Have you ever wondered why Easter Sunday can fall anywhere between March 22nd and April 25th? The date for the Easter celebration is computed by the church with the help of astrology. It is dependent on the cycle of the moon thus making it a movable celebration. In 325 A.D., the Council of Nicaea set the date of Easter as the Sunday following the Paschal Full Moon. Simply put, Easter is determined to be the first Sunday after the first Full Moon following the Spring Equinox. So for this year’s example, the Spring Equinox when the Sun moves into Aries was on March 20th. The Moon was full in the sign of Libra (Aries’ opposite sign) on April 11th. The Sunday following the Full Moon this year takes place on the 16th of April. Therefore, Easter in 2017 is tomorrow, April 16th.
Here are some Easter fun facts:
- The exchange of eggs for Easter dates back to a springtime custom older than Easter itself in which eggs were given as a symbol of rebirth in many cultures.
- After Halloween, Easter is the biggest candy consuming holiday.
- The first Easter basket was given the appearance of a bird's nest.
- Per the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest Easter egg made to date, was just over 25-ft high and was made of chocolate and marshmallow. It weighed 8,968 lbs. and was supported by an internal steel frame.
- Eggs, lilies, crosses, bunnies and lambs are the most popular symbols of Easter.
- In the old days pretzels were associated with Easter because the twists of the pretzel were thought to resemble arms crossing in prayer.
- Solving murder mysteries is very popular in Norway during Easter.
- Americans consume over 16 million jellybeans on Easter, enough to circle the globe three times over.
Happy Easter!