Orthodox Easter Day around the world in 2024

Orthodox Easter Day around the world in 2024
  How long until Orthodox Easter Day?
Orthodox Easter Day
  Dates of Orthodox Easter Day around the world
2025 Various Apr 20
AlbaniaSun, Apr 20National Holiday
BelarusSun, Apr 20Not A Public Holiday
Bosnia and HerzegovinaSun, Apr 20Regional Holiday
BulgariaSun, Apr 20National Holiday
EgyptSun, Apr 20National Holiday
EritreaSun, Apr 20National Holiday
EthiopiaSun, Apr 20National Holiday
GeorgiaSun, Apr 20National Holiday
GreeceSun, Apr 20National Holiday
KosovoSun, Apr 20National Holiday
LebanonSun, Apr 20National Holiday
MoldovaSun, Apr 20National Holiday
MontenegroSun, Apr 20National Holiday
North MacedoniaSun, Apr 20National Holiday
RomaniaSun, Apr 20National Holiday
RussiaSun, Apr 20Not A Public Holiday
SerbiaSun, Apr 20National Holiday
SudanSun, Apr 20National Holiday
SyriaSun, Apr 20National Holiday
UkraineSun, Apr 20National Holiday
2024 Various May 5
AlbaniaSun, May 5National Holiday
BelarusSun, May 5Not A Public Holiday
Bosnia and HerzegovinaSun, May 5Regional Holiday
BulgariaSun, May 5National Holiday
EgyptSun, May 5National Holiday
EritreaSun, May 5National Holiday
EthiopiaSun, May 5National Holiday
GeorgiaSun, May 5National Holiday
GreeceSun, May 5National Holiday
KosovoSun, May 5National Holiday
LebanonSun, May 5National Holiday
MoldovaSun, May 5National Holiday
MontenegroSun, May 5National Holiday
North MacedoniaSun, May 5National Holiday
RomaniaSun, May 5National Holiday
RussiaSun, May 5Not A Public Holiday
SerbiaSun, May 5National Holiday
SudanSun, May 5National Holiday
SyriaSun, May 5National Holiday
UkraineSun, May 5National Holiday
2023 Various Apr 16
AlbaniaSun, Apr 16National Holiday
BelarusSun, Apr 16Not A Public Holiday
Bosnia and HerzegovinaSun, Apr 16Regional Holiday
BulgariaSun, Apr 16National Holiday
EgyptSun, Apr 16National Holiday
EritreaSun, Apr 16National Holiday
EthiopiaSun, Apr 16National Holiday
GeorgiaSun, Apr 16National Holiday
GreeceSun, Apr 16National Holiday
JordanSun, Apr 16Not A Public Holiday
KosovoSun, Apr 16National Holiday
LebanonSun, Apr 16National Holiday
MoldovaSun, Apr 16National Holiday
MontenegroSun, Apr 16National Holiday
North MacedoniaSun, Apr 16National Holiday
RomaniaSun, Apr 16National Holiday
RussiaSun, Apr 16Not A Public Holiday
SerbiaSun, Apr 16National Holiday
SudanSun, Apr 16National Holiday
SyriaSun, Apr 16National Holiday
UkraineSun, Apr 16National Holiday
2022 Various Apr 24
AlbaniaSun, Apr 24National Holiday
BelarusSun, Apr 24Not A Public Holiday
Bosnia and HerzegovinaSun, Apr 24Regional Holiday
BulgariaSun, Apr 24National Holiday
EgyptSun, Apr 24National Holiday
EritreaSun, Apr 24National Holiday
EthiopiaSun, Apr 24National Holiday
GeorgiaSun, Apr 24National Holiday
GreeceSun, Apr 24National Holiday
KosovoSun, Apr 24National Holiday
LebanonSun, Apr 24National Holiday
MoldovaSun, Apr 24National Holiday
MontenegroSun, Apr 24National Holiday
North MacedoniaSun, Apr 24National Holiday
RomaniaSun, Apr 24National Holiday
RussiaSun, Apr 24Not A Public Holiday
SerbiaSun, Apr 24National Holiday
SudanSun, Apr 24National Holiday
SyriaSun, Apr 24National Holiday
UkraineSun, Apr 24National Holiday
2021 Various May 2
AlbaniaSun, May 2National Holiday
BelarusSun, May 2Not A Public Holiday
Bosnia and HerzegovinaSun, May 2Regional Holiday
BulgariaSun, May 2National Holiday
EgyptSun, May 2National Holiday
EritreaSun, May 2National Holiday
EthiopiaSun, May 2National Holiday
GeorgiaSun, May 2National Holiday
GreeceSun, May 2National Holiday
KosovoSun, May 2National Holiday
LebanonSun, May 2National Holiday
MoldovaSun, May 2National Holiday
MontenegroSun, May 2National Holiday
North MacedoniaSun, May 2National Holiday
RomaniaSun, May 2National Holiday
RussiaSun, May 2Not A Public Holiday
SerbiaSun, May 2National Holiday
SudanSun, May 2National Holiday
SyriaSun, May 2National Holiday
UkraineSun, May 2National Holiday
  Summary

Easter is the most significant religious holiday for the world's roughly 300 million Orthodox Christians. In the bible, it is the day when Mary Magdalene found that an empty tomb in the cave in which Jesus has been placed after his crucifixion.

  Which countries observe Orthodox Easter Day in 2024?
National Holiday Regional Holiday Not a public holiday Govt Holiday

When is Orthodox Easter?

Orthodox Easter, also called Greek Easter is the principal festival of the Orthodox Church. It is the most significant religious holiday for the world's roughly 300 million Orthodox Christians. 

In the bible, it is the day when Mary Magdalene found that an empty tomb in the cave in which Jesus had been placed following his death by crucifixion on the Friday before.

It signifies the end of the 40 days of Lent, meaning Christians who gave up something during lent to signify Jesus' time in the wilderness, can indulge themselves again.

In Egypt, Coptic Easter Monday is celebrated on the same day as Orthodox Easter Monday. The day forms part of a wider spring festival called 'Sham El Nessim' and is a national holiday.

The date is different from Western Easter as the other Christian Churches base the date of calculating Easter on the Gregorian calendar, but the Eastern Orthodox Church still uses the earlier Julian calendar for calculating the dates of festivals, which also includes Easter.

Why is it called Easter?

The name Easter is derived from 'Ostara' or 'Eostre', a pagan goddess of fertility, whose feast was celebrated on the Vernal Equinox. The word East is also derived from her names, as is Oestrogen, the female hormone.

However, In most languages other than English and German, the holiday's name is derived from Pesach, the Hebrew name of Passover, a Jewish holiday to which the Christian Easter is intimately linked.

Easter depends on Passover not only for much of its symbolic meaning but also for its position in the calendar. The Orthodox Church uses the Julian calendar for the calculation of Easter, whereas the Western churches use the Gregorian calendar. This difference can often mean that Orthodox Easter falls later than Easter observed elsewhere. The earliest date it can fall is 4 April and the latest is 8 May.

Easter traditions

Though the Orthodox Churches vary from country to country, an Easter tradition binds them together. The "Holy Light," is a flame distributed throughout the Orthodox world each year from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem to mark the resurrection of Christ.

Easter Eggs

Modern Easter celebrations revolve around eggs. They may be painted, rolled down hills or eaten if they are of the chocolate variety. The Christian tradition of the egg is an aid to represent rebirth and resurrection - new life being born from the egg. It's also been said that egg recalls the shape of the stone that rolled away on Easter Sunday form the tomb that held Jesus' body.

This egg tradition is almost certainly a distillation of a much older pagan custom celebrating spring. The ancient Persians celebrated their new year at the time of the vernal equinox by painting eggs.

Its adoption into the Christian traditions would have been quite seamless, as eggs were banned during the period of Lent preceding Easter.

The custom of decorating eggs is perhaps most famous in Ukraine. Known as Pysanky eggs, they are painted when raw as the uncooked egg shell absorbs the coloured dye better than when cooked.


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