Greek Orthodox Easter 2023 dates, differences and how it's celebrated

Easter will once again be happening twice this year. This is because different calendars are used to arrive at the date.

Most Christians will be following the Easter dates in the Gregorian calendar, which was introduced in 1582. But the Eastern Orthodox Church still bases its Easter dates on the previous Julian calendar, which had been in effect since 45 BC.

As a result, Greek Easter or Orthodox Easter can vary from the main Easter celebrations in the western world. In some years, both are on the same date, as in 2017. In other years they aren't. In 2021 they were four weeks apart, although the two festivities can be separated by as much as five weeks, so it's not the biggest gap that could potentially happen.

When is Greek Orthodox Easter in 2023?

The dates for Greek Orthodox Easter in 2023 are as follows:

Good Friday - April 14, 2023

Holy Saturday - April 15, 2023

Easter Sunday or Easter Day - April 16, 2023

Easter Monday - April 17, 2023

This year, that's a week later than Western Christian Easter. Despite being commonly called Greek Easter, this tradition is celebrated in other places apart from Greece. Other countries that officially observe Orthodox Easter include Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Serbia, Moldova, North Macedonia, Cyprus, Montenegro, Georgia, Belarus and Russia.