3.23.2008

Happy Easter!

A little Easter trivia passed on to me by my mother ...

Easter is early this year.

Easter is always the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox (which is March 20). This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that Hebrew people used to identify Passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar. (Although Easter was celebrated as early as the Second Century, in 325 the Council of Nicea decided on the above formula for setting the date of Easter.)

Based on the above information, Easter can actually be one day earlier (March 22), though that is rare.

This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives. And only the most elderly of our population have ever seen it this early (95 years old and older). And none of us have ever, or
will ever, see it a day earlier.

The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from
now). The last time it was this early was 1913.

The next time it will be a day earlier, March 22, will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now). The
last time it was on March 22 was 1818.

So, no one alive today has or will ever see it any earlier than this year.
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I got this one from an office cohort: The Ultimate Peep Show ...


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Finally, This comes from my aunt ...

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