When Is Easter Sunday 2015? Why Does The Date Change Every Year?

When is Easter Sunday 2015? Why does the date change every year?

Everything you need to know about Easter 2015, from the dates of Good Friday and Easter weekend, to when the schools break up for Easter

Sarah Jeffery15:44, 28 Feb 2015Updated 15:44, 28 Feb 2015

When is Easter 2015?

Easter Sunday falls on 5 April this year, with Good Friday on 3 April, and Easter Monday on 6 April.

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So why does the date for Easter change every year?

Unlike a lot of Christian feast days, Easter does not have a fixed date.

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The feast 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.

Why does Easter move dates? Jonny Greatrex explains:

Revealed: How they work out when Easter is‌

Who decided when Easter should fall?

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.

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.

When do the schools break up for Easter holidays?

This year, the schools will break up quite late for Easter holidays, with the last day of term falling on Thursday 2 April.

The schools will go back on Monday 20 April.

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But they won't be back in for long; there's the May Day Bank holiday on Monday 4 May, then the schools break up again for summer half-term on Friday 22 May. There's more info about 2015 Bank Holidays here .

Find all our Easter stories plus ideas for things to do with the kids this Easter here.