why is orthodox easter different

Orthodox Easter is different mainly because it uses a different calendar and a different rule for picking the date. In most years, that makes it fall later than Western Easter.

Why the date changes

• Many Western churches use the Gregorian calendar, while Orthodox churches calculate Pascha using the Julian calendar tradition.

• Orthodox calculation also keeps the older rule that Pascha should come after Jewish Passover.

• Because the calendars do not line up exactly, the two Easters often land on different Sundays.

Simple example

If the full moon and spring equinox line up one way in the Gregorian calendar but differently in the Julian calendar, the Easter date shifts. That is why the two traditions sometimes coincide, but usually do not.

Bottom line

So the difference is not about celebrating a different event; both commemorate the Resurrection of Jesus. The difference is about how each tradition calculates the date.

If you want, I can also give you a very short “one-sentence” version or a timeline of how the split happened.