The season of Advent begins on Sunday, November 30, and is the beginning of the new liturgical year. Below are events that celebrate this joyous season of anticipation and reflections to help you on your Advent journey.

• Daily Advent Prayers and Reflections
• What is the Advent Wreath?

Christmas

Christmas is the church's celebration of the birth of Christ. The word for Christmas in late Old English is Cristes Maesse, the Mass of Christ. Christmas is always on December 25. The Christmas season last 12 days until the arrival of the Magi on January 8 (this season doesn't count Sundays).

Ordinary Time

Ordinary time is the time between Easter and Advent, and the time after Christmas but before lent. The beauty of Ordinary Time is that it really is a time to grow beyond our "ordinary" selves.

Lent

During Lent, we fast for forty days (not including the Sundays) waiting for the arrival of the Easter season. The word Lent originally meant, simply, the spring season. This word is easier to use than the original Latin quadragesima, meaning the "forty days".

• About Lent

Easter

Easter is the celebration of the Risen Christ. After dying on the cross, three days later Christ rose from the dead. Easter eggs have been a custom in this season because the use of eggs was forbidden during Lent, they were brought to the table on Easter Day, colored red to symbolize the Easter joy. Easter is more than a single day, it is a 50 day celebration until the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.