Feasts & Holy Days

The Catholic Church organizes its life around a cycle of feasts and remembrances that aims to sanctify certain times of the year and to regularly call to mind the life of Jesus and the witness of Mary and the saints. The liturgical calendar intensifies Catholic practice at certain times of the year, notably at the Nativity and during lent, Holy Week and Easter.

During the rest of the liturgical year, in "ordinary time," the impact of the liturgical calendar on ordinary lay Catholics varies significantly. Most saints' feasts typically go unnoticed by lay Catholics. But many dates in ordinary time take on special meaning in particular cultures, particularly on the feast days of patron saints, or on the dates that confraternities have long celebrated with special rituals and meals that make the days stand out.

This page does not seek to replicate the Church's liturgical calendars in various countries, but rather to organize a calendar of annual feasts and holy days as they are discussed thus far on the Catholics & Cultures site, with links to the pages that indicate how these days have particular meaning in certain places. Not all of the feasts below fall on the Church's formal liturgical calendar, but all are ones that are important as religious feasts to Catholics in countries around the world.