The first season of the liturgical year, the season of Annunciation, begins on the eighth Sunday prior to the feast of Nativity of our Lord. It is entitled Qudos Edtho, which literally means 'Sanctification of the Church'. Through the following Sundays the Church commemorates all important events in the salvific history as occurred in preparation to the birth of our Lord from Virgin Mary in the fullness of time. The Old Testament part of the Economy of Salvation is duly remembered through the scriptural readings in liturgical contexts in the season.
The Fast of Nativity falls in this period. Fasting of twenty five days are indented for us to purify ourselves through the commemoration of, and contemplation on the incarnation of our Lord from the Virgin and the long standing preparation for it to happen through the Old Testament period. Even though both the fast and feast of Annunciation falls in the month of Nissan, it is also commemorated on the fourth Sunday of the first season as mainly exposed through the Scripture readings. In the annual celebration through the liturgical year, winter, the season of low productivity has been turned into a period filled with hope, and preparation for the Advent of our Lord into this world.
According to the current liturgical calendar of the Malankara Orthodox Church we celebrate the Feast of Epiphany (Denho) on the 6th of January as a feast commemorating the Baptism of our Lord and the Theophany (manifestation of God) occurred in the river Jordan. Even though the early Church used to celebrate the feasts of Nativity and Epiphany together, the history of celebrating those two great feasts separately can be traced back at least to fifth century and is clearly mentioned in the Apostolic Constitutions (a document most likely got compiled in the fifth century).Church commemorates St. Mary, the Mother of God, for the wonderful gift towards us on the next day after Christmas. St. Mary gave birth to our Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation of the entire world. Thus Virgin Mary's unique role in the economy of salvation and her importance as first among the Saints is duly stressed through the celebration of this feast. Now Christ re-generates through our hearts, so we are also called the bearers of God and transmitters of the Divine Word through our words and deeds. Only after the commemoration of Virgin Mary, the Epiphany of our Lord is celebrated and then afterwards the other commemorations and feasts come in the Epiphany season
There are seven weeks in the period of Denha. The period of Epiphany representing three years and six months which is the public ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ as mentioned in the Gospel. And on the eighth day after Christmas the Church recalls the Presentation of our Lord to the temple and the growth of child Jesus which is the period of thirty years before the baptism of our Saviour. The Church instructed us to observe the three days fast as the rogation of Nineveh which culminates eighteen days before the beginning of the great Lent. This period celebrates the mystery of revelation of the Holy Trinity through the birth and life of Jesus Christ. The week of baptism indicates our renewal in Christ and redemption through Him. Most of the days of this period are provided for the commemorations of those who witnessed Jesus Christ to this world through their life and deeds like Martyrs, Saints, Departed Priests, Faithful etc
The third season of the Liturgical Year is the Great Lent. It starts with Kothne-Sunday and ends with Gospel Saturday. The Great Lent period has two parts, namely, the Forty days of Lent ends on 40th' Friday and then comes Lazarus'-Saturday, Palm- Sunday which is followed by the Holy-Week. The theme of the Lenten Season is the redemptive Work of our Lord including His death on the Cross for the redemption of the humanity. In all seven Sundays and the following weekdays, the Church recalls the signs, symbols and wonders that He did for us in order to save us from the bondage of evil forces and to cure us well to witness and take part in His Passion, Death and Resurrection. Thus we meditate from the first sign He did at the marriage Feast of Cana, turning water into wine, to the last, rising Lazarus from the dead before He entered to Jerusalem for His final Passion and Death on the Cross.
The Fathers of the Church arranged this period as a period for total repentance with fasting and abstinence, forty prostrations and special prayer services, namely, Lenten Prayers and Prayers for the Holy Week. A full lectionary of the Holy Scripture is also provided for each day in order to meditate and ponder on the importance of the day.
In the period of Qyomtho (Resurrection), the Church commemorates and celebrates the salvific action of Christ, the second person of the most holy Trinity. She actively recalls the mystery of the resurrection as the foretaste of our own participation in the risen glory of Christ in heaven. There are forty days between the Resurrection and Ascension. In those days the Disciples of Christ saw Him and He assured them of the blessed Resurrection that was sought by all the children of Adam. Through His resurrection and ascension, He guaranteed all the righteous the entry into the eternal communion with Him.
As Mary gave birth to the medicine of life, the Church gave the sacraments to her children. Christ is the Good Physician and he has healed our race through his salvific action and provided us the holy Eucharist, which is His body and blood, as the medicine for the remission of sins, and for eternal life. Christ suffered passion on the cross, so that by his death He may vivify human race and ascended and sat in heaven, above the Archangels and Dominions. As in the first Adam we were condemned, in the second Adam we have been justified. Christ's descent down to the earth was in order to cause the human being to ascend to his kingdom. Through the renewal the human being can enter into the Paradise like First Adam who was there before the fall
Pentecost is obviously related to the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles after the ascension of our Lord into heaven. In this season the holy Church celebrates the mystery of the power of the Holy Spirit worked upon the Apostles at the Pentecost. During this period the church recalled the Apostles and their disciples whom have travelled around the world teaching all people and establishing the Church in the whole world. On the 50th day of his resurrection the Church acknowledges His promise of the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, who descended upon the apostles (Acts 2:1-4) and they preached the good news in diverse languages. St. John Chrysostom calls Pentecost the, 'Birthday and Baptism of the Church'. And he further explains that, in the period of the Old Testament God wrote the Ten Commandments on the tablets of stone using His finger the Holy Spirit and He wrote the New Covenant on the fleshy tablets, the hearts of the Apostles on the day of Pentecost with the Holy Spirit, the finger of God. During this liturgical season, the Church commemorates the Apostles, their zeal for evangelization and sufferings and martyrdom through the fasting of Apostles including St. Paul. At the end of this fast the church specially commemorates St. Peter and St. Paul as the most prominent among the Apostles. This period dealt with our release from the worship of idols and our approach to the Lord and our renewal through the Holy Spirit.