How to compare dates in Java

Date comparison in java:

                SimpleDateFormat sdf = new SimpleDateFormat("yyyy-MM-dd");
        Date date1 = sdf.parse("2009-12-31");
        Date date2 = sdf.parse("2009-12-31");

        System.out.println(sdf.format(date1));
        System.out.println(sdf.format(date2));

        if(date1.after(date2)){
        System.out.println("Date1 is after Date2");
        }

        if(date1.before(date2)){
        System.out.println("Date1 is before Date2");
        }

        if(date1.equals(date2)){
        System.out.println("Date1 is equal Date2");
        }