Why does Easter fall on a different date every year?

Question

Xmas is DEC 25th so how can the date of the death of Jesus change?

Answer 1

Because the practices of Christanity are built around the old pagan practices. His birth was placed at the winter solstice and his death placed amoung the spring equinox (timed by a complicated formula of the first full moon after the spring equinox, a formula that the Latins and Greeks never agreed upon and hence why we have two dates for Roman and Orthodox Easter).

The spring equinox used to signify the new year (March 1 was the beginning of the new year under the romans, and that it why September is the 7th month, October the 8th, November the 9th, December the 10th). The new year means rebirth and it means fertility of the lands. (Bunny Rabbits?)

The ancient bible thumpers just grafted his life onto the existing pagan schtick

Answer 2

Ooh, no-ones got this right yet (unless someone gets it right while I'm typing this out!).

While people have said that Easter is based on a pagan festival (which is correct, and where all the eggs come from) that's not where the date comes from. If you read your bible you will find that Jesus was killed on a Friday, and rose on a Sunday. This was over the Passover weekend (a Jewish religious festival). We therefore celebrate Easter over the Passover weekend, which is obviously based on the original Jewish calendar. I can't remember how exactly the Jewish religious calendar works, but it has something to make sure that each festival always happens on the same day of the week. This is how Easter is always on a Sunday, and it changes when from year to year.


As an aside, as you mentioned it and it's a similar topic: Christmas replaced an old pagan festival, held on the 25th December. All the facts suggest that Jesus was actually born sometime March to July, although I can't remember the date any more accurately than that.

Edit: Yep, some people have got it right while I was typing. Teddie M has the most correct information. Everyone saying the lunar calendar sounds correct, as a lunar cycle takes 28 days, exactly four weeks, which would mean that the same part of the lunar cycle always falls on the same day of the week. Teddie M was the only one who realised that it's the Jewish calendar based on lunar months rather than the pagan calendar which is relevant for Easter.

Answer 3

Until the fourth century (AD, obviously), the Christian church did not apparently have specific dates for either Jesus' birth or His death. However, there was then a meeting between pagan leaders and the Pope in Rome, because while many pagans were attracted to the Chritian religion they did not want to lose their old festivals relating to the winter solstice in December or the spring festivals of fertility which were centered around the moon cycle closest to the spring equinox.

Basically, the Pope agreed to incorporate these festivals into the Christian calendar. Because the date of the winter solstice is fixed, that became Christmas, which BTW is celebrated on 24/12 in many European countries.

The spring fertility festival was a bit more complicated, because of the complex link between moon cycles and equinox etc as stated above, but Christians accepted that this was only a commemorative date and clearly Jesus' date of crucifixion and resurrection did not change, only the celebration dates did.

This is also why we have symbols such as rabbits and eggs at Easter. They are pagan fertility symbols and represent the re-birth of nature after the coldness of winter.

Without lots of research I cannot confirm if the Pope of that time made his declarations as a Bull after receiving revelations from God -- or not. But the fact is that it led to many pagans joining the church. It also allowed the carry-over of such things as burning incense, which I understand was also used by pagans.

I am not saying these things to in any way criticize the faith that many hold. (Religions develop in many diverse ways.) They are simply historical facts which you can confirm for yourselves if you wish.

I do not see that any other explanation for Easter's date change would make any sense anyway. There is no information in the Bible to tell us exactly when Jesus died. No date. I have read the whole NT (King James Version and Living Bible) and it isn't there.

There is also no information in the Bible as to the exact date that Jesus was born. We only know it was during the time that the Romans were holding a census, and most scholars agree that this census would have been held when people were free to travel. The common consensus is after the harvest, but before the weather got too cold. October, maybe.

December is not a likely month.

Dates are not that important. The main thing is that if you celebrate Christmas and Easter, you should do it for the right reason -- in memory of Jesus and what your faith tells you He did for you.

EDIT: After reading some other answers...

There is a fair amount of sense in linking Pesach (the Passover) to Easter, but I do not think they always coincide as to their dates. As to Easter Day, the earliest it can fall is on March 22, and at the latest April 25.

Answer 4

Easter falls on a different date every year because it is based on the date of the Jewish passover, and this is based the cycles of the moon and not on our calendar. Christmas falling on Dec. 25th is a totally arbitrary date, because we don't know for sure when Jesus was born. Scholars think it most likely that he was born in the spring, because that's when shepherds watch over their flocks at night to protect the new lambs. The church adopted the December date to take over the celebrations the pagens were already having at the time. Many of the Christmas traditions originated in pagen rituals, such as the yule log.

Answer 5

Easter is actually a pagan festival not a christian one. It is based on the lunar calender which does not follow the traditional western one so each year Easter falls on a different day.
Also, Jesus wasn't born on the 25th.

Answer 6

I believe that it is because Easter is celebrated on the first sunday in April after the spring equinox, therefor it is always different

Answer 7

because its based on the moon cycle. also we cant be sure of the exact date jesus was born due to their different calendar and things. so we celebrate it on the 25th for some reason that i forget.

Answer 8

Because it's always celebrated on a Sunday.

Answer 9

because in the church calender they have certain speacial sundays between them and christmas and these days must be on sunday therefor its a knock on effect when it falls

Answer 10

because easter is in some ammount of days later exactley!