Prayer and reading guides · English

The Coptic Calendar and Today's Readings

The Coptic calendar is the Church's way of keeping time. It marks the year with feasts and fasts, remembers the saints each day, and assigns readings from Scripture to every day. It may look unfamiliar at first, with its own months and year count, but a few ideas open it up.

A different count of years

The Coptic calendar began in the year of the great martyrdoms and is often called the Era of the Martyrs. Its year starts around the beginning of September with Nayrouz, the Coptic New Year. The year has twelve months of thirty days and a short thirteenth month of five or six days.

Feasts and fasts

Some feasts fall on the same Coptic date every year, such as the Annunciation and the Feast of the Cross. Others move, because they are counted from Pascha, the Resurrection, which is calculated each year. That is why Great Lent and Pentecost fall on different dates from year to year. The Coptic calendar in Doxali shows this for you.

Tip: Look up the next three feasts so you can plan your week.

The day's readings

Each day the Church assigns readings, which are collected in the Katameros. You will find passages for the evening and morning prayers and for the Divine Liturgy. Today's Church readings in Doxali shows them for the day.

The saints of the day

Each day also remembers saints and martyrs in the Synaxarium. If you only have two minutes, read that day's story and say a short prayer.

Try this: Check the day's saint and the day's Gospel each morning. It takes less than five minutes and puts your day in the Church's rhythm.

Where the details vary

Dates for some commemorations differ slightly between sources, and local churches may keep their own customs. If you notice something that looks wrong in Doxali, use the "Spot a mistake?" link on the page, and ask your priest about your parish's practice.

Quick questions

Why is Coptic Christmas in January?

The Church keeps the Nativity on the date that corresponds to January 7 in the modern calendar.

Do I need to learn the Coptic month names?

No. The app shows both dates side by side.

Are the readings the same everywhere?

Mostly, yes. Coptic churches share the Katameros, with small differences by parish.