Easter 2026 Date and the Lent season: Greek Pascha, family guides and a curious technical string

Mo. Basuony

Published: February 24, 2026 8:00 AM ET

Easter 2026 Date and the Lent season: Greek Pascha, family guides and a curious technical string

The easter 2026 date falls on different days for two Christian traditions and arrives amid a packed liturgical schedule that begins with Kathara Deftera on February 23, 2026. That divergence — Catholic Easter on April 5 and Greek Orthodox Pascha on April 12 — shapes Holy Week services, communal customs and the timing of household Lenten exercises this year.

Kathara Deftera and the opening of Sarakosti on February 23

February 23 is Kathara Deftera, Clean Monday, which marks the end of Apokries (Carnival) and the start of Sarakosti, the period traditionally called the 40-day Great Lent. The season is observed with public rituals such as the flying of kites and the eating of lagana (unleavened bread) and seafood. The fast, though known as "The Forty Days, " actually spans 48 days when Holy Week is included, and the period is described as a time of "bright sadness" in which the faithful refrain from meat, dairy and fish with specific exceptions like Palm Sunday.

April 3 Akathist Hymn and the early signs of Holy Week

On April 3 the entire Akathist Hymn is sung, and the resurrection of Lazarus in Bethany is celebrated as a "prophecy in action" that foreshadows Christ’s victory over death. The liturgical procession into Holy Week includes the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, with churches adorned with palm fronds and a traditional fish dinner briefly breaking the strict fast.

Easter 2026 Date split: Catholic April 5, Orthodox April 12

After a rare joint celebration in 2025, the easter 2026 date is again split: the Catholic world will observe Easter on April 5, while the Greek Orthodox Church will celebrate Pascha on April 12. That separation places the most intense liturgical activity across the second week of April, affecting the scheduling of services, family gatherings and customary meals tied to each date.

Holy Week services and rituals from Holy Monday through Pascha

Holy Monday and Holy Tuesday focus on the parables of the Ten Virgins and the call to spiritual wakefulness. Holy Wednesday is marked by the Service of the Holy Unction, when the faithful are anointed for the healing of soul and body. Holy Thursday, April 9, features the service of the Twelve Gospels and the placing of the "Crucified One" in the center of the church amid deep mourning.

Holy Friday, April 10, is a day of total mourning: bells toll slowly as the Epitaphios, the symbolic tomb of Christ, is adorned with flowers and carried in a funeral-like procession through the streets. Holy Saturday, April 11, begins with the "First Resurrection" service in the morning and culminates in the midnight Anastasis; at midnight the "Holy Light" is passed from person to person and the cry "Christos Anesti" rings out across Greece. Pascha on April 12 concludes the cycle with families gathering for the traditional roasting of the lamb and the cracking of red-dyed eggs.

Lent at Home 2026: Talashia Keim Yoder’s guide and household practices

Talashia Keim Yoder is the writer of the 2026 Lent at Home worship guide, which is titled "Dwelling in Dissonance. " She reflects on intentional family Lenten practices that help households "dwell in dissonance, " embracing the tension of a broken yet joy-filled world and inviting families to deepen their walk with Jesus. Yoder lives in Goshen, Indiana, with her husband and two children and serves as a pastor at College Mennonite Church in Goshen. She is also the writer of Advent at Home and Lent at Home worship guides and a content provider for Building Faith Family.

Practical Lenten disciplines and family rhythms from the guide

Yoder recalls Ash Wednesday memories when her congregation ate sausage and pancakes before processing upstairs for the service; families were often encouraged to "give something up for Lent, " and she notes she only once made it to Easter with a chocolate fast. Stories in the guide include a Hesston College classmate, Kristin, who gave up a curling iron one year and forks the next, using those practices to slow down and pay attention.

With young children, candle rituals and simple calendars became important: inspired by Traci Smith’s Lenten calendar, Yoder created an Anabaptist version to lead into scripture, activities and family conversations. She describes treating calendar prompts as ideas rather than assignments and revisiting fasting when her children got older. In her favorite year, when her children were 7 and 10, each person used one set of silverware, one plate, one bowl, one cup and one mug for the entire Lenten season (except Sundays), with each person responsible for washing their own dishes; that fast taught a lesson about "enough, " slowed the household and kept the confessional season present at meals.