Calculating the date of Easter
n“Easter Sunday
typically falls on a different date each year. Easter is always the first Sunday after or on the first
full moon, after the spring
(vernal) Equinox. The first Ecumenical Council was held at Nicea in present-day Turkey in the
year 325. It decreed that
Easter would be celebrated on the Sunday
following the first full moon that occurred after the spring equinox. This retained a lunar connection as a
sort of 'memory' of the Jewish
calendar system, and ensured that the
feast would be on a Sunday. Because lunar phases occur independently of the solar year, this means that there
is a 'window' of several
weeks during which Easter may be celebrated.
By this reckoning, in our calendar, Easter must occur between March 22 and April 25.”
- How is the Date
for Easter Calculated, From WikiAnswers
(http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_is_the_date_for_Easter_calculated_each_year)