Easter is always the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the Spring Equinox (which is March 20). This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that Hebrew people used to identify Passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar.
Based on the above, Easter can actually be one day earlier (March 22) but that is pretty rare.
Here’s the interesting info. This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see. Only the most elderly (95 or older) of our population have seen it this early and none of us have ever, or will ever, see it a day earlier! Here’s the facts:
The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). The last time it was this early was 1913, so if you’re 95 or older you were around for that.
The next time it will be a day earlier, March 22, will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now). The last time it was on March 22 was 1818. So, no one alive today has or will ever see it any earlier than this year!
Easter coming this early does something funny with St. Patrick’s Day, too, but I didn’t pay close enough attention when I was reading about it last week, so I can’t explain it myself, but maybe someone else can.
Because Easter is so early this year, St. Patrick’s Day is falling within Holy Week (the week before Easter…between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday) , which is typically a time of solemnity rather than a time of frivolity.
St. Pat’s day falls on Monday of Holy Week. A time of the year when there shouldn’t be parties & stuff. We supposed to be in penance preparing for Easter Sunday. Some of the Catholic dioceses have asked that St. Pat’s day be celebrated before Sunday (like on Friday & Saturday.) Some American cities with parades have moved them to Friday or Saturday. There was at least one city, I think Chicago, I could be wrong, who chose to still celebrate St. Pat’s Day on Monday.
As with all things in the world, especially Catholic, it seems, controversy always seems to be present. There was a fuss a few years back when gay Irish-Catholic groups wanted to participate and some folks didn’t want them in the parade. Then politicians had to choose whether to be in the parade or not.
grrrr.
(this is my pet-peeve for 2008)
Its damned inconvienent all ways around, far as I see it…
not to mention the clocks go back March 9. Purim’ s on Good Friday, too. Plus, the whole month of April is ONE BIG BLANK HOLE in the calendar
next time this cycles around in 220 years is 220 years too soon!
Another bit of Easter trivia: The Eastern church differs with the Western church in that it stipulates that Easter MUST take place AFTER Passover. Thus, in the years when the Jewish calendar adds a month, the Orthodox church can be more than a month behind the Western church in celebrating Easter.
Yep, Easter is early, all right, and Ostara, the Vernal Equinox, falls on Good Friday. So, good news for us Pagans, because we are all off work and can have a proper ritual (in the woods). Maps have been issued.
My calendar from the Chinese Restaurant had two St Patricks: 15th and 17th. And it is as Izz says. The Catholic Church will be celebrating it on the 15th, as it clashes with Holy Week. The rest of us will probably be taking advantage of both days.
