Easter is a religious holiday, celebrated by the Christian community to mark the religious belief that Jesus Christ died, was buried and resurrected from the dead. If you refer to the New Testament in the Bible, the events are recorded to have taken place three days, from crucifixion to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The event, which took place roughly 30 A.D, has been celebrated all over the world for many years. However, the date of the event is not fixed. So, why does Easter change every year?
Easter has always been an important festival in the Christian calendar. However, unlike Christmas, the day of the celebration has changed from one year to the next. As a result, most believers have wished to know the technique used to determine the date of the religious festivity.
The holiday begins with the Lent period, 40 days of prayer, fasting, and sacrifice, and ends with the Holy Week (from Palm Sunday to Good Friday).
Palm Sunday celebrates the triumphant entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem. Holy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper Jesus had with his 12 disciples. On the other hand, Good Friday, is the day when Jesus died after being crucified by the Romans. Lastly, it is the day when Christ was resurrected from the dead.
Even though this holiday has a high religious significance to the Christian faith and community, many traditions are associated with the celebrations and date back to the pagan and pre-Christian times. However, importantly, the Easter holiday is when Christians celebrate the basis of their faith.
Why does Easter change every year?
If you are the type of person, who likes to wonder when is Easter this year or the exact date of Easter? Then you should know that each year the holiday falls on a different date.
All the Easter Sunday celebrations and the other related celebrations like Palm Sunday and Ash Wednesday are all considered Christian feasts that have movable dates.
So, why does the date of Easter change but not Christmas? This is different from Christmas, which has a fixed date on the solar calendar. On the other hand, this festivity date depends on the lunar cycle of the Jewish calendar.
However, Western Christianity seems to have a more defined guide since they follow the Gregorian calendar. Their Easter holidays tend to fall on an exact day, which is on a Sunday, and the date will be between the 22nd of March and the 25th of April.
Eastern Orthodox Christianity uses the Julian Calendar; their Easter celebrations fall on a Sunday, and the date falls between the 4th of April and the 8th of May. This is slightly different from the dates in the Gregorian Calendar.
Usually, the Eastertide is expected to come to an end after the 50th day of the celebrations. On this day, the Christian community celebrates Pentecost Sunday, the day the Holy Spirit came down on the 11 disciples.
Those in Eastern Orthodox Christianity have a slightly different celebration from their Western Christianity counterparts. The feast to them marks the beginning of the Pascha Season.
Pascha means Easter in Greek. Their Paschal Season ends after 40 days when they celebrate the Feast of the Ascension. That aside, if you know which Christian group you belong to, then you will have a clear idea of when is Easter this year.
What is the rarest date for Easter? Usually, most believers are used to the holiday occurring in April. However, in the holiday's history, it has happened three times on March – 24th March 1940, 23rd March 1913 and 2008. Also, it has fallen on 24th April once (in 2011). Based on the calendar, it is again expected to occur on 24th April in 2095.
When is Easter in 2022?
Unlike the other previous Easter holidays in the past, the world will celebrate an exciting Easter day this year. When is the Easter holiday 2022? The 2022 Easter holiday will take place on the 17th of April, on a Sunday.
How are the Easter dates arrived at?
It is believed the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ took place during the Jewish Passover. This Jewish religious celebration is usually held on the first full moon after the vernal equinox.
What determines when Easter is each year? Since the full moon varies depending on the different time zone, the Church opted to use the 14th day of the Lunar Moon rather than the Paschal Full Moon. They set the Easter Sunday date on the following day. Once the church determines the full moon's date, then all the other dates in the holiday's calendar can be determined.
The interesting fact is that this holiday is considered a very holy day by the Christian community. Still, some of the traditions and symbols used during the celebrations and observations have roots in pagan festivals. To make it a funny coincidence, at times, the Easter holiday coincides with a few non-Christian celebrations.
The 2021 Ash Wednesday, which marked the beginning of the Lenten period, was on 17th February. When is Easter Sunday? It is the climax of the Easter holiday. Surprisingly this year, Easter Sunday falls on the 17th of April. A day later, the world will celebrate Easter Monday; hence, there is no need to worry about Easter Monday.
Do you know how the date of Passover is determined from year to year? The same applies here; they are calculated based on the lunar cycle. Usually, it is expected to occur on, near, or after a full moon in the spring.
What to do on the Easter holiday
The period before the holiday begins is very important for the Christians who are in the following groups: Protestant Denominations, Roman Catholicism and the Western Christianity group.
The Easter vigil is performed by many churches across the world, and it starts in the late hours of the Holy Saturday before Easter Sunday. Eastern Orthodox Christianity, do things a little different.
Their celebration rituals begin with them celebrating the Great Lent. Unlike Ash Wednesday, they celebrate Clean Monday, 40 days before Easter Sunday without including Sundays. They not only have a Palm Sunday instead, but they also have a Palm Week, which is the last week of the Great Lent.
The Lazarus Saturday comes immediately before Palm Sunday, and after celebrating Palm Sunday, they mark the beginning of the holy week.
Religion aside, it may also be accurate to say that Easter 2022 is when you need to create time and spend with your loved ones or even visit the sick in the hospital. Regardless of your religion, it is still okay to use the holiday to help the less fortunate enjoy a piece of the festivities.
The date of Easter celebrations, like some religious holidays, varies from one year to the next. So, why does Easter change every year? It is so because the holiday is determined based on the lunar cycles of the Jewish calendar. Christians worldwide mark the day in commemoration of the suffering, crucifixion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
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