The religious scholar spoke about the prohibitions for Christians on Anti-Easter

In 2026, Eastern Rite Christians celebrate Antipascha on April 19th. On this day, you cannot visit cemeteries, get married, swear, or practice magic and fortune-telling. Nikita Pavlov, a religious scholar and researcher at the Laboratory for Research on religious factors of structural change in Modern society at the ISD FNSC RAS, told Izvestia about this.

"The church tradition in this case is quite unambiguous. On the day of Antipascha, any actions related to magic, fortune—telling and occult practices are inappropriate — they directly contradict the Christian worldview, especially during the period dedicated to the Resurrection of Christ," says Pavlov.

The expert also recalled other prohibitions. For example, funeral services are not held on the day of Antipascha, and visits to cemeteries for memorial purposes are not recommended. A special day, Radonitsa, has been set for this purpose. It is important to understand that we are not talking about a ban per se, but about preserving the internal logic of the church year.

As with any church holiday, conflicts, profanity, and behavior that destroys the atmosphere of spiritual joy are inappropriate. Antipascha is a continuation of Easter, and its main meaning is precisely to preserve this joyful state.

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At the same time, common household prohibitions — on work, cleaning, or daily chores — have no ecclesiastical basis and relate more to the realm of popular beliefs than to the official position of the Church.

"Antipascha is one of those church holidays around which there is regular confusion. The name itself is often perceived as contrasting Easter, but in reality it comes from the Greek word "ἀντί", meaning "instead of" or "in response." Thus, Anti—Easter is not an "anti-Easter", but a kind of its repetition and completion, the consolidation of Easter joy in the life of the Church," recalls Pavlov.

For more information about the Antipascha holiday and how to celebrate it correctly, see the Izvestia article.

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