A festival that follows the moon: Why is Easter not every year on the same day? Here is how the date is calculated | Today news

Easter Sunday is celebrated on April 20, 2025 – but unlike Christmas or Independence Day, its date changes annually. It often raises a question among many people- why does Easter move every year? The answer lies in a mixture of ancient tradition and astronomical calculation that dates for more than 1 600 years. Easter is known as a ‘stirring festival’, and its date was formally established by the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. According to the rule drawn up by the church, Easter on the first Sunday falls to the full moon which takes place on or after March 21, which is considered the fixed date of the spring equator in the ecclesiastical calendar. This means that Easter can fall on any Sunday between March 22 and April 25. If the full moon falls on a Saturday, Easter is the next day. If it is on a Sunday, Easter will be pushed to the following Sunday. The lunar event used for this calculation is known as the ‘Paschal Full Moon’, an ecclesiastical derivative approach of the actual full moon based on pre -calculated tables, not astronomical observations. The reason for this moon link is rooted in tradition: Jesus Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection occurred during the time of the Jewish Passover, which himself is based on the Hebrew lunar calendar. Interestingly, Eastern Orthodox Churches often celebrate Easter on another date, as they follow the Julian calendar rather than the Gregorian one used in the West. In India, where Christian communities are distributed across different countries, the changing date of Easter influences is not only religious maintenance, but also school calendars, local holidays and public events. Churches prepare for the Holy Week, Good Friday and Easter services based on this annual calculation. Thus, while the core message of resurrection and renewal remains unchanged, the date of Easter is a dynamic reminder of how faith, tradition and heavenly timing forms the Christian calendar. First published: 18 Apr 2025, 09:49 IST