When is Orthodox Easter Sunday?
In 2026, Orthodox Easter Sunday falls on Sunday, April 12, 2026. It is an observance rather than a federal holiday, so federal offices and most businesses follow their normal schedules.
History of Orthodox Easter Sunday
Orthodox Easter Sunday, or Pascha, celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ in Lebanon’s Greek Orthodox and other Orthodox communities. Its date is calculated through the Orthodox paschal system and can differ from Western Easter. Lebanon’s statutory calendar expressly recognises Orthodox Good Friday as a public holiday; Easter Sunday itself falls on the weekly rest day, so it is represented here as a major religious observance rather than an invented additional weekday closure.
Holy Week culminates in a night liturgy that moves from mourning to the proclamation of the resurrection. Congregations carry candles, exchange paschal greetings and return home after the service or gather again on Sunday. Families prepare festive meals, visit relatives and reconnect with parish and village networks. In 2026 Orthodox Easter falls on 12 April, one week after Western Easter, making the country’s parallel Easter calendars especially visible.
Lebanon’s official framework protects both Western and Orthodox Good Friday dates and specifies a two-day closure when the Fridays coincide. That rule reflects the practical accommodation of distinct Christian calendars in a religiously plural state. It should not be confused with a universal Easter Monday substitute: parish worship is extensive, but shops, services and private employers may operate according to their own Sunday and sector arrangements.
How Orthodox Easter Sunday is observed
A major Orthodox Christian Sunday observance rather than a separate additional weekday closure; worship and family customs differ among parishes.
Traditions of Orthodox Easter Sunday
Midnight Paschal service
Orthodox congregations gather for candlelit worship, resurrection hymns and the proclamation of Pascha late Saturday night or early Sunday.
Festive family meal
After the Lenten fast, many Lebanese Orthodox households share a generous meal with relatives, following recipes and customs particular to family and locality.
Parish and village visits
Families visit churches, cemeteries, older relatives and neighbours, sustaining ties between urban households and ancestral towns or villages.
Dates and observance rules are checked against the official Lebanese official and legal guidance. Lunar dates, decree updates and public-service schedules should be confirmed against official notices.
History sources: Lebanese Ministry of Industry: Working Hours and Holidays (Decree No. 15215, as amended), Council of Ministers: official holidays and public closures.
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