Easter Dates Explained: Why Do They Change Every Year?

We are sure you know that it celebrates Jesus Christ’s resurrection, but why does Easter change every year? Keep reading to learn everything about determining the dates of this major Christian holiday!

Contents:

• Why Doesn’t Easter Have a Fixed Date?
• How Is the Date of Easter Determined?
• Easter Dates and Their Variability
  • What Is the Earliest Possible and Latest Possible Date for Easter?
• Why Do Different Christian Traditions Celebrate Easter on Different Dates?
• Upcoming Easter Dates from 2025 to 2030
• How Does This Affect Schools and Family Celebrations?

Why Doesn’t Easter Have a Fixed Date?

mountainpix/Shutterstock.com

We’ll get our answer if we travel back into the fourth century when Emperor Constantine officially acknowledged the Christian Church. He called the Council of Nicea to discuss different crucial things, including when to celebrate Easter.

The Council’s conclusion was to celebrate this holiday on the first Sunday following the Paschal full moon after the spring equinox. The name Paschal stands for “Passover,” and it’s safe to assume the Jewish religion derived it from the word Pasha. Its meaning in Latin and Greek is “Passover.”

Up until today, nobody has changed how the date of this holiday is determined. So, if you are wondering why does Easter change every year, the answer lies in tradition and the decisions made centuries ago.

How Is the Date of Easter Determined?

It all starts with the spring equinox. It was known that the actual equinox would last for a span of two or three days, so the Church established the exact date. According to them, the spring equinox always falls on March 21. Today, we know this as the ecclesiastical equinox.

The next thing to observe is when the full moon occurs after the equinox. Once the full moon is over, the following Sunday is the date of Easter. That’s how we conclude that Easter 2025 will occur on April 20th. The date changes annually, but it’s now easy to establish when we’ll celebrate the holiday each year.

Related: When is Easter 2025? Planning Ahead for Springtime Fun.

Easter Dates and Their Variability

KajaNi/Shutterstock.com

The lunar calendar was a big thing centuries ago, so it served to determine when Christ was resurrected. The approach was to calculate the Moon cycles to establish different dates.

However, the problem was that there were multiple calculation methods. Romans confirmed that they would celebrate Easter on the first Sunday following the full Moon after the equinox. They confirmed this in the 4th century, claiming that the calculations were based on how it was done from St. Peter.

Some other Christians, such as those in Ireland, claimed that John the Evangelist established a different calculation for the holiday. Not even the new Gregorian calendar managed to set things straight. Some churches refused to adopt changes, and there’s also another difference. The Eastern Orthodox Church considers the Easter story, which mentions Jesus celebrating Passover before he dies. That’s why they’ve always observed that Easter must happen after this Jewish holiday.

What Is the Earliest Possible and Latest Possible Date for Easter?

Easter dates vary from March 22 to April 25. The last time the holiday occurred was as early as March 22nd, 1818. The same thing won’t happen again until 2285. As for the latest date, Easter fell on April 25th in 1943.

The dates are different for Orthodox Easter. The earliest it can happen is April 4th, while the latest date is May 8th. It’s possible for the dates of Easter celebration to coincide in the Orthodox and Latin Catholic church calculations.

Why Do Different Christian Traditions Celebrate Easter on Different Dates?

kipgodi/Shutterstock.com

Why does the date of Easter change? It’s because there were disagreements about the dates for the holiday. The entire confusion mostly occurred due to the calendar. Most countries accepting the Christian religion used the Julian calendar established by Julius Caesar. Those calculations had a mistake of misjudging a year’s length by ten minutes. One cycle followed by another, that led to big drifts over the years.

Pope Gregory established his Gregorian calendar in 1582. He shortened the year, confirmed that the vernal equinox is like the Church calculates it, and established a different system for leap years. Due to all these changes, the Julian and Gregorian calendars now differ by 13 days.

Not all Orthodox churches accepted the new calendar. Due to sticking to the old way of calculation, a discrepancy occurs when different traditions celebrate Easter. That’s the reason why we have two different dates for Easter today, rather than a single one for all traditions.

Upcoming Easter Dates from 2025 to 2030

Here’s an overview of the dates for Easter in the upcoming years:

How Does This Affect Schools and Family Celebrations?

Yuganov Konstantin/Shutterstock.com

The first thing to remember is the meaning of Easter. In the Christian tradition, it’s a way to celebrate new life. Christians celebrate that Jesus Christ was resurrected. Churches often hold special services during this holiday, and there are many traditions incorporated with the celebration of this holiday.

Here are some Easter traditions and games to try:

• Easter eggs. Easter eggs are probably the most common tradition related to Easter. Eggs celebrate new life, and it’s exactly why we take chicken eggs and use paint and decorations on them. Some families organize Easter egg hunts, which is a great way of spending some time together with friends and family. It’s also a fun game if you have children and want to organize an entertaining afternoon. The idea is simple—somebody hides chocolate Easter eggs around the yard and kids go looking for them. The person who finds the most wins the prize, or all children get to keep the eggs they’ve found, depending on how you want to set the rules.
• Egg rolling. You boil and paint the eggs, with the task of rolling them down the hill. The idea is simple too—the egg should reach the bottom of the hill without breaking. It’s interesting that even the White House in the USA organizes an Easter Egg Roll annually.
• Bonfires. This usually occurs in some parts of Europe. The idea is to light an outdoor fire and gather around it to celebrate that the winter has passed and the spring is around the corner.

As for schools, days off will depend on the institution. It often happens that spring break and Easter are connected, and that’s why children have days off around this holiday. Some schools agree to give kids a day off on Good Friday and Easter Monday, although recognizing the holiday depends solely on the local authority.

To make holiday planning easier and ensure your child stays safe during celebrations, try the Findmykids app. It helps parents keep track of their kids’ location, giving you peace of mind while they enjoy Easter activities!

Easter is among the most significant Christian holidays, if not the biggest, since it celebrates a new life. Many great traditions surround this holiday, and it’s an excellent opportunity for families to bond and spend quality time together. Easter has been celebrated from the earliest days of Christian tradition. For centuries, there were different assessments regarding when Easter fell. Various calculations and calendars led to this situation. But despite that, it’s a unique stance that this holiday is a special date that gathers families and entire communities together.

How do you celebrate Easter? What are the traditions in your family or country? Please don’t hesitate to share in comments or ask any questions you might have after reading the article!

Cover image: All for you friend/Shutterstock.com