Orthodox Easter Monday in Australia
Quick Facts
Many Orthodox churches in Australia observe Easter Monday on the day after the Orthodox Easter Sunday date.Name
Orthodox Easter MondayOrthodox Easter Monday 2013
Monday, May 6, 2013Orthodox Easter Monday 2014
Monday, April 21, 2014List of dates for other years
Easter Monday is the day after Easter Sunday, which celebrates Jesus’ resurrection, according to Christian belief. Many Orthodox Christian churches in Australia often observe Easter Monday at a later date than the Easter Monday date observed by many western churches. The day is also known as Bright Monday.
Easter eggs are often dyed red to symbolize Jesus Christ's blood during the Orthodox Easter period.
©iStockphoto.com/ vaskoni
What do people do?
Bright Monday is a day of reflection for many Orthodox Christians in Australia. Many people reflect on the events that occurred during Holy Week and on Easter Sunday. Easter Monday is a day to finish leftover Easter meals that were not eaten the day before. Some Orthodox Christian churches in Australia have Bright Monday liturgies and some of these liturgies are held early in the morning.
Public life
The Orthodox Christian date for Easter Monday is not a federal public holiday in Australia.
Background
Many Orthodox churches base their Easter date on the Julian calendar, which differs from the Gregorian calendar that is used by many western countries. Therefore the Orthodox Easter period often (but not always) occurs at a different date compared with the Easter date observed by many western churches, which falls after the time of the March equinox.
There are different types of Orthodox churches in Australia, including the Coptic Orthodox Church and the Greek Orthodox Church. There are many Greek Orthodox Christians in Australia. The federal government’s 2006 census recorded that there were 109,980 Greece-born people in Australia, with the largest numbers in Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, and Queensland. The census also showed that 100,460 Greece-born Australians are of the Eastern Orthodox faith.
Symbols
Easter eggs are often dyed red to symbolize the Jesus Christ’s blood. It was an important symbol connected with spring fertility rituals in many early civilizations. Another important symbol associated with Easter is the lamb. It is often depicted with a banner that bears a cross, and it is known as the Agnus Dei, meaning "Lamb of God" in Latin.
About Orthodox Easter Monday in other countries
Read more about Orthodox Easter Monday.Orthodox Easter Monday Observances
| Weekday | Date | Year | Name | Holiday type | Where it is observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | Apr 7 | 1980 | Orthodox Easter Monday | Orthodox | |
| Mon | Apr 27 | 1981 | Orthodox Easter Monday | Orthodox | |
| Mon | Apr 19 | 1982 | Orthodox Easter Monday | Orthodox | |
| Mon | May 9 | 1983 | Orthodox Easter Monday | Orthodox | |
| Mon | Apr 23 | 1984 | Orthodox Easter Monday | Orthodox | |
| Mon | Apr 15 | 1985 | Orthodox Easter Monday | Orthodox | |
| Mon | May 5 | 1986 | Orthodox Easter Monday | Orthodox | |
| Mon | Apr 20 | 1987 | Orthodox Easter Monday | Orthodox | |
| Mon | Apr 11 | 1988 | Orthodox Easter Monday | Orthodox | |
| Mon | May 1 | 1989 | Orthodox Easter Monday | Orthodox | |
| Mon | Apr 16 | 1990 | Orthodox Easter Monday | Orthodox | |
| Mon | Apr 8 | 1991 | Orthodox Easter Monday | Orthodox | |
| Mon | Apr 27 | 1992 | Orthodox Easter Monday | Orthodox | |
| Mon | Apr 19 | 1993 | Orthodox Easter Monday | Orthodox | |
| Mon | May 2 | 1994 | Orthodox Easter Monday | Orthodox | |
| Mon | Apr 24 | 1995 | Orthodox Easter Monday | Orthodox | |
| Mon | Apr 15 | 1996 | Orthodox Easter Monday | Orthodox | |
| Mon | Apr 28 | 1997 | Orthodox Easter Monday | Orthodox | |
| Mon | Apr 20 | 1998 | Orthodox Easter Monday | Orthodox | |
| Mon | Apr 12 | 1999 | Orthodox Easter Monday | Orthodox | |
| Mon | May 1 | 2000 | Orthodox Easter Monday | Orthodox | |
| Mon | Apr 16 | 2001 | Orthodox Easter Monday | Orthodox | |
| Mon | May 6 | 2002 | Orthodox Easter Monday | Orthodox | |
| Mon | Apr 28 | 2003 | Orthodox Easter Monday | Orthodox | |
| Mon | Apr 12 | 2004 | Orthodox Easter Monday | Orthodox | |
| Mon | May 2 | 2005 | Orthodox Easter Monday | Orthodox | |
| Mon | Apr 24 | 2006 | Orthodox Easter Monday | Orthodox | |
| Mon | Apr 9 | 2007 | Orthodox Easter Monday | Orthodox | |
| Mon | Apr 28 | 2008 | Orthodox Easter Monday | Orthodox | |
| Mon | Apr 20 | 2009 | Orthodox Easter Monday | Orthodox | |
| Mon | Apr 5 | 2010 | Orthodox Easter Monday | Orthodox | |
| Mon | Apr 25 | 2011 | Orthodox Easter Monday | Orthodox | |
| Mon | Apr 16 | 2012 | Orthodox Easter Monday | Orthodox | |
| Mon | May 6 | 2013 | Orthodox Easter Monday | Orthodox | |
| Mon | Apr 21 | 2014 | Orthodox Easter Monday | Orthodox | |
| Mon | Apr 13 | 2015 | Orthodox Easter Monday | Orthodox |
Related holidays
- Orthodox Good Friday ―Friday, May 3, 2013
- Orthodox Holy Saturday ―Saturday, May 4, 2013
- Orthodox Easter ―Sunday, May 5, 2013
Other holidays in May 2013 in Australia
- Orthodox Good Friday ―Friday, May 3, 2013
- Orthodox Holy Saturday ―Saturday, May 4, 2013
- Orthodox Easter ―Sunday, May 5, 2013
- May Day ―Monday, May 6, 2013
- Ascension Day ―Thursday, May 9, 2013
- Mother's Day ―Sunday, May 12, 2013
- Shavuot ―Wednesday, May 15, 2013
- Pentecost ―Sunday, May 19, 2013
- Whit Monday ―Monday, May 20, 2013
- National Sorry Day ―Sunday, May 26, 2013
- Trinity Sunday ―Sunday, May 26, 2013
- Corpus Christi ―Thursday, May 30, 2013
Other calendars
- Perpetual yearly calendar - make yearly calendar for any year
- Perpetual monthly calendar - shows only one month at a time
- Custom calendar - make customized calendars