A Time For Fasting And Preparation

Greek Orthodox Easter 2024

A Time for Fasting and Preparation

Greek Orthodox Easter is celebrated on a different date each year, as it is calculated based on the lunar calendar. In 2024, Greek Orthodox Easter will fall on May 5th, a few weeks after Catholic and Protestant Easter. This year, Orthodox Lent, also known as the Great Fast, will begin on March 18th and end on May 4th. The Lenten fasting discipline commences after Forgiveness Vespers on March 17th and concludes on Holy Saturday, April 27th.

Observances During Lent

During Great Lent, Orthodox Christians abstain from meat, dairy, eggs, fish, olive oil, and wine. This period of fasting is a time of preparation leading up to the most important celebration in the Orthodox Christian calendar, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The seven-week period before Easter is called Lent, known in Greek as Sarakosti.