Orthodox Glossary · Term

Liturgical Year

The annual cycle of feasts, fasts, and commemorations through which the Church leads the faithful into the life of Christ and the saints.

Back to glossary Orthodox Concepts
Defined Term
L
Liturgical Year
LexiconOrthodox Christianity 101
§ 01 - How to Study This Term

From definition into prayer.

The Orthodox tradition does not separate vocabulary from worship. Pair this term with Scripture, the Liturgy, and the lived life of the Church.

  1. 01
    Look for the word in worship

    Listen for it inside the Divine Liturgy, the daily prayers, or the hymns of the feast it belongs to.

  2. 02
    Trace it through the Fathers

    The same word usually echoes across centuries - Athanasius, the Cappadocians, Maximus, Gregory Palamas.

  3. 03
    Pair it with a prayer

    Vocabulary becomes piety when it lives inside a single, repeated prayer of the Church.

Where the term lives
§ 02 - Related Terms

Words that travel together.

Entries from the lexicon that share the same corner of Orthodox worship and thought as Liturgical Year.

GlossaryEcclesiastical CalendarThe liturgical calendar that orders feasts, fasts, and commemorations, guiding believers through the life of Christ and the saints throughout the year.GlossaryPaschaThe Feast of Feasts celebrating Christ’s Resurrection, the center of the liturgical year and the source of Christian joy and hope.
✦   Where to next?

One word, then another.

The Orthodox lexicon is a doorway, not a destination. Keep going - pair this term with prayer and a parish near you.

Find a Parish Back to Glossary