The Syro-Malabar Church is a Catholic Church sui iuris of the East Syriac Rite that adheres to the following calendar for the church's liturgical year. Like other liturgical calendars, the Syro-Malabar calendar loosely follows the sequence of pivotal events in the life of Jesus.[1]
The Syro-Malabar liturgical year opens with the season of Annunciation, which begins on the Sunday between November 27 and December 3. This day corresponds to the First Sunday of Advent in the Western Roman Rite tradition.
The liturgical year is divided into the following nine seasons.
| Season | Start Date | Duration | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3–4 weeks | |||
| 2 | 1–2 weeks | |||
| 3 | The Sunday between January 2 and 6; otherwise January 6, if no such Sunday exists | 4–9 weeks | ||
| 4 | The 7th Sunday before Easter | 7 weeks | ||
| 5 | 7 weeks | |||
| 6 | Pentecost Sunday (the 7th Sunday after Easter) | 7 weeks | ||
| 7 | The 7th Sunday after Pentecost | 7 weeks | ||
| 8 | The 14th Sunday after Pentecost | 6–11 weeks | ||
| 9 | The Sunday between October 30 and November 5 | 4 weeks |
Although the eighth season (Elijah–Cross–Moses) is considered one of the nine, it is also regarded as a combination of the three distinct seasons that are named (Elijah, Cross, and Moses).[2]
In the Syro-Malabar Church, there are 6 holy days of obligation:[3]
The Syro-Malabar Church proposes the following days of fasting to the faithful:[4] [5]
| Name | Dates | |
|---|---|---|
| 25 Days' Lent | December 1–24 | |
| Three Days' Lent | The third Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday before the beginning of Lent | |
| Great Lent | The first Monday of Lent through Holy Saturday | |
| Fifteen Days' Lent | August 1–14 | |
| Eight Days' Lent | September 1–7 |