How is the Date for Easter Decided Each Year? Answer: Passover

THIS WEEK

"Passover" by Raphael Abecassis

In most of the Christian world, Easter Sunday falls at some point between 22 March and 25 April – and this year it comes right at the end of that window. The festival of Easter, which commemorates the crucifixion and the resurrection of Christ, is celebrated differently around the world.  Why is the date of Easter not fixed? The short answer is that early Christians wanted to observe Easter annually in correlation with the Jewish festival of Passover – and specifically, they wanted Easter to fall just after the Jewish commemoration of the flight from Egypt. This is because the Last Supper is thought to have taken place on Passover. The Hebrew calendar is based on both solar and lunar cycles, and therefore Passover a moveable feast. That in turn makes Easter a moveable feast. [link]

• Passover 2014: Monday, April 14-Tuesday, April 22
• Easter 2014: Sunday, April 20