Science Fair Project Encyclopedia The first of the two seasons
usually begins on the Monday following the first Sunday after
Epiphany, which is observed on January 6, except that Roman
Catholics in the United States celebrate this feast on the
Sunday after the first Saturday in January. On the Sunday after
January 6, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord is observed in
place of the first Sunday in Ordinary Time (if this falls on
January 7 or 8, American Catholics move the Baptism feast to the
following day as the Epiphany would occur on the Sunday), but
the ensuing week is reckoned as the first week within Ordinary
Time, which continues until Ash Wednesday, the beginning of
Lent. Thus the first section of Ordinary Time may consist of
anywhere from four to nine weeks, depending upon how early or
late Easter falls in a given year. The second section of
Ordinary Time begins on the day after Pentecost and continues
until the first Sunday of Advent five or six months later.
However, the weeks are numbered in such a