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HOW THE MOON DETERMINES EASTER!

Mar 31, 2021

The first full moon of spring of this year was just on Sunday – did you manage to see it? This is known as the Paschal Full Moon. Easter is determined by this moon! The first Sunday following the Paschal Moon is always Easter Sunday, which this year is this coming Sunday, the 4th April.

As the lunar cycle is 29.5 days, the Paschal Moon is ever changing.

Easter will always fall 1 to 7 days after the Paschal Full Moon. If the Paschal Full Moon happens to be on a Sunday, then Easter is the following Sunday. Therefore, the earliest possible date of Easter is March 22, while the latest possible date is April 25.

In 1818, as the Paschal Full Moon fell on Saturday March 21 Easter was therefore the following day (Sunday March 22) which is the earliest date possible for it to fall. It will not be on this date again until 2285 in 467 years’ time!

In 1943 a Paschal Full Moon fell on Saturday March 20. As this was before March 21, the next full moon, which that year was on Sunday April 18, this set the Easter Sunday date of April 25. It will not fall on this date again until 2038. A mere 95 years away!

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