I’ve finally discovered that I don’t have to feel bad about not knowing how to figure out the date of Easter. It turns out the rules are really a bit complicated, but quite facinating if you’re into history or astronomy:
- Easter falls on the first Sunday following the first ecclesiastical full moon that occurs on or after the day of the vernal equinox;
- this particular ecclesiastical full moon is the 14th day of a tabular lunation (new moon); and
- the vernal equinox is fixed as March 21.
The net result is that Easter can never occur before March 22 or after April 25. Oh, and this year, it’s right in the middle on April 8.
Ok, one more thing… I will learn how to spell soon. 🙂 Ridiculous, ridiculous, ridicul..
Thanks for making my insomnia bearable! I actually cannot pronounce at least two words in this post. Nevertheless, I feel better about myself knowing that calculating Easter is rediculously complicated.