Liturgical calendar 2027

Key dates

• November 29, 2026First Sunday of AdventSunday
• December 25, 2026Christmas, the Nativity of the LordFriday
• February 10, 2027Ash WednesdayWednesday
• March 21, 2027Palm SundaySunday
• March 28, 2027Easter Sunday, the Resurrection of the LordSunday
• May 16, 2027Pentecost SundaySunday
• November 21, 2027Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the UniverseSunday

To have it on paper: the 2027 calendar to print (free PDF).

Which ones must I go to Mass for? The holy days of obligation 2026-2027 in the United States, Mexico and Spain.

The seasons of the liturgical year

The liturgical year is how the Church walks through the life of Jesus in a year, from waiting for his birth to his Passover and his coming at the end of time. It has six seasons, and each has its color, which you see in the priest’s vestments and on the altar.

1. 

   Advent

   November 29 – December 24, 2026

   VioletRose

   Four Sundays to get ready for Christmas. The Church waits for two comings of Jesus: the one in Bethlehem, which we remember, and the one at the end of time, which we look forward to with joy. That is why Advent is not a sad season but a hopeful wait.

   As a family: Put an Advent wreath on the table and light one more candle each Sunday, with a short prayer before dinner.

   The feast lesson: The first Sunday of Advent →

2. 

   Christmas

   December 25, 2026 – January 10, 2027

   White

   It celebrates that God became man and was born in Bethlehem. It lasts more than a day: it begins on the night of December 24 and runs to the Baptism of the Lord, with the Holy Family, Mary the Mother of God and the Epiphany along the way.

   As a family: Keep the Nativity scene up until the Baptism of the Lord, and on the Epiphany move the Wise Men up to the manger.

   The feast lesson: Christmas →

3. 

   Ordinary Time

   January 11 – February 9, 2027 and May 17 – November 27, 2027

   Green

   It is called “ordinary” because its weeks are counted in order: first, second, third. It is the longest season and comes in two parts, one between Christmas and Lent and one between Pentecost and Advent. On Sundays we follow the life of Jesus and what he taught.

   As a family: Each Sunday, on the way to Mass or back, say in one sentence what the Gospel was about.

   The feast lesson: Christ the King →

4. 

   Lent

   February 10 – March 25, 2027

   VioletRose

   Forty days to prepare for Easter, like Jesus’ forty days in the desert. It begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Thursday, before the Mass of the Lord’s Supper. The Church offers three paths: prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

   As a family: Keep a little box at home. When someone gives up a treat, they put in what it would have cost, to give to someone in need at Easter.

   The feast lesson: Ash Wednesday →

5. 

   The Easter Triduum

   March 25 – March 28, 2027

   WhiteRed

   The three most important days of the year: from the evening of Holy Thursday, when Jesus gave us the Eucharist, through Good Friday, when he died on the cross, to Easter Sunday, when he rose. The Easter Vigil, on Saturday night, is the greatest celebration of the Church.

   As a family: On Good Friday at three in the afternoon, keep a minute of silence together in front of a cross.

   The feast lesson: Holy Week →

6. 

   Easter

   March 28 – May 16, 2027

   WhiteRed

   Fifty days of celebration because Jesus is risen and alive. They begin on Easter Sunday and end at Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came down on the apostles. Along the way comes the Ascension, when Jesus went up to heaven.

   As a family: During Easter, greet each other at home with “Christ is risen” and answer “He is risen indeed.”

   The feast lesson: Easter →

Month by month

The solemnities, the feasts and the days families celebrate most, month by month, with the color of each. The dates are those of the General Roman Calendar; each country can move a few, and the list says which.

The liturgical colors

Each color says something about the season or the feast being celebrated.

• Violet. Waiting and turning back to God. Worn in Advent and Lent, and it may be worn at Masses for the dead.
• Rose. Joy in the middle of the wait. It may be worn on two Sundays a year: the third of Advent (Gaudete) and the fourth of Lent (Laetare).
• White. Joy and light. Worn at Christmas and Easter, on feasts of the Lord, of Our Lady and of saints who were not martyrs. On great feasts, finer vestments such as gold may be worn instead.
• Green. Hope, and life that grows. Worn in Ordinary Time.
• Red. The fire of the Holy Spirit and the blood of the martyrs. Worn on Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Pentecost, and on feasts of the apostles and the martyrs.
• Black. It may be worn at Masses for the dead, where that is the custom.