Easter

 Christmas is always 25 December.

The Feast of the Holy Name is always 1 January.

The Feast of the Transfiguration is always 6 August.


These feasts never change.  One can mark the liturgical year by them.


So why does Easter change around so much?  It is like we can not make up our minds when to celebrate the joy and hope of the Resurrection.


What is with that??


In the early days of the Christian church, the date for Easter varied widely.  There was not a set date.  Thus churches celebrated Easter at different times.

King Oswy of Northumbria called a council to determine whether his kingdom would follow the customs of the Eastern churches or of the West ones.  The Council of Whitby met in 664.  Both East and West sent representatives to present their case to King Oswy.

The customs of the West won out and the Roman dating for Easter (among other things) was adopted.  Over time the customs of Rome and the Roman Catholic Church rose to prominence.  The following formula is used to date Easter for Churches in the West:

*The first Sunday

*After the first full moon

*Following the vernal (spring) equinox


Because they use a different calendar, our Orthodox brothers and sisters in the East celebrate Easter on a different day.  Sometimes a month can separate Western and Eastern Easters!!  Every so often the two Easters fall on the same day.

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