The Christian Calendar

Advent (Colors: Blue & Purple)

Advent is a season of four weeks including four Sundays. Advent derives from the Latin adventus , which means " coming. " The season proclaims the comin of the Christ - whose birth we prepare to celebrate once again, who comes continually in Word and Spirit, and whose return in final victory we anticipate. Each year Advent calls the community of faith to prepare for these comings; historically, the season was marked by fasts for preparation.

Christmas Season (Colors: White & Gold)

Christmas is a season of praise and thanksgiving for the incarnation of God in Jesus Christ, which begins with Christmas Eve or Day and continues through the Day of Epiphany. The name Christmas comes from the season's first service, the Christ Mass . Epiphany comes from the Greek word epiphania , which means " manifestation. " New Year's Eve or Day is ofen celebrated in the United Methodist tradition whith a Covenant Renewal Service.

Season After the Epiphany or Ordinary Time (Colors: Green)

The Season After the Epiphany is a season of Ordinary Time , which includes four to nine Sundays, depending on the date of Easter. It is ordinary in that it stands between the two great christological cycles of Advent-Christmas-Epiphany and Lent-Easter-Pentecost and has no central theme.

Lent (Colors: Purple)

Lent is a season of forty days, not counting Sundays, which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday. Lent comes from the Anglo-Saxon word lencten , wheich means " spring. " The season is a preparation for celbrating Easter. Historically, Lent began as a period of fasting and preparation for baptism by converts and then became a time for penance by all Christians. The Great Three Days - sometimes called the Triduum or Pasch - from sunset Holy Thursday through sunset Easter Day are the climax of Lent (and of the whole Christian year) and a bridge into the Easter Season.

Easter Season (Colors: White & Gold)

The Easter Season , also known as the Great Fifty Days, begins at sunset Easter Eve and continues trough the Day of Pentecost. It is the most joyous and celebrative season of the Christian year. It focuses on Christ's resurrection and ascension and on the givings of the Holy Spirit on the first Easter and the Day of Pentecost. The ancient Christian name for this festival is Pasch , derived from the Hebrew pesah ( " deliverance " or " passover " ), thus connecting the Resurrection to the Exodus. The origin of the English word Easter is disputed but may come from the Anglo-Saxon spring goddess Eastre and her festival. Pentecost comes from the Greek pentekoste , which means " fiftieth. " It referes to the Jewish Feast of Weeks, which Greek-speaking Jews called the Day of Pentecost.

Season After Pentecost or Ordinary Time or Kingtomtide (Colors: Green)

The Season After Pentecost , also called Ordinary Time , begins the day after Pentecost and ends the day before the First Sunday of Advent. It may include twenty-three to twenty-eight Sundays, depending on the date of Easter, but the first Sunday is always Trinity Sunday, and the last Sunday is always the Sunday of the Reign of Christ or Christ the King. The season also includes All Saints and Thanksgiving. United Methodists have the option of calling this season Kingdomtide , a term first used in 1937 in a book sponsored by the former Federal Council of Churches as a name for the half of the year between the Day of Pentecost and Advent, during which churches were urged to emphasize Jesus' teachings concerning the kingdom of God. Today, no other denomination uses the term Kingdomtide.
Colors of the Seasons

Blue

Blue is a color of hope and may be used during the season of Advent .

Yellow

Gold is a festive color used during the Christmas and Easter Seasons .

Purple

Purple is a color of both penitence and royalty used during the preparatory seasons of Advent and Lent .

White

White is a joyous color used during the Christmas and Easter Seasons (except on the Day of Pentecost ) and in other seasons on festive days such as Baptism of the Lord, Transfiguration, Trinity, All Saints, and Christ the King . White is also a symbol of both death and resurrection.

Red

Red is a color of fire, symbolizing the Holy Spirit. It is used on the Day of Pentecost and at other times when the work of the Holy Spirit is emphasized. Red is also the color of blood - the blood of Christ and the blood of the martyrs.
Green Green is the color of growth, symbolizing our growth in Christ Jesus. It is often used during the time between the Christmas Season and Lent known as the Season After the Epiphany . It is also used during the time after Pentecost and before Advent known as Common Time or Kingdomtide .