How is it decided when easter will be every year?

Question

My son just asked me why Easter is on a different date every year, and I didn't know. Can someone help?

Answer 1

It was decided by the Council at Nicaea
-that Easter must be celebrated by all throughout the world on the same Sunday;

-that this Sunday must follow the fourteenth day of the paschal moon;

-that that moon was to be accounted the paschal moon whose fourteenth day followed the spring equinox;

-that some provision should be made, probably by the Church of Alexandria as best skilled in astronomical calculations, for determining the proper date of Easter and communicating it to the rest of the world.

Peace and every blessing!

Answer 2

The actual day of crusifiction and ressurection is a fixed day. But Jesus was celebrating Passover when he was arrested and that moves each year because of the old Jewish Lunar caldendar. When the Catholic congress decided to pick a day for Easter, they chose a Sunday because the original was on a Sunday for the ressurection. And then they picked on using a newer calendar that came just after the Jewish passover. LAter they switched to the Modern calendar and followed that same tradition using the new caledar, however the Russian and Greek and Romanian Orthodox continues to use the older calender for fixing Easter, hence they are sometimes a week away from catholics and Protestants (who followed in the Catholic Tradition).

So that is why it moves.

I've actually narrowed the actual date of the Last Supper down to four possibilities based on the time frame of the birth of Jesus

Thursday April 13 (24 AD) Born 9 BC
Thursday April 10 (27 AD) Born 6 BC
Thursday April 6 (30 AD) Born 3 BC
Thursday March 21 (37 AD) Born 4 AD

Of course the DAY of the week will change each year, but the DATE will remain the same.

EASTER or ressurection day would come three days later.

The Last Supper would have to have been on a Wednsday night before the start of PAssover (preparation day) to allow for the 3 days before the ressurection. Thus Thurday night was the first night of Passover and Friday Night the weekly sabbath and saturday night begins the thrid day. Jesus arose on Sunday morning or on the morning of the day after the regular Sabbath.

Remember JEwish people start the day at sundown and mid-day is sunrise.

Answer 3

Yes, it's the first Sunday after the first full moon, after the vernal equinox. It corresponded with a pagan festival. The Church celebrated Easter at that time so Christians wouldn't get caught up in pagan traditions.

Answer 4

that one is hard to explain really because i was always told that Easter is the day Jesus come back to life but if that is the case why does it switch from march to April all the time i am not sure how to answer this one myself but i am sure it has alot to do with Jesus coming back to life in a way ..... sorry i couldn't be more help good luck on that ..... if you can't fine a good reason to tell him just tell him that the Easter bunny decides when Easter comes ... that has always worked for most people good luck

Answer 5

It is the first Sunday after the day that Jesus did say to keep in observance, Niacin 14, which starts at sunset on the first full moon after the vernal equinox. Doing this way generates a lot more donations.

Answer 6

It is the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Vernal Equinox.
Peace

Answer 7

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter#Date_of_Easter

Answer 8

following the jewish calender and it must fall on a sunday

Answer 9

urrm i don't actually know now than you come to mention it :S sorry =] if i do find out i'll let you know, cos i'm curious too now

Answer 10

The bunny decides it yearly