Unlike Christmas, it doesnt 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.
How is the Orthodox Easter date determined?
In most years, Orthodox Easter follows Western Easter by one or more weeks. To determine the Orthodox Easter Sunday date, it is first necessary to find the Julian Easter Sunday date, then to add the number of days which have been skipped in the Gregorian calendar.
Why does the Orthodox Church have a different calendar?
The reason for the different dates for Orthodox Churches is that they calculate Easter according to the Julian calendar, whereas the western churches use the Gregorian calendar.
What year is it in Orthodox calendar?
Its Year One, marking the supposed date of creation, was September 1, 5509 BC, to August 31, 5508 BC. This would make the current year (AD 2021) 7530 (7529 before September 1; and 7530 after September 1).
How long is the Orthodox calendar?
The number of days by which the Gregorian calendar differs from the Julian calendar is currently 13, but will increase to 14 on March 1, 2100.
Is Orthodox Easter more accurate?
Orthodox churches in some countries including Greece, Cyprus and Romania base their Easter date on the Julian calendar. 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.
What do Orthodox fast from during Lent?
Fasting and Abstinence For Orthodox Christians, who follow the Julian calendar, the Great Lent is more strict, as the faithful are expected to abstain from meat, meat by-products, poultry, eggs, and dairy products for the entire Lenten period.
What is the Orthodox religion?
Orthodox Churches The Orthodox Church is one of the three main Christian groups (the others being Roman Catholic and Protestant). The Orthodox Churches are united in faith and by a common approach to theology, tradition, and worship. They draw on elements of Greek, Middle-Eastern, Russian and Slav culture.
How do Orthodox fast?
Orthodox Christian holy books recommend a total of 180–200 days of fasting per year. The faithful are advised to avoid olive oil, meat, fish, milk and dairy products every Wednesday and Friday throughout the year. During Lent fish is allowed only two days whereas meat, dairy products and eggs are not allowed.
Why are Catholic and Orthodox Easter different?
Why Is The Orthodox Easter Date Different? 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).