| 22-Apr | Nathanail | 13-May | Glikeria | 16-Jun | Father’s day |
| 23-Apr | Anastasios, Anastasia, Labros, Labrini, Pashalis | 17-May | Andronikos, Iounia | 18-Jun | Agion Pandon day |
| 24-Apr | Georgios, Achileas, Elisavet, Valentini | 18-May | Iulia | 22-Jun | Efsevios |
| 25-Apr | Markos | 20-May | Lidia | 25-Jun | Fevronia |
| 28-Apr | Zoi, Pigi | 21-May | Konstantinos, Konstantina, Eleni | 29-Jun | Petros, Pavlos |
| 29-Apr | Iason | 29-May | Theodosia | 30-Jun | Apostolos |
| 30-Apr | Thomas, Iakovos | ||||
| July | August | September | |||
| 01-Jul | Anargiros, Argirios, Damianos, Kosmas | 06-Aug | Sotiris, Sotiria | 01-Sep | Aspasia, Antigoni, Athina, Marianthi |
| 07-Jul | Kiriaki | 08-Aug | Triantafillos | 01-Sep | Theano, Klio, Kleopatra, Koralia |
| 08-Jul | Theofilos, Prokopios | 10-Aug | Laurentios | 01-Sep | Meletios |
| 11-Jul | Efimia, Olga | 15-Aug | Panagiotis, Panagiota, Maria, Despina | 03-Sep | Anthimos, Fivos |
| 12-Jul | Veroniki | 16-Aug | Alkiviadis, Diomidis, Sarantis, Gerasimos | 04-Sep | Ermioni |
| 14-Jul | Nikodimos | 25-Aug | Titos | 05-Sep | Zacharias |
| 15-Jul | Kirikos, Ioulitta | 26-Aug | Adrianos, Natalia | 07-Sep | Sozon |
| 17-Jul | Marina | 27-Aug | Fanourios, Fanouria | 09-Sep | Ioakim |
| 18-Jul | Aimilios, Aimilia | 29-Aug | Ioannis | 11-Sep | Evanthia |
| 20-Jul | Ilias, Iliana | 30-Aug | Alexandros | 13-Sep | Aristidis, Kornilios |
| 22-Jul | Magdalini, Markella | 14-Sep | Stavros, Stavroula | ||
| 24-Jul | Christina | 15-Sep | Nikitas | ||
| 25-Jul | Olympia | 16-Sep | Efimia | ||
| 26-Jul | Paraskevi | 17-Sep | Sofia, Agapi, Elpida, Pisti | ||
| 27-Jul | Pandeleimonas | 18-Sep | Ariadni | ||
| 30-Jul | Andronikos | 20-Sep | Efstathios, Efstathia | ||
| 23-Sep | Polixeni | ||||
| 24-Sep | Thekla | ||||
| 25-Sep | Efrosini | ||||
| 27-Sep | Zinon | ||||
| 29-Sep | Kiriakos | ||||
| October | November | December | |||
| 02-Oct | Kiprianos | 01-Nov | Anargiros, Argirios, Damianos, Kosmas | 04-Dec | Varvara, Serafim |
| 03-Oct | Dionisios | 05-Nov | Linos | 05-Dec | Savas, Diogenis |
| 04-Oct | Ierotheos | 08-Nov | Agelos,Ageliki, Mihail, Gavriil, Stamatis, Stamatia, Taxiarhis | 06-Dec | Nikolas, Nikoleta |
| 05-Oct | Xaritini | 09-Nov | Nektarios, Nektaria | 09-Dec | Anna |
| 07-Oct | Sergios | 10-Nov | Orestis | 12-Dec | Reveka |
| 08-Oct | Pelagia | 11-Nov | Viktoras, Minas | 12-Dec | Spiridon, Spiridoula |
| 09-Oct | Abraam | 13-Nov | Xrisostomos | 13-Dec | Eustratios, Eustratia, Lukia |
| 10-Oct | Evlabios, Evlabia | 14-Nov | Filippos | 15-Dec | Eleftherios,Eleftheria, Anthi |
| 15-Oct | Loukianos | 16-Nov | Matheos | 17-Dec | Daniil, Dionisios,Dionisia |
| 18-Oct | Lukas | 18-Nov | Platon | 19-Dec | Aglaia |
| 20-Oct | Gerasimos, Artemios | 21-Nov | Maria | 20-Dec | Ignatios |
| 21-Oct | Socrates, Xristodoulos | 22-Nov | Filimon | 21-Dec | Themistoklis |
| 23-Oct | Iakovos | 25-Nov | Ekaterini, Merkourios | 22-Dec | Anastasia |
| 26-Oct | Dimitrios, Dimitra | 26-Nov | Stilianos, Stiliani | 24-Dec | Evgenia |
| 27-Oct | Nestoras | 30-Nov | Andreas,Andriani | 25-Dec | Christos, Chrisa |
| 30-Oct | Zinovia | 26-Dec | Emmanuil | ||
| 27-Dec | Stefanos, Stefania |
Major Feast Days
The ecclesiastical year, which according to Byzantine practice begins on the first of September, is divided between movable and immovable or fixed holy days. The movable holy days are determined by the date of Easter, the most important of all feast days, which is in a class by itself.
The determination of the date of Easter was definitively regulated by the decision of the First Ecumenical Synod, held in Nicaea (325). Next in importance to Easter are the “twelve great feasts,” of which three are movable.
Eight of these feasts are devoted to Christ and four to the Virgin Mary. There are also a number of feast days of varying importance, most of which commemorate the more popular saints.
Click on the links below from the Greek Orthodox Diocese of America for more details of the major Church feasts.
The Archdiocese’s website provides a rich vein of information. Please consider a donation to them if you visit their site.
- January 6: The Feast of Epiphany
- February 2: The Presentation of Christ
- March 25: The Annunciation
- Great Lent, Triodion, and Pentecostarion Seasons
- Palm Sunday
- Great and Holy Pascha
- The Ascension of Christ
- Holy Pentecost
- August 6: The Transfiguration of Christ
- August 15: The Dormition of the Theotokos
- September 8: The Nativity of the Theotokos
- September 14: The Exaltation of the Cross
- November 21: The Entrance Into the Temple of the Theotokos
- December 25: The Nativity of Christ
Our Lord Jesus Christ
As well as Christmas & Easter, the Son of God is celebrated throughout the year.
January 6: The Feast of Epiphany
“And when Jesus had been baptised, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’” (Matthew 3:13-17)
February 2: The Presentation of Christ
This feast, celebrated on February 2, is known in the Orthodox Church as The Presentation of Christ in the Temple. Another name for the feast is The Meeting of our Lord. Roman Catholic and Protestant Christians call the feast, The Purification of the Holy Virgin.
About 450 AD in Jerusalem, people began the custom of holding lighted candles during the Divine Liturgy of this feast day. Therefore, some churches in the West refer to this holy day as Candlemas. The Feast of the Presentation concludes the observances related to the Nativity of Christ, a period that opened on November 15 with the beginning of the Nativity fast.
The Feast of the Ascension of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ is celebrated each year on the fortieth day after the Great and Holy Feast of Pascha (Easter). Since the date of Pascha changes each year, the date of the Feast of the Ascension changes. The Feast is always celebrated on a Thursday.
August 6: The Transfiguration of Christ
The Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ is celebrated each year on August 6. The feast commemorates the transfiguration or metamorphosis of Christ on Mount Tabor, when our Lord appeared in His divine glory before the Apostles Peter, James, and John.
The Ever-Virgin Mary
The most holy Mother of God (Theotokos), Saint of Saints (Panagia), the Ever-Virgin Mary is celebrated several times during the year, notably the annunciation from the Angel Gabriel, her birth and her death with the tassumption into heaven her body, and her entrance into the temple as a young child.
The Feast of the Annunciation of Our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary is celebrated on March 25 each year. The Feast commemorates the announcement by the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Son of God, would become incarnate and enter into this world through her womb.
August 15: The Dormition of the Theotokos
The Feast of the Dormition of Our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary is celebrated on August 15 each year. The Feast commemorates the repose (dormition and in the Greek kimisis) or “falling-asleep” of the Mother of Jesus Christ, our Lord. The Feast also commemorates the translation or assumption into heaven of the body of the Theotokos.
September 8: The Nativity of the Theotokos
The Feast of the Nativity of Our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary is celebrated on September 8 each year. The Feast commemorates the birth of the Mother of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
November 21: The Entrance Into the Temple of the Theotokos
The Feast of the Entrance into the Temple of Our Most Holy Lady the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary is celebrated on November 21 each year. The Feast commemorates when as a young child, the Virgin Mary entered the Temple in Jerusalem.
The Holy Spirit
The Feast of Holy Pentecost is celebrated each year on the fiftieth day after the Great and Holy Feast of Pascha (Easter) and ten days after the Feast of the Ascension of Christ. The Feast is always celebrated on a Sunday.
The Feast commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles on the day of Pentecost, a feast of the Jewish tradition. It also celebrates the establishment of the Church through the preaching of the Apostles and the baptism of the thousands who on that day believed in the Gospel message of salvation through Jesus Christ. The Feast is also seen as the culmination of the revelation of the Holy Trinity.
