Photo credit: Joe Leier Maple Sheyenne Church
Ever wonder why Easter is not “set”?
Christmas is Dec 25. Never have to wonder when Christmas will land, but the other side of it is that Christmas lining up with a weekend is always sliding.
The nice thing about Easter is, “it’s on Sunday this year” and every year for that matter. We’ve had Easters with snow and Easters with sunshine and sunburns!
But why is it always a Sunday? Why is it sometimes in March or April or mid-March or late April? I did what everyone else does, “check the web”
How Is Easter Determined?
Easter falls on the first Sunday after the Full Moon date, based on mathematical calculations, that falls on or after March 21. If the Full Moon is on a Sunday, Easter is celebrated on the following Sunday.
Although Easter is liturgically related to the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere (March equinox) and the Full Moon, its date is not based on the actual astronomical date of either event.
- March 21 is the Church’s date of the March equinox, regardless of the time zone, while the actual date of the equinox varies between March 19 and March 22, and the date depends on the time zone.
- The date of the Paschal Full Moon, used to determine the date of Easter, is based on mathematical approximations following a 19-year cycle called the Metonic cycle.
Both dates may coincide with the dates of the astronomical events, but in some years, they don’t.
Earliest and Latest Easter Dates
According to the Metonic cycle, the Paschal Full Moon falls on a recurring sequence of 19 dates ranging from March 21 to April 18. Since Easter happens on the Sunday following the Paschal Full Moon, it can fall on any date between March 22 and April 25.
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