This year, “western Easter” is March 27th but “Orthodox Pascha” is May 1st? We use the same formula to calculate the Feast of Feasts, so why do we have different dates?
THERE’S A SOLAR CYCLE AND A LUNAR CYCLE
The church calendar is composed of two different cycles: a solar cycle and a lunar cycle.
The solar cycle consists of 365 days and it’s based on the sun. This is what determines the months and dates, and as such, it determines fixed feasts – such as Christmas on December 25th.
The lunar cycle, on the other hand, is based on the moon. It is this cycle that determines when Pascha (Easter) will be.
THE FATHERS WANTED EVERYONE TO CELEBRATE TOGETHER
Not every congregation in the early church celebrated Pascha on the same day. The Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council (4th century) thought this was a tragedy – everyone should celebrate the Feast of Feasts together.
To solve the problem, those Fathers came up with a common date, which all Christians (Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant) still use. Pascha is to be celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox (a fixed date of March 21 was decided upon).
So, if all Christians use this formula, why do we have two different Paschas?
DATING THE VERNAL EQUINOX
The answer lies with how we determine the vernal equinox. This date is when day and night are equal. As we move into summer, daylight gets longer and longer – a reminder of the Resurrection.
Originally, the early church adopted the secular Roman calendar. Today this is known as the Julian Calendar because it was instituted by Julius Caesar.
Astronomy, though, wasn’t as advanced as it is today, so it wasn’t as accurate as it could be.
To fix the inaccuracies, the Julian Calendar was reorganized by Pope Gregory in October of 1582. This calendar is called the Gregorian calendar.
But some countries didn’t adopt this calendar right away. The American colonies, for example, didn’t start using it until 1752 – this means that George Washington was born on the Julian Calendar. Today, the Julian Calendar is 13 days behind.
For most people, the Gregorian calendar is the standard around the world. The Orthodox Church, on the other hand, has only partly adopted it.
THE ORTHODOX ARE SPLIT BETWEEN TWO CALENDARS
Some Orthodox Churches still use the Julian Calendar to determine the dates of the solar cycle – such as the Church of Russia. This is why they have Christmas on a difference date. What is December 25th on the Julian Calendar is January 7th on the Gregorian Calendar.
Other Orthodox Churches, however, have adopted the Gregorian calendar to determine the dates of solar cycle – such as the Greek Archdiocese of America, the Antiochian Archdiocese, and the Orthodox Church in America. This means that we celebrate Christmas on the same date as the Catholics and Protestants.
But, for the lunar cycle, all Orthodox Churches have agreed to continue to use the Julian Calendar so that we can continue to celebrate Pascha together – the point that started the whole thing. (The exceptions are the Orthodox churches of Finland and Estonia.)
While our common celebration is preserved by using the Julian Calendar, it means that our calculation of the vernal equinox is inaccurate.
The actual vernal equinox is on March 21st, but the Julian Calendar inaccurately places it on April 3rd (Gregorian date).
Now, remember that Pascha is the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox. If the full moon falls between March 21st and April 3rd, then the Orthodox Church will have to wait another lunar cycle before celebrating Pascha. The Catholic and Protestant Churches will go ahead and celebrate.
On the other hand, if the full moon falls after April 3rd, but not between then and March 21st, the Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant Churches will all celebrate Pascha together.
THE SHORT ANSWER
OK, if your eyes are crossed and you’re scratching your head, here’s the short answer:
Pascha is the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox. The Orthodox Church uses an old – and inaccurate – calendar to determine when the vernal equinox is; thus the relationship between the full moon and the vernal equinox is different between the Catholic and Protestant Churches, and the Orthodox Church. It is because of this that our Pascha can fall on a different date.
P.S. THE PLUS SIDE OF AN OLD CALENDAR
It may be strange that the Orthodox Church has preserved the old Julian Calendar.
For me, though, it shows that the Orthodox Church has been faithful in preserving the gospel message that was handed down to it from Christ and the Apostles.
“So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter.” (2 Thessalonians 2:15 RSV)
Because it has preserved all this, the worship of the Orthodox Church brings us to Christ in a way that “contemporary” worship cannot.
The timelessness of the Orthodox Church takes us into the Kingdom of Heaven and unites us to Christ.
Therefore, this Lenten season, I invite you to enter deeper into the mystery of Christ with the Orthodox Church!
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