Orthodox Easter: Who celebrates in Australia and why it’s on a different date

These are just a few examples of common traditions across Australia’s ethnic groups celebrating Orthodox Easter, which include members of the Russian, Eritrean, Armenian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian and Ethiopian communities.

The Epitaphio (the symbolic funeral bier of Christ) during a Good Friday at Greek Orthodox Church of St. Athanasios at Rookwood Cemetery, Sydney, April, 2015 Source: AAP

Similarities greater than differences among Orthodox Christian denominations

However, Eritrean and Ethiopian Orthodox Christians in Australia will celebrate in very similar ways, with both churches belonging to the so-called ‘Oriental’ group of Orthodox churches, differentiated from the ‘Eastern Orthodox’ in theological matters and traditions.

Group of priests celebrating Orthodox Easter in Lalibela, Wollo, Ethiopia 2013/05/03. Source: Getty

That said, Eritrean believers fast from meat and dairy for 40 days, like those of the Eastern Orthodox faith.

Upon returning to their homes after Saturday night’s mass, they will break the fast by eating a round stiff porridge dish (Ga’at) usually with a hole in the middle for dipping sauce, made of butter and hot pepper.

Not all Orthodox Churches are ‘Eastern Orthodox’. The ‘Oriental Orthodox Churches’ have theological differences and include the Ethiopian and Coptic Source: Debre Selam Medanialem Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church Melbourne/Facebook

Tsebhi derho, a spicy chicken stew with whole boiled eggs inside, will be on the menu for the Easter Sunday family gathering, with some families brewing their own Sewa (traditional alcoholic drink) to accompany the meal, followed by a coffee ceremony that will keep participants for hours drinking and chatting.

Copts will follow a largely similar festive schedule.

Inside St Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Church in Sydney Source: SBS

Melbourne mother of two, Nadia Latif, migrated from Egypt a 10 years ago.

“After mass, all the family and close friends come together to the elderly’s house in the family to have the Easter feast in the early hours of Easter Sunday,” Ms Latif said.

Maamoul, the buttery date filled middle eastern cookies are a must dessert on the Coptic family Easter feast table, Ms Latif says. Source: Getty Images

“So the main Easter feast happens at the very early hours of Easter Sunday (2am to 3am) and not on Easter Sunday lunch.”

This is not the case for Greek Orthodox Christians who tend to place an equal emphasis – if not greater – on the luscious Easter Sunday lunch, famously including lamb on the spit.

At Saturday’s night mass the holy light is shared with the Orthodox faithful at midnight. Source: SBS Greek/Argyro Vourdoumpa

Have you ever wondered what the dyeing of red eggs is all about?

For the faithful of the Russian, Macedonian and Greek communities of Australia, the boiled red colour egg is one of the most striking visual cues for Easter. It symbolises the blood of Christ.

What follows is the egg tapping on Easter Sunday, in religious terms symbolic of new life and representative of the tomb cracking open when Christ was resurrected.

An Orthodox nun arranges fresh painted red eggs in a basket at Pasarea monastery, 20km from Bucharest, Romania. Source: DANIEL MIHAILESCU/AFP via Getty Images

In popular tradition, it has been established as a fun family activity believed to bring good luck to the winner with the ‘strongest egg’.

Irina Derevich, a culinary specialist from Sydney, has been baking Easter cakes for more than 30 years, using traditional recipes.

Culinary specialist Irina Derevich Source: Irina Derevich (irinadee_sydney)

“On Maundy Thursday, the most important preparations for the holiday begin,” she said.

The Easter cake and painted eggs will be brought to churches on Saturday for a special blessing by the priest.

Why two Easters? The mathematical challenge for ‘Eastern’ and ‘Western’ Christianity

“The formula for the calculation is quite simple. We celebrate Easter on the first Sunday after the first moon occurring on or after the vernal equinox.”

Julian versus Gregorian calendars

Still, there are years that the northern hemisphere’s spring equinox brings the two ‘in sync’ for Easter.

Greek astronomer Ipparchus had observed that Equinoxes (when the sun is ‘on’ the equator as it ‘travels’ around the Earth) happen a tad earlier each year. Source: Hermann Göll, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The last common celebration was in 2017, the next one is expected in 2025, and some calculations report that after 2700 Orthodox and Catholic/Protestant Easter will never coincide again.

So, in that future scenario, the Easter date would still divert from the current calculation route even if the Gregorian calendar was used by all Christian churches.

Serbian Orthodox Church of Saint Elijah the Prophet in Coober Pedy, Australia. The underground church was constructed in 1993 and carved into sandstone. Source: Getty Images

For now, the question remains whether an agreement could be reached on a common date.

“In the Orthodox Church, we have had attempts to resolve this on our side as well,” Father Giatsios says, referring to Synods convened over the years with the intention to “find a decision that will benefit all Christian churches around the world”.

The ‘luxury of having two Easters’

For families combining both traditions, he says, celebrating “can be a positive as well, where they can participate in both cultures and other events”.

Source: Getty Images/Sneksy

Jason Christou, who grew up in Geelong as a member of the Greek Orthodox faith can testify to this.

Mr Christou describes the “mixer” effect on the Easter family table as “delicious”, giving the example of “a strudel sitting next to baklava”.

“As the family grew, with in-laws and partners of the Christou siblings, Catholic and Orthodox Easter have blended in annual celebrations.