Orthodox Easter 2027 vs Catholic Easter 2027: Dates and Public Holidays for Mixed Teams
Western Easter 2027 is Sunday 28 March and Orthodox Easter 2027 is Sunday 2 May, five weeks apart. Here is which countries give Good Friday and Easter Monday off, from the UK and Germany to Greece, Romania, Serbia and Ukraine, and how to plan leave fairly.
In 2027, Western (Catholic and Protestant) Easter falls on Sunday 28 March and Orthodox Easter falls on Sunday 2 May, five weeks apart. That means a team spanning Western and Eastern Europe has two separate Easter holiday weekends to plan around: Good Friday 26 March and Easter Monday 29 March in the West, and Orthodox Good Friday 30 April and Easter Monday 3 May in Greece, Romania, Serbia and their neighbours.
The gap is unusually wide this year, so the two holidays will not overlap at all. Below are the dates, the reason they differ, which days are public holidays in each country (checked against official and statutory sources, as of 2026), and a fair way to plan cover.
When is Orthodox Easter 2027 vs Catholic Easter 2027?
| Western Easter (Catholic, Protestant) | Orthodox Easter | |
|---|---|---|
| Good Friday | Friday 26 March 2027 | Friday 30 April 2027 |
| Easter Sunday | Sunday 28 March 2027 | Sunday 2 May 2027 |
| Easter Monday | Monday 29 March 2027 | Monday 3 May 2027 |
One extra wrinkle: 1 May 2027 is a Saturday, and in the Orthodox calendar it is Holy Saturday. Labour Day and the Orthodox Easter weekend sit back to back, so the end of April and the start of May will be quiet in South-East Europe.
Why are Orthodox and Catholic Easter on different dates?
Both churches use the same basic rule from a 4th-century church ruling: Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon of spring, with the spring equinox fixed at 21 March. The difference is the calendar that 21 March sits on.
- Western churches use the Gregorian calendar, introduced in 1582.
- Most Orthodox churches still calculate Easter on the Julian calendar, which is currently 13 days behind. Their 21 March corresponds to 3 April on the civil calendar.
- Eastern tradition also holds that Easter must follow the Jewish Passover; Western tradition dropped that rule.
Some years the two dates coincide; in others, like 2027, they drift five weeks apart.
Which countries give Good Friday and Easter Monday off?
This table covers the countries most often found together in a mixed European team. "Public holiday" means a statutory day off for employees, not just a church observance.
| Country | Western Easter days off (26–29 March 2027) | Orthodox Easter days off (30 April–3 May 2027) |
|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | Good Friday 26 March, Easter Monday 29 March | None |
| Scotland | Good Friday 26 March only | None |
| Northern Ireland | Good Friday 26 March, Easter Monday 29 March | None |
| Germany | Good Friday (Karfreitag) and Easter Monday (Ostermontag), in all 16 states | None |
| France | Easter Monday 29 March; Good Friday only in Alsace-Moselle communes with a Protestant church or a mixed church | None |
| Romania | For employees of other legally recognised Christian denominations, on their church's date | Good Friday 30 April, Easter Sunday 2 May, Easter Monday 3 May |
| Serbia | Catholics and other Christians may take Good Friday to Easter Monday on their own calendar | Good Friday 30 April to Easter Monday 3 May, for everyone |
| Greece | None | Easter Monday 3 May is compulsory for all businesses; Good Friday 30 April is not a compulsory private-sector holiday |
| Ukraine | None | Holiday days off suspended under martial law |
A few points behind the table are worth reading closely.
Romania: your denomination, your dates
Romania's Labour Code (Art. 139) lists "Vinerea Mare, ultima zi de vineri înaintea Paștelui" (Good Friday, the last Friday before Easter) and the first and second day of Easter as public holidays. Paragraph (2^1) adds that for employees who belong to a legal Christian religious denomination, those days are granted according to the date that denomination celebrates them. In practice, a Catholic or Protestant colleague in Bucharest can take the Western dates instead of the Orthodox ones.
Serbia: Orthodox Easter for all, Western Easter for Catholics
Serbia's Law on State and Other Holidays makes "Vaskršnji praznici počev od Velikog petka zaključno sa drugim danom Vaskrsa" (the Easter holidays from Good Friday through the second day of Easter) a holiday for everyone. Catholics and members of other Christian communities additionally have the right not to work during the Easter holidays from Good Friday to Easter Monday "prema njihovom kalendaru", according to their own calendar.
Greece: Easter Monday yes, Good Friday depends
Greece's workers' information centre (KEPEA, part of the GSEE confederation) states that Easter Monday is a compulsory holiday for all businesses, while Good Friday is not one of the compulsory holidays, so private businesses may operate. Shops are the exception: employing staff and opening shops is prohibited until 1 p.m. on Good Friday. Sector agreements can also make it a full holiday, so check the collective agreement that applies to your Greek staff.
Ukraine: martial law changes the picture
During martial law, the Labour Code provisions on holidays and non-working days (Article 73) do not apply. As of 2026, that means Easter Monday is not a statutory day off. Many Ukrainian colleagues will still want time around 2 May, so treat it as a likely leave request rather than a guaranteed closure.
How do you plan Easter fairly in a mixed team?
The aim is that nobody ends up with more or fewer days off simply because of which Easter their office follows.
- Load each office's real calendar. A team in London and Bucharest has two different Easters, not one long one. Put both sets of dates on the shared calendar now, so nobody books a launch for 29 March or 3 May. Our shared team leave calendar guide covers the setup.
- Count the days, not the dates. Compare totals across offices: a Romanian office gets three Orthodox Easter days (one falls on a Sunday), an English office gets two. Small differences are normal because they come from the law, but if a remote employee follows a different tradition from their office, a floating holiday closes the gap without giving anyone extra leave.
- Swap cover between Easters. The five-week gap is an advantage. Staff in Greece or Serbia can cover client work over 26–29 March, and Western colleagues return the favour over 30 April–3 May.
- Watch the 1 May cluster. In 2027, Labour Day sits on Orthodox Holy Saturday. Expect bridge requests across the whole last week of April in South-East Europe, and set blackout periods only where cover genuinely cannot be found.
- Respect individual observance. A Catholic in Serbia or Romania has a legal right to the Western dates. Approve those requests on the same terms as the local holidays.
In Absenca, each office has its own public holidays, work week, time zone and leave year, so the London office gets Western Easter and the Bucharest office gets Orthodox Easter, each on its own holiday calendar. The free plan covers one office; Pro adds a second office for $37.50 a month for up to 50 people, and our guide to managing leave across two offices walks through it. You can also browse public holidays by country.
FAQ
What date is Orthodox Easter 2027?
Sunday 2 May 2027. Orthodox Good Friday is 30 April and Orthodox Easter Monday is 3 May.
Is Orthodox Easter Monday a public holiday in Greece, Romania and Serbia?
Yes. In Greece, Easter Monday is a compulsory holiday for all businesses. Romania's Labour Code gives the first and second day of Easter, and Serbia's holiday law gives Good Friday through Easter Monday.
Do Catholics in Serbia or Romania get Western Easter off?
They can. Serbia lets Catholics and other Christians take the Easter holidays according to their own calendar, and Romania grants Easter days according to the date the employee's legal Christian denomination celebrates them.
Is Easter Monday a public holiday across Europe?
Not everywhere. It is in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Germany and France, but not in Scotland, which has Good Friday instead. In Ukraine, holiday days off are suspended under martial law.
Why is the gap between the two Easters so big in 2027?
Western churches calculate Easter on the Gregorian calendar and most Orthodox churches on the Julian calendar, which is 13 days behind, and the Orthodox date must also follow Passover. In 2027 that pushes Orthodox Easter five weeks later.
Holiday rules vary and can change, so check the official source for each country before finalising your plan.