Muskan

· 12 Jan 2022

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When is the Greek Easter

Easter, or Pascha, in Greek Orthodox Christianity, is the most important religious feast of the year, with customs and traditions dating back over two thousand years. Every Easter, Greeks praise and respect Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for their sins, and they celebrate the Resurrection, Jesus Christ's ascension from the dead, and the promise of eternity. The believers observe Greek Orthodox Easter in a variety of ways, with distinct symbols used to commemorate the Resurrection with Orthodox and western Easter falling on separate days. The 40-day Lenten period preceding Easter (Pascha), the seriousness of Holy Week, the rich symbolism, and the distinctive rituals of Orthodox Easter set it apart from Easter as it is celebrated by Western Christians.

Why is Greek Easter and western Easter falls on different dates?
Easter is marked on a different day in Eastern Christianity because the Julian calendar is used instead of the Gregorian calendar (adopted by the United Kingdom in 1752), which is used by most countries today. In 46 BC, Julius Caesar proposed the Julian Calendar, which included 365 days every year and 366 days every fourth year. Pope Gregory XIII revised it in 1582, and the resulting edition became known as the Gregorian calendar.
The Julian calendar is used by Russia, as well as other Balkan, Middle Eastern, and former Soviet countries, and they celebrate Easter later than the rest of the globe.

Greek dishes and customs distinguish the season as distinctly Hellenic. Greece's history predates Christianity, but the Greek Islands and people have accepted Christian beliefs and made them a part of their heritage since the early days of Christianity. Easter is the most important Christian feast day for Greek Orthodox Christians in terms of cuisine, feasting, and festivity.

The Holy week

The Greek eastern holy week begins from the palm Sunday that recalls Christ's entry into Jerusalem when palm branches were laid on his route before his arrest and death. However, the lent starts from the following day till the next Sunday, it includes the following:
•    On the first day of lent, Kathara Deutera (Clean Monday), kicks off the preparations for Easter. During the forty days leading up to Easter, it is forbidden to eat anything that comes from animals with blood in their veins. That essentially means no meat, fish, milk, cheese, or egg. Clean Monday is one of the most joyous days of the year for Greeks. Nature welcomes children and their parents into the hills of Athens and the Greek countryside, which are adorned with colourful local almond trees and mimosas in bloom. In Greece, Lent begins with kite flying and feasting at local tavernas or outdoor picnics.
•    The tale of the Ten Virgins is commemorated in the Holy Week liturgy on Tuesday. It's all about soul preparation and being awake.
•    The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is held in Orthodox churches on Holy Wednesday. This Liturgy is a Vesper Service, which is held in the evening.
•    The most agonising of all the liturgies is on Holy Thursday when Jesus Christ's betrayal is remembered and he is brought to his execution at the end of the day. The "Twelve Gospels" are also read during the service.
•    On Holy Friday, church bells throughout Greece ring solemnly all day, and each parish holds a Procession of the Epitaphios - a reconstruction of Christ's burial — in the evening.
•    Psalms are read and Resurrection songs are sung on Holy Saturday, commemorating Christ's descent into Hades: "Today Hades cried out groaning," reads the psalm.
•    Finally, around midnight, all Greeks around the world look forward to the Resurrection celebration, when the faithful can finally embrace one another with the words "Christos Anesti!" (Christ is risen!).

In 2022, Greek Orthodox Easter will be observed on 24 April, Sunday.
Because the Greek Orthodox Easter celebrations are based on a modified Julian calendar (while the Western world utilizes the Gregorian calendar), they do not always coincide with other Christian Easter celebrations. The dates can be as much as a month apart at times.

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