This year, both Orthodox and Catholic believers celebrate Easter on the same day – April 20. Such a coincidence does not happen often, as the Eastern and Western churches use different calendars (Julian and Gregorian), but this year the dates coincide.
The two most important holidays in Christianity are Christmas and Easter, the day of the birth and the day of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The date of Christmas is fixed – it is December 25, in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars.
Easter, on the other hand, falls on a different date every year, which confuses many. Although it is always celebrated on a Sunday, the rules for determining the date of this holiday are not simple – they involve astronomy, mathematics, and centuries-old church tradition.
Easter must fall after the vernal equinox, on the Sunday after the full moon, on the 14th day of the Jewish month of Nisan. But there are several reasons that further complicate all this. First of all, astronomical observations are not used to determine the day of the vernal equinox and the full moon, but Easter tables – Julian and Gregorian. Therefore, it can happen that the “ecclesiastical” full moon differs from the real one by up to several days, which directly affects the date of the holiday.
The second, most important reason for the difference in the date of the “Orthodox” and “Catholic” Easter is the Jewish holiday of Passover. For Orthodox Christians, Easter must be after the holiday of Passover – which is a leap year, according to the Jewish lunar calendar. This also has a deep theological significance, since Christ’s resurrection occurred after Passover. In this way, the chronological and symbolic order of biblical events is preserved. This calculation for celebrating Easter after Passover is also adhered to by Orthodox churches that have adopted the Gregorian calendar for celebrating Christmas.
The Catholic Church does not consider this connection obligatory, which is why Easter sometimes falls before Pascha.
After this year's coincidence, next year the Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches will once again celebrate Easter differently. Orthodox believers will mark the Resurrection of Christ in 2026 on April 12, and Catholics a week earlier on April 5.
The last celebration of Easter on the same day was in 2017, and the next one will be on April 16, 2028.
The two most important holidays in Christianity are Christmas and Easter, the day of the birth and the day of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The date of Christmas is fixed – it is December 25, in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars.
Easter, on the other hand, falls on a different date every year, which confuses many. Although it is always celebrated on a Sunday, the rules for determining the date of this holiday are not simple – they involve astronomy, mathematics, and centuries-old church tradition.
Easter must fall after the vernal equinox, on the Sunday after the full moon, on the 14th day of the Jewish month of Nisan. But there are several reasons that further complicate all this. First of all, astronomical observations are not used to determine the day of the vernal equinox and the full moon, but Easter tables – Julian and Gregorian. Therefore, it can happen that the “ecclesiastical” full moon differs from the real one by up to several days, which directly affects the date of the holiday.
The second, most important reason for the difference in the date of the “Orthodox” and “Catholic” Easter is the Jewish holiday of Passover. For Orthodox Christians, Easter must be after the holiday of Passover – which is a leap year, according to the Jewish lunar calendar. This also has a deep theological significance, since Christ’s resurrection occurred after Passover. In this way, the chronological and symbolic order of biblical events is preserved. This calculation for celebrating Easter after Passover is also adhered to by Orthodox churches that have adopted the Gregorian calendar for celebrating Christmas.
The Catholic Church does not consider this connection obligatory, which is why Easter sometimes falls before Pascha.
After this year's coincidence, next year the Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches will once again celebrate Easter differently. Orthodox believers will mark the Resurrection of Christ in 2026 on April 12, and Catholics a week earlier on April 5.
The last celebration of Easter on the same day was in 2017, and the next one will be on April 16, 2028.
