When is Orthodox Easter?
Orthodox Easter 2027 is on Sunday
Sunday, May 2, 2027
The Sunday set by the Julian-calendar Easter tables, between April 4 and May 8 on today's calendar. That's in 210 days.
until Orthodox Easter begins, in your time zone
Orthodox Easter, or Pascha, is the Eastern Orthodox celebration of Christ's resurrection and the most important feast of the church year. It is dated by the Julian calendar, so it often falls later than Western Easter.
About Orthodox Easter
For Eastern Orthodox Christians, Pascha is the "feast of feasts," the climax of the roughly seven weeks of Great Lent and Holy Week. The celebration peaks at a service that begins late on Saturday night. The church is darkened, the priest brings out a single lit candle, and the flame is passed from hand to hand before a procession around the church and the joyful greeting "Christ is risen!" answered by "Truly he is risen!" Families then break the long fast together, often with red-dyed eggs, lamb and rich festive breads such as Russian kulich or Greek tsoureki.
Orthodox and Western churches share the principles associated with the Council of Nicaea in 325: Easter falls on the Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox. The difference lies in the calendar. The Roman Catholic Church introduced the Gregorian calendar in 1582 and Western churches now follow it, while the Orthodox Church kept the older Julian calendar, now 13 days behind, along with its traditional tables for the full moon. As a result, Orthodox Easter falls between April 4 and May 8 on today's calendar and is either on the same day as Western Easter or one, four or five weeks later. The two coincided in 2025, on April 20, and will again in 2028, on April 16.
Nearly every Orthodox church, including those that moved Christmas to December 25, still dates Easter by the Julian reckoning; the Orthodox Church of Finland is the notable exception and celebrates with Western Christians. Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday are public holidays in countries such as Greece, Cyprus, Romania, Bulgaria and Serbia.
Sources: Orthodox Church in America: Lenten and Paschal Cycle, Orthodox Church in America: Concerning the Date of Pascha and the First Ecumenical Council. How we check dates.
How to mark Orthodox Easter
- Dye eggs deep red with onion skins, a traditional Orthodox method, and play the egg-tapping game.
- Attend the midnight Paschal service at an Orthodox parish; visitors are usually welcome.
- Bake a festive Easter bread such as kulich, tsoureki or cozonac.
- Learn the Paschal greeting "Christ is risen!" and its reply in Greek or Church Slavonic.
- Check the dates if you have Orthodox friends or coworkers, so greetings and time off line up with their holiday.
Orthodox Easter dates
| Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Sunday, April 20, 2025 |
| 2026 | Sunday, April 12, 2026 |
| 2027 | Sunday, May 2, 2027 |
| 2028 | Sunday, April 16, 2028 |
| 2029 | Sunday, April 8, 2029 |
| 2030 | Sunday, April 28, 2030 |
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Frequently asked questions
When is Orthodox Easter 2027?
Orthodox Easter 2027 is on Sunday, May 2, 2027. It falls on the Sunday set by the Julian-calendar Easter tables, between April 4 and May 8 on today's calendar. In 2028, it is on Sunday, April 16, 2028.
Why is Orthodox Easter on a different date?
Orthodox churches calculate Easter with the Julian calendar and its traditional full-moon tables, while Western churches use the Gregorian calendar. The Julian calendar now runs 13 days behind, which usually pushes Orthodox Easter later.
Do Orthodox and Western Easter ever fall on the same day?
Yes. They coincide in some years, including April 20, 2025 and April 16, 2028; otherwise Orthodox Easter comes one, four or five weeks later.
Is Orthodox Easter a public holiday?
No. Orthodox Easter is an observance, not a public holiday, so schools, banks, government offices and most businesses keep their normal hours.