How The Easter Date is Determined? The Big Question

Easter is a moveable feast and is tied to the spring festival and spring equinox, so it does not have the fixed date. Easter date varies every year but is always held on a Sunday in between March 22 and April 25.

This year, Easter festival will fall on 21^st April 2019.

Every Year, Spring time marks the arrival of many things. Spring, the season of new beginnings, colors, fresh bud bloom, flowers, warmer weather, and a joyful season for those who celebrate Easter Sunday. Unlike Christmas festival, the date of which is fixed, and falls on 25^th December Every Year.

The date for Easter celebrations and all the events that leading to it seem to be changing every year. Since the day of early church history, determining the exact date of Easter has been the matter of continued debate. Let’s look at how this holy day is determined annually.

This Christian festival is always celebrated on the first Sunday following the Paschal Moon or just after the Vernal equinox found in some publications including The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

What is Paschal full Moon?

It is the first full moon following the vernal equinox – that conventionally marks the beginning of Spring in Northern Hemisphere.

As per the Christian church, the vernal equinox – always fixed to fall on 21^st March.

Astronomically, the vernal equinox could fall on 20^th March – as happening this Year and April 21^st is Easter Sunday this year.

Ash Wednesday is an integral part of Easter celebrations and marks the beginning of Lent season in Christian religion. The 40 days period of Lent is the time of self- examination and reflection, focusing on prayers, fasting, penance, and a renewal of faith. The church encourages the faithful to divert their more time to prayers and charity acts before the celebration of Easter festival.

This Year, in 2019 – Lent period begins on Wednesday, March 6. This day, the churchgoers or worshippers move to their local churches to observe Ash Wednesday.

On this special day, the priests or deacon smear the ashes on the worshipers’ foreheads. The ashes used on the Ash Wednesday are obtained from burning the remains of the palm from the previous Years’ Palm Sunday. They do this act while repeating – ‘For you are dust, and to dust you shall return’. This phrase deeply implies that life is not permanent. We have to prepare for death. The ashes represent the deep and lasting conversion to the Prophet Jesus Christ.

The 40 days period of Lent ends during holy week, which marks the beginning of Palm Sunday on April 14. On Palm Sunday, Christians through out the world remembers Jesus Christ’s triumph arrival in the Jerusalem – where he was greeted with waving Palm branches.

Few days later, it is followed by Holy Wednesday, which falls on April 17 this year in 2019, then it is preceded and followed by the end of Lent period – Maundy Thursday and Good Friday on 18^th and 19^th April respectively.

Good Friday commemorates the Jesus Christ’s crucifixion and his death at Calvary. This Holy week comes to a close on Easter Sunday – also known as Resurrection day. It was the day – Jesus Christ rose from the tomb.