Easter calendar by year: how to calculate church holidays

The date of Orthodox Easter is determined according to the rule that was established at the First Ecumenical Council (325) in the city of Nicaea. According to this rule, Easter occurs on the first Sunday after the spring full moon and after the Jewish Passover, and falls on the period from March 22 (April 4, new style) to April 25 (May 8, new style).

Go to:

• Easter calendar for the 20th century
• Easter calendar for the 21st century

Sunday, May 9, 2021, ANTI-EASTER

Unexpectedly, the first Sunday after Easter is called Antipascha or St. Thomas (Sunday of Thomas). The Charter defines the week following Bright Week as New. Usually the prefix “anti” sounds like “against” (for example, the anti-fascist movement), but it also has another meaning - “instead” (“antichrist” - instead of Christ). In this case, “anti” is the affirmation and repetition of Easter for the doubting disciple of the Savior: the Church recalls the assurance of the Apostle Thomas, the man for whom this day was instead of Easter. The Apostle Thomas has been testifying for more than 2000 years that God does not leave in doubt, but comes to those who sincerely want it.

The Apostle Thomas founded Christian Churches in Palestine, Mesopotamia, Parthia, Ethiopia and reached the Indian land. There he suffered martyrdom: he converted the son and wife of the ruler of the Indian city of Melipura to Christ, for which he was imprisoned, endured torture, and finally, pierced with five spears, went to the Lord († 72). The second day of memory of the Apostle Thomas is October 19. Until now, the memory of the stay of the holy apostle has been preserved among Hindus.

The Feast of the Assurance of the Apostle Thomas has been known since the 4th century. It marks the end of the most solemn days of Bright Week.

Troparion of the Week of Antipascha

The tomb was sealed, / the life from the tomb shone forth, O Christ God, / and to the closed doors, / you appeared as a disciple, / the resurrection of all; / the right spirit thereby renewing us, / according to your greatness, you are dear awn.

Translation: Although the tomb was sealed, You, Life, shone from the tomb, O Christ God; and when the doors were locked, You, the Resurrection of all, appeared to the disciples, through them renewing the Right Spirit in us according to Your great mercy.

Kontakion of the Week of Antipascha

With your curious right hand/ your life-giving ribs Thomas tested, O Christ God;/ with the closed door you entered,/ with the rest the apostles cried out to you // You are the Lord and my God.

Translation: With an inquisitive hand, Thy ribs exuding life were examined by Thomas, O Christ God; and then, as You entered with the doors locked, he and the other Apostles began to cry out to You: “You are the Lord and my God!”

They pray to the Apostle Thomas for their doubting and unbelieving loved ones. Not only missionaries, but also people who want to strengthen their own faith turn to him. A particle of the relics of the Apostle Thomas is now in the Donskoy Monastery in Moscow.

Prayer to the Apostle Thomas:

O famous and glorious Apostle of Christ Fomo! When, at the end of the ages, God came to man and chose you as His disciples and gave you the power to heal the sick, cleanse lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons, it was not for this sake that you clung to Christ, especially through love, desiring to follow Him even to the point of death. For this reason, even if, by Divine permission, you did not see the disciples of the risen Savior with others, even if you denied believing this, until you put your finger into the wounds of the nail and put your hand into His side, otherwise the Lord will fulfill the request of your heart and immutably confirm your faith . We also pray to you: open the eyes of faith to us, so that the invisible things of the flesh may appear to us; give us hope for God’s condescension, so that sinful despair will not devour us; Reveal to us the bliss of love, which is as strong as death, and the only one that can overcome it, so that having worked for Christ on earth, we too will erect for ourselves the shelters of Heaven and with you and all the saints we will glorify the most honorable and magnificent name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Akathist to the Holy Apostle Thomas, written in the 21st century

Read more about Apostle Thomas in our materials:

• Why didn’t the Savior’s disciple believe in His resurrection?

• The Life of the Apostle Thomas in drawings by Natalia Kondratova

• Why is Thomas an “unbeliever”?

Features of Orthodox worship

Today, May 9, a thanksgiving prayer service for the victory in the Great Patriotic War is being held in all churches and a special memorial service is being held for the fallen soldiers.

On Thomas Week, services are performed in the usual manner and the reading of psalms is resumed.

Of the Easter hymns, only the troparion “Christ is risen from the dead...” sounds. On Sunday, special hymns are heard dedicated to the second week after Easter and the assurance of the Apostle Thomas. The service contains texts glorifying the arrival of spring: “Today is spring for souls...”, “Today is spring fragrant...”.

At the Liturgy there are special festive antiphons. And although this holiday is not designated as great in liturgical textbooks, according to the liturgical features, Thomas Sunday looks like the Lord's holiday, that is, dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Easter dates from 1900 to 1999

(dates according to new style)

The earliest Easter in the 20th century was in 1915 - April 4 (new style). The latest Easter was in the victorious years of 1945 (May 6) and 1956 (May 6).

The record late Easter fell on May 8th in 1983 - the only time in 200 years! The next time Easter will be on May 8th will be in 2078.

Holiday traditions:

Fomino Sunday is called not only Anti-Easter, but also “Red Hill”. This popular name is due to the fact that after winter and a long fast, festivities began, and the first to dry out were the hillocks, where young people gathered. Starting from this day, the Sacrament of Wedding was resumed in churches, and therefore there were many weddings on Krasnaya Gorka and the next week. In the first centuries of Christianity, on this day, neophytes (recently baptized Christians) changed their festive white clothes, which they wore for the whole week after their baptism. Nowadays, on this day, brides wear wedding dresses and, more often, white dresses.

Read more about weddings in our materials:

• The sacrament of marriage and obstacles to it

• Rules for weddings in the Orthodox Church

Symbols of 2050

The eastern horoscope states that 2050 is under the auspices of the Horse. The specified zodiac animal during this period of time is considered the main symbol and talisman.

The Chinese zodiac prescribes the color white or silver for this living being. The West stands in the position of the harmonious side of the world. The dominant season is considered to be Autumn. The animal’s magic numbers are “four” and “nine”.

In Eastern astrology, it is customary to associate each zodiac period with one of the five basic elements, each of which symbolizes a fundamental element. The period of time under consideration is filled with warm light energy - Yang and is in the power of the element - Metal.

The mentioned element in Chinese philosophy is traditionally associated with the following concepts:

Mercury plays the role of the ruling planet. This celestial body personifies the following qualities: dexterity, agility, intellectual abilities, diplomacy, a thirst for travel and success in trade.

The dominant mythological creature is the White-Winged Tiger.

Apostolic reading:

Acts of the Apostles, chapter 5, verses 12 - 20

Bishop Feoktist (Igumnov) comments

It is dear to all employees of “Thomas” that the memory of our patron saint - the Apostle Thomas - is celebrated by the entire Church on the next Sunday after Easter. We remember how in 1996 the first black and white issue of the Foma magazine was published. When choosing the title, the editors wanted to draw the attention of readers to the paradox - after all, Thomas does not take his word for it because he really wants to know the Truth with all his being. And Christ, probably, appears to the doubting disciple because he knows his thirst for faith.

We congratulate our readers on the week of the Apostle Thomas and wish you a good Sunday in church!

Easter dates from 1800 to 1899

(dates according to new style)

The earliest Easter in the 19th century was in 1847 and 1857 - April 4 according to the new style. The latest Easter was in 1804 - May 6, new style.