✝️ Live countdown
Orthodox Easter2028 Countdown
Sunday, April 16, 2028
Date shown in UTC · Your timezone: —
About Orthodox Easter
Orthodox Easter, known in Greek as Pascha, is the most important feast of the Eastern Orthodox Church, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because Orthodox churches follow the Julian calendar for their liturgical dates, Easter usually falls later than the Western date, though the two sometimes coincide. In 2026 it lands on April 12, the same Sunday as Western Easter.
The celebration is rich in sensory tradition. Midnight services end with the joyful announcement that Christ is risen, and congregants carry home candle flames lit from the church. Homes are filled with hard-boiled eggs dyed red to symbolize the blood of Christ and the promise of new life, and families crack them together with the words Christ is risen answered truly he is risen.
The feast table overflows after weeks of Lenten fasting: roast lamb, mageiritsa soup in Greece, sweet braided breads, and cheeses. For millions across Greece, Russia, the Balkans, and beyond, Pascha is the year's emotional high point.
History of Orthodox Easter
The date of Easter was settled at the First Council of Nicaea in 325 CE as the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox. Centuries later, the Gregorian calendar reform of 1582 split the Christian world: Catholic and Protestant churches adopted the new calendar, while Orthodox churches kept the Julian calendar for calculating feasts, producing dates that usually differ by one to five weeks. Orthodox Easter also must come after the Jewish Passover under the older reckoning. Despite periodic proposals to unify the date, the two Easters continue to coexist. The holiday has survived empires and restrictions, from Ottoman rule to Soviet bans, and in countries like Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Romania it remains the most heartfelt celebration of the year.
2028 vs 2029 dates
Frequently Asked Questions
- When is Orthodox Easter?
- Because the date changes each year, Orthodox Easter is calculated on the Julian calendar as the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox. In 2026 it falls on April 12, the same day as Western Easter.
- Is Orthodox Easter a public holiday?
- Yes, in many countries. Orthodox Easter is a public holiday in Greece, Russia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, and several other nations with large Orthodox populations.
- How do people celebrate Orthodox Easter?
- Families celebrate with midnight services, red-dyed eggs, roast lamb, sweet breads, and the greeting Christ is risen answered truly he is risen.
- Why is Orthodox Easter on a different date?
- Orthodox churches use the Julian calendar for feast dates, while Western churches use the Gregorian calendar, so the two Easters usually differ by one to five weeks.