Easter Confusion

[sithlord]

Why does the date Easter falls on change year to year?

[noxlumos]

Because Easter falls according to the Jewish calendar which is lunar based wheras the normal daily calendar is solar based.

[rojash]

It has nothing to do with the Jewish calendar!

Outside of the Orthodox Church, Easter falls on the first Sunday following the first ecclesiastical full moon that occurs on or after the day of the vernal equinox.
The ecclesiastical full moon, is not the true full moon, but one predicted by tables which were made at a time when the true motion of the moon was not fully understood. What's more, there's a choice of two sets of tables (Gregorian or pre-Gregorian).

In the Orthodox Curch (Eastern Europe including Greece and Russia) they use the true full moon as it appears over the meridian of Jerusalem.

[JudgeJ]

And as such Easter Sunday cannot fall earlier than March 22nd or later than April 25th.

As rojash says, there are at least two (and probably three) calculations used throughout the world to calculate Easter Day. All involve a calculation involving the first full moon following the vernal equinox, but for various reasons the date used for the said full moon can vary.

There is a loose connection with the Jewish calendar and this complicates efforts to standardise the date.The New Testament indicates that Christ's death and resurrection were historically associated with the Jewish passover, but the precise details of this association are not clear. According to the synoptic gospels, Jesus' last supper was a passover meal, which would place his death on the day after Passover. Some calculations suggested to standardise Easter Day would make it occur before the Passover and so have been ruled unacceptable.

This debate has continued for centuries and I think it is time to standardise the date (regegardless of the condition of the moon). If Easter Day has to occur on a Sunday I suggest that Easter Day be fixed as the first Sunday in April.

Any takers?

[sparkles2006]

Ive often wondered this myself . My wife and I have twin boys who were born on the day before good Friday , March 28th 1991 . Ever since they were born there birthday has been nowhere near Easter . They were 15 yesterday .

[Gef]

sparkles. where have you been? Last year (2005) Easter Sunday was March 27th, ie your boys' birthdays were on Easter Monday.

[sparkles2006]

OOOOPS ..... OK . I forgot last year but not there Birthdays .