How the date of Easter is worked out
Updated 28 September 2026
Easter Sunday is the first Sunday after the first full moon that falls on or after 21 March. That one sentence is why it can land anywhere from 22 March to 25 April, and why it moves by weeks from one year to the next.
The rule, one piece at a time
- 21 March stands in for the spring equinox. The real equinox is usually on 20 March, but the church fixed the date centuries ago and kept it.
- The full moon is a calculated one. It is not the moon astronomers observe but the "ecclesiastical" full moon, from tables that repeat every 19 years. It is usually within a day or two of the real one.
- Easter is the Sunday after it. If that full moon falls on a Sunday, Easter is the following Sunday, a week later.
Why Orthodox Easter is often later
Orthodox churches use the same rule on the older Julian calendar, which is now 13 days behind the one most of the world uses. Their 21 March is our 3 April, and their moon tables have drifted too. In some years both Easters fall on the same Sunday; in others they are up to five weeks apart.
Easter dates for the next years
| Year | Easter Sunday | Orthodox Easter |
|---|---|---|
| 2027 | 28 March | 2 May |
| 2028 | 16 April | Same day |
| 2029 | 1 April | 8 April |
| 2030 | 21 April | 28 April |
| 2031 | 13 April | Same day |
| 2032 | 28 March | 2 May |
| 2033 | 17 April | 24 April |
| 2034 | 9 April | Same day |
The movable feasts hang off Easter: Ash Wednesday is 46 days before, Good Friday two days before, Ascension 39 days after and Pentecost 49 days after.
In the 1920s there were serious plans to fix Easter to one Sunday in April. Britain even passed the Easter Act in 1928, but it was never brought into force. For the days left until the next one, see the Easter countdown.