The countdown towards Greek Orthodox Easter, the “Feast of Feasts,” begins on February 23, 2026, with the daybreak of Kathara Deftera (Clean Monday). This day marks the finish of Apokries (Carnival) and the starting of Sarakosti, the 40-day Great Lent that prepares the soul and physique for the Holy Week of the Passion.
While 2025 saw a rare joint celebration, in 2026, the Catholic world will have a good time Easter on April 5, whereas the Greek Orthodox Church will observe Pascha on April 12.
Countdown to Easter: The 2026 Lenten calendar
February 23: Clean Monday (Kathara Deftera)
The “Great Lent” begins not with somberness however with the flying of kites and the consumption of lagana (unleavened bread) and seafood. It is a day of purification, forsaking the indulgence of the Carnival season.
February 23 – April 4: Sarakosti
Though referred to as “Sarakosti” (The Forty Days), the quick really spans 48 days, together with Holy Week. It is a interval of “bright sadness,” the place the trustworthy chorus from meat, dairy, and fish (with particular exceptions like Palm Sunday) to deal with prayer and inner renewal.
The Service of the Salutations (Chairetismoi)
Throughout the first 5 weeks of Lent, Friday evenings are devoted to the Virgin Mary by the Akathist Hymn.
March 6: First Salutation Service
March 13: Second Salutation Service
March 20: Third Salutation Service
March 27: Fourth Salutation Service
April 3: The Akathist Hymn (The complete hymn is sung)
The bridge to Holy Week
April 4: Lazarus Saturday
The resurrection of Lazarus in Bethany is widely known as a “prophecy in action,” foreshadowing Christ’s personal victory over dying.
April 5: Palm Sunday
Marking Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the church buildings are adorned with palm fronds, and the strict quick is briefly damaged with a conventional fish dinner.
April 5 – April 11: Holy Week 2026
This is the most intense week of the ecclesiastical 12 months, throughout which the ultimate days of Jesus are recounted throughout companies.
Holy Monday & Tuesday: Focus on the parables of the Ten Virgins and the want for religious wakefulness
Holy Wednesday: The Service of the Holy Unction, throughout which the trustworthy are anointed for the therapeutic of soul and physique
Holy Thursday (April 9): During the service of the Twelve Gospels, the “Crucified One” is positioned in the heart of the church in an environment of deep mourning.
Holy Friday (April 10): On a day of whole mourning, the bells toll slowly as the Epitaphios (the symbolic tomb of Christ) is adorned with flowers and marched by the streets in a kind of funeral procession.
Holy Saturday (April 11): The “First Resurrection” service in the morning leads into the midnight Anastasis. At midnight, the “Holy Light” is handed from individual to individual as the joyful cry of “Christos Anesti” (Christ is Risen) echoes throughout Greece.
April 12: Easter Sunday (Pascha)
At the fruits of the journey, households collect for the conventional roasting of the lamb, the cracking of red-dyed eggs, and the celebration of the Resurrection—the final victory of life over dying.
