We’re almost out of March, and still no Easter. Some years, we’re already cleaning up from the egg hunts.
Here’s why you have to wait another month for this year’s ham and hot cross buns.
You are viewing: When Is Easter 2019
When is Easter 2019?
This year’s holiday is Sunday, April 21.
Why is Easter so late this year?
The short answer: It’s the moon’s fault.
In the Christian Bible, Jesus Christ rose from the dead on the first Sunday following the Jewish feast of Passover, a week-long spring festival that commemorates the Israelites being freed from slavery in Egypt.
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Jesus ate a Passover meal with his disciples on a Thursday, the day before his crucifixion on Good Friday. Easter Sunday is celebrated on the Sunday following Passover Thursday. So the date of Passover determines the date of Easter Sunday. EXCEPT.
The date of Passover changes every year. It’s determined by the Jewish calendar, which is based on lunar cycles. Passover begins on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, a.k.a. the first full moon following the spring equinox, the day when night and day are the same length (the first day of spring).
The Passover full moon (“paschal moon”) is the first full moon date on or after March 21. Easter is always celebrated on the Sunday immediately following it.
So why don’t we celebrate Easter Sunday, March 24 this year?
It’s a matter of hours.
This year’s first full moon of spring was Wednesday, March 20. According to EarthSky, the moon officially turned full at 9:43 p.m. The vernal equinox began just four hours beforehand, around 6 p.m.
So this year’s paschal full moon was indeed, after the vernal equinox. So why don’t we celebrate Easter March 24?
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Enter: The clergy. Ecclesiastical rules use a fixed date of March 21 for the spring equinox. So the Christian church says we have to hold Easter until after the next full moon, which isn’t until Friday, April 19.
And voila! You get Easter: Sunday, April 21.
The last time astronomical and ecclesiastical Easter didn’t coincide was 1981. They’re usually in sync.
When is the latest Easter can possibly be?
The holiday can fall any time between March 22 and April 25. The earliest Easter can possibly be is when Saturday, March 21 is a full moon, in which case Easter is Sunday, March 22. If the full moon is Saturday, March 20 (remember, the paschal moon has to be March 21 or later to “count”), then Easter is Sunday, April 25.
The 2019 holiday (April 21) will be the latest Easter since 2000 (April 23) and the latest until 2038 (April 25).
Fun fact: Easter can’t fall in March for two consecutive years. The most common date is April 19, and the least common dates are March 22 and April 25.
Email IndyStar reporter Sarah Bahr at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @smbahr14.
Source: https://t-tees.com
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