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Nativity of the Theotokos
September 8 (New) / September 21 (Old). The Church year's first great feast.
When it falls
Upcoming dates
Movable feasts fall on the same civil day for both calendars; fixed feasts are 13 days apart. All dates are computed by Vigil’s liturgical engine.
| New Calendar | Old Calendar |
|---|---|
| September 8, 2026 | September 21, 2026 |
| September 8, 2027 | September 21, 2027 |
| September 8, 2028 | September 21, 2028 |
What it is
The feast, briefly
The liturgical year opens with a birth — not Christ's yet, but His mother's. An old, childless couple, Joachim and Anna, are given a daughter late, and she will carry God.
The full feast-preparation guide — how to carry the fast into the feast, what to bring, what to expect at the service — is written out in the Vigil app. These pages give the date and a short note; the app gives the whole guide.
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The other Great Feasts
Explore the feasts
Pascha — the Resurrection of Christ
The Feast of Feasts
Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem
The Sunday before Pascha, one week out
Ascension of the Lord
The fortieth day after Pascha, always a Thursday
Pentecost
The fiftieth day after Pascha
Exaltation of the Holy Cross
September 14 (New) / September 27 (Old)
Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple
November 21 (New) / December 4 (Old), inside the Nativity Fast
Nativity of Christ
December 25 (New) / January 7 (Old)
Theophany of the Lord
January 6 (New) / January 19 (Old)
Meeting of the Lord in the Temple
February 2 (New) / February 15 (Old), forty days after Nativity
Annunciation of the Theotokos
March 25 (New) / April 7 (Old), almost always within Great Lent
Transfiguration of the Lord
August 6 (New) / August 19 (Old), inside the Dormition Fast
Dormition of the Theotokos
August 15 (New) / August 28 (Old)