As of: March 17, 2024, 4:41 p.m
By: Tanja Banner
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Easter does not always fall on the same date.
The key to Easter can be found in the sky: the full moon.
Munich - While Christmas is always celebrated on December 24th, the date of Easter, the second major Christian festival, varies.
It is celebrated from Friday to Monday, although the exact date changes annually.
But who decides when we celebrate Good Friday and Easter Sunday?
Surprisingly, the moon - more precisely: the full moon - sets the pace for the date of Easter.
The first full moon after the beginning of spring determines the date of Easter
The Council of Nicaea in 325 AD established some rules to ensure that Easter was celebrated on the same day worldwide.
Today the following regulations apply to determine the date of Easter:
Easter is celebrated on a Sunday after the beginning of spring.
March 21st is set as the beginning of spring.
Easter falls on the Sunday after the spring full moon, i.e. the first full moon after March 21st.
If the spring full moon falls on a Sunday, Easter is celebrated on the following Sunday.
Due to these full moon-related rules, Easter Sunday can fall on March 22nd at the earliest and April 25th at the latest.
The full moon determines: Easter Sunday 2024 is on March 31st
In 2024, the full moon is expected on March 25, just a few days after the start of spring.
Therefore, Easter Sunday will fall on the following Sunday, March 31st.
The March full moon is also called the Easter moon, Lenten moon or worm moon.
The Easter forecast for 2024 shows what the weather will be like around the holidays. Chocolate prices could also rise shortly before Easter.
Easter and the full moon are as inseparable as Easter and the rabbit.
(Symbolic image) © imago/Panthermedia
In the next two years, Easter will occur later in the year: in 2025, Easter Sunday will fall on April 20 (full moon on April 13, 2025), and in 2026, Easter will be celebrated on April 5 (full moon on April 2).
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The moon influences not only Easter, but the entire earth
However, the moon does not only influence the date of Easter.
It also has physical effects on the Earth, such as influencing the tides.
Scientists believe that the Earth would look very different without the Moon: It stabilizes the Earth and ensures that Earth's seasons persist and are not too extreme.
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