When is Greek Easter 2023? Date of Orthodox celebration, traditions, and how to say Happy Easter in Greek

Easter is celebrated over a week later between the Eastern and Western Christianity
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Easter is a moveable feast but also depends on where you are in the world and what Church you follow. People who follow Western denominations would have celebrated Easter Sunday on 9 April 2023, but those who follow Eastern Christianity, such as the Orthodox churches of Greece and Romania, follow a different calendar.

Here is the date for ‘Greek Easter’ in 2023, and why it is on a different date as well as traditions and how people say Happy Easter in Greek.

When is Greek Easter 2023? 

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Greek Easter, also known as Orthodox Easter, will take place on Sunday 16 April 2023.

The key dates for Orthodox Easter in 2023 are:

  • Good Friday – 14 April

  • Holy Saturday – 15 April

  • Easter Sunday or Easter Day – 16 April

  • Easter Monday – 17 April.

Although very rare, Orthodox Easter can fall on the same date as Western Easter, as it did back in 2017. In other years, Orthodox Easter can take place in early May rather than in March or April.

As Orthodox Easter is also celebrated on a different day, so is Orthodox Christmas, which always falls on 7 January.

Red eggs are an important symbol in Greek Easter. Red symbolises the blood of Christ, the egg resembles the tomb Jesus was buried in, and the egg represents the resurrection of lifeRed eggs are an important symbol in Greek Easter. Red symbolises the blood of Christ, the egg resembles the tomb Jesus was buried in, and the egg represents the resurrection of life
Red eggs are an important symbol in Greek Easter. Red symbolises the blood of Christ, the egg resembles the tomb Jesus was buried in, and the egg represents the resurrection of life

Why is Orthodox Easter on a different date? 

Those who follow Eastern Christianity and the different Orthodox Churches recognise a different date for Easter as they follow the Julian calendar.

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The Julian Calendar was fashioned by Julius Caesar in 45 BC by basing a year on the time it takes the Sun to go around the Earth.

The Orthodox Church follows the Julian Calendar as it’s a traditional calendar, being used into the 20th century and is still used in Churches faithful to the ecclesiastical dates in the Julian calendar.

However, in 1582, Pope Gregory XIII revised the calendar and created the Gregorian calendar as astronomy became more accurate. This calendar was later adopted by Britain in 1752.

The Orthodox Church also believes that Easter must occur after Passover, as in the Easter story Jesus celebrates Passover before his death.

What are Orthodox Easter traditions?

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Going to Church is a major part of Easter Sunday celebrations and important services begin on Good Friday. Important prayers commence on Easter Sunday when celebrations of Jesus’ resurrection commence.

As many Orthodox Churches fast for Lent, traditions for Easter revolve around food. In Greece, roasted lamb on a spit, also known as soulva, is a traditional cultural meal.

Eating lamb honours Jesus, who is also known as the Lamb of God. Greeks also crack red eggs in a game of tsougrisma, meaning clashing or clinking. Red symbolises the blood of Christ, the egg resembles the tomb Jesus was buried in, and the egg represents the resurrection of life.

Serbian Orthodox families enjoy smoked meats and cheeses, boiled eggs and red wine. The Easter meal consists of chicken noodles or lamb and vegetable soup followed by spit-roasted lamb. In Russia, Orthodox Christians break their fast with a traditional Paskha Easter cake.

How to say ‘Happy Easter’ in Greek?

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Before Easter, and during Holy Week, you would say Καλό Πάσχα, pronoucned as Kalo Paska and it means ‘Happy Easter’. Closer to Easter Sunday, you can say Καλή Ανάσταση, pronoucned Kali Anastasi. This phrase is what people say to each other to express their joy about Christ’s resurrection. On Easter Sunday, people say Χριστός ἀνέστη, pronounced as Christos Anesti, meaning Christ is Risen.

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