January 2018 Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat Sun 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 For further explanation regarding liturgical colours please scroll to below the calendar JANUARY 1 st Naming and circumcision of Jesus (white) 6 th Epiphany (*gold or white) 8 th Baptism of Christ (*gold or white) (18 th Start of week of prayer for Christian unity: https://ctbi.org.uk/week-of-prayer-for-christian-unity-2018 25 th Conversion of Paul (white) 26 th Timothy and Titus (companions of Paul) February 2018 Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat Sun FEBRUARY 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 2 nd Presentation of Christ in the Temple (Candlemas) (*gold or white) 14 th Ash Wednesday start of Lent 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
MARCH 2018 Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat Sun 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 MARCH 1 st *purple unless celebrating festival of St David s, in which case white 11 th 4 th Sunday of Lent or Mothering Sunday 18 th Passiontide begins 19 th Joseph of Nazareth 25 th Palm Sunday: start of Holy Week 29 th Maundy Thursday: remembers the Last Supper and the arrest of Jesus in Gethsemane. At the end of the Maundy Thursday evening communion the church will be stripped of all colour, hangings and ornaments 30 th Good Friday: all colours and hangings are removed APRIL 2018 APRIL 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 1 1 st The Easter vigil might be held on the evening prior to Easter morning (in which case, gold or white) OR at dawn on Easter day itself Easter Day (gold or white) 9th Annunciation of Our Lord to the Blessed Virgin Mary (gold or white). Date transferred from 25 th March 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 23 rd St George 25 th Mark the Evangelist 30
MAY 2018 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10* 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27* 28 29 30* 31 MAY 1 st Philip and James Apostles 10 th Ascension (*gold or white) 14 th Matthias the Apostle 20 th Pentecost (Whit Sunday) 27 th Trinity Sunday 30 th Corpus Christi (thanksgiving for the institution of Holy Communion * gold or white 31 st Visit of Mary to Elizabeth JUNE 2018 JUNE 1 2 3 4* 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 4 th Corpus Christi (thanksgiving for Holy Communion) *gold or white 11 th Barnabas the Apostle 24 th Birth of John the Baptist 29 th Peter and Paul (Apostles) or Peter the Apostle
JULY 2018 JULY 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 3 rd Thomas the Apostle 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 22 nd Mary Magdalene 25 th James the Apsotle 30 31 AUGUST 2018 AUGUST 1 2 3 4 5 6* 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 6 th Transfiguration: * gold or white 15 th Blessed Virgin Mary 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 24 th Bartholomew the Apostle
SEPTEMBER 2018 SEPTEMBER 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 14 th Holy Cross Day 21 st Matthew the Apostle 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 29 th Michael and All Angels (Michaelmas) OCTOBER 2018 OCTOBER 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 18 th Luke the Evangelist 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 28 th Bible Sunday 29 th Simon and Jude, Apostles
NOVEMBER 2018 NOVEMBER 1 st All Saints Day (gold or white) 2 nd All Souls Day (red or might be green) 1* 2* 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 *From Monday 5 th November some churches will use red and some will use green. This is the period before Advent and runs until Advent Sunday which, this year, will be 2 nd December 11 th Remembrance Sunday 19 20 21 22 23 24 25* 26 27 28 29 30 25 th Christ the King (*red or white) 30 th Andrew the Apostle DECEMBER 2018 1 2 DECEMBER 2 nd Advent Sunday (start of the New Church Year) 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25* 26 27 28 29 30 31 25 th Christmas day (*gold or white) 26 th Stephen (first Christian martyr) 27 th John, Apostle and Evangelist 28 th Holy Innocents (slaughter of baby boys by King Herod)
Liturgical Calendar (Calendar for the Church Year as taken from Common Worship) The liturgical calendar indicates the festivals and seasons of the Anglican Church. The Liturgical year begins at Advent each year. Below is a list which relates to the Church calendar, together with an explanation of the symbolism relating to each of the liturgical colours. Season Colour Symbolism Advent Purple Purple: used for times of deep thinking / reflection. Also used for penitence (being sorry). Christmas Day Sometimes used at adult funerals Christmas season Epiphany Purification (Candlemas) Sundays before Lent Ash Wednesday Lent Passion Sunday Palm Sunday Maundy Thursday Good Friday Holy Saturday Easter Day Easter season Ascension Day Whitsunday Trinity Sunday Trinity season 4th to 1st Sunday before Advent Green Purple Purple Purple Red White Bare Bare White Red White Green Red or Green White: purity e.g. Baptism, child funeral and sometimes adult funerals. Also sometimes used for celebration rather than gold. Often this represents the season rather than the day e.g. Christmas day might be gold but the Christmas season might be white. Also used for saints who did not die as martyrs. Gold: celebration at Easter or Christmas Green: ordinary time. This is the time between festivals or seasons. The green is often considered to be symbolic of quiet growth. Red: used for saints who died as martyrs. Also as representation of flame/fire for the Holy Spirit (Whitsun / Pentecost) All Saints' Day On Maundy Thursday night the church is usually stripped bare and no colour is used. The altar All Souls' Day Red or Green will be stripped of all decoration revealing the bare wood symbolising the barrenness and Remembrance Sunday Red or Green desolation of the crucifixion and time in the tomb. This is the case until the coming of Easter when the light and joy of the resurrection is reflected in the redressing of the altar and the Christ the King Red or White decoration of the church.