When Is Easter 2018? And Why Is It On A Different Day Every Year ...

When is Easter 2018? And why is it on a different day every year? Dates for Easter Sunday, Good Friday and bank holiday Monday

Essential dates for the Easter bank holiday weekend, Easter Sunday, Good Friday and Lent

CommentsWhat's OnEmily Martin12:00, 04 Jan 2018Updated 14:32, 13 Feb 2018The history behind Easter‌

Easter eggs have been in the shops since Boxing Day, which makes us wonder not only if it is socially acceptable to enjoy a Cadbury Creme Egg this early but also what day the holiday lands on this year.

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Adults are looking forward to some roast lamb and family time, while kids everywhere - including those in Cambridge - are excited to get their hands all those chocolate Easter eggs they've been eyeing up.

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We know when Valentine's Day is, and when our parents' birthdays are (more or less), but what about Easter Sunday, Easter Monday and Good Friday?

There's no fixed date.

And that can be an issue.

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When is Easter 2018?

These are the all important dates for your Easter Bank Holiday weekend.

When is Easter 2018?

This year Easter Sunday falls on Sunday, April 1.

Good Friday will fall on March 30.

And Easter Monday (Bank Holiday) on April 2.

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Why does Easter fall on a different day each year?

Unlike the majority of Christian holidays, Easter does not have a fixed date.

The feast day is based on the lunar calendar, so Easter is scheduled to fall on the Sunday that follows the full moon on or after March 21, also known as the Spring Equinox.

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So, in Western Christianity, Easter will always fall between 22 March and 25 April.

A council of Christian bishops was convened by Roman Emperor Constantine I in AD 325, the First Council of Nicea, in order to make decisions about several Christian topics.

It was decided at this council that Easter Day should fall on the first full moon after the Spring Equinox, and that it should always fall on a Sunday to represent the day of Christ's Resurrection.

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The paschal full moon was chosen as a basis, as this coincides with the date of Passover on the Jewish calendar. As such, Easter is set as the Sunday following Passover.

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As the paschal full moon can occur on different dates in different time zones, it has been decided by the Church that, for the purposes of scheduling Easter, the Spring Equinox should be fixed to the 14th day of the lunar month.

READ MORE: The best places in Cambridge to go for your Easter roast dinner

This year, Good Friday is March 30, making Easter Sunday April 1 and April 2 a bank holiday.

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A version of this story first appeared in Coventry Telegraph .