Ask Annie!

By Annie Peace on March 6, 2014

Q. Each year Easter seems to fall on a random Sunday. How is this Sunday determined?

This is a great question as Easter seems to sneak up on us every year no matter how early or late it falls!

In Western Christianity, Easter is always celebrated the first Sunday following the “Paschal” full moon after the spring equinox. The Western Christian churches have used the moon’s cycle to determine the date of the Paschal full moon or the “Passover” full moon each year. This predetermined date can actually vary as much as two days from the date of the actual full moon and will occur anywhere between March 21 (the spring equinox) and April 18. This means Easter can fall anywhere between March 22 and April 25!