Unlike Christmas, Easter has no fixed date — it can land anywhere from 22 March to 25 April. Most other holidays sit on the same day every year, so why does Easter jump around? The answer is a beautiful mix of the Sun, the Moon, and a 1,700-year-old church ruling. Here it is, explained simply.
Want the actual dates? See our Easter calculator for any year, or the Easter dates 2027–2030 guide.
The rule: Sun + Moon
Easter Sunday is:
the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the spring (March) equinox.
That's it — but it ties Easter to three moving things at once:
- The spring equinox — fixed by the church as 21 March.
- The first full moon after that date (the "Paschal full moon").
- The following Sunday.
Because the full moon shifts by about 11 days each year relative to the calendar, Easter moves too — which is why it feels unpredictable.
A worked example
- If the Paschal full moon lands on a Saturday, Easter is the very next day — early Easter.
- If the full moon falls on a Sunday, you have to wait a whole week for the next Sunday — late Easter.
This is why a difference of one day in the full moon can swing Easter by a full week.
Easter dates for the next few years
| Year | Western (Catholic & Protestant) Easter |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Sunday, 5 April |
| 2027 | Sunday, 28 March |
| 2028 | Sunday, 16 April |
| 2029 | Sunday, 1 April |
These are computed with the Gauss / church algorithm — the same method our Easter calculator uses for any year from 1583 onward.
Why is Orthodox Easter on a different date?
Eastern Orthodox churches calculate Easter using the older Julian calendar and a different equinox reference. As a result, Orthodox Easter usually falls later than Western Easter — sometimes by a week, sometimes by several. For example, in 2027 Western Easter is 28 March but Orthodox Easter is 2 May. Occasionally — as in 2028 — they fall on the same day (16 April).
What moves with Easter?
Because so many Christian observances are counted from Easter, they all move with it:
- Ash Wednesday — 46 days before Easter
- Palm Sunday — the Sunday before
- Good Friday — the Friday before
- Ascension Day — 39 days after
- Pentecost — 49 days after
So a single rule about the Moon ripples across the whole spring calendar.
Quick answers
Why does Easter change date every year? Because it's tied to the first full moon after the spring equinox, not to a fixed calendar date — and the Moon's cycle shifts about 11 days each year.
What is the earliest and latest Easter can be? In the Western church, Easter can fall between 22 March and 25 April.
When is Easter 2027? Western Easter 2027 is Sunday, 28 March. Orthodox Easter is 2 May.
Why is Orthodox Easter different? Orthodox churches use the older Julian calendar to calculate it, so it usually lands later than Western Easter.