This Is Why We're Celebrating Easter On The Wrong Date This Year

Although the first springtime moon recently lit up the night sky, it seems that Easter won’t actually happen until next month. If this doesn’t make much sense to you… don’t panic! We’ll explain everything. Here is why Easter should have taken place on 24th March but won’t actually be celebrated until April.

A cosmic calendar…

This year, the Vernal Equinox took place on 20th March, marking the official beginning of astronomical spring. Not long afterwards, the full moon made its appearance at 2:43 on the morning of 21st March. The first full spring moon is described as the ‘Easter Moon’, and the Sunday that follows is Easter Sunday. If the Easter Moon appears on a Sunday, Easter is then celebrated the following Sunday.

Following this rule, since the beginning of the Gregorian calendar, Easter has always fallen between 22nd March and 25th April, depending on the lunar cycle in conjunction with the beginning of spring. And if we’re still following this rule, Easter should in fact take place on 24th March this year, the Sunday following the full moon on 21st March. However, it seems that the Church have made different arrangements.

…not always respected

In fact, the ecclesiastical requirements that fix the Easter date also decide that the Vernal Equinox takes place on 21st March, ignoring the astronomical data. The fact is that between 2008 and 2103, the equinox will not appear later than 20th March and could be celebrated on 19th March in 2020 in the United States (for the first time since 1896) and in 2048 across the world.

The fact remains that, for the Church, the moon has missed its turn, forcing us to postpone Easter until 21st April. Because of this particularity, Easter will even be celebrated on 25th April, which is the latest day possible, in 2038. Should the writings be updated by taking into account the astronomical standards and norms? This is a debate that we won’t get into, but in the meantime, your Easter eggs will have to wait for another month.

If your head's still spinning, check out the video above for more explanation!