Easter was last March for most Christians, but Holy Week is just beginning for more than 300 million Orthodox Christians in the world.

The date for Orthodox Easter, which is celebrated next Sunday, is based on the early Julian calendar, in which Easter follows the first full moon after the vernal equinox and always follows the Jewish Passover. Orthodox Lent, ”is a period of fasting and repentance, a looking within oneself to see how one can grow closer to God,” said the Rev. Dean Panagos of Saint Luke the Evangelist Orthodox Church in Columbia.

“The period of prayer and confession concludes as we enter the last week of Christ’s earthly life,” he said. “We focus on the Last Supper, the tomb and the Resurrection.”

Services at St. Luke’s are celebrated every night next week, and each service will “meditate on a particular theme of Holy Week,” he said. “As the week progresses, we become - both mystically and actually - part of the events of Christ’s life,” he said. For example, “we are there at the washing of the feet at the Last Supper, we are there in the garden scene.”

Next Saturday, Easter begins at midnight. “That service will be the culmination of 50 days of preparing for this one big event,” he said. “We begin in the middle of the night. Our bodies tell us we should be sleeping, but God tells us that we should be awake,” he said. “For me, Easter is a renewal of hope and love in a world that is full of craziness,” he said. “There is this immense feeling that God is with us, he cares for us and he loves us.”

As the journey of our Lenten ended, the hearts of the faithful beat with anticipation of the Great Feast of Feasts, Holy Pascha, or what many in the Western Church call Easter. This year our feast Sunday Easter or  Holy Pascha is on April 27.

Many wonder why there are two separate dates set aside for the Great Feast of the Resurrection of Our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ and why we call these feasts by different terms. Allow me first to tackle the question of the date of celebration of Easter/Pascha and its names.

Firstly, why do we call the Eastern feast Pascha and the Western feast Easter? The term Pascha comes from the Hebrew word pesah, a yearling lamb that was sacrificed at Passover. In Exodus 12:5. the Angel of the Lord was instructed to kill the first-born of the Egyptians but to pass over the Jewish homes marked by the blood of the lamb. Passover in Greek is Pascha. Christ is our Passover Lamb, who gave himself for the life of the world (I Cor. 5:7). For those who believe in Christ, there is no spiritual death. Thus, death passes over those of us marked by the Lamb of God.

The term Easter comes from the spring festival of Eastre honoring the pagan goddess of fertility. She was symbolized by the rabbit, which is where the Easter Bunny started. Since the pagan festival fell at approximately the same time as the Feast of the Resurrection, the feast became commonly called Easter in the West, during the assimilation of pagans into Christianity. Officially, it is called the Feast of the Resurrection of Our Lord, in both Western (Catholic) and Eastern (Orthodox) Churches, both then and now.

The dating of the celebration of The Feast of the Resurrection is a more complex matter. The date of Pascha was determined by the First Ecumenical Council held in Nicea in 325 AD. The 318 bishops present stipulated that Easter/Pascha must be celebrated on the first Sunday following the first full moon of the vernal (spring) equinox, according to the Julian calendar in use at the time, and may not coincide with the Jewish Passover.

Because the Julian calendar is off by about one day every 128 years, there was a need for a more accurate calendar. In 1582 Pope Gregory of Rome corrected this error by dropping 10 days and establishing the Gregorian calendar. The new date of the vernal equinox, a key element in calculating Easter/ Pascha, no longer fell on the same day that it did in the Julian calendar.

In 1922 most Eastern Orthodox Churches adopted the Gregorian calendar for all feast days except for Pascha and those feasts related to Pascha, such as Palm Sunday and Pentecost, because the new calendar does not take into account the Jewish element of Passover. Every few years the dates of Easter and Pascha coincide, as they will next year. But they could be far apart as well, such as in 2008, when Easter is on March 23 and Pascha is on April 27.

Whether you celebrate the Resurrection of Our Lord on April 16 or 23, or whether your new day begins at sunup or at sundown (as it does for those in the Orthodox and the Jewish faiths), what is important is where your heart is.

For those of us who call ourselves Christian, no matter what tradition, everyday is Resurrection Day. Allow me to close with some words from our Paschal Liturgy: “Today is the Day of Resurrection! Let us shine with the Feast! Let us embrace one another! Let us say, Brethren! And to those that hate us, and in this wise exclaim: Christ is Risen from the dead; trampling down death by death; and upon those in the tombs bestowing Life! Christ is Risen! Indeed He has Risen!”

For many of the area’s Hispanic immigrants, Easter is more than a one-day event or even one Holy Week. In Hispanic cultures, many Christians observe Semana Santa, which is a combination of Holy Week, which runs from Palm Sunday to Easter, and Pascua, which begins on Resurrection Sunday (Easter) and runs through the following Saturday. “It is big, big for us,” said Antonio Garcia, Hispanic Ministries coordinator for the Basilica of St. Lawrence.

For many immigrants, it’s not uncommon for them to reenact the Passion Play, a dramatic recreation of the suffering and death of Christ. The Passion Plays often begin with the Last Supper, proceed through Jesus’ betrayal and judgment, continue through the 12 Stations of the Cross, his crucifixion and, finally, his resurrection. “For us it’s very important to celebrate it because first of all it identifies us as Hispanics,” Garcia said. “Within the Hispanic community there is a lot of devotion and piety. (Reenacting the Passion is) a way not to let (our culture) die off even though we’re in another country.”

While the celebration of Easter centers on the same events, cultures around the world celebrate the death, burial and resurrection in varying ways and even on varying days.

East vs. West
Perhaps the biggest difference between Eastern and Western observations of Easter is the day Easter is celebrated. Western Christians typically celebrate Easter on the day designated by the Gregorian calendar.

Ecclesiastical rules dictate Easter fall on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox, which is always March 21. This means Easter for the Western Church, which includes Protestants and Roman Catholics, can never come earlier than March 22 or later than April 25.

Eastern, or Orthodox, Christian churches base the date of Easter on the much older Julian Calendar. The original formula for computing the date of Easter — Pascha as it is known in Orthodox churches — requires the holy day fall after the Jewish observance of Passover, which this year ends April 20.

“The early Christian church had seven councils in order to work on different things that came up during the early parts of Christianity,” said the Rev. Onouphry Keith of St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church of Fletcher. “In that seventh council, they made a canon that the calendar was not to be changed. When the Roman Church changed the calendar, they just moved away from the Orthodox Church.”

Western and Eastern Easters can fall as many as 13 days apart but occasionally fall on the same date. Orthodox Easter falls on April 27 this year.

Greece and Russia
Whereas many Western churches celebrate Easter with sunrise services, Eastern, especially Russian, churches traditionally begin their Easter services on Saturday for an all-night Easter vigil. During the service the priest will close the doors to the inner sanctuary to signify that Christ is dead and the way to God is closed, but at midnight the priest throws open the doors and proclaims that Christ is risen.

Another Russian Easter tradition is that of the red Easter eggs. The eggs are dyed red to symbolize the blood of Christ. The eggs are cracked with nails to remind believers of Christ’s death but as the egg whites are exposed they are reminded that the blood of Christ cleansed them of their sins.

In Greece, it’s popular for families to feast on lamb on Easter. Often communities will barbecue lambs together in a public place. The popularity of lamb undoubtedly comes from its association with Christ as the “Lamb of God.”

During the midnight Easter service all the lights in the church are extinguished and the priest emerges from behind a closed door carrying a single lighted candle. He lights the candle of someone in the front row and then the light is passed from candle to candle as each person receives the light of the resurrection. In many places in Greece it is customary to carry the candle back home to mark three crosses above the entrance door in order to bless the occupants with the light of Christ’s resurrection.

Ingredients >
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 package active dry yeast
3 cups warm water
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbs honey
1 tbs cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp anise
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbs olive oil
oil for brushing
6 whole nuts

Method >
The night before baking, mix the yeast with some warm water and 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir well, and set aside, covered, in a warm place. The next morning, in a bowl sift the remaining flour. Make a well in the center and pour in the starter, sugar, honey, spices, salt, oil and water.

Knead well till the dough becomes elastic and shiny. Cover it and let it rise for 2 hours. When the dough is doubled in size, divide it in seven pieces. One of them must be larger than the others. Roll the six smaller pieces into cords.

Stick a nut in one end of each cord. Cut the larger piece of dough in 12 ropes. Stick the ends of 2 ropes near each nut and braid forming an ancient shroud. Place the breads on an oiled baking pan and cover them. Let them rise for 2 hours. Brush the Lazarakia with olive oil and bake them in a pre-heated oven of 200 for 20 to 25 minutes.

Orthodox Easter (Pascha) will be celebrated on April 27th this year by over 250 million Orthodox Christians worldwide. Holy Week will commence on Palm Sunday, April 20.

“In his First Epistle to the Corinthians, Saint Paul, having detected some wrong ideas about the resurrection among the Corinthians, wrote specifically to underscore the centrality of the resurrection of Christ to the Christian faith,” says Archbishop Demetrios, spiritual leader of 1.5 million Greek Orthodox Christians in America and Chairman of the Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas, in his Easter Encyclical. “Saint Paul observed that some in the community of Corinth who were calling themselves Christians did not believe in the resurrection of the dead….”

“In many ways,” Archbishop Demetrios continues, “our contemporary society resembles the society in which the Corinthians lived. It offers a wide array of religious teachings, theories, and alternative understandings to the question of life after death. Because God has given to people freedom of conscience, we do not cast judgment on the teachings of other religions nor upon those people who hold them. We do insist, however, that on this day of Holy Pascha we are invited to come to a closer understanding of the centrality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ to the Christian faith and its fundamental meaning for our lives as Orthodox Christians.”

Archbishop Demetrios will officiate at Holy Week services in Greek Orthodox parishes in the metropolitan area including Good Friday Lamentations and Resurrection services Saturday at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity (319 East 74th St. New York City). Good Friday services will begin at 8:00 p.m. and Resurrection Services Saturday evening at 11:00 p.m.

Centuries-old religious services which recall the Passion, Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ are conducted each morning and evening throughout Holy Week in Orthodox Christian Churches including: Greek, Russian, Romanian, Antiochian, Bulgarian, Carpatho-Russian, Albanian, Serbian and Ukrainian, which serve some 6 million faithful in the Americas.

On PALM SUNDAY during the Divine Liturgy, palms are blessed and distributed to the faithful commemorating Christ’s entrance into Jerusalem.

On HOLY WEDNESDAY, the faithful are anointed with the Sacrament of Holy Unction, blessed oil, which cleanses, renews and strengthens both spiritually and physically.

On HOLY THURSDAY evening, the Service of Holy Passion takes place, during which the Twelve Lessons of the Gospel are read. After the Fifth Gospel a solemn litany begins. A large crucifix is carried in a procession led by the clergy as the mournful hymn of Crucifixion is sung.

On GOOD FRIDAY AFTERNOON, the Vespers of the Descent from the Cross are offered. The Body of Christ is taken down from the Cross, wrapped in white linen and is prepared for burial.

On GOOD FRIDAY evening, the Lamentations are sung during the Epitaphios Service, which symbolizes the burial of Christ.

On HOLY SATURDAY evening, the Pascha Resurrection Service begins with Matins at 11 p.m. At midnight, the Church is completely darkened and the faithful wait in joyous expectation for the Bishop or priest to come forth carrying a white candle, chanting, “Come, Receive the Light, the Light of the Resurrection.” The light is passed to the congregation until the Church is ablaze with the glow of candlelight. A procession of altar boys, choir, chanters and clergy joined by the people move outdoors where the Gospel proclaiming the Resurrection of Christ is read. The triumphant hymn, Christos Anesti (Christ is Risen) is joyously sung by the faithful. At the conclusion of the Resurrection Liturgy, red Easter eggs, which symbolize the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, are distributed to the congregation.

On EASTER SUNDAY, the Vespers of AGAPE (Love) are celebrated with the Holy Gospel of the Resurrection read in several languages emphasizing the universality of Christ’s teaching of love and peace.

The Orthodox date for Easter is based on a decree of the Council of Nicaea, Asia Minor, held in 325 A.D. According to this decree, Easter must be celebrated on the Sunday following the first full moon of the vernal equinox but always after the Hebrew Passover to maintain the Biblical sequence of events of the Crucifixion and the Resurrection. The Orthodox Christian churches have adhered strictly to this formula.

  This year Orthodox Christians worldwide will celebrate Easter on April 27. The Feast of Feasts is celebrated after several weeks of preparation including pre-Lenten Sundays, six weeks of fasting during Great Lent, and Holy Week. Today marks the end of Lent for Orthodox Christians and the beginning of Holy Week, which begins with Palm Sunday.

The liturgical services this week reveal various events during Christ’s time in Jerusalem and allow for personal participation. Palm Sunday calls to mind Christ’s entry into Jerusalem and his reception by the people. Monday and Tuesday focus on Jesus’ teaching to the disciples. On Wednesday, Orthodox Christians remember Judas’ betrayal and the anointment of Christ. Thursday marks the Last Supper. Friday remembers Jesus’ crucifixion and burial, while Saturday is the victory over death, just prior to the Sunday of resurrection.

The Eastern Orthodox churches follow a different calendar than Catholics and Protestants, which observed Holy Week and Easter about a month ago. In the Orthodox tradition, Easter always follows the Jewish observance of Passover, which begins at sundown today.

The Nymphios service is held on the evening of Palm Sunday, which begins Holy Week, and prepares Orthodox believers for services later in the week that commemorate the suffering and death of Jesus Christ.

The title of the Nymphios service refers to the scriptural metaphor of Christ as the bridegroom of the church. The distinctive feature of the service is the procession of an icon - a sacred painting - of Christ dressed in a purple robe and holding a reed, symbols of mockery given to him by the Roman soldiers who crucified him, according to the gospels. It is a dramatic service. The mood changes. The light dims when the icon comes out. Some churches have incense burning.

Orthodox Christians will begin this weekend with the observance of Holy Week leading up to their celebration of Pascha (Easter) on April 27. Today is Lazarus Saturday; Sunday is Palm Sunday.

Nine days are set aside by the Orthodox Church to commemorate the final and decisive events of the earthly life of Jesus Christ, said Father Basil Zebrun of St. Barbara Orthodox Church in Fort Worth. “Traditionally, during this time, Orthodox Christians make an effort to lay aside all earthly cares in order to devote themselves to contemplating the central mysteries of their faith: the Cross, Tomb and Resurrection of Jesus,” he said.

Members of Orthodox churches celebrate Easter later than other Christians because the Orthodox church uses a method established by the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, Zebrun said. Western tradition Christians celebrated Palm Sunday on March 16 and Easter on March 23. In Western Christianity, Easter Sunday is celebrated on the Sunday immediately following the first full moon of spring and can fall anytime between March 22 and April 25.

Orthodox Easter can fall between April 4 and May 8 and it always follows Jewish Passover, which begins at sunset today. Easter, or Pascha, will be celebrated in the Orthodox Church on April 27.

Next week, the Orthodox faithful will remember the suffering and death of Christ during the most solemn week on their calendar, Holy Week. Observances will range from daily liturgical services to informal meetings aimed at helping parishioners place the hope of the Resurrection against the background of suffering and death.