This year, Easter falls even earlier than it did in 2023.
Last year, Easter, the Christian celebration of Jesus Christ’s resurrection three days after he was crucified by the Romans around 30 A.D., fell on April 9. This year, Easter falls on March 31.
But why does the date of Easter change every year?
According to the United Methodist Church, in 325 A.D., the Council of Nicaea --- the first council in the history of the Christian church that was intended to address the entire group of Christians --- set the date for the celebration of Easter.
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The members of the council decided Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox.
The spring equinox is when the sun moves north across the celestial equator --- the projection of the Earth’s equator into space to see where everything in space falls in relation to the Earth’s center.
For this reason, the date changes each year and can fall anywhere from March 22 to April 25.
