A series of articles on why we do what we do here at St. John’s.

Why is Easter so late this year?

Easter is the same day each year … well, kind of!

As compared to many other festivals which have been given a certain date in our calendar, Easter is different.  Christmas is always December 25. Reformation Day is always October 31.  By the same token Easter is ALWAYS the first Sunday following the first full moon following the vernal equinox (aka the first day of Spring).  WHY?

As the Church itself became more and more Gentile than Jewish, the church adopted the Roman (aka Gregorian) calendar in order to observe important liturgical celebrations in place of the Jewish (aka lunar) calendar.  Some of the sense of things from the lunar calendar remains in place today especially in the Eastern church. But in the west (i.e. us) most of what we celebrate is tied to that more “Gentile” calendar.

As the early church became less and less Jewish and since Jews and Christians were no longer using the same calendar AND since Easter was the most important festival of the year, it became important for the Christian Church to establish a date mostly independent of the Jewish (lunar) calendar.

The formula for the date of Easter was decided upon at the first ecumenical council, the council from which the Nicene Creed originates (although the text we use comes from the Council of Constantinople more than 50 years later, but that’s a conversation for another time). They decided several things:

• Easter should always be celebrated on a Sunday.
• It would be tied to the movements of the sun and moon rather than the Hebrew calendar.

Most of the rest of the church year is determined by this date.

• We worship on the first day of the week because Jesus rose on the first day of the week. Each Sunday, in some manner, is a celebration of the resurrection.
• Easter is celebrated for an entire season, a “week of weeks” (7 weeks or 49 days).
• The Season of Lent is the usual time for repentance and prayer, 40 days (think of Jesus in the wilderness following his baptism). But since Sunday is always a “little Easter” the 40 days of Lent are counted EXCLUDING Sundays.  
• Holy Week is the “octave” (8 days) that begins with Passion Sunday and ends with Easter Day.
• The length of the “green” seasons are also tied to the date of Easter.  
  • The Sundays after Epiphany begin with the first Sunday after Epiphany (January 6) but continue until Lent begins,
  • The Sundays after Pentecost begin after the Day of Pentecost which is the 50th day, beginning with Easter Sunday.
• Only the season of Advent and Christmas are determined independent of the date for Easter.