BYU NewsNet - Easter Comes Early for 2008

This year, Easter falls on March 23, the earliest the holiday has been celebrated in 95 years. An earlier Easter will not occur until 2285.

Each year, the date for celebrating Easter is decided based a solar calendar. The vernal or spring equinox, the moment of time when the sun is directly above the earth's equator, occurred March 20 this year. Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon in spring. This means Easter can fall anywhere between March 21 and April 25.

Although the day for celebrating Easter varies from year to year, its meaning and significance are as constant as the North Star. Victor Ludlow, a professor of ancient scripture at BYU, offers insight on Easter's true significance.

"Without Easter and what it represents, Christianity would just be another do-good and feel-good monotheistic religion that found its ancient origins in the Near East," he said.

The term Easter comes from the Anglo-Saxon word Eostre, the name of the goddess of spring. Under ancient tradition, sacrifices were offered to Eostre at the vernal equinox. Modern Christianity currently uses her name to reverence the most important sacrifice ever made for practicing Christians.

"[Easter] is the fulfillment of the covenant promise that God made to Adam and his posterity," Ludlow said.

According to The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, the day Easter is celebrated has been a controversial issue.

Early Jewish Christians based their observance of Easter on the beginning of the Hebrew festival of Passover. On the other hand, Gentile Christians tended to celebrate Easter on a Sunday to reinforce the idea of Christ's resurrection.

As time passed and the debate cooled down, the majority of Christians chose to celebrate Christ's resurrection the first day of the week.

Further resolution of Easter's day was resolved in A.D. 325 at the Council of Nicea. The council unanimously decided to establish the celebration of Christ's resurrection to a Sunday. The specific Sunday was not established until the seventh century when the majority of Christian churches became reasonably uniform.

Upcoming Easters

2008 - March 23

2009 - April 12

2010 - April 4

2011 - April 24

2012 - April 8

2013 - March 31

2014 - April 20

2015 - April 5

2016 - March 27

2017 - April 16

2018 - April 1

2019 - April 21

2020 - April 12