This is known as Greek Easter or Orthodox Easter. Why is Orthodox Easter celebrated on a different day? In the Greek Orthodox faith, Easter is the most sacred observance. Why is that?” Well, for one thing – it’s based on the way of the old. Why is Greek Orthodox Easter on a different date? This is due to the fact that Best Greek dances and songs to play at Easter parties. By Dr. Lewis J. Patsavos, Professor of Canon Law, Holy Cross School of Theology* One of the most frequent questions asked by and to Orthodox Christians is “Why does the Orthodox Church celebrate Easter on a different day than other Christians?” This difference has a long history related to Christianity itself, the complex nature of […] This soon led to Christians celebrating Easter on different … The Orthodox and Catholic Easter are usually set on different dates. According to the Bible, Jesus Christ's death and resurrection occurred at the time of the Jewish Passover, which was celebrated on the first Full Moon following the vernal equinox. Anything else? Note that Passover falls at a different time each year, which is another reason why the date for Easter varies. ... Who needs to create impressions against the Archbishop of Australia and the Greek Orthodox … The Greek Orthodox Easter typically takes place on a different date each year than the Catholic Easter. It also meant Easter was celebrated on a different day than almost everyone else. Credit: JohnKarak, CC BY-SA 2.0/ flickr This year, Western Christians and Greek Orthodox believers — who use different liturgical calendars — celebrate Easter, or Pascha almost one full month apart, with the former being on April 4 and the latter May 2.. As the events of Holy Week unfold, Orthodox Christians commemorate the events that led up to his arrest, execution, and then his resurrection. The whole preparation and turning the spit is a communal experience that bonds people in the holy day. This isn’t done on purpose. Once every few years, however, the days coincide. WorldwideGreeks.com is a free online forum community where people can discuss Greek food, travel, traditions, history and mythology. Why is Orthodox Easter celebrated on a different day? Eastern Christianity recognises a different date for Easter because they follow the Julian calendar, as opposed to the Gregorian calendar which is widely used by most countries today. The Epitaphios parade in Patras. Can I use natural dye to dye red Easter eggs? In 1582 Pope Gregory XIII decided that the calendar needed an overhaul because it was slightly inaccurate mathematically. In the afternoon, Greek Orthodox Christians go to church for the Vespers of Love. April 1, 2021. The Greek Orthodox calendar is different than the Gregorian calendar, which is most commonly used in Western countries and the United States; as a result, Greek Easter may fall on a different day than Easter in the United States, like in 2020 Greek Easter is April 19 and Easter is April 12. Also, the date for Easter can vary from early to late spring depending on how the calculations fall. Other years, it could fall at the beginning of May. This is a question asked by many. There are a few really good reasons why it may fall on a different date. Here's information as to how the church finds the date. Therefore the Orthodox Easter period often occurs later than the Easter period that falls around the time of the March equinox. WorldwideGreeks.com reserves the rights to remove user accounts, posts, threads, photos that violate our user and privacy policy agreement. So, you guessed it, I’m going to drop some knowledge about how we celebrate Easter and why we celebrate it on a different day. Though much of the world now uses the Gregorian calendar, which replaced the Julian calendar, the custom has remained to use it to calculate the date of Easter. Photo by Patras Events. However, Orthodox churches follow the older, Julian calendar. Why is Greek Easter held on a different day to “Australian” Easter? What are yours? The Orthodox Church celebrates easter on a different day because they follow a different calendar than the western world. I've been trying to avoid toxins and chemicals these days. These are traditional Greek easter bread and cakes often enjoyed over the long weekend (Picture: Getty) Easter is a moveable feast, that does not fall on a fixed date in the Gregorian or Julian calendars. Western churches use the Gregorian calendar, which is the standard calendar for much of the world. As you can see, calculating when Greek Easter is can be a difficult task and is the main reason why Eastern and Western Easter often fall on different days. As you can see, calculating when Greek Easter is can be a difficult task and is the main reason why Eastern and Western Easter often fall on different days. Home / Viva’s Yummy Stories / Why Greek Orthodox Easter is on a Different Day. "How is Greek Easter calculated?” The day is governed by these three main conditions: It must be based on the Julian calendar, not the Gregorian calendar; It must be after the Jewish holiday of Passover; It must be on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox, which for this purpose is fixed as March 21st, but which … By Fr. Easter time, from the carnivals that come before the Lenten fast through Holy Week. Religion. Or even tried dyeing eggs with beet juice? Orthodox Christians in Europe, Africa and the Middle East celebrate Easter later than most in the western world. Generally, the date for Easter is set on the first full moon after both the Spring Equinox and Passover. That's a common misconception — so common, in fact, that Archbishop … ... After midnight, as Easter Day begins, there are early morning prayer services and a communion. After the forty days of Great Lent, Orthodox Christians celebrate Holy Week, which begins on Palm Sunday. Easter Sunday or Easter Day – May 2; Easter Monday – May 3; Greek Easter can sometimes occur on the same day as Western Easter, as it did back in 2017. But in 2014, the two celebrations occurred on the same date, April 20. In 2015, for example, Easter will be celebrated on April 5 by Western churches and April 12 by Orthodox churches. Why are the dates different? In 2017, Easter came at the same time for both denominations, … Has anyone used natural dyes to dye their eggs? This means that it was the calendar that was used when the Orthodox Church was initially set up. Have you ever wished someone a Happy Easter only to be told it's not 'their' Easter yet? The Orthodox Easter always falls later than the Catholic one as it is calculated using the same formula, but using the Julian Calendar (as we said above, this is currently 13 days behind the commonly used Gregorian). Why Is Greek Easter On A Different Day? Why is Greek Easter on different dates? https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/common/orthodox-easter-day&ved=2ahUKEwjmsZKhkqHwAhWCbysKHUvXAQUQFjABegQIAxAF&usg=AOvVaw3zzw037us2mnqA1uDbayae. This is the exception and not the rule. Ten years ago, in 2008, it fell on 23 March. Holy Saturday. If you’re not familiar, Easter in the Eastern Orthodox church (which includes Greek Orthodoxy as well as Russian, Serbian, Romanian, … Here’s how the Greek Church approaches setting the date. One year, it could be in early April. As Catholics and most of the western world celebrate Easter today, we asked a Greek-Orthodox priest to explain why the Orthodox Church doesn’t celebrate Pascha (Easter) on the same day the Catholic church does! Why is Greek Orthodox Easter on a different date? For calculation purposes, the Council of Nicaea declared that the full moon is always set on the 14th day of the lunar month. Easter Sunday falls on 1 April this year. March 17, 2008 woman4today Tags: Christians, Easter, Eastern Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, Jewish, Jewish Holiday, Middle East, Pascha, Passover. This is the calendar that was officially implemented by Julius Caesar and was in use primarily between 45 BC and 1582 AD. It happens to the best of us especially when we If you’ve ever seen My Big Fat Greek Wedding, then you have a slight idea of what Greek Easter is like. Each year, the date of the Spring Equinox is slightly different. (The lunar month begins with the new moon.) What do I mean by that. Mar 27, 2015 - Have you ever wondered why Greek Orthodox Easter could fall on a different day as everyone else's? With all this in mind, it’s easy to see why calculating the date of Greek Easter can be a difficult task and is the main reason why Eastern and Western Easter often fall on different days. Why is Greek Easter on a different day every year. Did you notice that Greek Orthodox Easter doesn’t usually fall on the same day as everyone else’s? Thanks to the 13-day difference between the two, the all-important date of March 21 on the Julian calendar … Unless it is one of the years when the two holidays align. After the forty days of Great Lent, Orthodox Christians celebrate Holy Week, which begins on Palm Sunday. On Holy (or Great) Saturday, the Eternal Flame is brought to Greece by a military jet … This isn’t done to confuse everyone. Generally, the date for Easter is set on the first full moon after both the Spring Equinox and Passover. Why Is The Eastern Orthodox Easter Date Different To The Roman Catholic and Protestant Date? In fact, there are as many misunderstandings about the calculation of Easter dates, as there are reasons for the confusion. Easter, also called Pascha (Aramaic, Greek, Latin) or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in the New Testament as having occurred on the third day after his burial following his crucifixion by the Romans at Calvary c. 30 AD. The predominant reason why Easter falls on a different date each year is because we now use the solar, Gregorian calendar rather than a lunar one. Would it end up looking like the picture below or would it come out like a lighter pink? Orthodox Christians in Europe, Africa and the Middle East celebrate Easter later than most in the western world. Let me explain. However, Orthodox churches follow the older, Julian calendar. 0 0. Zeibekiki? Passover. WorldwideGreeks.com reserves the rights to remove user accounts, posts, threads, photos that violate our user and privacy policy agreement. Published April 3, 2015. This year Catholics, the Western Church, celebrate Jesus Resurrection on April 1st, while members of the Greek Orthodox and the East Church on April 8th. Why do Catholics and Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter on different days? By John Smith. Another important element to calculating Greek Easter is the Spring Equinox. This is the exception and not the rule. Another important element to calculating Greek Easter is the Spring Equinox. As many of you would have learned in primary school, every four years we add an extra day (February 29th) in the calendar. Copyright © 2005 - 2021 WorldwideGreeks.com. Easter, also called Pascha (Aramaic, Greek, Latin) or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in the New Testament as having occurred on the third day after his burial following his crucifixion by the Romans at Calvary c. 30 AD. Spring Equinox. It is the culmination of the Passion of Jesus, preceded by Lent (or Great Lent), a 40 … Why Is The Orthodox Easter Date Different? So ANZAC Day will be the same day as Easter Sunday, that could be a big bunch of public holidays for us all that week! WorldwideGreeks.com is a free online forum community where people can discuss Greek food, travel, traditions, history and mythology. Greek triumph in women’s pole vault in Berlin, Greek cinema strengthened its position, internationally, in 2020. JavaScript is disabled. Like in America, Greek Easter takes place on a Sunday, but the date is governed by a rather complex system that is determined by three primary conditions: It must be based on the We are not responsible for any information that you choose to share in your public user profile. Here's information as to how the church finds the date. This is one of the single most asked questions when people wonder why I’m not celebrating the “normal” Easter: “Because my Easter is on a different day.” “Really? When Jesus first arrived in Jerusalem, … Note that Passover falls at a different time each year, which is another reason why the date for Easter varies. We Greeks don’t do Easter until after Passover, because how can you have Easter BEFORE Passover. Here’s his well documented explanation. WorldwideGreeks.com is a free online forum for people to discuss the Greek culture. The Orthodox Christian Church calculates a bit differently than other Christian denominations. The Holy Week, or Megali Evdomada, is brimming with symbolic events, festivities, and traditions followed by the whole nation, though the serious business begins … Hey everyone! Epitaphios. There is some debate amongst scholars as to whether or not the Last Supper was actually a Passover meal. The reason for this? Every now and them, both Easters do fall on the same date. Many Orthodox churches base their Easter date on the Julian calendar, which often differs from the Gregorian calendar that is used by many western countries. Because Greeks use a different calendar called the Gregorian calendar, Mine are Kafe Tis Xaras and Konstantinos kai Eleni!! This moment is honored during Palm Sunday. The question is justified, for we live in a situation in which the majority of Christendom celebrates Easter under the Western tradition. This isn’t done to confuse everyone. The Spread of an Urban Legend . Thus, the Gregorian calendar - which we all have hanging on our walls today - was born. Why isn’t Easter celebrated on the ... the Christian belief that Jesus rose from the dead on that day. In the Bible, all of these events took place after Passover. Even though it's covid, I'd love to get lambathes and keep the spirit of Easter. Jon Magoulias* – As Greek-Orthodox Christians prepare to celebrate Easter on Sunday,April 12th, we […] Mar 27, 2015 - Have you ever wondered why Greek Orthodox Easter could fall on a different day as everyone else's? Sometimes, the two methods of calculating Easter lead to the same date. Share and discuss Greek traditions related to Greek weddings, christenings, dance & holidays! ... After midnight, as Easter Day begins, there are early morning prayer services and a communion. According to greekboston.com, the Orthodox Christian Church … I'm curating a playlist now and I want to know what to add. The preparations and customs, including traditional foods and large feasts, remain an important part of modern Greek life. This is one reason why Easter may fall on a different date. You are using an out of date browser. It’s usually somewhere in the third week of March. For millions of people around the world, Easter falls on Sunday 19 April 2020. As a religious nation, Greek Orthodox Easter is a week-long celebration that includes a series of festivities. At the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D., the Western Church decided to establish a more standardized system for determining the date of Easter. Growing up, being Greek-American meant a lot of different things. The Orthodox Christian date for Easter Sunday often occurs at a later date than the Easter date observed … Well, Christmas is known as a “fixed feast.” It falls every year on the 25th of December (although that is the Solemnity of the Nativity, or the First Day of Christmas. The eternal question: Why do Christians celebrate Easter on two different dates? And why do Eastern Orthodox churches celebrate Easter on a different day than Western churches? Why do Greek Orthodox celebrate Easter on a different day? Greek Easter happens to fall on the same day as Easter this year (April 16), but that’s not always the case. To put it simply, the date you celebrate Easter on depends entirely on the calendar your religious affiliation follows. In order for “Greek Easter” to be celebrated the same week as “American Easter,” Passover has to have been celebrated already. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Greece is slowly but surely coming closer to the great feast of Greek Orthodox Easter, or Pascha — a religious occasion celebrated here with more gusto than in many other Western Christian countries. See, ... Perhaps the most confusing part that people seem to struggle with, however, is what exactly Greek Easter is and how it’s different from Western Easter. Orthodox Easter doesn’t usually fall on the same day as everyone else’s? Why Greek Orthodox Easter is on a Different Day. Copyright © 2017 - 2020 The Greek Observer | All Rights Reserved. Western churches use the Gregorian calendar, which is the standard calendar for much of the world. It meant I had to spend each summer sweating in the gyro booth while working at my church’s annual Greek Festival. We do not sell or share user data and will not use any photos or content that users post to our website for any other purpose. Registered users that ignore this policy will have their accounts and posts removed from the WorldwideGreeks.com website. Once every few years, however, the days coincide. Here’s why it’s a movable feast: It may not display this or other websites correctly. Greek orthodox Easter, Stories. Also, the date for Easter can vary from early to late spring depending on how the calculations fall. Many people ask why Easter under the Orthodox Church is often celebrated on a different date to that of the Western Churches, Catholic and Protestant. Greek Easter can sometimes occur on the same day as Western Easter, as it did back in 2017. https://thegreekobserver.com/.../11/30/greek-orthodox-easter-different-day April 22, 2019 April 26, 2019 Viva. What are your favorite dances to do at Easter parties? The two Easters are calculated differently. To put it simply, the date you celebrate Easter on depends entirely on the calendar your religious affiliation follows. Questions, please email: [email protected]. Corpus Christi (60 days after Easter) Why Is Easter Celebrated in Spring? One of the most frequent questions asked by and to Orthodox Christians is “Why does the Orthodox Church celebrate Easter on a different day than other Christians?” This difference has a long history related to Christianity itself, the complex nature of calendars, and the … As you may recall, this meal happened shortly before Jesus was arrested. Since the early Middle Ages, all Christians have used the same method for determining the date of Easter, though they arrive at a different result. We do not accept non-related posts, content, photos or any inappropriate comments, profanity, hate speech, politics or any spam related activities. They share a fraternal embrace reading the Gospel in different languages. There’s a good reason for this. Why Greek Orthodox Easter is on a Different Day Have you ever wondered why Greek Orthodox Easter could fall on a different day as everyone else's? And the 13-day gap between the Julian and Gregorian calendars can determine whether Catholics and Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter on the same day, as it will happen in 2025 (20 April), or will have 35 days in between, like in 2024 (31 March for the Catholics and 5 May for the Julian calendar Orthodox … It’s because Easter is a “moving feast,” meaning it is celebrated on a different day each year. Promotional threads are not allowed to promote any business, event or non-profit on our website as well. The Orthodox Church uses the Julian Calendar and we use the Gregorian Calendar. Unlike Christmas, it doesn't take place on the same day every year. There’s a good reason for this. Easter is the first Sunday that follows the paschal full moon, which is the full moon that falls on or after the spring equinox. All rights reserved. Greek Traditions Forum WorldwideGreeks.com is a free online forum for people to discuss the Greek culture. and the celebrations of Easter, is a special season in Greece.. Greek Orthodox Easter 2021. There are a few really good reasons why it may fall on a different date. One of the main reasons Greek Easter is celebrated after the Easter that most of the … It’s because they use a different calendar to work out what day Easter should fall on.. What is Greek Orthodox Easter called? 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