why does Easter change each year?

Question

Can anyone please explain why easter is on a different date each year? I've heard it's to do with the moon! Any explanations?

Answer 1

Pentecost is 40 days after easter.
As far as Easter:
In 325 AD, the Council of Nicea set the date for the celebration of Easter as the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox, March 21. For this reason, the date will change each year and can fall anywhere from March 22 to April 25. --http://archives.umc.org/interior_print.asp?ptid=1&mid=2876&pagemode=print
Personally it changes because they want us confused, whoever "they" are!

That Cheeky lad

Answer 2

Easter is always celebrated on the Sunday immediately following the first full moon after the vernal (spring) equinox. The vernal equinox is one of only two times in the year when the sun crosses the celestial equator making the length of day and night approximately equal.

Western churches use the Gregorian Calendar to calculate the date of Easter and Eastern Orthodox churches use the Julian Calendar. This is why the dates are not normally the same.

Easter and its related holidays do not fall on a fixed date in either the Gregorian or Julian calendars, making them moveable holidays. The dates, instead, are based on a lunar calendar very similar to the Hebrew Calendar.

Since the days of early church history, determining the precise date of Easter has been a matter for continued argument. For one, the followers of Christ neglected to record the exact date of Jesus' resurrection. From here the matter gets even more complex.

Answer 3

Moon - lunar calendar.

* Easter falls on the first Sunday following the first ecclesiastical full moon that occurs on or after the day of the vernal equinox;
* this particular ecclesiastical full moon is the 14th day of a tabular lunation (new moon); and
* the vernal equinox is fixed as March 21.

resulting in that Easter can never occur before March 22 or later than April 25. The Gregorian dates for the ecclesiastical full moon come from the Gregorian tables. Therefore, the civil date of Easter depends upon which tables - Gregorian or pre-Gregorian - are used. The western (Roman Catholic and Protestant) Christian churches use the Gregorian tables; many eastern (Orthodox) Christian churches use the older tables based on the Julian Calendar.

In a congress held in 1923, the eastern churches adopted a modified Gregorian Calendar and decided to set the date of Easter according to the astronomical Full Moon for the meridian of Jerusalem.

http://aa.usno.navy.mil/faq/docs/easter.html

Answer 4

Here are the actual conditions to see when the Easter will be.

Easter must be on a Sunday;
*

this Sunday must follow the 14th day of the paschal moon;
the paschal moon is that of which the 14th day (full moon) falls on or next follows the day of the vernal equinox; and
*

the equinox is fixed in the calendar as March 21.

I know it's a bit confusing to understand so check out my source.

Answer 5

Like Christmas, Easter is attached to a pagan festival date which celebrated the awakening of Oestre - goddess of fertility. The time of the original Pagan festival was worked out according to the phases of the moon as is Easter today. Consequently, the dates change each year.

Answer 6

Because Christians based their Easter on the Pagan festival of Ostara, the Vernal Equinox. The Pagan festival changes with the lunar phases and therefore the church has to change it in accordance.

However, it all relates to passover and whatnot so its likely that both the festivals occur at the same time. Easter for Passover, Ostara for Vernal Equinox.

BUT, the word Easter does come from a Pagan/Germanic origin. :)

Answer 7

Easter is the third day after the crucifixion which happened the day after Passover. Since the Jewish calender was is a lunar calendar and the world is now (and the Roman Empire was back then) on a solar ca lander the date can float around.

The Church also decided to permanently fix the celebration on the first (eighth) day of the week, making it misaligned with the contemporary Jewish Passover.

Answer 8

Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the full moon on or after 21st March.
So it can vary in date by virtually a month.

Answer 9

Its 50 days after the festival of pentecost ..the date always changes for easter.

Answer 10

Easter or Ostera, is a Pagan holiday based on lunar cycles and the beginning (rebirth) of spring. The lunar cycle changes slightly every year. This is were you Christians got the idea for the rebirth of "Jesus" when you stole religion from the Pagans in Rome and Northern Europe. Blessed Be.