Tip of the Week - The Scoop on Why Easter is So Early this Year!

It seems hard to believe that Easter will be celebrated on Sunday, March 23rd this year!  In my part of the world, winter is still in the air and spring flowers are definitely not blooming anytime soon!  So just how did this happen?

Unlike Christmas, the date that Easter is observed changes each year, following the same lunar calendar that the Hebrews used to identify Passover.  There were proposals to fix the date of Easter, but back in 325 AD, church leaders decided to keep Easter linked to Passover, giving rise to changing dates.  And so, Easter is always the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon following the Spring Equinox, which falls on March 20th in 2008. 

This Easter is also the earliest that any of us will see during our lifetime.  The next time that Easter will fall on March 23rd will be in the year 2228 and the last time that Easter fell on the 23rd was in 1913, so unless you are 95 or older, you’ve never experienced this untimely occurrence!  And believe it or not, March 23rd isn’t the earliest that Easter can occur – the truly earliest date is March 22nd, which is even rarer!  The next time that Easter will be on March 22nd will be in the year 2285 and the last time that it was observed on this date was in 1818. 

I hope that this tip answers your questions about Easter this year!  And even though the weather might not be cooperating, I’m still hoping for a traditional Easter celebration at my house!

Busy Bee has lots of ideas for vintage Easter decorating, fabulous egg hunts, uniquely filled baskets and updated celebration ideas!  Take a look today and enliven your Easter festivities!

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