Why Is Orthodox Easter Sometimes on a Different Date?

Orthodox Pascha and Western Easter sometimes fall on the same Sunday and sometimes on different Sundays. The difference comes from the calendar and calculation traditions used to determine the annual celebration of Christ's Resurrection.

Why does the date move every year?

Pascha is a movable feast rather than a fixed calendar date. Its calculation is connected with the spring equinox, the lunar cycle, and Sunday. Different Christian traditions do not always apply the same calendar framework when making that calculation.

What role do the Julian and Gregorian calendars play?

Many Orthodox Churches continue to calculate Pascha according to the traditional Julian-calendar Paschal system, while Western churches use the Gregorian calendar and Western calculation. Because the two calendars currently place the relevant calendar dates differently, the resulting Sundays can differ.

Does Orthodox Pascha always have to be after Jewish Passover?

This is a common explanation, but it is too simple. The traditional Orthodox calculation does not work by checking the modern Jewish Passover date each year and then choosing the following Sunday. The relationship comes from older Paschal calculation rules and calendar systems, not from a yearly comparison with the present Jewish calendar.

Why do the dates sometimes coincide?

Even when different calendar systems and calculations are used, they can point to the same Sunday in a particular year. In other years, Orthodox Pascha may be one or several weeks later than Western Easter.

Why is Pascha so important?

Pascha celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and is the center of the Orthodox liturgical year. Other movable celebrations, including the Ascension and Pentecost, are calculated from it. For an introduction to the major annual celebrations, see What Are the Twelve Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church?