Every four to seven years on average Easter in the Eastern Orthodox Church is celebrated on the same Sunday as it is celebrated in the Roman Catholic Church and most protestant religions. 2010 is such a year. And, in an extemely rare occurance, next year will be as well. The reason for the difference is the use of two different calendars. The Orthodox Church uses the Gregorian calendar while the Roman Catholic Church and most protestant faiths use the Julian calendar to calculate the date. Neither calendar accurately measures a solar year.
Both Orthodox and western Christians celebrate Easter on Sunday because of the Biblical reference to finding the empty tomb of Jesus on the first day of the week. Eastern Orthodox Christians have a tradition of coloring eggs crimson red, symbolic of the blood of Christ. See photo above.
Happy Easter!
[Author’s Note: Olympia Snowe is the only Eastern Orthodox member of the United States Senate. There are five Mormons, thirteen Jews and one “unspecified”. The rest are either Roman Catholic or protestant.]
Cross Posted at Elijah’s Sweete Spot. COMMENTS/DISCUSSION welcome at Disqus(tm) enabled Thread One.
Contributor, aka tidbits. Retired attorney in complex litigation, death penalty defense and constitutional law. Former Nat’l Board Chair: Alzheimer’s Association. Served on multiple political campaigns, including two for U.S. Senator Mark O. Hatfield (R-OR). Contributing author to three legal books and multiple legal publications.