When Is Easter 2021? | How Easter’s Date is Determined Why Does The Date of Easter Change Every Year?

Easter 2021 will be observed on Sunday, April 4! Easter is a “movable feast” that is always held on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25. Do you know how the exact date of Easter is determined? Find out why the date changes every year and how this holiday relates to the first full Moon of spring.

When Is Easter 2021?

This year, Easter will be observed on Sunday, April 4. (Eastern Orthodox Easter will take place on Sunday, May 2.) This Easter is just one week after March’s full Moon (Sunday, March 28), which is the first full Moon to occur after the spring equinox (March 20, 2021) and is therefore known in the Christian calendar as the “Paschal Full Moon.”

What Is the Most Common Easter Date?

Easter is a “movable feast” and does not have a fixed date. However, it is always held on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25. 

Over a 500-year period (from 1600 to 2099 AD), it just so happens that Easter will have most often been celebrated on either March 31 or April 16.

Many Eastern Orthodox churches follow the Julian calendar rather than the Gregorian. In this case, the observance of Easter can occur between April 4 and May 8.