Greek / Orthodox Easter 2026
Sunday 12th April 2026 | Orthodox Christians celebrate Jesus Christ's resurrection on Easter Sunday.
Orthodox Christians in Europe Africa and the Middle East celebrate Easter later than most in the western world.
In the eyes of the Orthodox Church it is an honor to commemorate the fact that Jesus died on the cross for our sins.
After weeks of careful fasting and prayer they're eager to break the fast and finally eat foods that have been deprived of them.
Orthodox Easter is not a public holiday.
Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter Day also called Pascha as well as the Sunday of the Resurrection according to the Easter date in the old Julian calendar which is differnet from the Easter dates in the Gregorian calendar.
End of Lent
Many Orthodox Christians in Australia fast during Lent prior to Easter.
Catholic Easter: Sunday, 5 April 2026; Greek / Orthodox Easter: Sunday, 12 April 2026
Why are the dates different?
Wherever you live in the world Easter is always a moveable feast day. Unlike Christmas it doesn't take place on the same day every year.
Orthodox churches in some countries including Greece Cyprus and Romania base their Easter date on the Julian calendar.
The Julian Calendar was designed by Julius Caesar in 45 BC - basing a year on the time it takes the Sun to go around the Earth.
The Gregorian Calendar was created by Pope Gregory in 1582 to fix some of the glitches in the Julian Calendar as astronomy became more accurate.
Great Britain changed to the Gregorian calendar in 1752.
Also in the eastern Orthodox Church Easter must happen after the Jewish festival of Passover - as in the Easter story Jesus celebrates Passover before his death.
Orthodox Easter traditions
Church is obviously an important part of the celebrations and important services start from Good Friday.
The most important prayers are in the early hours of Easter Sunday when celebrations begin church bells ring and fireworks and crackers go off to mark Christ's resurrection.
After the fasting of Lent traditions often revolve around food.
In Greece Orthodox Christians traditionally eat roasted lamb on a barbecue spit and Tsoureki a sweet Easter bread.
They also break their fast with a traditional soup called Magiritsa which is made of lamb rice and dill before the main feasting begins on Sunday.
Serbian Orthodox families traditionally enjoy appetizers of smoked meats and cheeses boiled eggs and red wine. The Easter meal consists of chicken noodle or lamb and vegetable soup followed by spit-roasted lamb.
In Russia Orthodox Christian break their fast with a traditional Paskha Easter cake.
As in the western Church eggs are a symbol of Easter and of new life. At Easter eggs are dyed red to represent the blood of Jesus that was shed on the cross for the redemption of all men.
❊ When ❊
Date: Sunday 12th April 2026
❊ Web Links ❊
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