In European languages, the word "Easter" is one of the variants of the Latin Pascha, which, in turn, goes back to the Hebrew pesach (transition, exodus from Egypt). The Jewish Passover, dedicated to the deliverance of Israel from Egyptian slavery, was in the eyes of Christians a prototype of the redemption of humanity from sin, the memory of which the Christian Passover is dedicated to. The Germans call Easter Ostern, as do the British - Easter, that is, by the name of the ancient German goddess of spring Eostro (Ostara). Thus, Christians timed their main holiday also to coincide with celebrations of the revival of life after winter.

In addition to differences in the name of the holiday, there were many disagreements about the time of its celebration.

The first Christians, following the practice of celebrating the Jewish Passover, believed that Easter fell on the 14th day of the moon phase after the spring equinox. At the Council of Nicea in 325, it was decided to celebrate Easter on the first Sunday after the full moon following the spring equinox. The issue was still not completely resolved, since there were several astronomical cycles by which solar and lunar months were calculated. Then disagreements arose between the Greek and Latin Churches (as well as within the Latin Church). In 387, Easter was celebrated: in Gaul - on March 21, in Italy - on April 18, in Egypt - on April 25. For Orthodox and Catholics, Easter did not coincide at all.

The next one happened in the 16th century. Since the year according to the church Julian calendar lagged behind the astronomical one; by the end of the 16th century, 10 “unaccounted” days had already accumulated. Thus, the need for calendar reform has become urgent. Then Pope Gregory XII, according to the instructions and with the participation of the German mathematician Christoph Clavius, introduced a new one, Gregorian calendar, or new style. In February 1582, according to the papal bull Inter gravissimas ("In the midst of the most important matters ..."), it was ordered that after October 4, 1582, the next day should be considered not the fifth, but the 15th of the month.

In the same 1582, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Poland switched to the Gregorian calendar. The Protestant and Orthodox Churches decided not to be guided by the calendar “proposals” of the pope, while other Catholic countries introduced the Gregorian calendar for several centuries.

Currently, Western Christendom follows the Gregorian calendar, and Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. Catholic and Orthodox Easter is either one, four or five weeks, or these dates coincide. These dates are calculated using a special algorithm, according to which the difference between them is not two or three weeks.

The coincidence of Easter (the system for calculating the date of Easter) among different Christian denominations occurs every few years. In 2011, Orthodox and Catholics celebrated it on April 24. Previously, Christian Easters coincided in 2010, 2007, 2004, 2001. Easters will then coincide in 2014 and 2017.

Easter Sunday dates
2001-2020

Catholic

Orthodox

It happens that Easter and the Annunciation coincide in the dates of celebration, such Easter, which in translation is the Lord's Easter.

Like the Orthodox, Catholics have a 40-day period preceding Easter. Lent and the next one after it Holy Week, starting Palm Sunday.

The festive service in the West was moved first to the evening of Holy Saturday, and later (in the 14th century) to the morning of Easter. Early on Saturday morning, fire and water are blessed in churches. After lighting a new fire with the help of a cross (perhaps an echo of northern pagan rites), the consecration of the Easter candle and the singing of the hymn Exultet ("Let him rejoice") follows, and then the reading of 12 prophecies and the consecration of baptismal water. The fire is carried home and Easter candles are lit. The wax of the Easter candle is considered miraculous, protecting against evil forces. Supernatural properties are also attributed to Easter holy water; it is added to food, sprinkled at home, and washed on the face.

Symbol Easter holiday - painted eggs. The custom of dyeing eggs is widespread everywhere. Western European Catholics prefer red eggs without ornament; in Central Europe (Poles, Slovaks) they paint them using a variety of techniques.

Priests bless eggs in the homes of parishioners on Saturday along with other ritual food. On the evening of Holy Saturday, all churches serve an all-night vigil. In the morning, returning home, everyone breaks their fast, first of all with eggs. Hard-boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, omelettes are the most important ritual Easter food. They also prepare meat dishes, as well as rich bread.

In Italy For Easter they bake a “dove” in Eastern Poland on Easter morning they eat okroshka, which is poured with water and vinegar, as a symbol of Christ’s Friday suffering on the Cross, in Ecuador- fanseku - soup made from 12 types of cereals (they symbolize the 12 apostles), cod, peanuts and milk. A in England Easter hot cross buns must be cut with a cross on top before baking. In Portugal On Sunday, the priest walks through the sparkling clean houses of parishioners, spreading Easter blessings, and is treated to blue and pink jelly beans, chocolate eggs, cookies and a glass of real port. A in Poland There is a custom called oblewany ponedzialek - on Monday after Easter, boys and girls pour water on each other. All over Europe, housewives place colorful eggs, toy chickens, and chocolate bunnies in wicker baskets on young grass. These baskets remain on the table by the door throughout Easter week.

On the morning of Easter Sunday, after the service, children and youth go around houses with songs and congratulations, similar to Christmas carols. Among Easter entertainments, the most popular are games with colored eggs: they are thrown at each other, rolled on an inclined plane, broken, scattering the shells. Relatives and friends exchange colored eggs, godparents give them to their children-godsons, girls give them to their lovers in exchange for palm branches.

The custom of giving colored eggs for Easter dates back to the time of Emperor Tibelius. Mary Magdalene, having come to Rome to preach the Gospel, presented him with the first Easter egg with the words “Christ is Risen,” legend says. The unbelieving emperor exclaimed: “This is as incredible as if an egg turned red.” After his words, the egg turned red. There is another legend: drops of the blood of the crucified Christ fell to the ground, turned to stone, and took the form chicken eggs. And the hot tears of the Mother of God left traces on them in the form of patterns. Symbolically, Easter eggs represent resurrection, since a new being is born from an egg.

But in the West, more and more people prefer chocolate eggs or souvenirs in the form of easter eggs. When congratulating Easter, Catholics usually give each other Easter baskets filled with eggs, candies and other sweets, which are blessed in church the day before.

The symbol of Catholic Easter is also Easter Bunny, who, according to legend, delivers Easter gift baskets and hides eggs painted the day before. In Catholic countries, on the eve of Easter, the hare is very popular - it is printed on postcards and chocolate bunnies are made.
The explanation for this goes deep into paganism. According to legend, the pagan goddess of spring, Estra, turned the bird into a hare, but it continued to lay eggs. Another explanation for this phenomenon is simpler - when children went to collect eggs from the chicken coop on Easter morning, they often found rabbits nearby.

Therefore, Catholics give each other a rabbit, which comes only to good and good people, who did not offend children and animals. In Belgium, children are sent on a search in the garden, where they find eggs under an Easter chocolate hen. In France, there is also a belief that on Holy Week, church bells fly to Rome, and when returning, they leave sugar and chocolate eggs, hens, chicks and chocolate bunnies in the gardens for the delight of children.

Throughout Easter week, services are attended in churches, street performances continue on religious themes, and organ music concerts are held in Catholic churches.

South Korea. Photo: Reuters

Perhaps, questions about why Easter of different faiths do not coincide in date and how the date of this holiday is generally calculated (after all, as you know, unlike, for example, Christmas, it does not have a constant date) are the most popular ones on the eve of the celebration . Let's figure out what the matter is and how the date of the most important Christian holiday is determined.

So, why doesn’t Easter Day differ among different faiths? After all, the method for calculating the date of Easter - Paschal - is the same for both Orthodox and Catholics! How can this be?! And the whole point is the difference in calendars. Thus, the Orthodox and representatives of several ancient Eastern churches adhere to the Julian calendar, known in Rus' as the “old style”. Western denominations - Catholics of the Latin rite and Protestants - adhere to the “new style”, the Gregorian calendar.

We will not delve into the features of the calendars and the reasons for their approval and adoption; we will only note that the difference between them is 13 days.

To calculate the date of Easter, church scientists take into account three criteria:

• Day of the vernal equinox: i.e. Easter cannot be before March 21;
• First spring full moon: i.e. Easter should be celebrated after this event;
• Easter must fall on Sunday.

Based on these conditions, it turns out general rule: Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the spring full moon, but not earlier than March 21.

Differences in calendars, e.g. old and new styles lead to the fact that one method of calculating the date can sometimes lead to completely different Easter dates. And there is no rule at all that Easter will be celebrated a week apart, although according to statistics this happens in 45% of cases.

1. Eastern and Western Easter coincide in 30% of cases. In 5% of cases, Western Easter is ahead of Eastern Easter by 4 weeks, in 20% - by 5 weeks, in 45% of cases, as already mentioned, by 1 week. And there can’t be a difference of 2 or 3 weeks!
2. In many countries (Australia, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Switzerland, etc.) on Easter, workers receive four days off - Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday. Three-day weekends - from Saturday to Monday - are given to workers in Austria, Ukraine, Italy, Moldova, etc.
3. Sometimes it happens that the Annunciation coincides with Easter (March 25/April 7) - in this case, the Holiday receives the name Kyriopascha (Lord's Easter). However, this happens very rarely - for example, in the 20th century, Kyriopascha was celebrated only in 1912 and 1991. In the 21st century, the nearest Kyriopascha will occur only... in 2075 and 2086. The next Kiriopascha can only be celebrated in 2159!
4. The celebration of Easter does not end on the same day: a whole week after the holiday - Bright Week- is considered the same holiday as Sunday. And with the words “Christ is risen!” you can greet each other until the Ascension of Jesus Christ, which is celebrated 40 days after Easter.
5. The first word of the full name of the Easter holiday “Resurrection of Jesus Christ” on Greek- Ἡ Ανάστασις τοῦ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ (which reads as Anastasis to Jesus Christ) has become a well-known Christian name - not only in the female form - Anastasia - but also in the male version - Anastasius.
6. The Easter holiday is called the “King of Days” and the “Feast of Holidays.”
7. The Sunday following Easter in the Eastern churches (Orthodox, Greek Catholic) is called by the unusual word “Antipascha”, or Thomas Sunday. On this day, we remember the appearance of Christ to the apostles and the very personality of Thomas “The Unbeliever” - so called because he claimed that he would not believe in the Resurrection until he put his hand into the wound of Christ.

In Belarus there live people who profess different religions. But most Belarusians are either Orthodox or Catholic. Therefore, Easter in our country, one might say, is celebrated twice - according to the Catholic calendar and according to the Orthodox calendar. And sometimes Easter coincides, and then Catholics and Orthodox Christians celebrate the holiday together. However, they do this in different ways.

If we talk about the differences between Catholic Easter and Orthodox Easter, we should start with a description of fasting.

Lent is longer and more strict for the Orthodox. The ban on meat lasts throughout Lent. During Lent, Orthodox Christians cannot eat not only meat, but also fish and dairy products. Catholics allow themselves to eat all foods except meat.

The Catholic Church requires strict fasting only on Ash Wednesday. Good Friday And Holy Saturday. These days you cannot eat meat and dairy products. And on other days of fasting it is forbidden to eat meat, but dairy products and eggs are allowed. This “softening” of fasts among Catholics came into force after the Second Vatican Council (1962-65).

But fasting is not only abstinence from food. This is grief, repentance. Denial of all pleasures. And this is much more than simply not eating enough. Any clergyman, whether Catholic or Orthodox, will tell you this.

Difference in dates.

At the dawn of Christianity, the Easter of Christians and the Easter of Jews were celebrated on the same day. But, starting from the 2nd century AD, Christians began to celebrate this holiday on a different day. The reason for this was that “the Jews rejected Jesus as a savior” (historians quote the Roman Bishop Sixtus). It was on his initiative that the date Christian Easter was moved to a day that did not coincide with the Passover of the Jews.

Sixtus was a Roman bishop from 116 to 126 AD. And all this time, he and the Roman Emperor Hadrian opposed Jewish customs and holidays. And they didn’t just perform, they literally waged war.

But despite Sixtus's proposal, new date Christian Easter was not accepted in all areas of the empire. Disagreements over a single date arose within the Christian church.

And so the question of the day of celebration was resolved in 325. Then the First took place Ecumenical Council. And it was decided to celebrate Christian Easter on the first Sunday after the first full moon, which occurs after the spring equinox.

In 325, the vernal equinox fell on March 21 according to the Julian calendar. By the end of the 16th century, the vernal equinox moved back 10 days. This happened due to the fact that the Julian calendar is based on the solar-lunar reporting system, so the calendar year is 11 minutes 14 seconds longer than the astronomical one.

The Orthodox Church still uses the Julian calendar.

The Catholic Church introduced the Gregorian calendar in 1582. The author of this innovation was Pope Gregory XIII.

What is the point of the reform? With the transition to the Gregorian calendar, the date of Easter could be calculated solely by solar system report. And as a result of the reform in 1582, the day of the equinox again fell on March 21.

Since then, the date of Orthodox Easter began to differ from the date of Catholic Easter.

Why didn't the Orthodox Church also switch to the Gregorian calendar?

According to the canons Orthodox Church Passover should certainly be celebrated after the Jewish Passover. Since the Lord rose on the first Sunday after the Jewish Passover. And if you follow the Gregorian calendar, then Christian Easter sometimes coincides with Jewish Easter, and sometimes happens before it. For example, from 1851 to 1951, the date of Catholic Easter fell before the Jewish one 15 times!

Before the revolution, Russia lived according to the Julian calendar. And then, like European Catholic countries, it adopted the Gregorian calendar system. But the Orthodox Church did not deviate from the old style.

Today, when we talk about the difference between the “new style” and the “old style”, we mean a difference of 13 days.

And Catholic Easter usually takes place a week or two earlier than Orthodox Easter. Easter coincides three times every 19 years.

The difference is in the worship service.

Of course, we should talk here not about differences, but about coincidences. Or how “matches are different.”

For example, Easter fire. It is lit during festive services in both Catholic and Orthodox churches. In Greece and in some Russian cities, people are waiting for the Holy Fire from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. When the fire arrives, the priests spread it to all the city churches. Believers light their candles from this fire, keep the fire burning throughout the service, and then take it home, trying to keep it alive all year until next Easter.

In a Catholic church, before the start of the service, a special Easter candle is lit - Paschal. The fire from this candle is distributed to all parishioners. During the entire Easter week, Paschal is lit in Catholic churches.

Procession Both Catholics and Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter. Only among the Orthodox procession begins before the service. All believers gather in the temple and begin the procession from there. After the religious procession, Matins takes place.

Catholics also perform religious processions. But not before the start of the service, but after.

Of course, these are not all the differences between Orthodox Easter and Catholic Easter. There are many more to be found. At least in how the Easter meal is held among Catholics and Orthodox Christians. But then you would need a whole treatise on the topic of differences. And in this article we have listed only the key points.

Dates of Orthodox and Catholic EASTER
from 1918 to 2049

If we talk about the differences between Catholic Easter and Orthodox Easter, we should start with a description of fasting.
Lent is longer and more strict for the Orthodox. The ban on meat lasts throughout Lent. During Lent, Orthodox Christians cannot eat not only meat, but also fish and dairy products. Catholics allow themselves to eat all foods except meat.
The Catholic Church requires strict fasting only on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. These days you cannot eat meat and dairy products. On other days of fasting, it is forbidden to eat meat, but dairy products and eggs are allowed. This “softening” of fasts among Catholics came into force after the Second Vatican Council (1962-65).
But fasting is not only abstinence from food. This is grief, repentance. Refusal of all pleasures. And this is much more than just not eating enough. Any clergyman, whether Catholic or Orthodox, will tell you this.

Difference in dates.
At the dawn of Christianity, the Easter of Christians and the Easter of Jews were celebrated on the same day. But, starting from the 2nd century AD, Christians began to celebrate this holiday on a different day. The reason for this was that “the Jews rejected Jesus as a savior” (historians quote the Roman Bishop Sixtus). It was on his initiative that the date of Christian Easter was moved to a day that did not coincide with the Passover of the Jews.
Sixtus was a Roman bishop from 116 to 126 AD. And all this time, he and the Roman Emperor Hadrian opposed Jewish customs and holidays. And they didn’t just perform, they literally waged war.
But despite Sixtus’ proposal, the new date for Christian Easter was not accepted in all areas of the empire. Disagreements over a single date arose within the Christian church.
And so the question of the day of celebration was resolved in 325. Then the First Ecumenical Council took place. And it was decided to celebrate Christian Easter on the first Sunday after the first full moon, which occurs after the spring equinox.
In 325, the vernal equinox fell on March 21 according to the Julian calendar. By the end of the 16th century, the vernal equinox moved back 10 days. This happened due to the fact that the Julian calendar is based on the solar-lunar reporting system, so the calendar year is 11 minutes 14 seconds longer than the astronomical one.
The Orthodox Church still uses the Julian calendar.
The Catholic Church introduced the Gregorian calendar in 1582. The author of this innovation was Pope Gregory XIII.
What is the point of the reform? With the transition to the Gregorian calendar, the date of Easter could be calculated solely according to the solar system of the report. And as a result of the reform in 1582, the day of the equinox again fell on March 21.
Since then, the date of Orthodox Easter began to differ from the date of Catholic Easter.
Why didn't the Orthodox Church also switch to the Gregorian calendar?
According to the canons of the Orthodox Church, Easter should certainly be celebrated after the Jewish Passover. Since the Lord rose on the first Sunday after the Jewish Passover. And if you follow the Gregorian calendar, then Christian Easter sometimes coincides with Jewish Easter, and sometimes happens before it. For example, from 1851 to 1951, the date of Catholic Easter fell before the Jewish one 15 times!
Before the revolution, Russia lived according to the Julian calendar. And then, like European Catholic countries, it adopted the Gregorian calendar system. But the Orthodox Church did not deviate from the old style.
Today, when we talk about the difference between the “new style” and the “old style,” we mean a difference of 13 days.
And Catholic Easter usually takes place a week or two earlier than Orthodox Easter. Easter coincides three times every 19 years.

The difference is in the worship service.
Of course, we should talk here not about differences, but about coincidences. Or how “matches are different.”
For example, the Easter fire. It is lit during festive services in both Catholic and Orthodox churches. In Greece and some Russian cities, people are waiting for the Holy Fire from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. When the fire arrives, the priests spread it to all the city churches. Believers light their candles from this fire, keep the fire burning throughout the entire service, and then take it home, trying to keep it alive all year until next Easter.
In a Catholic church, before the start of the service, a special Easter candle is lit - Paschal. The fire from this candle is distributed to all parishioners. During the entire Easter week, Paschal is lit in Catholic churches.
Processions of the cross are held on Easter by both Catholics and Orthodox Christians. Only Orthodox Christians begin the procession before the service. All believers gather in the temple and begin the procession from there. After the religious procession, Matins takes place.
Catholics also perform religious processions. But not before the start of the service, but after.
Of course, these are not all the differences between Orthodox Easter and Catholic Easter. There are many more to be found. At least in how the Easter meal is held among Catholics and Orthodox Christians. But then a whole scientific work on the topic of differences would be needed. And in this article we have listed only the key points.

The Holy Resurrection of Christ is the most important and most revered holiday in the Christian world. However, there are some differences in the Orthodox and Catholic traditions of celebrating Easter, which relate, first of all, to the date of the event itself.

As many people know, most often the days of celebrating Catholic and Orthodox Easter do not coincide. This issue has a long history.

Initially, all Christians celebrated Easter on the same day, following the Jewish calendar. Date of Light Christ's Resurrection fell in March, which in Jewish tradition was considered the first month of the year. However, already in the second century AD, a separate day was allocated for the celebration of Christian Easter. However, discrepancies and contradictions within the Christian church continued: the clergy used different systems for calculating Easter day, therefore it was necessary to find a special methodology that would lead Christian Church to uniformity.

This was done at the Council of Nicaea: in the fourth century it was decided that Easter should be celebrated on the Sunday following the full moon after the Spring Equinox. Until 1582, the dates of the celebration of Catholic and Orthodox Easter coincided. However, in the named year, the Catholic Church adopted the Gregorian calendar, and the Orthodox continued to follow the Julian. This is where the difference in dates came from. However, sometimes Orthodox and Catholic celebrations still coincide.

This is exactly what will happen in 2017: both Orthodox and Catholic Easter are celebrated on the same day - April 16. The next time such a coincidence will occur only in 8 years - in 2025.

What are the differences and similarities between Catholic and Orthodox Easter?

Significant differences between Catholic and Orthodox traditions there is no celebration. There are only some nuances that are unique to the Western or Russian church.

Believers of both faiths observe Lent. The essence of fasting is the same: it is a time of moral and physical cleansing, preparing body and soul for the meeting of the Great Resurrection of Christ. However, the length of fasting varies somewhat: the Catholic fast lasts 6 weeks and 4 days, while the Orthodox fast for exactly seven weeks.

The degree of severity of abstinence also varies. The Orthodox Church prohibits any food of animal origin. Sometimes - on major holidays - the consumption of fish products is allowed. Maximum food restrictions occur during the Holy Week of Lent.

Catholic tradition requires adherence to strict asceticism only on the day the fast begins, Good Friday and Holy Saturday - the eve of Easter. Most of the time, eating meat is prohibited, but dairy products and eggs are allowed. This relaxation was introduced relatively recently - in the second half of the twentieth century.

The features of the festive Easter service are also similar in the Catholic and Orthodox churches. For example, in both traditions a religious procession is required. However, the Orthodox perform it before the liturgy, and the Catholics - after. The same applies to the kindling of the Holy Fire. As a rule, Orthodox Christians expect fire from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The clergy spread the arriving fire to all the churches of the city, and the believers light their candles from it.

IN catholic church before the beginning Easter service a special candle called “Easter” is lit, from which fire is distributed to the parishioners. The candle is kept burning throughout the entire Easter week.

Despite some formal differences, the essence of the holiday is the same for all Christians. This is a day of rejoicing, joy from the victory of life over death, and praising the Savior. This is a bright day that both Orthodox and Catholic Christians celebrate with their closest people. We wish you happiness and prosperity, and do not forget to press the buttons and