Ethan Walker
Catholicism is the largest denomination of Christianity in the world, and its holidays are widely celebrated. Catholic holidays are based on the life of Jesus Christ and his disciples, as well as historical saints and faith-based values. Holy days of obligation are the most important days in the Catholic calendar, during which Catholics attend mass and sometimes refrain from unnecessary work. While there are conflicting sources on the exact number of holy days of obligation, there are at least six and no more than ten.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of Catholic holidays | 10 holy days of obligation, including Sundays |
| Most important holiday | Christmas |
| Examples of other holidays | Easter, Circumcision of Christ, Epiphany, Ascension, Corpus Christi, Assumption, All Saints' Day, Immaculate Conception, St. Joseph, Saints Peter and Paul |
| Nature of holidays | Religious feast days, celebration of saints, and faith-based values |
| Requirements | Attendance at Mass, refraining from unnecessary work |
| Flexibility | Local bishops may suppress or transfer some holy days |
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What You'll Learn
Holy days of obligation
In 1642, Pope Urban VIII reduced the number of Holy Days of Obligation to 36. In 1917, the Vatican listed ten days as Holy Days of Obligation: Christmas, the Circumcision of Christ (now celebrated as the Solemnity of Mary), the Epiphany, the Ascension, Corpus Christi, the Assumption, the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, All Saints' Day, the Immaculate Conception, and St. Joseph's Day.
However, the Vatican also gave conferences of bishops the power to suppress Holy Days or transfer them to Sundays, which means that Holy Days can vary by country. For example, in the United States, the Feast of St. Joseph and the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul are not observed as Holy Days of Obligation, and the Epiphany is celebrated on a Sunday.
In 2025, the following days were Holy Days of Obligation in the United States: January 1st, the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God; August 15th, the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary; December 8th, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception; and December 25th, the Solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Christmas). The Solemnity of All Saints, which falls on November 1st, is also usually a Holy Day of Obligation, but in years when it falls on a Saturday or a Monday, the obligation to attend Mass is lifted, and Catholics can attend Mass on the Sunday instead.
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Religious feast days
The Catholic Church has a liturgical calendar that organises the year into seasons, with each day dedicated to one or more saints, known as the feast day or feast of that saint. The liturgical year consists of a seasonal cycle, called the Proper of Time, and a sanctoral cycle, called the Proper of Saints. The Proper of Saints is enriched by observances proper to local churches, whether national, diocesan, parish-level, or religious community.
The word "feast" in this context means an annual religious celebration, commemorating the sacred mysteries and events recorded in the history of redemption, in memory of the Virgin Mother of Christ, or of his apostles, martyrs, and saints. The feast days are ranked in descending order of importance as solemnities, feasts, or memorials (obligatory or optional). Sundays and solemnities begin their celebration on the evening before, while feasts and memorials are celebrated over the course of one day. Memorials are either obligatory or optional.
There are nine holy days of obligation outside of Sundays, but the local conference of bishops may suppress some of them or transfer them to a Sunday. In the United States, for example, the feast of Saint Joseph and the feast of Saints Peter and Paul have been suppressed as holy days of obligation. Additionally, the feast of Epiphany is always celebrated on a Sunday in the US.
The General Roman Calendar lists the saints celebrated in the entire church, but only a selection of the saints is included for each day. A fuller list is found in the Roman Martyrology, and some of the saints may be celebrated locally. The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organising the liturgical year, with each day associated with a saint or saints. As different Christian jurisdictions parted ways theologically, differing lists of saints began to develop, and some saints may have different feast days in different calendars.
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Catholic holidays in the US
Catholicism has historically played an important role in the US, and Catholics make up a large percentage of the country's population. Therefore, Catholic holidays are widely celebrated. While there are ten official Catholic holidays, only Christmas is a religious public holiday. The other holidays, such as Easter, vary in importance and celebration depending on individuals, families, regions, and sects.
Holy days of obligation, including Sundays, are religious feast days on which Roman Catholics must attend mass and refrain from unnecessary work. The number of holy days has changed over time. Pope Urban VIII limited the number of holy days throughout the church to 36, but in 1918, canon law designated only ten holy days: Christmas, Circumcision of Christ (now the Solemnity of Mary), Epiphany, Ascension, Corpus Christi, Assumption, the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, All Saints' Day, the Immaculate Conception, and St.
The Catholic liturgical calendar includes other significant days, such as Easter, which celebrate the life of Christ, historical saints, and various faith-based values. These holidays may not be official days of obligation but are still important to Catholics in the US and are celebrated in different ways.
In addition to the universally celebrated Catholic holidays, there may be regional variations or specific feast days celebrated by particular dioceses or communities. These could include the feast days of local saints or patrons, or historical events of religious significance to that region.
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Catholic holidays and festivals
Catholicism is the largest denomination of Christianity in the world and has been historically pertinent in the US. The Catholic Church is also the oldest religious organisation in the western world, with a history spanning more than 2000 years. This has allowed the Church to develop a calendar packed with holidays and festivals.
The Catholic Church designates certain days as "Holy Days of Obligation", on which Catholics must attend Mass and refrain from unnecessary work. In the 17th century, Pope Urban VIII limited the number of holy days to 36, but in 1918, canon law designated just 10 holy days: Christmas, the Circumcision of Christ (now the Solemnity of Mary), Epiphany, Ascension, Corpus Christi, Assumption, the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, All Saints' Day, the Immaculate Conception, and St Joseph's Day. In the US, the feast of St Joseph and the feast of Saints Peter and Paul are not considered Holy Days of Obligation, and the feast of the Epiphany is celebrated on a Sunday.
In addition to these 10 Holy Days of Obligation, almost every day of the Catholic calendar marks a celebration. Some of these festivals are also celebrated by other Christian denominations, but Catholicism is somewhat unique in the number of holidays it observes. These holidays vary in importance, with some considered more holy than others. For example, Easter is always obligatory as it falls on a Sunday, but other holidays, such as All Saints' Day, vary in importance and method of celebration between individuals, families, regions, and sects.
The large number of Catholic holidays can be attributed to the Church's stable institutional structure, which is based on faith and Bible teachings. Catholic holidays are based on biblical accounts, especially those covering the life of Jesus Christ and his disciples, and honour the lives of those who played crucial roles in the establishment of the early church.
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Catholic holidays: holy days vs holidays
Catholicism is the largest denomination of Christianity in the world, and the Catholic Church is the oldest religious organisation in the western world, with a history spanning over 2000 years. Catholic holidays are widely celebrated, especially in the US, where Catholics make up a large percentage of the population.
The Catholic liturgical calendar includes holy days of obligation, religious feast days on which Catholics must attend mass and refrain from unnecessary work. While all Sundays are sanctified in this way, the term "holy days" usually refers to other feasts that must be observed in the same way as Sundays. The number of holy days has varied over time, but Pope Urban VIII limited the number of holy days throughout the church to 36 in the 17th century. In 1918, canon law designated 10 holy days: Christmas, the Circumcision of Christ (now the Solemnity of Mary), Epiphany, Ascension, Corpus Christi, Assumption, the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, All Saints' Day, the Immaculate Conception, and St. Joseph's Day. However, the local conference of bishops may suppress or transfer some of these days, and not all of them are considered civil holidays.
The distinction between holy days and holidays in Catholicism is that holy days are marked by religious obligations, such as attending mass, while holidays are not. That being said, most Catholic holidays are celebrated in conjunction with doctrinal teachings, and some are based on Biblical accounts, such as the life of Jesus Christ and his disciples. By basing holidays on these accounts, the church has created holidays that honour the lives of those who played crucial roles in the early church. For example, Catholic holidays such as Easter and All Saints' Day celebrate the life of Christ and historical saints.
While some Catholic holidays require adherents to attend mass, most can be celebrated individually by members of the church. Catholics also use holidays to familiarise themselves with crucial doctrinal teachings that form the basic foundation of their beliefs, allowing these teachings to be passed from one generation to the next.
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Frequently asked questions
There are 10 official Catholic holidays, including Christmas, Easter, and All Saints' Day. However, almost every day of the Catholic calendar marks a celebration of some sort.
Holy Days of Obligation are the most important days in the Catholic calendar. On these days, Catholics are obliged to attend Mass and refrain from unnecessary work.
There are 9 Holy Days of Obligation, in addition to every Sunday. However, this can vary depending on the local conference of bishops, who have the authority to suppress certain holy days or transfer them to Sundays.
Examples of Holy Days of Obligation include Christmas, the Circumcision of Christ (now the Solemnity of Mary), the Epiphany, and the Assumption.
