Easter is one of the few holidays that will not land on the same day every year.
In 2025, Easter will be on April 20 this year. According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, it is a “movable feast” that can happen between March 22 and April 25 on the Gregorian calendar. On the Julian calendar, used by the Eastern Orthodox Church, Easter can be between April 4 and May 8.
How is the date determined?
Easter happens on the first Sunday after the Paschal Full Moon. So what is the Paschal Full Moon? it is the first full moon after the March or spring equinox, the Almanac said.
That is only part of it.
The Royal Museums of Greenwich, one of the preeminent experts on all things time said there is an actual mathematical equation to figure it out.
According to the U.S. Naval Observatory, there are ecclesiastical rules at play.
Those rules are:
- The ecclesiastical vernal equinox happens on March 21.
- The ecclesiastical full moon is the 14th day of a new moon
- Easter is the first Sunday after the first ecclesiastical full moon that happens on or after the vernal equinox.
But you can forget about the math and the complicated equations. It’s already been done for you.
In 2025, Easter is April 20. In 2026, it will be April 5. In 2027, it will be March 28. All of those dates are on the Gregorian calendar.
For the Julian calendar, it will be: April 20 (2025), April 12 (2026), May 2 (2027) and April 16 (2028), according to the Almanac.
When and what is Ash Wednesday?
Ash Wednesday, or the beginning of Lent, is 40 days before Easter, so for this year, it is March 5. Many of the faithful will go to church and receive ashes on their foreheads in the sign of the cross.
For Catholics, it is a day of fasting.
What is Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras?
Fat Tuesday, also known as Mardi Gras, is the day before Ash Wednesday. It is a time that allows celebrations, and sometimes debauchery, before the solemnness and sacrifice of the Lenten season begins.
It is March 4 this year.
Fat Tuesday is also called Shrove Tuesday, meaning a day of confession to purify yourself before Lent and to be given penance and absolution, Almanac said.
A tradition that comes with Shrove Tuesday is eating pancakes, donuts and other fried food to get items like eggs, milk and fat out of the pantry for the 40-day Lenten fast, and was forbidden.
What are Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday?
Palm Sunday is the first day of Holy Week, the Sunday before Easter, according to Brittanica. It is also called Passion Sunday. Churches hold a blessing and a procession of palms. After services are done, the congregation members take home the palms and can be a sign of the sacrament. Some churches burn the previous year’s palms for use as ashes for Ash Wednesday.
In 2025, Palm Sunday will be April 13.
Maundy Thursday is the day before Good Friday and was the night that the faithful believe that Jesus celebrated his final Passover with His disciples, known as The Last Supper. During the meal, Jesus washed the feet of the disciples in, what Christianity.com said was “an extraordinary display of humility.”
As he washed their feet, he said according to scripture, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another” (John 13:34).
Maundy Thursday is April 17.
The next day is Good Friday, the Friday before Easter and is the day that Jesus was crucified and died. Some call it “Sorrowful Friday” or “God’s Friday.”
Good Friday will be April 18.
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