Hello Sanriotown friends,

Today is the day of western Easter on April 12th. Do you know the tale of two Easters? Why one faith and two celebrations take place? Easter is not only a movable holiday but a multiple one: in most years Western Christian churches and Eastern Orthodox churches celebrate Easter on different dates. This year, for example, Easter 2009 is celebrated on April 12 by Western churches and April 19 by Orthodox churches.

The formula for Easter—”The first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox”—is identical for both Western and Orthodox Easters, but the churches base the dates on different calendars: Western churches use the Gregorian calendar, the standard calendar for much of the world, and Orthodox churches use the older, Julian calendar. This story sounds a little bewildering but now you know why it has a simple formula but complicated interpretations! Happy Easter y’all!

Sanriotown Europe Team / Sanriotown - The online home of Hello Kitty and friends