Ethan Walker
Greek Orthodox Easter and Catholic Easter are not always celebrated on the same day. In fact, in 2024, Greek Orthodox Christians celebrated Easter on May 5, while Catholic Christians celebrated it on March 31. The difference in dates is due to the use of different liturgical calendars: the Julian calendar is used by the Greek Orthodox Church, while the Catholic Church uses the Gregorian calendar. While both churches use the same formula to calculate the date of Easter, they input different data, resulting in a difference of up to a month between the two celebrations.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of Easter | Determined by the first Sunday after the first full moon that falls after (or on) the vernal equinox |
| Greek Orthodox Easter date | Determined using the Julian calendar |
| Catholic Easter date | Determined using the Gregorian calendar |
| 2023 Easter dates | Greek Orthodox: April 16, Catholic: April 9 |
| 2024 Easter dates | Greek Orthodox: May 5, Catholic: March 31 |
| 2025 Easter dates | Greek Orthodox and Catholic: April 18-20 |
| Food | Greek Orthodox: lamb, red-dyed hard-boiled eggs, Greek Easter lunch; Catholic: ham, hot cross buns, traditional Easter egg exchange |
| Liturgical calendars | Greek Orthodox and Catholic use different liturgical calendars |
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What You'll Learn
Greek Orthodox Easter and Catholic Easter are calculated differently
The Catholic Church uses the Gregorian calendar, introduced by Gregory XIII in 1582, which is an effort to create an accurate calendar that accounts for the movements of the sun and the moon. On the other hand, most Orthodox churches use the Julian calendar, introduced by Julius Caesar in 45 B.C., to calculate the date of Easter. The Julian Calendar remained in force in all Orthodox states until the 20th century. In Greece, for instance, the Julian Calendar was replaced by the Gregorian calendar in 1923.
The difference in the calendars used by the two denominations results in a widening gap between the dates of Easter celebrations. In 2024, Catholics celebrated Easter on March 31, while the Orthodox celebrated it on May 5. In 2023, Catholic Easter fell during the Jewish Passover (April 5-13), while Orthodox Easter was a week later, on April 16. However, in some years, the two denominations do celebrate Easter on the same date. For example, in 2017, both Orthodox and Catholic Easters were on the same day, April 16. This coincidence of dates is expected to occur 31 times in the 21st century, but it will become increasingly rare in the forthcoming centuries. In fact, after 2700, due to the accumulation of the Metonic error, the Julian and Gregorian full moons will never coincide in the same week again, and there will be no common Easter celebrations between the two denominations.
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Greek Orthodox Christians use the Julian calendar
The Eastern Orthodox Church, however, strongly reacted against the Gregorian calendar, and continued to use the Julian calendar until the 20th century. In Greece, for example, the Julian Calendar was replaced by the Gregorian in 1923. The Greek Orthodox Church then accepted the ecclesiastical calendar in 1924, which would be identical to the civil calendar and would apply to fixed holidays, but not to Easter.
The difference in calendars has resulted in Greek Orthodox and Catholic Easter celebrations falling on different dates. Both traditions use the same formula to calculate Easter, but input different data for the vernal equinox and full moon. The Julian calendar is less accurate at calculating the full moon, and so the difference in Easter dates will increase over time. In fact, after 2700, the two calendars will never coincide for Easter again.
However, in some years, the two traditions do celebrate Easter on the same dates, as in 2017, 2025, and 2026. This is because, despite the differences in the calendars, the dates calculated for Easter can still align.
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Catholics use the Gregorian calendar
The Catholic Church uses the Gregorian calendar to calculate the date of Easter. This calendar was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 through the papal bull Inter Gravissimas, or "Among the Greatest Concern". The Gregorian calendar is a more accurate representation of the time it takes for the Earth to revolve around the sun, which is almost a quarter of a day longer than 365 days.
The Gregorian calendar was adopted by Catholic states in Europe, and later by Protestants, but the Orthodox Church strongly opposed it. Orthodox Christians, including Greek Orthodox believers, continued to use the Julian calendar, introduced by Julius Caesar in 45 B.C., to determine the date of Easter. This is because the Orthodox Church has a decentralized power structure, with local and national jurisdictions, making it harder to deal with ecumenically.
The difference between the two calendars has resulted in Greek Orthodox and Catholic Easter celebrations diverging by more than a month in some years. For example, in 2024, Catholics celebrated Easter on March 31, while the Greek Orthodox celebrated on May 5. However, there are years when the two Easters align, such as in 2017 and 2025.
The gap between the two dates is widening due to astronomical reasons, and from 2700 onwards, the celebrations will never coincide again. This is due to the accumulation of the Metonic error in the Julian calendar, causing the full moon calculations to differ between the two calendars.
However, there have been efforts to unify the dates, with some Catholic dioceses adopting the Orthodox Easter date to foster unity among Christians.
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The difference in calendars will cause an even wider gap in celebration dates
Greek Orthodox Easter and Catholic Easter are not always celebrated on the same date. In 2024, for instance, Catholics celebrated Easter on March 31, while the Orthodox Easter fell on May 5. This difference in dates is due to the use of different liturgical calendars. The Catholic Church uses the Gregorian calendar, while the Greek Orthodox Church follows the Julian calendar.
The Julian calendar was introduced by Julius Caesar in 45 B.C. and was later replaced by the Gregorian calendar in Catholic states in the 16th century. However, the Greek Orthodox Church continued to use the Julian calendar until the 20th century. In Greece, specifically, the Julian Calendar was replaced by the Gregorian calendar on February 16, 1923. Despite this shift, the Greek Orthodox Church maintained the use of the Julian calendar for determining the date of Easter.
The formula for calculating the date of Easter is the same for both Catholics and Orthodox Christians. Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon that occurs on or after the vernal equinox. However, the two groups use different data for the vernal equinox and full moon, resulting in different dates for Easter. The Gregorian-Catholic full moon often coincides with the astronomical one, while the Julian-Orthodox full moon falls further apart.
While there have been proposals for a common Easter date, the decentralized power structure of the Orthodox Church makes it challenging to implement changes ecumenically. Additionally, the Orthodox Church's local and national jurisdictions, as opposed to the Catholic Church's papal monarchy, contribute to the difficulty in unifying the Easter date. Nevertheless, there is ongoing dialogue between the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople and Pope Francis, indicating a potential for full communion between Catholics and Orthodox Christians in the future.
Due to astronomical reasons, the difference in the celebration of Easter between the Catholic and Orthodox churches is expected to widen further. As a result, after the year 2700, the two denominations will never celebrate Easter on the same date again. This widening gap is caused by the accumulation of the Metonic error in the Julian calendar over almost seven centuries. In the 21st century, there will be 31 instances of coinciding Easter celebrations, but this occurrence will become increasingly rare in the following centuries.
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The difference in dates is not due to the Jewish Passover
Greek Orthodox Christians and Catholics use different liturgical calendars, which results in them celebrating Easter on different dates. In 2024, for instance, Catholics celebrated Easter on March 31, while the Orthodox Christians celebrated it on May 5. This difference in dates is not due to the Jewish Passover.
The date of Easter is calculated using the formula: Easter is on the first Sunday after the first full moon that falls after (or on) the vernal equinox. Both Orthodox and Catholic Christians use the same formula, but they input different data for the vernal equinox and the full moon, which results in different dates for Easter. The Catholic Church uses the Gregorian calendar, while the Orthodox Church uses the Julian calendar.
The Julian calendar was introduced by Julius Caesar in 45 B.C. and was used by all Christians until 1582 when the Catholic Church adopted the Gregorian calendar. The Orthodox Church strongly reacted to the adoption of the Gregorian calendar, and the Julian calendar remained in force in all Orthodox states until the 20th century. In Greece, for example, the Julian Calendar was replaced by the Gregorian calendar in 1923.
The difference in the calendars has resulted in an increasing gap between the dates of Easter celebrated by the two denominations. As a result, after 2700, the celebration of Easter by the Greek Orthodox Church and the Western Christian churches will never coincide again. However, there are some years when the calendars align, and both denominations celebrate Easter on the same date, such as in 2017 and 2025.
While the difference in the dates of Easter is not due to the Jewish Passover, it is worth noting that Orthodox Easter is sometimes referred to as "Pascha," which is the Greek word for "Passover." However, this does not imply that the Orthodox Easter is dependent on the date of the Jewish Passover.
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Frequently asked questions
Greek Orthodox Christians and Catholics use different liturgical calendars, with the former using the Julian calendar and the latter using the Gregorian calendar.
The Gregorian calendar is more accurate than the Julian calendar in accounting for the movements of the sun and the moon. The Gregorian calendar was introduced by Gregory XIII in 1582, while the Julian calendar was introduced by Julius Caesar in 45 B.C.
In 2025, all branches of Christianity will celebrate Easter on the same dates due to a rare alignment of the Gregorian and Julian calendars. However, after 2700, the two calendars will never coincide again, and thus there will be no common Easter.
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