When is Easter again?. It's an age-old question. Unlike Christmas and New Year, Valentine's Day and Halloween, there is no fixed date for the spring celebration. Do you know how it's worked out each year? Of course! Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon following (or on) the spring equinox. Obviously.
![[Iceland faces backlash after Christian symbol on hot cross buns replaced with ticks]](https://static.standard.co.uk/2024/03/21/15/38/the_daily_bakery_6_fruited_hot_cross_buns_18405.jpg.jpg?crop=8:5,smart&quality=75&auto=webp&width=960)
Do you know why that is though? No? Read on... According to the New Testament, the crucifixion and subsequent resurrection of Christ happened around the time of the Jewish feast of Passover. Back then, as stipulated by the Bible, Passover was celebrated on the first full moon following the spring equinox (the day when both day and night are of approximate equal duration, which happens twice a year, in spring and autumn).
![[‘Carmageddon’: Motorists face double normal journey time as 14 million Easter getaways planned]](https://static.standard.co.uk/2024/03/25/00/22153418-53995340-37a5-4730-bdf2-b877451bde90.jpg?crop=8:5,smart&quality=75&auto=webp&width=960)
Hence, Easter would also occur after the first full moon following the equinox, and since the day of the full moon was subject to change, Easter became a moveable feast. However, whilst some Christians came to celebrate it on the day of Passover itself, others opted to celebrate Easter afterwards, on the Sunday following.
![[Best weird and wacky Easter eggs]](https://static.standard.co.uk/2024/02/05/11/14/pexels-suzy-hazelwood-9657828.jpg.jpg?crop=8:5,smart&quality=75&auto=webp&width=960)
So Easter was settled then. Actually, not quite... Whilst some Christian denominations (including Protestants and Roman Catholics) go by the Gregorian calendar, established by Pope Gregory XIII in the 16th century, other Orthodox churches still use the Julian calendar (established by Julius Caesar) to calculate Easter.
Which means that not all Christians celebrate Easter on the same day. Confused? Have some chocolate. Eggs have long been a symbol of the resurrection for Christians, with the empty shell representing the empty tomb of Christ. Whilst it is not known when the first chocolate egg came into existence, we do know they were being produced in Germany and France at the beginning of the 19th century.
.jpg?trim=14,0,15,0&quality=75&auto=webp&width=1000)
