With the Easter long weekend over, many of us are wishing we didn't eat quite so many chocolate Easter eggs! But for some, Easter is still a few weeks away.
Most Christian Orthodox churches will be celebrating Easter on 2 May 2021, including the Greek, Russian, Serbian and Romanian Orthodox churches.
But why is the Orthodox Easter usually on a different day? There are three factors used to calculate the date of Orthodox Easter, and even then, sometimes it aligns with the Catholic Easter as it did in 2017.
Different Calendars
The Orthodox Church follows the Julian calendar, whilst the Catholic Church follows the Gregorian calendar. The Gregorian calendar was created by Pope Gregory in 1582 as there were some timing issues with the Julian Calendar, but the Orthodox Churches continue to use the Julian calendar to calculate the timing of Easter.
Jewish Passover
In the Orthodox Church, Easter must come after Jewish Passover, which is also on a different date each year. This is because in the Orthodox Churches it is believed that Jesus shared the Passover meal with his 12 disciples at the Last Supper.
March Equinox
Also known as the Spring Equinox in the northern hemisphere, and the Autumnal Equinox in the southern hemisphere, the March Equinox also plays a role in calculating the Orthodox Easter date each year. Easter should come on the first full moon after both the March Equinox and Passover.
If you're yet to celebrate Easter this year, check out our Easter collection for gifts, decor and ornaments.
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