How did the difference arise between the dates of Catholic and Orthodox Easter? What is the difference between Orthodox Easter and Catholic Easter?

Why do Catholics and Orthodox Christians have Easter on different times? For all Christian denominations this is the most main holiday church calendar. In 2019, the date of this holiday for Catholics falls on April 21, and Orthodox believers celebrate it a week later, on April 28.

The dates of Easter for Catholics and Orthodox believers often do not coincide. But it also happens that they fall on the same day. Why does this happen, what is the difference between Catholic and Orthodox Easter?

According to the rule of the First Ecumenical Council of 325, Christian Easter should be celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon after spring equinox. Each year it is determined by calculation.

Why do Catholics and Orthodox Christians have Easter at different times?

Although the Alexandrian (Eastern) and Gregorian (Western) Easter - systems for calculating the date of Easter - are based on the same principle, they are used in different Christian denominations different rules calculus.

In the Russian Orthodox Church, the date of the holiday is calculated according to the Julian calendar, and in some other churches - according to the Gregorian calendar.

The difference between the Julian calendar adopted by the Orthodox and the Gregorian calendar adopted by the Catholics is 13 days, with the Gregorian dates being ahead of the Julian ones.

Catholic Easter is usually celebrated a week or two earlier than Orthodox Easter, and coincides with it approximately three times every 19 years, but this occurs at different intervals.

Thus, Catholic and Orthodox Easter were celebrated on the same day in 2017. Further, such coincidences of the holiday will follow in 2025, then with an interval of 3 years - in 2028, 2031, 2034, then two years in a row - in 2037 and 2038, and then again after three years - in 2041, 2045 and 2048.

According to the canons of the Orthodox Church, Easter should always be celebrated after the Jewish Passover, since Jesus Christ was resurrected on the first Sunday after it. According to the Gregorian calendar, Christian Easter is sometimes celebrated on the same day as the Jewish one or even earlier.

Like Orthodox believers, Catholics also observe Lent, and the Holy Week that follows also begins on Palm Sunday.

On the eve of Easter, parishioners gather in the church, from where it begins at midnight religious procession. In the Roman Catholic Church it is performed during the Easter Eve service, but not before the liturgy, but after it. There are other differences as well.

Early on Saturday morning, water and fire are blessed in churches, which are carried home and Easter candles are lit from it. Water is sprinkled at home and added to food.

On Easter morning, adults hide colored eggs at home, and children must find them. They are believed to be brought by the Easter Bunny.

Throughout Easter week Divine services are held in churches, street performances on religious themes are organized, and organ music concerts are held in Catholic churches.

Perhaps, questions about why Easter of different faiths do not coincide in date and how the date of this holiday is generally calculated (after all, as you know, unlike, for example, Christmas, it does not have a constant date) are the most popular ones on the eve of the celebration . Let's figure out what's the matter and how the date of the most important thing is determined Christian holiday.

So, why doesn’t Easter Day differ among different faiths? After all, the method for calculating the date of Easter - Paschal - is the same for both Orthodox and Catholics! How can this be?! And the whole point is the difference in calendars. Thus, the Orthodox and representatives of several ancient Eastern churches adhere to the Julian calendar, known in Rus' as “ old style" Western denominations - Catholics of the Latin rite and Protestants - adhere to the “new style”, the Gregorian calendar.

We will not delve into the features of the calendars and the reasons for their approval and adoption; we will only note that the difference between them is 13 days.

To calculate the date of Easter, church scientists take into account three criteria:

Day of the vernal equinox: i.e. Easter cannot be before March 21st;
First spring full moon: i.e. Easter should be celebrated after this event;
Easter must fall on Sunday.

Based on these conditions, it turns out general rule: Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the spring full moon, but not earlier than March 21.

Differences in calendars, e.g. old and new styles lead to the fact that one method of calculating the date can sometimes lead to completely different Easter dates. And there is no rule at all that Easter will be celebrated a week apart, although according to statistics this happens in 45% of cases.

Eastern and Western Easter coincide in 30% of cases. In 5% of cases, Western Easter is ahead of Eastern Easter by 4 weeks, in 20% - by 5 weeks, in 45% of cases, as already mentioned, by 1 week. And there can’t be a difference of 2 or 3 weeks!
In many countries (Australia, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Switzerland, etc.) on Easter, workers receive four days off - Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday. Three-day weekends - from Saturday to Monday - are given to workers in Austria, Ukraine, Italy, Moldova, etc.
Sometimes it happens that the Annunciation coincides with Easter (March 25/April 7) - in this case, the Holiday receives the name Kyriopascha (Lord's Easter). However, this happens very rarely - for example, in the 20th century, Kyriopascha was celebrated only in 1912 and 1991. In the 21st century, the nearest Kyriopascha will occur only... in 2075 and 2086. The next Kiriopascha can only be celebrated in 2159!
The celebration of Easter does not end on the same day: whole week after the holiday - Bright Week - is considered the same holiday as Sunday. And with the words “Christ is risen!” you can greet each other until the Ascension of Jesus Christ, which is celebrated 40 days after Easter.
First word full name Easter holiday "Resurrection of Jesus Christ" in Greek - Ἡ Ανάστασις τοῦ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ (which is read as Anastasis to Jesus Christ) became known Christian name- and not only in female uniform– Anastasia – but also in the male version – Anastasy.
The Easter holiday is called the “King of Days” and the “Feast of Holidays.”
The Sunday following Easter eastern churches(Orthodox, Greek Catholic) is called an unusual word"Anti-Easter", or Fomino Sunday. On this day, we remember the appearance of Christ to the apostles and the very personality of Thomas “The Unbeliever” - so called because he claimed that he would not believe in the Resurrection until he put his hand into the wound of Christ.

Please explain the difference between Orthodox and Roman Catholic Easter.

Hegumen Ambrose (Ermakov) answers:

According to established church tradition, according to the rule of the First Ecumenical Council of 325, Christian Easter should be celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. Due to the disproportion between solar and lunar cycles, with which it is compared, the date of the holiday shifts along the time scale over the years, ranging from March 22 to April 25 according to the Julian calendar. For almost every year it is determined by calculation.

Julian calendar, which is used by the Orthodox Church, is based on the solar-lunar reporting system, resulting in a year that is 11 minutes 14 seconds longer than the astronomical year. Because of this, the day of the solar equinox, which was March 21 in 325, moved ten days back by the end of the sixteenth century, that is, to March eleventh.

Dissatisfied with this shift and the fact that Easter could have “fluctuations” in the day of celebration every year, the Roman Catholic Church in 1582 carried out a reform and introduced the so-called Gregorian calendar named after Pope Gregory XIII, the meaning of which was to switch exclusively to solar system report. Specifically, the reform was expressed in the fact that the calendar in 1582 was mechanically moved forward ten days, that is, the vernal equinox again became March 21.

This desire for accuracy turned out to be unjustified in the light of the Gospel events, since in the Gregorian calendar the Christian Easter sometimes occurs together with the Jewish one or even earlier. In particular, from 1851 to 1951, Catholic Easter occurred 15 times before Jewish Easter. According to the canons of the Orthodox Church, this is considered unacceptable: Easter should always be celebrated after the Jewish Passover, for the Lord rose on the first Sunday after it.

In practice, Catholic Easter usually occurs a week or two earlier than Orthodox Easter, and coincides with it three times every 19 years. We recommend you the book "The Calendar Question", published by Sretensky Monastery, where this problem is covered in detail.

Easter is the main and most ancient religious holiday among Christians of all directions. The name Easter is taken from the Jewish holiday of Passover, but their essence is fundamentally different. For Jews, Passover is a celebration of the exodus from slavery in Egypt. Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Therefore, Christian Easter also has a second name - the Resurrection of Christ.

There are no fundamental differences in the celebration of Easter between Orthodox Christians and Catholics. There are discrepancies in some details and local traditions, which are closely intertwined with the ancient pagan rituals. The main difference is the date of the holiday itself. Here and there, Easter is preceded by Lent and Holy Week.

Initially, Orthodox and Catholics were guided by one rule:

Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first spring full moon and is calculated many years in advance according to the so-called Easter calendars. Why Orthodox Christians and Catholics began to celebrate Easter at different times is a whole historical investigation. The purpose of this article is to show the differences in the celebration of Easter by ordinary believers.

How Orthodox Christians in Rus' celebrate Easter

First, Easter is always celebrated on Sunday. This comes from the very definition of the holiday - Christ's Sunday (from the dead). By the way, in the pre-Christian era, the Slavs called this day “week” = “no-do” - just rest!

The custom of making Christ. Everyone who meets each other on this day greets each other with the words “Christ is Risen!” “Truly he is risen!” At the same time, juniors are the first to greet seniors.

The custom of coloring eggs. According to legend, this custom dates back to the times ancient Rome, when Mary Magdalene presented an egg as a gift to Emperor Tiberius as a symbol of the Resurrection of Christ. The emperor did not believe it and literally said that “just as an egg does not turn from white to red, so the dead do not rise again.” And the egg immediately turned red. That's why easter eggs They were originally painted red, then they began to be painted in a variety of ways. And they even paint it artistically. Such eggs are called “Pysanky”.

Easter cakes. This is church ritual food. This holiday bread had to be blessed, either in church or by inviting the priest home. After that, treat each other to festive Easter cakes and colored eggs.

Easter gospel. Throughout the Holy Week before Easter, the bells on the bell towers are silent as a sign of sorrow for the suffering of Jesus Christ. And on Easter they begin the Easter chime. Throughout Easter week, anyone is allowed to climb the bell tower and ring the bells. (The author of these words had the opportunity to ring bells all the way in the Tobolsk Diocese!)

Festive table for Easter. Easter Sunday marks the end of Lent and the beginning of breaking the fast - eating whatever you want, having fun, getting drunk, communicating with the opposite sex as much as you like.

“Clinking” Easter eggs.- a favorite competition for children and adults. The winner is the one in whose hands the egg remains intact after the collision.

Rolling eggs. Fun like board game. Various objects are placed on the surface. Then they roll the egg. Whose egg touches which object gets that object.

How do Catholics celebrate Easter?

Easter gospel, Easter cakes, festive table, colored eggs - all this is also present in Catholic celebration Easter. A notable difference is the Easter Bunny or Easter Bunny.

This is a purely Western Catholic tradition. Its roots go back to the ancient worship of the hare or rabbit as a symbol of fertility (everyone knows the fertility of these animals). Edible Easter bunnies and rabbits are baked from dough, made from chocolate, marmalade, from anything. Very often an Easter egg is baked or hidden in such an edible hare.

Chocolate bunnies are very popular in Europe. In Germany alone, ten thousand tons of chocolate bunnies and eggs are bought for Easter.

Souvenir Easter bunnies are made of clay, plastic, fabric, wood, etc., and installed on fireplaces, bedside tables and other prominent places and celebrated as if together with the owners. The Easter Bunny is a very popular character!

Easter egg hunt. In many Western countries There is a belief that Easter gifts and Easter eggs do not come on their own, but need to be found. Parents hide them somewhere in the house, and children have fun finding them!

Quick to remember

Celebrating Easter among the Orthodox

It always happens either together or later Catholic, never before. Easter eggs and Easter cakes are blessed and given to each other. Christening. They clink eggs. Blagovest sounds in the bell towers. Abundant festive table and drinks.

Celebrating Easter among Catholics

It always happens together or before the Orthodox. Blagovest, eggs, Easter cakes - like the Orthodox. An obligatory Easter bunny or rabbit, both edible and souvenir. There is no custom of making Christ.

On March 27, 2016, Catholics, Protestants and believers of the Armenian Orthodox Church celebrate Easter. Easter - the holiday of the Holy Christ's resurrection. The first Passover was celebrated by the ancient Jews 1500 years before the birth of Christ, in connection with the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt under the leadership of the prophet Moses. The Old Testament Passover marked deliverance Jewish people from Egyptian slavery, and the word “Passover” in ancient Hebrew means “exodus”, “deliverance”. The New Testament, Christian Easter was established by the apostles shortly after the death on the cross and Resurrection of Jesus Christ and was filled with new meaning. This is a celebration of victory over death.

Representatives of different religious denominations live in Crimea. What are the differences between celebrating Armenian Orthodox Easter, Catholic and Russian Orthodox Easter? Let's figure it out.

Armenian Easter.

The Armenian Church is one of the oldest Christian communities. In 301, Armenia became the first country to adopt Christianity as a state religion. For many centuries there has been no church unity between us, but this does not interfere with the existence of good neighborly relations. At a meeting with the Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to Russia O.E. Yesayan, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill noted:

“Our relations go back centuries... The closeness of our spiritual ideals, the common moral and spiritual value system in which our peoples live are a fundamental component of our relations.”

Interesting thing: In 2017, Armenian Easter - Zatik - will be celebrated on April 16 together with representatives of all Christian denominations - Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants and Armenian Christians. Such a coincidence happens extremely rarely. For comparison - last time The "common Easter day" was in 2011.

The traditions of calculating the dates of holidays in Armenian are very interesting. Apostolic Church. Here the decision is made by representatives of the spiritual center of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Etchmiadzin. Every year before the holiday, special calendars are sent from this city, where specific dates are specified. This denomination uses the Gregorian calendar, and Armenian Easter often coincides with the Catholic one.

Armenian Easter is called Zatik, which means “liberation” and “purification.” The holiday symbolizes deliverance from sins and return to God. On this day, Armenians greet each other with the words “Christ has risen from the dead - blessed is the Resurrection of Christ.” One of ancient traditions that have survived to the present day is considered to be the "Aklatiz" doll, decorated with 49 stones and onions. This Easter attribute symbolizes good luck for home and family. An unusual tradition in Armenia was the blessing of trees on Easter. Elderly Armenian women blessed trees with candles in their hands on Easter morning. In pre-Christian times, it was customary to perform a ritual of sacrifice on this day. A young lamb or rooster was boiled all night and then distributed to the poor and needy. On Easter in Armenia traditional dish now there is pilaf and colored eggs. Previously, Spitak banjar was served on this day. According to legend, the Holy Mother of God wrapped Jesus Christ in the leaves of this plant. Also, on Easter, Armenian housewives usually treat them to kutap - this is dough with baked greens or beans with fried onions, also auik (wheat flatbread) and ahar (boiled lamb or rooster).

Traditional holiday treats

In ancient times in Armenia on Easter, after the Easter dinner, a cheerful celebration continued in nature with various games, horse races and bonfires. And, of course, on this day, according to custom, colored eggs were broken in competition. Armenians painted eggs even before the adoption of Christianity, and they still do so now. Red color means the light of the sun.

Today, in all Armenian churches, divine sharakans - ancient spiritual verses - are heard. But main liturgy in honor of the onset of Easter is held in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. Monday is a day off in Armenia. On All Souls' Day, people traditionally visit the graves of their loved ones.

Interesting thing: Orthodox Church determines the date of Easter on the first Sunday after the vernal equinox and the following full moon. One more condition is strictly observed: Easter for the Orthodox should not coincide with the Jewish one. This norm is enshrined in a special decision of the Ecumenical Councils. The day of the Jewish Passover is calculated in accordance with the lunar calendar, so sometimes coincidences occur. But for the Orthodox tradition such a coincidence is unacceptable, but for Catholics it is allowed. When the days of celebration for Orthodox and Catholics coincide, Easter takes place in both faiths without postponement. Protestants also base their calculations on the Gregorian calendar, so their Easter often coincides with the Catholic one. And such Orthodox churches as Romanian, Greek, Bulgarian are guided by the neo-Julian calendar. He dictates the terms for determining most holidays according to Gregorian calendar, and some (for example, Easter) - according to the Julian.

Catholic Easter.

IN European languages the word "Easter" is one of the variants of the Latin Pascha, which, in turn, goes back to the Hebrew pesach (transition, exodus from Egypt). The Jewish Passover, dedicated to the deliverance of Israel from Egyptian slavery, was in the eyes of Christians a prototype of the redemption of humanity from sin, the memory of which the Christian Passover is dedicated to. The Germans call Easter Ostern, as do the British - Easter, that is, after the ancient German goddess of spring Eostro (Ostara). Thus, Christians timed their main holiday to coincide with celebrations of the revival of life after winter. Roman Catholic Easter always falls on the first Sunday after the vernal equinox and the first full moon after that. This order was determined in the early christian church and is still observed today. In our time, the days of Catholic and Orthodox Easter do not coincide for the reason that the Russian Orthodox Church continues to calculate chronology in accordance with the ancient Julian calendar.

IN Orthodox churches Easter service- the celebration is light and joyful - it begins exactly at midnight. After the end of the service, Orthodox Christians “share Christ.” This is the name of the custom of greeting each other with a kiss and the words: “Christ is risen!” Catholics celebrate Easter, beginning with a special Saturday prayer at Easter Eve. Then early Sunday morning there is a Resurrection - a religious procession and Holy Mass. There is no tradition of breaking the fast in this denomination, since Catholics do not have a long fast like abstinence in food. Believers should abstain from meat food only on Friday. Catholic fasting is of a spiritual nature; during it you need to pray more, do more good deeds, and give up bad habits and wild fun. The symbol of the Easter holiday is colored eggs. The custom of dyeing eggs is widespread everywhere. Western European Catholics prefer red eggs without ornament; in Central Europe (Poles, Slovaks) they paint them using a variety of techniques. Priests bless eggs in the homes of parishioners on Saturday along with other ritual food. In the evening at Holy Saturday All churches serve the all-night vigil. In the morning, returning home, everyone breaks their fast, first of all with eggs. Hard-boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, and omelettes are the most important ritual Easter food. Prepare and meat dishes, as well as rich bread.

Traditions of celebrating Easter in different countries Europe.

In Italy, they bake a “dove” on Easter; in Eastern Poland, on Easter morning they eat okroshka, which is poured over with water and vinegar, as a symbol of Christ’s Friday suffering on the Cross. And in Poland there is a custom called oblewany ponedzialek - on Monday after Easter, boys and girls pour water on each other. All over Europe, housewives place colorful eggs, toy chickens, and chocolate bunnies in wicker baskets on young grass. These baskets remain on the table by the door throughout Easter week. In Ecuador, fanseco is a soup made from 12 types of grains - they symbolize the 12 apostles, cod, peanuts and milk. In England, Easter hot cross buns must be cut with a cross on top before baking. In Portugal, on Sunday, the priest walks through the sparkling clean houses of parishioners, spreading Easter blessings, where he is treated to blue and pink jelly beans, chocolate eggs, cookies and a glass of port. On the morning of Easter Sunday, after the service, children and youth go around houses with songs and congratulations, similar to Christmas carols. Among Easter entertainments, the most popular are games with colored eggs: they are thrown at each other, rolled down an inclined plane, broken, scattering the shells.

Why is the Easter bunny used as a symbol of Catholic Easter?

The symbol of Catholic Easter is also the Easter bunny, which, according to legend, delivers Easter gift baskets and hides eggs painted the day before. IN Catholic countries On the eve of Easter, the hare is very popular - it is printed on postcards and chocolate bunnies are made. The explanation for this goes deep into paganism. According to legend pagan goddess In the spring, Estra turned the bird into a hare, but he continued to lay eggs. Another explanation for this phenomenon is simpler - when children went to collect eggs from the chicken coop on Easter morning, they often found rabbits nearby.

Jewish Passover.

For the entire Jewish people, Passover is the most important and significant day of the year. Many great actions are associated with it, in particular the liberation of the Jews from Egyptian slavery, which occurred in the mid-13th century BC. The history of Passover (Pesach) dates back to the distant past, to the days when, according to the biblical scriptures, Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt. This happened on the 14th day of the month of Nisan, when on the night before the last harsh execution all the babies of Egypt were killed, except for the Jewish ones. The execution bypassed their homes, because the doors were marked with the blood of sacrificial lambs. After this terrible act, Moses undertook to lead the Jewish people outside the Egyptian lands. The holiday was named in honor of the greatest salvation of the people of Israel and in honor of the fact that trouble passed them by at home. Translated from Hebrew, “Pesach” means “to pass by, pass by, or go around.” It is symbolic that the celebration of Passover falls precisely on the 14th day of the month of Nisan, according to the Jewish lunar calendar. There is a slight difference in the number of days when people treat and praise this celebration. For example, in Israel itself it lasts 7 days, and outside it - 8 days. In 2016, Easter celebrations will begin on April 22 and end on April 30. A long-established tradition says that all Jews begin to celebrate Passover after the sun hides its last ray below the horizon.

Traditions of the Jewish Passover: on the eve of the holiday, everything leavened - flour dishes, based on yeast - is collected in houses and burned at the stake. It is worth noting that during the entire period when Jews honor Passover, they do not eat leavened products, as well as those that can ferment. Before the start of the holiday, it is customary to collect “meot hittim”. This means that Jews collect funds for metzah flour, which they then distribute to the poor. Metzo is unleavened flatbread that is baked without the use of yeast. This pastry symbolizes the bread that the Jews grabbed in a hurry when they secretly left Egypt. On the first and seventh days of the celebration, it is forbidden to do business, but on the remaining days it is allowed to do minor work. Jews usually call the first two days and the first night Yom Tov, which means “good and festive day.” During this period, all synagogues in the country hold a service in which they praise the dew, and also thank God by reading the Hallel psalms.

The Jewish Passover itself in 2016 begins from the moment that in the evening, the 14th of Nisan, families gathered at the table begin to read the Seder Korban Pesach (Passover sacrifice ceremony). This gathering, during which the family eats food laid out on the table, is called Seder, and is held on the first and second nights of the holiday. a certain order. While eating, you need to read the Haggad prayer, which tells how the Israelites fled from Egypt. During the Seder, everyone must drink 4 glasses of wine, and there must be chicken egg and a chicken wing (in honor of the sacrificial lamb), four matzahs (more is possible), a thicket of salt water (symbolizing the tears of all Israelite slaves), any bitter herb (celery, maror), charoset. It is customary to invite all the needy and poor people to dinner, and at the end of the meal, open the doors wide open, thereby beginning the “night of vigil” for all the “sons of Israel.” On the last day of celebrating Passover, which is associated with the crossing of the Jewish people across the Red Sea, synagogues begin to read Hazkarat Neshamot. In addition, there is a long tradition when the Israelis come to the river and recite a passage from the Torah.

Why shouldn't Easter and Passover coincide?

The Church has clearly defined that the celebration of Christian Easter should not fall on the day of the celebration of Jewish Passover. This should be due to the fact that the Resurrection of Christ itself occurred after the people of Israel left Egypt, and therefore after the occurrence of Passover. In order to accurately observe the chronology of the Gospel events, the following order was established for honoring these holidays. Until now, of course, there are disputes about the coincidence of all these great days, but the clergy are confident that it would be extremely illogical to contradict the events indicated in the Gospel and set the wrong date for the most important Christian holiday.

Orthodox Easter.

The Orthodox Church recognizes two types of holidays: non-transitionable and transferable. The first are celebrated every year on the same day, without changing the date or month. There is no specific date set for moving holidays; it is calculated every year according to certain criteria. The main moving holiday, on which the dates of the beginning of Lent, Pentecost, Ascension and other church events depend, is Easter. Before the Resurrection of Christ, it is customary to restore order in all houses and courtyards. This tradition is especially relevant in Maundy Thursday. On this day you need to swim at dawn to wash away all sins and evil thoughts. Then there is a trip to church service. Before Easter, you need to bake Easter cakes. Previously, each housewife had her own secret recipe, which she kept secret. A properly made product can be stored for up to forty days. Today on store shelves there are a lot of Easter sprinkles, figurines, and decorations that make the process of making Easter cakes easier and add a creative touch to it.

Another necessary attribute, without which Easter is not complete in any family, is krashanka. The most traditional method of coloring eggs is to place them in water with onion skins. This operation gives the eggs a rich red-brown hue. There are also many other ways: food coloring, stickers, wax painting. There are masters who create entire paintings on egg shells. Krashanki are not only made for consumption, they are exchanged with each other as sacred gifts. When all the holiday components are ready, you can begin to form the Easter basket. Easter cakes, krashankas and all the products that one would like to consecrate go into it. On Saturday evening, all believers, dressed up and with Easter baskets, go to church for the All-Night Vigil. In 2016, Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter on May 1.

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