Ranks of Feasts (Slavic Traditions)
The Orthodox Church commemorates saints and holy events on every day of the year. However, they are not all equally prominent. Furthermore, as easily seen on the menologion spreadsheet, autocephalous Churches don't always assign the same rank to a certain feast (and in rarer instances, may celebrate that feast on a completely different day weeks or even months apart from the typical date used by most Churches.
Festal ranks determine which services should be served, and what liturgical texts are appointed. They also often impact fasting rules for the given day, but that topic is beyond the scope of our work.
A description of the ranking system follows:
Duodenary Feast — One of the 12 Great Feasts:
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Nativity of the Theotokos (September 8)
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Exaltation of the Cross (September 14)
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Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple (November 21)
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The Nativity of Jesus Christ (December 25)
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The Theophany of Jesus Christ (January 6th)
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The Presentation of our Lord in the Temple (February 2nd)
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The Annunciation of the Theotokos (March 25th)
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The Entry of our Lord into Jerusalem, or Palm Sunday (movable, dependent on the Paschal cycle)
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Holy Ascension
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Holy Pentecost
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The Transfiguration of Jesus Christ (August 6th)
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The Dormition of the Theotokos (August 15th)
Note that Holy Pascha is not numbered among the Duodenary Feasts because it is the Feast of Feasts, superceding all others.
On Duodenary Feasts, there is an All-Night Vigil, and all service materials come from the feast. The Nativity of the Forerunner, the Beheading of the Forerunner, and the Feast of Ss. Peter & Paul are not technically Duodenary Feasts, but are celebrated with the same festivity.
Vigil-rank Feast — We serve an All-Night Vigil (usually Great Vespers and Matins), but the Matins Canon to the Theotokos is combined with the festal Canon (contrasted with Duodenary Feasts, on which only the Festal Matins Canon (s) is appointed.
Polyeleos-rank Feast — Vigil is not appointed. At Great Vespers, we chant "Blessèd is the man..." (the First Antiphon of the First Kathisma),and six or eight stichera on "Lord, I call...". There are three Old Testament readings, and the Aposticha are from the feast. Matins has a Polyeleos and Gospel, and the Festal Matins Canon is combined with the other Canons appointed in the Typicon, with eight festal Troparia in each Ode. The Great Doxology is sung.
Doxology-rank Feast — At Daily Vespers, we read the appointed Kathisma, and use six stichera on "Lord, I call." The Festal Matins Canon has six Troparia per Ode, and we sing the Great Doxology.
Six-stichera (Hexastichiraric) Feast — At Daily Vespers, we read the appointed Kathisma and use six stichera on "Lord, I call." The Matins Canon has six Troparia.
Simple/Unranked Feast — At Daily Vespers, we use three stichera at "Lord, I call," and the Matins Canon has four Troparia.