serving the faith communities of the Goulburn Valley
For the more than half-a-million Australians who identify as Orthodox Christians, today is a significant day.
Sunday May 5 is Orthodox Easter, a date which falls more than a month after the more-widely recognised western Easter Sunday which is celebrated as a public holiday in Australia.
In both churches, Easter is considered the most important and holy occasion in the Christian calendar.
The date for Easter changes every year. In Western Christianity, using the Gregorian calendar, Easter always falls on a Sunday between 22 March and 25 April, within about seven days after the astronomical full moon. As well as major Christian observances, at the time of Easter, there are religious festivals in Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Orthodox Christianity, Jainism and the Baha’i faith. Jains observe the birthday of Mahavir. Buddhists observe Therevadan New Year. There is the Passover of the Jewish Faith and the Sikhs celebrate Vaisakhi, the foundation of the Khalsa. These are among the religious festivals celebrated at this time.
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