Should all Christian Celebrate Easter on the Same Date?

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ByzCathCantor

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As we will soon all be in the season of the Great Fast (Lent), it may be interesting to consider this question …
 
I voted the last choice…however I’d remove the “I’m not sure”…it doesn’t matter to me one way or another…it’s just another day.
 
Publisher said:
I voted the last choice…however I’d remove the “I’m not sure”…it doesn’t matter to me one way or another…it’s just another day.
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I’d take your suggestion, my friend, but I’m not sure if you can edit a poll once its posted (this was my first attempt at a poll, as well).

FWIW - this question has been bounced around amongst a group of friends, Catholic & Orthodox, so I thought it might be interesting to see what the good folks on CAF had to say …
 
I’m really curious to hear the Orthodox answers I heard you lot purchase Easter sweets, decorations, etc. at excellent discounts after Western Easter 😃
 
Bezant said:
I’m really curious to hear the Orthodox answers I heard you lot purchase Easter sweets, decorations, etc. at excellent discounts after Western Easter 😃
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Or as a generation past in my family used to do, celebrate both Easters and double up on the joy (and sweets, as well as other traditional foods)!
 
As much as I like celebrating Pascha without all the secular garbage that Western Easter gets, it should be celebrated on a single day by all Christians.

However the Canons are clear that the Pope of Alexandria determines the day.
 
Im shocked and saddened to see Christians ignorant to the utmost importance of this element of division in our faith.

During Holy Week, Jesus suffers the betrayals, the scourging, the crowning with thorns, Calvary and the Cross. How is it not heineous for us, in our stuborness to preserve a tradition, to make our Lord, the One Whom we “serve” suffer this twice?! Yes, we are talking about the mystical bodybut we know it is an actual reality, not a commemoration.

Secondly, in John 17:21 Jesus prays for our unity, yet, celebrating the greatest feast of our faith on different dates is the greatest disregard to this prayer.

There are countries with very mixed Orthodox and Catholic population. Do you understand what a mess it is to have some people feasting the joy of the resurrected Christ while others are mourning His death? What does that do for our witness to the atheists?
Try explaining to a 4 year old why one side of the family celebrates Easter on one date but the others on another date while keeping in the message of what Easter is i.e Jesus ressurected today for us, but only in 3 weeks for them.

I was raised in both traditions and i smply cannot bring myself to disregard the “other” Easter so i end up doing the fast and the celebration twice, it makes no sense!

Easter MUST be celebrated on ONE date and as far as which date, i believe that THAT is irrelevant. The importance is unity, not for each to keep our tradition. Even a mutually set date for all Christian denominations would be mich better than what we have today.

We should fervently prayer and petition our religious leaders to join the dates of Easter!

P.s. Some of you may argue that the same can be said for Christmas but that is not true. While some areas of the world follow an old calendar they still celebrate Christmas on December 25th. Christmas is and has always been celebrated on December 25th the question is which calendar to follow.
God bless
 
ByzCathCantor said:
Or as a generation past in my family used to do, celebrate both Easters and double up on the joy (and sweets, as well as other traditional foods)!
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I guess they also doubled up on the fasting, or at kleast ectended it 😉
 
1inICXC said:
Im shocked and saddened to see Christians ignorant to the utmost importance of this element of division in our faith.

During Holy Week, Jesus suffers the betrayals, the scourging, the crowning with thorns, Calvary and the Cross. How is it not heineous for us, in our stuborness to preserve a tradition, to make our Lord, the One Whom we “serve” suffer this twice?!

Secondly, in John 17:21 Jesus prays for our unity, yet, celebrating the greatest feast of our faith on different dates is the greatest disregard to this prayer.

There are countries with very mixed Orthodox and Catholic population. Do you understand what a mess it is to have some people feasting the joy of the resurrected Christ while others are mourning His death? What does that do for our witness to the atheists?
Try explaining to a 4 year old why one side of the family celebrates Easter on one date but the others on another date?

I was raised in both traditions and i smply cannot bring myself to disregard the “other” Easter so i end up doing the fast and the celebration twice, it makes no sense!

Easter MUST be celebrated on ONE date and as far as which date, i believe that THAT is irrelevant. The importance is unity, not for each to keep our tradition. Even a mutually set date for all Christian denominations would be mich better than what we have today.

We should fervently prayer and petition our religious leaders to join the dates of Easter!
God bless
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If Christ be not present daily in our lives, living together as His Body in our world…designating a single day will make no difference…until those who folow Him live daily in the belief He is ALIVE and in our midst…celebrating a single day out of the year makes no difference…each day is Resurrection Day…each First Day is celebration of the Resurrection formally…living as though He really is alive seems more important than proclaiming it one day a year on a specific date.
 
I voted “yes.” I support and pray for Christian unity - a day where all will say “Rome sweet home” 👍
 
Yes, I feel like all Christians should celebrate Easter on the same date because it would be a good symbol of Christian unity. That said, I do not have a problem with the fact that Eastern Rite Catholics and Eastern Orthodox celebrate it on a different date. That doesn’t bother me at all. However, I would prefer that we all celebrated on the same day.
 
As much as I would love to see Christians all celebrate Easter together, on the same day, I think there are more pressing concerns.

Easter is being secularized much like Christmas has been. This is the evil that needs to be fought: the deChristianization of the holiest holiday for Christians.

I think there is already much Christian unity on Easter - even if we don’t celebrate it all on the same day. The reverence and the emotional outpouring in remembering the death and glorious resurrection of our Lord and Savior unites all Christians regardless of dates.
 
Thanks to those who have voted in the poll thus far, and to those who have offered comment here. Interesting opinions and perspectives indeed. The notion of everyday being a new rejoice in the Great Pasch was especially noted!

To those who are in favor of a unified date for the celebration of Easter, you may consider visiting this site dedicated to this subject: Christian Unity of the Easter Dates (link).

In addition, irrespective of personal opinion, many may wish to consider the October 2010 Statement of The North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation entitled Celebrating Easter/Pascha Together (link). This document comments on some of the history of the issue, in summary, and recommends a course of action both thoughtful of and respectful to the views of many parties with a vested interest in this subject.
 
1inICXC said:
Im shocked and saddened to see Christians ignorant to the utmost importance of this element of division in our faith. …

There are countries with very mixed Orthodox and Catholic population. Do you understand what a mess it is to have some people feasting the joy of the resurrected Christ while others are mourning His death? What does that do for our witness to the atheists?
Try explaining to a 4 year old why one side of the family celebrates Easter on one date but the others on another date while keeping in the message of what Easter is i.e Jesus ressurected today for us, but only in 3 weeks for them.

Easter MUST be celebrated on ONE date and as far as which date, i believe that THAT is irrelevant. The importance is unity, not for each to keep our tradition. Even a mutually set date for all Christian denominations would be mich better than what we have today.
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Interesting post, very reminiscent of the Council of Nicea’s decision to formally establish the dating of Easter when it did. Constantine’s letter to the bishops unable to attend gave many of the same arguments.

It should be noted, however, that long before the Nicene Council’s decision, this was a controversy in the Church. It was called the Quartodeciman Controversy. It separated Christians who believed that the appropriate observance of the Lord’s Passion/Death/Resurrection was within the context of the Passover from those who felt a Sunday observance was what mattered and did not want the Jewish Passover to be the determining factor as to the Christian observance.

Read the early church historian Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History for more background on this thought-provoking subject. I have a hard copy of the book, but you can also read it online. The reference: Book 5, chapters 23-25. In it, Eusebius notes that Polycarp, the bishop of Smyrna and a disciple of the apostle John, believed strongly that the Passover was the appropriate context for the observance of Christ’s passion, death and resurrection. His argument: that was the custom of John and other apostles with whom he was acquainted. Polycarp was not alone. Many bishops of Asia Minor also felt strongly about the matter for the same reasons, and were even excommunicated (temporarily) by Pope Victor for their refusal to change their observance…

In spite of the Nicene Council’s decision, the Church continued to be split in its observance of Easter, although the Quartodecimans gradually faded into history.
 
Metamorphoo said:
In spite of the Nicene Council’s decision, the Church continued to be split in its observance of Easter, although the Quartodecimans gradually faded into history.
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Some can still be found posting in Christian forums …
 
To be able to celebrate Easter is first a blessing and time to rejoice anywhere on Easter.

Hypathetically? If all Christians agreed to celebrate on the same day around the world, some Easter days would not fall on the same day?

For example How do you rectify the same day for the church’s in Alaska, Antartica, Austrailia, with those Church’s in the East with those Church’s in the West on the same day? When these time zones are substantially different from one another?

Reality I quess would be to celebrate on the same date, but not necessarily on the same day? Is it possible to celebrate Easter on the exact same day for all the church’s world wide?
 
Gabriel_of_12 said:
To be able to celebrate Easter is first a blessing and time to rejoice anywhere on Easter.

Hypathetically? If all Christians agreed to celebrate on the same day around the world, some Easter days would not fall on the same day?

For example How do you rectify the same day for the church’s in Alaska, Antartica, Austrailia, with those Church’s in the East with those Church’s in the West on the same day? When these time zones are substantially different from one another?

Reality I quess would be to celebrate on the same date, but not necessarily on the same day? Is it possible to celebrate Easter on the exact same day for all the church’s world wide?
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Is this intended to be a defense of the status quo? The current system hardly equates to “today vs. yesterday” …
 
Yes, as this would be a great symbol of our solidarity in Christ. The unity of all christians is GOD’s will

John 17:21-23

21
“so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me.”

22
“And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one,”

23
"I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me. "
 
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