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 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009Orthodox Easter Monday 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010See list of observations below
Easter eggs are often dyed red to symbolize Jesus Christ's blood during the Orthodox Easter period. ©iStockphoto.com/Steven Miric
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 services and some of these services 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, April 17, 2009
- Orthodox Holy Saturday–Saturday, April 18, 2009
- Orthodox Easter–Sunday, April 19, 2009
Other holidays in April 2009 in Australia
- Palm Sunday (Sunday, April 5, 2009)
- First day of Passover (Thursday, April 9, 2009)
- Maundy Thursday (Thursday, April 9, 2009)
- Good Friday (Friday, April 10, 2009)
- Holy Saturday (Saturday, April 11, 2009)
- Easter Day (Sunday, April 12, 2009)
- Easter Monday (Monday, April 13, 2009)
- Easter Tuesday (Tuesday, April 14, 2009)
- Last day of Passover (Thursday, April 16, 2009)
- Orthodox Good Friday (Friday, April 17, 2009)
- Orthodox Holy Saturday (Saturday, April 18, 2009)
- Orthodox Easter (Sunday, April 19, 2009)
- Yom HaShoah (Tuesday, April 21, 2009)
- Anzac Day (Saturday, April 25, 2009)
- Yom HaAtzmaut (Wednesday, April 29, 2009)
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
