This year Easter is Sunday, March 31! Or, is it May 5?

The early Christian Church had a hard time agreeing on a date all Christians would celebrate Easter. Some celebrated Easter on the day of the Jewish Passover. The problem many Christians had with this was that the Jewish Passover (the 14th day of Nisan) didn’t always fall on a Sunday.

A decision was made in A.D. 325 at the First Ecumenical Council of Nicea that Christian churches would celebrate Easter Day on the Sunday after the first full moon that occurs on or after the spring equinox. That settled it, right? Wrong.

The difference now between the Western Church and Eastern Church is that the Eastern Orthodox Church chooses its Easter Day based on the older Julian Calendar while the Western Church celebrates Easter according the newer Gregorian calendar.

So, in the West and at Worship Anew, we’ll be recognizing Easter on March 31, and our Eastern brothers and sisters will be celebrating on Sunday, May 5.

As you celebrate the Resurrection of Our Lord, we pray that you might live every day with Easter joy!

FUN FACT
In the western church, Easter cannot be earlier than March 22 or later than April 25.

2025 — April 20
2026 — April 5
2027 — March 28
2028 — April 16
2029 — April 1
2030 — April 21