When is Easter?

Easter is the greatest feast day celebrated to observe the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, on the third day after his crucifixion. Thus, this day is marked as Easter Day, Easter Sunday, Resurrection Day or Resurrection Sunday. It is springtime holiday that observes the life, death and resurrection of the Savior together. Easter is the oldest and holiest Christian festival. The celebration is a magical time for children, what with chocolate bunnies, hot cross buns, marshmallow chicks, jellybean-filled Easter eggs and candles forming the main attractions on this day. The egg has been the symbol of birth in most cultures since the earliest times. Today, the eggs are brightly colored and decorated and gifted in Easter baskets.

Easter and other associated holidays do not fall on fixed dates, because they follow the Jewish Lunar Calendar and not the Solar Gregorian Calendar. Generally, the first Sunday after the full moon that falls on or just after Spring Equinox (March 21) is fixed as Easter. Easter, thus, is also known as a moveable feast, since it can occur on any date between March 22nd and April 25th. Till date, there exists a difference of opinion between the churches of the West and orthodox churches of the East, which are deeply prejudiced by the old traditions. In the year 1997, the World Council of Churches put a suggestion to restructure the methods of determining the date of Easter to remove this difference of dates in the Western and the Eastern Churches. Although this reform was to be implemented from 2001, it failed due to lack of support from these churches.

Easter Calendar 2015
February 18 - Ash Wednesday
March 29 - Palm Sunday
April 3 - Good Friday
April 5 - Easter Sunday (Western)
April 12 - Easter Sunday (Orthodox)

Easter Calendar 2016
February 10 - Ash Wednesday
March 20 - Palm Sunday
March 25 - Good Friday
March 27 - Easter Sunday (Western)
May 1 - Easter Sunday (Orthodox)

Easter Calendar 2017
Mar 1 - Ash Wednesday
April 9 - Palm Sunday
April 14 - Good Friday
April 16 - Easter Sunday (Western)
April 16 - Easter Sunday (Orthodox)