Some church festivals occur in fixed dates but others are ‘movable’ depending on the date of Easter
Days related to Easter
Easter is a ‘movable feast’, whose date varies. The Western church uses the date established by the First Council of Nicaea, which is the first Sunday after the (Paschal) full moon following the northern hemisphere’s (ecclesiastical) vernal equinox. As a result the date of Easter varies between March 22 and April 25. See the Easter Date Calculator.
The days in the table below are all related to Easter:
| Before/After Easter | Day |
|---|---|
| 6 weeks 4 days | Ash Wednesday |
| 3 weeks | Mothering Sunday |
| 2 weeks | Passion Sunday |
| 1 week | Palm Sunday |
| 3 days | Maundy Thursday |
| 2 days | Good Friday |
| 1 day | Holy Saturday |
| Easter Day | |
| 4 weeks | Rogation Sunday |
| 5 weeks 4 days | Ascension Day (Thursday) |
| 6 weeks | Ascension Sunday |
| 7 weeks | Whit Sunday (Pentecost) |
| 8 weeks | Trinity Sunday |
Saints days and other days not related to Easter
| DATE | EVENT / SAINT’S DAY | COMMENT |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January | Circumcision | The Naming of Jesus |
| 6 January | Epiphany | |
| 25 January | Conversion of St Paul | |
| 2 February | Candlemas | Presentation of Christ at the Temple |
| 5 February | St Agatha | Patron Saint of bell ringers (and breast cancer sufferers) |
| 1 March | St David | Patron saint of Wales |
| 17 March | St Patrick | Patron saint of Ireland |
| 19 March | St Joseph of Nazareth | |
| 25 March | The Annunciation | of the Blessed Virgin Mary (aka Lady Day) |
| 23 April | St George | Patron saint of England |
| 25 April | St Mark | Evangelist |
| 1 May | St James the Lesser | Apostle |
| 1 May | St Philip | Apostle |
| 14 May | St Matthias | Apostle |
| 19 May | St Dunstan | Patron Saint of bell ringers, Archbishop of Canterbury 960-988 |
| 31 May | Visit of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Elizabeth | |
| 11 June | St Barnabas | Apostle |
| 24 June | Birth of John the Baptist | |
| 29 June | St Peter (& St Paul) | Apostle(s) |
| 3 July | St Thomas | Apostle |
| 22 July | Mary Magdalene | |
| 25 July | St James the Greater | Apostle |
| 6 August | Transfiguration | Of Jesus |
| 15 August | Assumption | of the Blessed Virgin Mary |
| 24 August | St Bartholomew | Apostle |
| 14 September | Holy Cross Day | or Holy Rood Day |
| 21 September | St Matthew | Apostle and Evangelist |
| 29 September | St Michael | & All Angels |
| 18 October | St Luke | Evangelist |
| 28 October | St Jude (Thadeus) | Apostle |
| 28 October | St Simon | Apostle |
| 1 November | All Saints | |
| 30 November | St Andrew | |
| 4th Sunday before Christmas | Advent | |
| 4 December | St Barbara | Patron Saint of bell founders and bell ringers (and many others) |
| 25 December | Christmas | |
| 26 December | St Stephen | Deacon, First Martyr |
| 27 December | St John | Apostle and Evangelist |
| 28 December | Holy Innocents | Massacre of young children in Bethlehem |
Notable annual secular days are listed here. See also, significant anniversaries of historic events. Back to list of Things To Ring For.
Bell Sunday
Bell Sunday is normally the closest Sunday to 19th May, which is the feast of St Dunstan (patron saint of bellringers). Ringers in churches are encouraged to discuss possible participation in the services that day with their clergy.
If the normal date clashes with another church festival (as it did in 2024) then it may be moved to another Sunday.
See more information