For the first time in eight years, all branches of Christianity—Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox—celebrated Easter on the same weekend, bringing together diverse traditions in Australian households with mixed cultural and religious backgrounds.
In Sydney, Eugenie Pepper’s kitchen was bustling with preparations for one of her family’s most cherished events: Greek Orthodox Easter.
On Sunday, 40 relatives spanning three generations gathered at her uncle’s house to celebrate with midnight mass, red eggs, and a feast featuring avgolemono soup, lamb, and traditional sweets like baklava.
“The pressure is always on,” Pepper told ABC. “These Greek aunties are like, ‘make sure that you do enough food, it’s got to be the biggest pumpkin you can find’.”
Pepper, who follows Greek Orthodox traditions, shares the holiday with her husband Shane, who was raised Irish Catholic.
“The kids had the benefit of two different cultures, which I think is really wonderful,” she said. “They would get double the amount of Easter eggs.”
Also in Sydney, Ali Cavill celebrated with her extended family blending Catholic and Greek Orthodox customs.
“My family were brought up Catholic and my brother’s wife is Greek,” she said. The weekend included a Good Friday Stations of the Cross, a Sunday morning Easter egg exchange, and a Greek lunch where guests brought food to share.
“If anything, it means more yummy dishes and more people… It only happens once every few years, so it tends to be a more exciting time of year,” she said.
Ethiopian Orthodox Christians also marked Fasika—Easter—on the same weekend. After 55 days of fasting, Tesfaye Yigzawe, president of the Ethiopian Community Association of Victoria, celebrated with family and traditional dishes like Doro Wat and injera.
As Australia’s Christian communities continue to evolve, this rare alignment of Easter dates provided a unique opportunity for families to unite across traditions—through faith, food, and celebration.
Source: ABC.
