Orthodox Easter

What Is Orthodox Easter?

Orthodox Easter, known in many traditions as Pascha, is the central and most significant holiday in the Eastern Orthodox Christian calendar. It commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, an event considered foundational to Christian doctrine. This observance is celebrated by Eastern Orthodox Churches worldwide, including those in Greece, Russia, Serbia, Ethiopia, and many other nations.

The period leading up to Orthodox Easter includes Great Lent, a 40-day period of fasting, prayer, and penance. This culminates in Holy Week, which features intensive services recalling the final days of Jesus’s life, his crucifixion, and burial. The resurrection is then celebrated with great solemnity and joy on Easter Sunday.

Unlike Western Easter, which is calculated using the Gregorian calendar, Orthodox Easter adheres to a calculation based on the Julian calendar. This often means that Orthodox Easter falls on a different date, typically later than its Western counterpart, though occasionally they coincide. For millions of adherents, it is a time of profound religious observance and communal celebration.

History and Origins of Orthodox Easter

The divergence in the celebration date of Easter between Eastern and Western Christianity stems from a complex history rooted in calendar reform and theological adherence. In 325 AD, the First Council of Nicaea established a universal method for calculating Easter, ensuring it would always fall on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the vernal equinox. Crucially, it also stipulated that Easter should never coincide with the Jewish Passover.

However, over centuries, two main issues arose. Firstly, the Julian calendar, which was in use at the time of the Council of Nicaea, gradually became inaccurate, drifting from astronomical reality. The vernal equinox, which the Council fixed at 21st March, slowly shifted. When the Gregorian calendar was introduced in 1582 to correct this drift, Western churches adopted it for their Easter calculations.

Eastern Orthodox Churches, largely for historical and theological reasons related to the Great Schism of 1054 and a desire to maintain continuity with ancient traditions, largely continued to use the Julian calendar for determining Easter. This adherence to the Julian calendar’s calculation method, known as the Paschalion, is the core reason for the different Easter dates today. Furthermore, Orthodox calculation strictly adheres to the Nicaean rule that Easter must follow Passover, a condition not always met by the Gregorian calculation.

How Orthodox Easter Is Celebrated

Orthodox Easter celebrations are characterised by solemn reverence leading to exuberant joy, often beginning with an all-night vigil culminating in the midnight Paschal liturgy. The preparatory period of Great Lent involves stringent fasting, often abstaining from meat, dairy, eggs, and olive oil for 40 days. Holy Week sees daily services, with a focus on the Passion of Christ, particularly on Good Friday with the Epitaphios (symbolic tomb of Christ).

On Easter Saturday night, congregants gather in churches, holding candles, awaiting the announcement of the Resurrection. At midnight, priests emerge from the altar proclaiming, “Christ is Risen!” to which the congregation responds, “He is truly Risen!” This proclamation marks the end of the Lenten fast and the beginning of the joyous feast. Churches are often filled to capacity, and the atmosphere is one of profound celebration, with bells ringing and fireworks often lighting the sky in some regions.

Food plays a central role in the post-fasting celebrations. Families gather for large meals, featuring traditional dishes. A common tradition involves cracking red-dyed eggs, symbolising Christ’s blood and the new life of the Resurrection.

Celebrations in Greece

In Greece, Orthodox Easter, or Pascha, is the most important holiday of the year. On Holy Saturday night, after the “Christos Anesti” (Christ is Risen) proclamation, families return home to break their fast with Mageiritsa, a traditional lamb offal soup. On Easter Sunday, a lamb is often roasted whole on a spit, accompanied by various side dishes. The red-dyed eggs are cracked against each other in a game called ‘tsougrisma’, where the person with the last uncracked egg is considered lucky.

Celebrations in Russia and Eastern Europe

In countries like Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, and Bulgaria, Orthodox Easter is celebrated with similar fervour. Special Easter breads, such as Kulich (a tall, cylindrical sweet bread) and Paskha (a pyramid-shaped cheese dessert), are prepared. Eggs are dyed, often using traditional natural dyes, and exchanged as gifts. The midnight service is followed by a family feast, and often a blessing of food baskets at the church. Greetings of “Khristos Voskrese!” (Christ is Risen!) and the response “Voistinu Voskrese!” (He is truly Risen!) are exchanged widely.

Celebrations in Ethiopia and Eritrea

In Ethiopia and Eritrea, Orthodox Easter is known as Fasika and is observed by followers of the Tewahedo Orthodox Churches. The 55-day fast leading up to Fasika is particularly strict, with only one vegan meal per day. On Easter Sunday morning, after church services, families break their fast with meat dishes, often doro wot (chicken stew), and bread. Celebrations are highly communal, with families visiting each other and sharing meals.

When Is Orthodox Easter?

Orthodox Easter is a movable feast, meaning its date changes each year. Its calculation is based on the Julian calendar and a set of ecclesiastical rules established at the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. According to these rules, Orthodox Easter must fall on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the vernal equinox, and it must occur after the Jewish Passover.

Because the Julian calendar is currently 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar, the vernal equinox used for Orthodox calculations falls on 3rd April in the Gregorian calendar. This difference results in Orthodox Easter typically falling one, four, or five weeks after Western Easter. Occasionally, the dates for both Western and Orthodox Easter can coincide, which happens when the Paschal full moon falls on a specific date that aligns for both calendar systems. However, this is less common than divergent dates.

Orthodox Easter Key Facts