Is Easter late in 2023?

Easter is the most important date on the Christian Calendar, even more important in the minds of most believers than Christmas Day. Numerous states observe a public holiday on Good Friday – which is the Friday immediately preceding Easter Sunday.

According to the Biblical record, it is the day on which Jesus Christ arose from the grave, proving His claims and accomplishing His mission. Without Easter, Christians would have no living Savior and Christianity would become little more than a moral philosophy.

Easter is a specifically Christian holiday, although many do not celebrate it in a religious manner. Many in the US may take part in Easter celebrations as a fun way to welcome spring weather. Easter Sunday is not an official holiday in the US, but it is very widely celebrated nonetheless.

The date of Easter is established in a very complex way. It is based on the ecclesiastical Vernal Equinox, always 21 March, which may or may not correspond to the actual astronomical Vernal Equinox any particular year. Easter is the first Sunday following the first full moon following 21 March. If 21 March is a full-moon day and a Sunday, then Easter is on the next Sunday. Also note that those in Eastern Orthodox traditions will celebrate Easter Sunday based on the Julian instead of the Gregorian Calendar, which may or may not affect the date. Easter Sunday can fall anywhere from 22 March to 25 April.

Many other dates for Christian holidays are based on the movable date of Easter. Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and all Holy Week are just before Easter. Lent begins 40 days before Easter. Ascension Day is 40 days after Easter, and Pentecost comes 50 days after Easter Sunday.

It is customary for many in the US to attend special church services on Easter Sunday, even if they don’t usually go to church week to week. Many will dress in white attire and try to look their very best. The sermon will be something on the Resurrection of Christ as recorded in the Four Gospels in the Bible. They may also attend passion plays where the life, death, and resurrection of Christ is reenacted on stage. Some of these passion plays are quite large, elaborate, and held out of doors in open-air theaters.

Most children will be out of school for Spring or Easter break this time of year, and many adults get the day off work if they usually work Sundays. People spend time together at home as a family, painting eggs, eating a lot of chocolate and sweets, and enjoying family meals together. Many go on picnics, for a walk in the park, visit a nature reserve, or otherwise get outside to enjoy the spring weather on or around Eastertime.

Many towns and big cities in the US hold large Easter parades, some of which are nationally televised. And it is common for children to go on Easter egg hunts, searching for dyed hard-boiled eggs in the yard or for treats hidden inside of plastic pull-apart eggs.

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