Am I only one who has no clue when Easter is?

[sbj405]

Poll question: Am I only one who has no clue when Easter is?

My friend told me she'd be in town for Easter. I was a bit embarrassed to ask "When's that?" I mean there are Peeps in the store, so it must be soon. But then again, the Peeps appear immediately after Valentine's Day. Is anyone else so out of tune with these religious holidays?

[Left Is Write]

1. Two weeks from yesterday.

This coming Sunday is Palm Sunday. The following Sunday is Easter.

There. Now you're in the know! :D

[Debi]

2. Figured it out last night

When my son came home from Confirmation class and said we had to go to a parent/child gathering on Palm Sunday - which is this coming Sunday so Easter is the 16th. I was clueless up til then. d.

[MissB]

3. I don't like Easter.

I prefer holidays that appear on the same date each year.

Plus, the Cadbury eggs suck.

[sbj405]

7. But Cadbury mini -eggs are divine.

Don't be fooled by other mini eggs though.

[indigo32]

12. Yes but

Reeses Peanutbutter eggs are the bomb

[MissB]

13. I have yet to discover those.

Hmmm.

[indigo32]

14. mmmmmmm

[Dan-W]

4. The first Sunday -

after the first full moon - after the Vernal Equinox.

[China_cat]

5. Even my calendar doesn't have it marked

It's a Celtic pagan art calendar.

[gollygee]

6. I only know because it's just after my daughter's birthday

and I had to plan her party around it. So I missed Easter but hit Spring Break and we still won't have many people here :(

[deadparrot]

8. I only know because I'm a college student, and that's the next time

I get to go home. :hi:

[havocmom]

9. Nope. I had to look it up yesterday. And I checked 3 calenders

just to make sure. Had to check again this morning. Had already forgotten. :shrug:

I hate Peeps, jelly beans and Cadbury Eggs are a waste of good chocolate. Also don't follow religions which celebrate that day. (If all days are not sacred, none of them are)

[meti57b]

10. It's the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox.

[gizmo1979]

11. Why don't they pick a day

and stick to it?Who decides when easter is?Who is the Easter Tsar?

[Book Lover]

15. Someone had to go and ask

and it was you. Thanks.

http://webexhibits.org/calendars/calendar-christian-easter.html

When is Easter? (Long answer)
The calculation of Easter is complicated because it is linked to (an inaccurate version of) the Hebrew calendar. Jesus was crucified immediately before the Jewish Passover, which is a celebration of the Exodus from Egypt under Moses. Celebration of Passover started on the 14th or 15th day of the (spring) month of Nisan. Jewish months start when the moon is new, therefore the 14th or 15th day of the month must be immediately after a full moon. It was therefore decided to make Easter Sunday the first Sunday after the first full moon after vernal equinox. Or more precisely: Easter Sunday is the first Sunday after the "official" full moon on or after the "official" vernal equinox. The official vernal equinox is always 21 March. The official full moon may differ from the real full moon by one or two days. (Note, however, that historically, some countries have used the real (astronomical) full moon instead of the official one when calculating Easter. This was the case, for example, of the German Protestant states, which used the astronomical full moon in the years 1700-1776. A similar practice was used in Sweden in the years 1740-1844 and in Denmark in the 1700s.) The full moon that precedes Easter is called the Paschal full moon.

Two concepts play an important role when calculating the Paschal full moon: The Golden Number and the Epact. They are described in the following sections. The following sections give details about how to calculate the date for Easter. Note, however, that while the Julian calendar was in use, it was customary to use tables rather than calculations to determine Easter. The following sections do mention how to calculate Easter under the Julian calendar, but the reader should be aware that this is an attempt to express in formulas what was originally expressed in tables. The formulas can be taken as a good indication of when Easter was celebrated in the Western Church from approximately the 6th century.

The Eastern (Orthodox) Churches base their calculations on the Julian calendar in order to ensure that Easter is celebrated after Passover in every year, whereas the Western Churches (the RCC and its post-reformation offspring) use the Gregorian calendar.

[gizmo1979]

16. got it.So full moon

spring .I'll be ready next year.

[Arugula Latte]

17. I find Easter depressing.

Some dude who came back from the dead to save us from "sin" -- yeeeeah, okay. :eyes:

Celebrating the start of Spring -- now THAT makes sense!

[_testify_]

18. Zombie Jesus Day.