Easter

This past Easter weekend, I was wondering why Easter changes every year. Sometimes it's late March, sometimes it's late April, and sometimes it's anywhere in between.

After some research, I discovered how confusing and strange the determination really is. It turns out that Easter is celebrated the Sunday following the Paschal Full Moon day of the year. More specifically, the Paschal Full Moon is the Ecclesiastical Full Moon date after March 20.

Honestly, this explanation is so unfamiliar, that I question it's validity. (Maybe it's even some sort of late April Fool's Day prank). But it's so cool that these ancient traditions are still applicable to the Christian calendar in 2013.

However, that is actually only relevant to Western Christianity. The Eastern Orthodox tradition is focused on staying consistent with the originally established vernal equinox, and due to the error of the Julian Calendar, 13 days have accrued since the First Ecumenical Council of Nicea in 325 AD. Therefore, the Orthodox Easter cannot be celebrated before April 3 (the present day Gregorian calendar), which was March 21 in 325 AD. Orthodox Easter falls two weeks later than the Easter of Western Christianity.