ADVENT (Christmas Fasting): The church season immediately preceding Christmas, lasts 43 days. It is a period of fasting as a spiritual preparation for the feast. Throughout the last 30 days (month of Kiahk) certain hymns are chanted in a manner popularly known as "seven and four."
APOSTLES' FEAST: We celebrate this feast on the 5th of Abib (12th of July), the day when SS. Peter and Paul were martyred. The Apostles' fasting extends from Monday that follows Pentecost till the day before the feast of the Apostles. This feast inspires us to live as the apostles lived.
ASCENSION DAY: It commemorates the ascension of Christ to heaven and the end of the resurrection appearances: Holy Thursday or the 40th day after Easter.
BLESSING OF THE WATER: A special prayer on water at the Epiphany, Holy Thursday and the Apostles feast. A special mandatum tank is used.
CALENDAR (COPTIC): It is the Pharaonic calender. The Copts started it on the year 284 A.D. on Memorial Day where Diocletian sat on the throne of the Roman Empire. A great number of Copts were martyred in the period of his reign, that's why it was considered the starting point of the Coptic calendar. The names of the Coptic months are: 01 - Tut. 03 - Hatur. 05 - Tubah. 07 - Baramhat 09 - Bashans. 11 - Abib. 13 - The small month or Nasi.
EL-NAYROUZ FEAST: Celebrating the new Coptic year. We offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to God for He gave us a new year. On this occasion we remember our beloved martyrs. Moreover we thank God for the blessings He gave us in the previous year.
FEASTS OBSERVED BY THE COPTIC ORTHODOX CHURCH
These come under three chief headings:
Some scholars divide them into four main divisions: the seven major feasts, the seven minor feasts, the seven Marian feasts, and the saints' and martyrs' feast days. There are other feasts for certain joyful events, such as the discovery of the Cross and the miracle of the Mokatam mountain, which was moved and saved the lives of all Copts when moved.
THE SEVEN MAJOR FEASTS:
THE SEVEN MINOR FEASTS:
The FEASTS OF THE THEOTOKOS:
We celebrate the feast of the Virgin on the 21st of every Coptic month, and on the 29th we remember the annunciation of the Lord's birth and His birth.
SAINTS' AND MARTYRS' DAYS:
The Coptic Synaxarium records the history of the saints and the martyrs who gave their lives for the Christian faith. Various churches also celebrate the anniversaries of their patron saints.
GOOD FRIDAY: The Friday before Easter; the anniversary of the Crucifixion of Christ. "Good" because of the atoning sacrifice of the Lord as Savior of the world.
HOLY CROSS, FEAST OF: The Coptic Church annually commemorates two events related to the Holy Cross on which our Lord was crucified: the discovery of the Cross at Jerusalem by the empress Helene, mother of Constantine, in A.D. 326, the feast day being 17 Tut; and the restoration of the Cross in 628 from the hands of the Persians, whose King Chosroes II had carried it off fifteen years earlier. Emper or Heraclius (575-642) brought it back to Jerusalem.
HOLY THURSDAY: The Thursday before Good Friday, commemorating the Lord's Last Supper. It is better known as Maundy Thursday.
LORD'S DAY: Sunday, the first day of the week, commemorating the Resurrection of Christ; not the Jewish Sabbath, which is the seventh day.
MAUNDY (COVENANT) THURSDAY: Thursday in the Holy Week, commemorating the institution of the Eucharist; the day when our Lord washed the feet of His disciples.
PALM SUNDAY: The Sunday preceding Easter; the seventh Sunday in Lent; the first day of the Holy Week, commemorating the triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem; traditionally symbolized by the use of palm decorations and crosses on this day.
PARAMONE: A Greek term meaning watch, vigil, especially on the eve of a festival. Its Arabic equivalent, Paramun, is a term generally used for the vigils of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ and of the Epiphany. It is a fast requiring abstention from eating fish, meat, eggs, milk, butter, and cheese. If the day before the feast happens to be Saturday or Sunday, then the Paramone begins on Friday because it is not permitted to fast on Saturday or Sunday.
PASCHA (Holy Week): "Pascha" means "Passover." It reminds us of the Israelites' Passover of the Red Sea when they came out of Egypt, and slaughtered the Passover lamb. The Holy Week is called "Pascha," for our Lord Jesus Christ died for our sake to take us up to His heavens. During the "Pascha" we grief for our sins that caused our Lord to suffer. All the Holy Week long we don't lit the lamps in front of the icons, besides we don't practice "Agpeya" (Canonical Hours) prayers.
SUNDAY: The weekly commemoration of the Resurrection and appearance of the Lord to His disciples afterwards (John. 20:19,26). Constantly it is the first day of every week. Sunday has been kept by Christians since the apostolic era as a day of joyful worship. St. Paul and the Christians of Troas gathered on the first day of the week "to break bread" Acts 20:7. Besides the apostle on writing to the Corinthians, asked his converts to collect their alms on this day (1 Cor. 16:2).