When is Easter?
What Date is Easter Sunday?
Most of our Western festivals are simple to predict. They either occur on the same date each year or at a fixed position such as "the first Sunday". Easter on the other hand is what is called a moveable feast. As such the date changes every year. Easter Sunday can fall on any date from March 22 to April 25.The reason for this variation in the date of Easter is its origins in pagan festivals. The date is actually based on the lunar calendar rather than our more well-known solar one. There have been some attempts to change the date of Easter away from the old pagan-inspired lunar calendar, however these have met with little support.
The official definition of Western Easter is that it takes place on:
The method of calculating the date of Easter Sunday is known as "computus", which is simply the Latin for "computation".
When is Easter 2011?
The Western date for 2011 Easter Sunday will be April 24th.Western Easter dates for the next few years are:
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