20-04-2025
Easter photos: East meets West with celebrations around the world
World
The Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic observances only overlap every three to four years thanks to different church calendars — and different lunar cycle calculations.
By Vanessa Leroy and Jeremy Mikula
It was a meeting of East and West on Sunday as people around the world celebrated Easter on the same day, an overlap that happens every three to four years.
Easter's moveable date should be simple enough: the Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox.
But for the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches, the moveable date has an extra complication: different calendars, not to mention different calculations for lunar cycles and the equinox.
Though convention has it the churches split during the Great Schism of 1054, they largely maintained the same calendars until 1582, when Pope Gregory XIII adopted the Gregorian calendar for the Roman church. The Orthodox church kept the Julian calendar.
Secular celebrations of Easter — think pastel-coated eggs, basket-carrying rabbits and the occasional parade — always match the Western feast day.
But enough history.
Here's a look at how Easter was celebrated this weekend from Asia and Africa to Europe, the Middle East and beyond.
Vanessa Leroy
Vanessa Leroy is a photo editor at NBC News.
Jeremy Mikula
Jeremy Mikula is the weekend director of platforms for NBC News.
