Great Lent

Lent is the longest and certainly the most important for Orthodox Christians annual multi-day fast. It lasts 49 days, 7 spring weeks, and takes place at different times, since its beginning and end depend entirely on the date of Easter, which changes annually.

Determining the date of Easter is a rather complicated calendar-mathematical operation, calculated on the lunar-solar calendar. Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first spring full moon, which came after the day of the vernal equinox. Moreover, the full moon and equinox are understood not as astronomical phenomena, but as dates obtained by calculation. The method of calculating the date of Easter is called Easter. Continue reading →