Easter

If you think it arrives early this year, you are right. In the present calendar, the date for Easter shifts every year. The holiday will occur no earlier than March 22 and no later than April 25. The date for Easter is determined as being the first Sunday following the first Full Moon (called the Paschal Full Moon) that occurs on or after the vernal equinox (Spring). This year,the first day of Spring is on March 20th – a Thursday. The Pascal Full Moon is on March 21st and the first Sunday thereafter is March 23rd – Easter. Simple?!

To plan ahead Easter falls as follows: 2009 – April 12th, 2010 – April 4th, 2011 – April 24th, 2012 – April 8th.

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Here’s the big one for a trivia contest. The next time Easter falls on March 23rd is in the year 2160. And if you wanted to live long enough to see Easter on the absolute earliest date possible, it will be on March 22, 2285!! The last time we saw Easter on March 23rd was the year 1913 and the last time it was on March 22nd, was the year the Farmers’ Almanac was established – 1818. I know – this is too much.