red-letter day

noun

1. a memorably important or happy occasion

red-letter day

1. A special or memorable day; the expression refers to the old custom of printing holidays in red on calendars: “John got promoted and engaged to be married yesterday; it was truly a red-letter day for him.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of red-letter day¹

C18: from the red letters used in ecclesiastical calendars to indicate saints' days and feasts

Idioms and Phrases

A special occasion, as in When Jack comes home from his tour of duty, that'll be a red-letter day . This term alludes to the practice of marking feast days and other holy days in red on church calendars, dating from the 1400s. [c. 1700]

Example Sentences

The expected rarely happened, and peace was oftener than not the characteristic of the prophets' red-letter-day.

From Project Gutenberg

The red-letter day, since such it deservedly is, on which this universal melodist first saw the light was the 10th October 1813.

From Project Gutenberg

Further preparations were made for the red-letter day, and a baseball game added to the program.

From Project Gutenberg

Tom thought a good deal about Rosamund during the week, and regarded Sunday as the red-letter day of his calendar.

From Project Gutenberg

What a red-letter-day it is to a boy, the day he first opens “Tom Sawyer.”

From Project Gutenberg