Topic: Calendars

[mike]

Why are Saints' days in the Revised-Julian and Gregorian Calendars often separated by one day? I mean why some feasts on the Revised-Julian calendar are often a day earlier than in the Gregorian one?

[LBK]

I've only ever seen regional variations to specific saint's feastdays, such as the one-day difference in the commemoration of Greatmartyr Catherine in the Greek calendar and everyone else's (and this has nothing to do with OC/NC).

Another which comes to mind is the feast of the repose of St John Chrysostom (September 14). As this date is also that of the Exaltation of the Cross, one of the twelve great feasts, the Church as a whole has chosen to celebrate St John's feast the day before, to avoid the clash. Likewise, the Greek church also transposes the feast of Greatmartyr St George to Bright Week, if the saint's feast falls during Holy Week.

[mike]

According to the Orthodox Calendar the day of St. Anne was the day before yesterday and according to the Roman calendar it was yesterday. I've noticed it also concerns at least a few other saints. Why is that?

[LBK]

According to the Orthodox Calendar the day of St. Anne was the day before yesterday and according to the Roman calendar it was yesterday. I've noticed it also concerns at least a few other saints. Why is that?

By "Roman calendar", do you mean the Roman Catholic calendar of saints?

[Basil 320]

Hum, good question, I never noticed this phenomenon.  Eagerly awaiting the answer.

[mike]

According to the Orthodox Calendar the day of St. Anne was the day before yesterday and according to the Roman calendar it was yesterday. I've noticed it also concerns at least a few other saints. Why is that?

By "Roman calendar", do you mean the Roman Catholic calendar of saints?

Yes, I do.

[Gamliel]

According to the Orthodox Calendar the day of St. Anne was the day before yesterday and according to the Roman calendar it was yesterday. I've noticed it also concerns at least a few other saints. Why is that?

good question.  I wondered about that myself recently.

[mike]

BUMP

[Dominika]

I know only about a few cases.
1.The feast of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste: earlier the date of the feast was the same as for Eastern Churches, but after liturgical reforms introduced by The Second Vatican Council these saint weren't put into new calendar and after some years they were included in the calendar, but on the next day
2.West maintained the old date for st. Stephen's day, while East celebrated it on the next day because of the feast of the Theotokos (Roman Catholics celebrate it on the 1st of January)
3. St. Basil the Great - West celebrates it the next day to not coincide with the feast of the Theotokos and Circumcision (well, in Novus Ordo the feast of the Lord's Circumcision is removed)
4.The feast of the conception of the Theotokos - East celebrates it on the next day to show that only Christ was born exactly after 9 months

[Peter J]

Good post Dominika.

[Dominika]

Good post Dominika.

Thanks

[mike]

Well, so this is not one general decision that made that, is it?

Thanks for some background.

[Dominika]

Well, so this is not one general decision that made that, is it?

Thanks for some background.

Yes, the feasts' dates were being changed for ages and there was no one reason; every difference has its own history.

[mike]

Would you try to solve St. Anne's case?

[Dominika]

The date of st. Anne's feast has been changed a few times in Roman Catholic Church because in medieval times her cult wasn't so popular as in Orthodox Church. In XVI century pope Gregory III reestablish the feast, but with new date - 26th of July because 25th of July was "occupied" by the feast of st. James. In RC Church they don't like situation that two feasts coincide and that's the reason that so often one of them is moved to another day.

But why the date of st. James' feast is different, I have no idea. Maybe it's connected with Santiago de Compostela?

[mike]

Thanks again.