Your Guide to International Celebrations
When is Easter?
Easter is the oldest and most important Christian holiday. It is the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus three days after his Crucifixion.
Easter is the Sunday after the annual Paschal Full Moon (PFM). The PFM is the the first ecclesiastical full moon of the northern spring.
The date of Easter is determined this way so that every Easter is celebrated during the same season and with the same relationship to the full moon that preceded His resurrection.
Easter Dates
| Year | Western Church (includes Catholic and Protestant) |
Eastern Orthodox Church (often includes Greek and Russian) |
| 2013 | March 31st | May 5th |
| 2014 | April 20th | April 20th |
| 2015 | April 5th | April 12th |
| 2016 | March 27th | May 1st |
| 2017 | April 16th | April 16th |
| 2018 | April 1st | April 8th |
| 2019 | April 21st | April 28th |
| 2020 | April 12th | April 19th |
Note: The two bodies of Churches use different calendars to calculate Easter. While the Western Churches use the modern Gregorian Calendar, the Eastern Churches tend to use the older Julian Calendar.
Other Christian Holidays