"The Church Year" from Full Homely Divinity

Wikipedia Article

From The Exsultet....

Rejoice now, heavenly hosts and choirs of angels,
and let your trumpets shout Salvation
for the victory of our mighty King.

Rejoice and sing now, all the round earth,
bright with a glorious splendour,
for darkness has been vanquished by our eternal King.

Rejoice and be glad now, Mother Church,
and let your holy courts, in radiant light,
resound with the praises of your people.

All you who stand near this marvelous and holy flame,
pray with me to God the Almighty
for the grace to sing the worthy praise of this great light;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with him,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Easter, the Sunday of the Resurrection, Pascha, or Resurrection Day, is the most important religious feast of the Christian liturgical year, observed at some point between late March and late April each year (early April to early May in Eastern Christianity), following the cycle of the moon. It celebrates the resurrection of Jesus, which occurred on the third day of his death by crucifixion. Easter also refers to the season of the church year, called Eastertide or the Easter Season, lasting for fifty days, from Easter Sunday to Pentecost.

The Great Vigil, when observed, is the first service of Easter Day. It is celebrated at a convenient time between sunset on Holy Saturday and sunrise on Easter Morning.  After 40 days of Lent, we get to say "Alleluia!" again!

Wikipedia article on Easter

"Easter Customs" at Full Homely Divinity

Full Homely Divinity (a website for Anglicans published by the Consortium of Country Churches), posted Rediscovering Advent, an excellent article about Advent.  The article includes a good discussion about advent wreaths and other devotions.

If you’d like a scriptural devotion for Advent, pick up an Advent Calendar at either entrance of the Church, or consider using the online Advent calendar from the Episcopal Diocese of Washington.

Christmas lasts for twelve days!  An excellent discussion and daily devotional is available here.  Among the feast days that occur during Christmas are:
Dec 26- St Stephen's Day (the first Christian Martyr)
Dec 27- St John the Evangelist
Dec 28- Holy Innocents
Dec 29- St Thomas Becket
Jan 1- Holy Name
Jan 6- Epiphany

"Epiphanytide is clearly defined at its beginning and end with the major manifestations of our Lord, the Visit of the Magi on Epiphany and the Baptism of our Lord on the First Sunday, and the Transfiguration on the Last Sunday.  Not only does this give Epihanytide a greater integrity as a season in itself, it provides a clearer line of thematic material in the larger movement from Christmas to Easter, with the Transfiguration serving as the turning point, both temporally and theologically, from the Christmas cycle to the Paschal cycle."

Read a fuller discussion of Epiphanytide at Full Homily Divinity
Preparing for Lent

Shrove Tuesday (Wikipedia)

Read about "Lenten Customs" at Full Homily Divinity

Ash Wednesday (Wikipedia)