When is Easter in 2025: the date is the same for all Christians

Easter is a key event in the calendar of Christians of both the Eastern and Western rites. However, both branches calculate the date of the holiday differently, and it differs every year for Orthodox and Catholics, sometimes even quite a bit.

However, in 2025, a rather rare event will happen - the entire Christian world will celebrate the Resurrection of Christ at the same time. OBOZ.UA tells you what date the holiday will fall on, when it has happened before, and why Christians have such a difference.

When is Easter in 2025?

Next year, in 2025, both those Christian churches that live according to the Julian (or New Julian, like the OCU) calendar and those that follow the Gregorian calendar will celebrate Easter together. The common date of the biggest church celebration will be April 20.

The last time such a coincidence occurred was almost a decade ago, in 2017. Back then, all Christian denominations celebrated the Resurrection of Christ on April 16. And the next time it will happen in 2028, when April 16 will again be the holiday date. The date of Easter will also be common in 2031 - it will be April 13.

Why do the dates of Easter celebrations differ?

The reason for the differences in the date of the holiday is that different Christian churches follow different calendars. Western Christians use the Gregorian calendar, while Eastern Christians use the Julian or New Julian calendar. The key difference between the two is the date of Easter.

Both calendars use the date of the first full moon after the vernal equinox as their starting point. Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after this astronomical event.

However, the Julian and New Julian calendars consider the date of the vernal equinox to be April 3. While according to the Gregorian calendar, it is defined as March 21. This means that Easter cannot come earlier than April 4 for Orthodox Christians, but for Catholics the earliest date of the holiday may be March 22.

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