Easter, an important Christian holiday remembering Jesus Christ’s resurrection, is observed annually on a Sunday. Easter, unlike other fixed-date holidays, is it quite movable since its exact day changes each year.
Have you ever wondered why Easter never occurs on a fixed date?
Easter, an important Christian holiday remembering Jesus Christ’s resurrection, is observed annually on a Sunday. Easter, unlike other fixed-date holidays, is it quite movable since its exact day changes each year.
This year, Easter Sunday is on March 31. Interestingly, the next time Easter falls on March 31 will be in the year 2086.
You won’t believe that Christians also do a little stargazing to discover the exact date for Easter.
How Easter’s Date is determined
The date of Easter is decided by a simple rule: it falls on the first Sunday following the full moon after the spring equinox. To standardise the spring equinox date, the Catholic Church designated March 21st as the ecclesiastical equinox.
The full moon that appears immediately after March 21st is known as the Paschal full moon. Paschal comes from the Greek and Latin words “pascha,” which means “passover.”
The Paschal full moon was visible on March 25th this year; hence, Easter Sunday will be celebrated on March 31st, which is the first Sunday after the Paschal full moon.
