This year, Western and Eastern Christians celebrate the Bright Resurrection of Christ with a one-week difference.
In 2026, Easter for Christians of Western and Eastern rites will fall on different Sundays in April. After the holiday, Catholics will enter the strictest period of Great Lent for Orthodox Christians.
This was reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing a publication from the press service of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) on Facebook.
Read also: Is confession mandatory “before Easter”? The OCU explained when and how to repent of sins.
Main points:
- Date coincidence: The “unified” day of Easter celebration for Western and Eastern Christians occurs approximately once every four to five years.
- Easter 2026: This year, Catholics will celebrate the Bright Resurrection of Christ on the upcoming Sunday, while Orthodox Christians will celebrate it a week later.
- Separate celebrations: Disputes over the exact date of Easter celebration began among Christians as early as the 2nd century after the birth of Christ.
- “Unified” rule: The First Ecumenical Council in 325 AD decreed that all Christians should celebrate Easter on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox.
- Where the difference comes from: When Christianity split, disagreements arose due to different calendars used by the Catholic and Orthodox Churches.
- The strictest period of fasting: The six days leading up to Easter – Holy Week – impose the greatest restrictions on believers.
Who and when celebrates Easter in 2026
Ukrainians were reminded that in the past year 2025, the date of Easter celebration for Western and Eastern Christians coincided on April 20.
It was clarified that “such a coincidence occurs approximately once every four to five years.” Therefore, in the current year 2026, the date of the holiday is different.
Thus, on Sunday, April 5, the Bright Resurrection of Christ will be celebrated by Christians of the Western, Latin rite.
Meanwhile, Eastern rite Christians, the Orthodox, will celebrate Easter the following Sunday, April 12.
The OCU will celebrate Easter on April 12 (infographic: facebook.com/Orthodox.in.Ukraine)
Why do Christians celebrate Easter on different dates
“Every year, the question of why Christians celebrate Easter on different dates becomes more actively discussed. Therefore, we remind you that this question is not new,” the OCU noted.
Ukrainians were told that disputes over the exact date of Easter celebration began among Christians as early as the 2nd century after the birth of Christ:
- Some Christians celebrated it together with the Jews according to the Jewish calendar – on the 14th of Nisan (Nisan is the first month of the year in the Babylonian and Jewish religious calendar, roughly corresponding to our March-April);
- Other Christians celebrated the holiday on the first Sunday after the Jewish Passover (Pesach).
Meanwhile, the First Ecumenical Council in 325 AD decreed that all Christians should celebrate Easter on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox.
“At that time, the Church was united, and it was to this ‘formula’ that the ancient paschal calculation (method of determining the date of Easter) we still use today was tied,” the OCU reminded.
It was reported that when Christianity split, disagreements arose due to different calendars (used by the Catholic and Orthodox Churches).
This, in turn, led to differences in calculating the spring equinox – due to a 13-day difference between the calendars.
Consequently, today Orthodox Churches (regardless of whether they adhere to the old or new calendar – Julian or New Julian):
- adhere to a unified paschal calculation;
- calculate the date of Easter from the date of the equinox according to the Julian calendar.
An exception to this “rule” is the autonomous Finnish Orthodox Church, which uses the Gregorian calendar.
At the same time, Catholics and Protestants calculate the date of Easter from the astronomical equinox according to the Gregorian calendar.
“This is the main difference in the calculations,” the OCU explained.
It is also clarified that Eastern tradition Christians adhere to the rule that Easter cannot coincide with or be celebrated before the Jewish Passover. Only after Pesach.
Catholics do not adhere to this aspect.
What are the most strict fasting days before Easter
The OCU also reported (in the context of preparing for the event of the Bright Resurrection of Christ) that on Monday (March 30), the last week of the Holy Forty Days – the 6th week of Great Lent has already begun.
“It is also called Palm Sunday because it ends with the celebration of the Lord’s Entrance into Jerusalem, or Palm Sunday, which this year falls on April 5,” they explained to Ukrainians.
The OCU reminded that one of the pious traditions of this festive Sunday is the blessing of willow branches in churches.
After this holiday, a special period of Great Lent – Holy Week will begin.
This refers to the time of honoring the events of the last days of Jesus Christ’s earthly life – his sufferings, crucifixion, and burial.
“The services and remembrances of Holy Week will remind us of the great price at which we have been redeemed from the bondage of sin and death – the price of the voluntary sufferings and death on the cross of the Son of God,” the OCU noted.
In conclusion, it is emphasized that the six days leading up to Easter:
- are the most strict days of fasting;
- are unique in liturgical features.
“And already on Sunday, April 12, we celebrate the Bright Resurrection of Christ – the feast of feasts, the triumph of triumphs,” the OCU summarized.
We remind you that the OCU previously explained whether online broadcasts can replace going to church.
Additionally, Ukrainians were informed whether it is permissible to start new ventures during major holidays and how to ask for a blessing from a priest (and when exactly this can be done).
Read also about Clean Thursday in 2026 – its exact date and what is actually mandatory to do on this day.
