What Is Pascha? Orthodox Christians Prepare To Celebrate Resurrection Of Jesus Christ

Orthodox Christians around the world are gearing up to celebrate Pascha, which is popularly known as Easter among other Christian denominations. Often the holiday falls on different dates for Western and Orthodox churches as they follow the Gregorian calendar and the Julian calendar, respectively. However, this year, Pascha and Easter are falling on the same day, April 16.

The word “Pascha” comes from both Greek and Latin term for “Easter” and the verbal form of the word translates to “to suffer” in Greek. Like Easter, Pascha is celebrated because Christians believe Jesus Christ resurrected on that day and the holiday always falls on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25.

Across all the Christian denominations, including Eastern and Western churches, Pascha or Easter falls on the Sunday immediately after that year’s Paschal full moon, which is based on historical tables instead of lunar events. But, why is Paschal full moon used to determine when Easter falls?

“Passover [Jewish festival] fell on the date of the paschal full moon in the Jewish calendar, and the Last Supper [Holy Thursday] occurred on the Passover. Therefore, the very first Easter Sunday—the day on which Christ rose from the dead—was the Sunday after Passover,” according to GotQuestions.org.

Pascha is celebrated by Orthodox Christians across the world. It also commemorates Christ’s resurrection and has similarities with Western Christian celebrations. Traditions such as colorful eggs and palm fronds mark the festival. Across Orthodox churches, huge celebrations and prayers take place once Lent is over to mark the ascension of Jesus Christ to heaven. About 200 million to 300 million Orthodox Christians are reported to be around the world. And most of them can be found in Eastern Europe and the Balkans.

On Good Friday, Orthodox Christians visit Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem to mark the path Christ took on the way to the crucifixion.