when is easter in greece this year
All rights reserved. In 2020, Easter Sunday falls on on Sunday 12 April, slightly earlier than this year’s date of 21 April – the latest in eight years. Asking any local about Easter events or specials will almost always default to an answer on Greek Easter rather than American Easter, so if you're looking to celebrate the Western holiday, be sure to specify. In Greece, Easter trumps Christmas as the biggest religious holiday of the year and there's an entire week leading up to the main event. The Orthodox Easter dates usually differ from the dates used by western churches because most Orthodox churches retained some version of the Julian calendar , which is older than the Gregorian calendar , commonly used today. Religious festivals with centuries-old traditions and customs take place throughout the year in Greece and Orthodox Easter is one of the greatest such celebrations. Greece plays host to religious festivals with deeply rooted customs and centuries-old traditions all year round. In total, Easter is a celebration that spans over a 50-day period. and the celebrations of Easter, is a special season in Greece.. Greek Orthodox Easter 2021. New Year’s day (January 1st) is one of the most important days for celebrations. Easter is the most important festival holiday in Greece and hence, is marked with immense dedication and magnificence. Greek Orthodox Easter 2020 and 2021 The Greek Orthodox Easter 2020 is on 19 April, while in 2021, it falls on May the 2nd. Commemorating not only the crucifixion and resurrection, Easter is considered to mark the passing of winter to spring. If you miss Easter in Greece this year, you could set yourself the challenge of living in Greece by Easter 2021? or Megali Evdomada. Generally, school holidays in Greece are long breaks within the school year and include summer, Christmas and Easter holidays. Christians will attend a special church service and many will just take the day to relax and spend time with family and friends. All the schools in Greece share the same school calendar provided by the Ministry of Education, Research and Religious Affairs. Greek Easter celebrations in Birmingham Read More Related Articles . According to the Christian bible, Jesus Christ resurrected into heaven and that day is now known as Easter. Like in America, Greek Easter takes place on a Sunday, but the date is governed by a rather complex system that is determined by three primary conditions: It must be based on the Julian calendar, not the Gregorian calendar that Roman Catholics and Protestants follow; it must be after the Jewish holiday of Passover; and it must be on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox in late March. Be on the lookout for post-Mass fireworks in the cities. Basil's day. And if you decide to attend a service, note that some churches require women to wear scarves over their hair. Usually, the Greek Orthodox Easter period occurs later than the Catholic Easter period. The Build-Up to Easter in Athens. This holiday is celebrated around late March and April. Easter time, from the carnivals that come before the Lenten fast through Holy Week. Today everyone was out to eat in restaurants due to the Easter fast. Start at 13.00 hours. So, before planning your springtime trip to Greece, familiarize yourself with the customs of this holiday and how they differ from those in the States. In some years - as in 2017 - the western and Eastern Orthodox dates for Easter end up being the same. This puts Easter Sunday between the end of March and the end of April, depending on the year. Toward the end of Holy Week, which is between Palm Sunday and Easter, the preparations for Easter … Easter's connection with Passover provides the origin of another ancient name for Easter, which is Pascha. At midnight a Judas doll will be burned at this church. In the Christian tradition, Lent is the season of around six weeks that leads up to Easter. Greece holidays 2021. Great and Holy Pascha (Easter) is celebrated by Eastern Orthodox Chrisitans (officially known as the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as Greek Orthodox), and this year … Home » Holidays » Greece » Orthodox Easter » 2020 Orthodox Easter 2020 in Greece. It is, then, adorned with thousands of flowers and taken through the streets, followed by a slow procession. If you arrive in Greece for your Easter holiday hoping to experience the extravagant traditions of Greek Easter, or Pascha as the Greeks call it, you might find that you've arrived too early. By using our site you consent to our Privacy Policy. Greece holidays 2022 Millions of Orthodox Christians commemorate Good Friday, also known as “Great Friday” to remember the events leading up to Jesus' crucifixion. List of dates for other years. First of all even if you are not a devout Christian you can't help but be moved by the ceremonies and the way life begins again on Easter Sunday after winter and 40 days of fasting. We use cookies to personalize content, ads, and provide social media interaction and analyze traffic on our site. This year, Easter Sunday falls on April 9th. Greece holidays 2022. Spring time is one of the most delightful times to visit. Easter in Greece celebrates Jesus Christ's resurrection. The holiday is celebrated on different days as well. Tweet . It starts with Palm Sunday (the day that commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem) and ends with the traditional Easter feast seven days later. The Orthodox Church uses the exact same formula established by the Council of Nicaea for determining the date of Easter only with a different calendar. Thursday 4th March 2021: Tsiknopempti (Τσικνοπέμπτη) This is a special day of the year in Greece, where a large amount of meat is traditionally grilled and consumed, just before the arrival of Great Lent, marking the lead up to Pascha and also the official start of Apokries (Carnivale). Eastern Orthodox Christians, such as the Greek and Russian Orthodox Christians, continue to use the older Julian calendar to calculate the date of Easter. It begins with Ash Wednesday and ends with Easter Sunday with many Easter-related events in between. When was Orthodox Easter 2020? Read more about Greek culture and customs here. Easter in Greece! Sample the customary cuisine. The week leading up to Easter Sunday in Greece is called Holy Week. The Greek year is a succession of festivities and events some of which are cultural and some of which are religious. While there are many unique local customs, there are of … Across the country it is the most important religious holiday of the Orthodox Church accompanied with traditions and customs that date back to time. The marginal increase in consumer confidence in Greece has given a small push to domestic tourism and departures abroad, according to booking figures for the Greek Easter period this year. Greeks follow the Holy Week rites in commemoration of the Passion of Christ and celebrate His Resurrection on Easter Sunday. You will see many people doing last minute shopping, and children playing on the street. The lack of chocolate eggs, Peeps, and bunny costumes isn't the only difference between the Greek version of Easter and the American version. Since the date of Greek Orthodox Easter. Greek City Times answers this question. Easter in Greece is a movable feast and only coincides with the western Easter every few years, so it is important to check the dates before arranging to travel if you specifically want to be in Athens for Easter. Easter is the greatest Christian celebration in Greece. Let’s find out about some of these age-old traditions. Easter is one of my favorite times to be in Greece for a couple of reasons. This year, Catholic and Greek-Orthodox Christians — who use different liturgical calendars — celebrated Easter one week apart, with the former being on April 1 and the latter April 8. Unlike most cookies, these are not very sweet. Keep in mind that many shops who are not closed will have irregular schedules as the locals spend time with their families and attend church. How Is the Date of Greek Easter Determined. In 2017 the celebration coincided exactly. A Greek Easter Recipe Attaliotika Koulourakia. The New Year in Greece is not only celebrated as the first day of the year, but also as St. It is normal that Greek citizens exchange gifts on the New Year instead of Christmas. This Greek term is derived from the Hebrew name for the festival. Greek Orthodox Easter Sunday is May 2 for 2021! In Greece, Easter trumps Christmas as the biggest religious holiday of the year and there's an entire week leading up to the main event. Greece. The celebration of Easter in Corfu is so spectacular giving a thought-provoking and joyous experience to the first-time visitor to the island. According to the Christian bible, Jesus Christ resurrected into heaven and that day is now known as Easter. At 23.15 hours we walk from the apartments to the big church in Kokkini Hani for the Easter celebration. Whereas American Easter is often celebrated with candy, pastels, and bunnies, Greek Easter traditions include lamb (the meat, not the cartoon-shaped chocolates), braided butter cookies called koulourakia, and only the color red. Orthodox Easter 2020 fell on Sunday, April 19. Easter occurs in spring which itself makes the celebrations beautiful, colorful, and incredible. However, the holiday dates for public schools and private schools may slightly differ with up to two extra days in the academic year. The preparations and customs, including traditional foods and large feasts, remain an important part of modern Greek life. The faithful Christians all over Greece follow the Holy Week ritual devoutly, giving themselves body and soul into the culmination of the Passion of Christ and finally rejoicing in His Resurrection. Many Orthodox churches base their Easter date on the Julian calendar, which often differs from the Gregorian calendar that is used by many western countries. Unlike the western sects of Christianity like Catholicism and Protestantism, which use the universal Gregorian calendar, Orthodox sects use the Julian calendar, which is 13 days ahead. Easter, also called Pascha (Aramaic, Greek, Latin) or Resurrection Sunday, is a festival and holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in the New Testament as having occurred on the third day after his burial following his crucifixion by the Romans at Calvary c. 30 AD. Saturday before Easter in Crete Greece: Greek Cooking class and preparation of Greek Easter dishes. Easter is the most important day in the Greek calendar, celebrated with much more enthusiasm and excitement than Christmas. © 2021 www.calendardate.com. The Greek Orthodox Easter usually falls one week after the Western (Protestant, Catholic) Easter, though it coincides with the Western Easter once in every four years. This is a public holiday so most stores, offices, and businesses are closed. By far the most important in the Orthodox calendar is Easter and if you are in the right place at the right time you will definitely be invited to join in the revelry. One of the greatest celebrations of Christianity is Easter . The season of Lent. This is my great-grandmother’s recipe for traditional Easter cookies, or koulourakia. As a movable feast, the date of Orthodox Easter changes every year. While Holy Week doesn't necessarily grant time off work, it is widely celebrated in Greece (shops have different hours, restaurants serve special menus, and church is attended every night of the week). When is Easter 2020? There are a lot of fireworks and the whole village goes out to start all together the Easter festivities. Search for: Recent News. Orthodox Easter is considered to be one of the most important holiday on the Greek calendar. New Years Day; Epiphany; Clean Monday; 25th of March; Annunciation of the Lord; Good Friday; Easter Sunday; Easter Monday; Labor Day; Holy Spirit Monday; Dormition of the Holy Virgin; The Ochi Day ; Christmas Day; Synaxis of the Mother of God 2015; Date of Easter … Corfu. In 2017, Easter came at the same time for both denominations, something that will happen again in 2025. It is wrapped in linen and placed in a great casket to symbolize the tomb of Christ. Easter is a festive time in Greece, so join in on the local traditions. In the Greek Orthodox faith, Easter is the most sacred observance. That being said, the Great and Holy Pascha, as the Greeks call it, can sometimes fall on the same day as Western Easter, but only by pure and unlikely coincidence. Provides calendars for the calendar year for Greece. Provides the dates for holidays for the calendar year for Greece. Greek Orthodox Easter Dates and Variations, Celebrate a Three-Day Religious Feast in Greece During Greek Pentecost, Celebrating Carnevale, Lent, and Valentine's Day in Rome, Find Out How Easter Is Celebrated in Ireland, Say Kalo Pascha Which Is Happy Easter in Greek, The Key Dates for Celebrating Carnival in Greece, How Día de la Candelaria is celebrated in Mexico on February 2, These Are the Hottest Festivals Across Vietnam, How to Celebrate Holy Week and Easter in Mexico, Here's When You Should Visit the Balearic Islands, France at Easter Is a Great Time to Visit, How Greek Easter Is Different From American Easter. On Thursday of Holy Week, tsoureki (Easter bread) is baked and eggs are dyed deep red. On Saturday, the last day of Lent, a traditional soup called magiritsa is prepared for the midnight feast, which typically takes place after the evening church service. Greece Public Holidays. When is Greek Orthodox Easter 2021? In Greece, Easter celebrations start on Good Friday itself, with the icon of Christ being moved out off the cross. When is Orthodox Easter in other years? DeTraci Regula is a freelance writer who has specialized in Greek travel and tours for 18 years. If you are planning a trip to Greece over Greek Easter, you can check the Greek Orthodox Calendar for the next 10 years here. Until 2020, […] Alternatively, Western Easter is determined by a different set of calculations based on the current Gregorian calendar created by Pope Gregory. This year due to quarantine this day was not celebrated. We use the recipe year round, making the cookies into squiggly lines ideal for dipping into coffee (think small biscotti style). So, before planning your springtime trip to Greece, familiarize yourself with the customs of this holiday and how they differ from those in the States. Under the Gregorian system, the holiday can actually fall in March, which would not happen under the Julian-based method of calculating Easter.