MOVABLE FESTIVALS
| DATE | FEASTIVAL OR FEAST |
| The first Monday after Twelfth Night | Plough Monday |
| Monday Before the Beginning of Lent | Shrove Monday or Collop Monday - Shrovetide is when people made their pre-Lent 'shrifts' or confessions. It is also the time of feasting before the Lent fast, when the 'collops' or rasher are eaten. |
| Tuesday Before the Beginning of Lent | Shrove Tuesday |
| First Day of Lent | Ash Wednesday (10 March is the last possible date for Ash Wednesday) - When churchgoers smeared their faces with the ashes of last year's Palm Sunday palm leaves to remind them that 'they are but dust and to dust they will return'. |
| Forty Days Before Easter | Lent - from the Old English for Spring lencten or lengten which refers to the lengthening of the days |
| Fourth Sunday in Lent | Mothering Sunday, or Mid-Lent Sunday |
| The Fifth Sunday in Lent | Passion Sunday - when Christ sufferings are particularly remembered, also called 'Care' (Mourning) or Carlings Sunday |
| Sunday Before Easter Day | Palm Sunday - marks Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem, when palm leaves were laid in his path. |
| The Thursday Before Good Friday | Maundy Thursday - named after the commandment that Jesus gave to his disciples that they should love one another, the Mandatum |
| Friday Before Easter | Good Friday - Anniversary of the Crucifixion |
| The first Sunday after the First Full Moon after the 21st of March | Easter Sunday - Anniversary of the Resurrection. Named after the Goddess Eostra, whose symbol was a hare (hence the Easter Bunny) |
| The Three Days Before Ascension Day | Rogationtide |
| Forty Days after Easter | Ascension Day, or Holy Thursday |
| Fifty Days after Easter | Whitsun, or Pentecost - Anniversary of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the disciples in the form of tongues of fire. Originally White Sunday from the white robes of the convert being baptised, 'Whit' came to mean the understanding or 'wit' bestowed on the disciples by the Holy Spirit. |
| Last Sunday before Advent | Stir-up Sunday - Names because people were reminded in church 'Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people..', to make Christmas puddings and cakes in plenty of time. |
| Fourth Sunday before Christmas | Advent - time of preparation for Christ's 'coming' -Latin adventus |