Why is Greek Easter on a Different Date?
I always know when Easter is approaching because the Greece for Visitors mailbox starts filling up with questions like: "When is Greek Easter?" In 2007, it's on April 8th - and here are the dates through 2023 for those who really like planning their trips to Greece in advance.
"Are Greek Easter and Western Easter celebrated on the same day?" Sometimes, and they are in 2007. You can find out when they coincide here.
Reader Amy I. just asked, "How is Greek Easter calculated?" This is the fun one - the day is governed by these three main conditions:
- It must be based on the Julian calendar, not the Gregorian one;
- It must be after the Jewish holiday of Passover;
- It must be on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox, which for this purpose is fixed as March 21st.
For an intense discussion of calculating Easter in general, with a short section on the special difficulties of calculating Greek Easter, see Claus Tondering's Calendar FAQ - but don't say I didn't warn you.
