I'm sure you've wondered why the date of Easter changes every year; Easter Sunday can fall on any date between 22nd March and 25th April. The simple explanation is that it's all to do with Easter being based on the lunar calendar rather than the solar calendar. Easter always falls on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the 21st March.
However when I said 'the simple explanation', it's not that simple ......... the full moon mentioned above is actually the Paschal Full Moon, not the Astronomical Full Moon; the Paschal Full Moon can vary as much as two days from the date of the actual full moon, with dates ranging from March 21 to April 18. As a result, Easter dates can range from March 22 through April 25 in Western Christianity.
OK, so it's complicated, but there are many more detailed explanations on Google. If you want to know just how complicated it can get, just type in 'why does the date of easter change every year' or click here and select the explanation that makes the most sense to you.
Now you know why, perhaps you'd like to know when? The table below lists the dates for Easter and some other changeable dates up to 2030 .................
Year |
Ash Wednesday |
Easter Day |
Ascension Day |
Pentecost (Whit Sunday) |
First Sunday of Advent
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2022 | 2nd Mar | 17th Apr | 26th May | 5th Jun | 27th Nov |
2023 | 22nd Feb | 9th Apr | 18th May | 28th May | 3rd Dec |
2024 | 14th Feb | 31st Mar | 9th May | 19th May | 1st Dec |
2025 | 5th Mar | 20th Apr | 29th May | 8th Jun | 30th Nov |
2026 | 18th Feb | 5th Apr | 14th May | 24th May | 29th Nov |
2027 | 10th Feb | 28th Mar | 6th May | 16th May | 28th Nov |
2028 | 1st Mar | 16th Apr | 25th May | 4th Jun | 3rd Dec |
2029 | 14th Feb | 1st Apr | 10th May | 20th May | 2nd Dec |
2030 | 6th Mar | 21st Apr | 30th May | 9th Jun | 1st Dec |