Why is orthodox Easter different?

Answer 1

In Greek Orthodox Churches, a tomb is often put in the centre of the Church for the Good Friday Service. People proceed to the service like they going to a funeral.

A Service is held on the Easter Saturday evening, just before Midnight. Priests give out candles to people in the Church and they are lit at Midnight. Fireworks are also sometimes used to signal that Easter Day has started.

On Easter morning, a soup made of Lambs stomach is sometimes eaten for breakfast! The rest of the lamb is roasted and eaten for the main meal.

A traditional Greek Easter cake is made with Oranges and Almonds in it. It is eaten with a spicy orange sauce poured over it.

Answer 2

Catholic churches use two criteria - Easter cannot be before March 21 & must fall on the first Sunday after the vernal equinox (ie first full moon after March 21).

The Orthodox Easter is determined in the Julian Calendar (used by the Orthodox Church), and also uses the full moon criteria. However, Orthodox Easter is never before or on the Jewish Feast of Passover as Jesus and the disciples observed Passover (Pasech) at the Last Supper. Orthodox use the word "Pascha" for Easter, which is a direct reference to its link with Passover.

Both churches celebrated on the same day from AD 325 to AD 1582, when Catholics adopted the Gregorian Calendar and established new criteria for dating Easter.

There is much on this subject all over the internet - !

Answer 3

The dates are different mainly because the Western churches (Protestant and Catholic) use the Gregorian calender, the Orthodox church still uses the Julian calender which is 13 days ahead of the Gregorian. There are also difference in the lunar tables used.

Answer 4

The Eastern Orthodox Church still goes by the Julian Calendar, which is a bit off the current Gregorian Calendar.