Why are the dates for Easter always changing?

[Ricky Spanish]

Why don't they do the same for Christmas so that it always falls on a weekend?

[jeremyp]

Why don't they do the same for Christmas so that it always falls on a weekend?

The date of Christmas is determined by the Winter Solstice but Easter used to track the Jewish Passover whose date is set by the Hebrew calendar which was based on lunar cycles.

[Ricky Spanish]

So Christians have never mourned the death of their christ, just the death of certain Egyptians?

[Ricky Spanish]

Christians do realise that Jesus was executed on a certain day, which is the one they should celebrate.

[ProfessorDavey]

Christians do realise that Jesus was executed on a certain day, which is the one they should celebrate.

I think they actually celebrate the day when they think he was resurrected - but I get the point.

[Hope]

We had a 6-page discussion on this same topic earlier this year - http://www.religionethics.co.uk/index.php?topic=11449.msg583296#msg583296

[jeremyp]

So Christians have never mourned the death of their christ, just the death of certain Egyptians?

Perhaps you are not aware but the story of Jesus' death and resurrection is set during Passover. There's no suggestion that it has anything to do with Egypt except insofar as Passover has a retconned origin in Egypt.

[Spud]

The date of Christmas is determined by the Winter Solstice but Easter used to track the Jewish Passover whose date is set by the Hebrew calendar which was based on lunar cycles.

Passover is at the full moon after the first new moon following the spring equinox. So for instance, the reason it was on April 22 this year and not the March full moon is that the March new moon was before the spring equinox. Interesting that winter still doesn't seem to have completely finished. I wonder if it's just a coincidence that Passover is so late or if there is some link between the phases of the moon and the timing of the seasons?

[Shaker]

Passover is at the full moon after the first new moon following the spring equinox. So for instance, the reason it was on April 22 this year and not the March full moon is that the March new moon was before the spring equinox.

Nice stuff.

What decides the spring equinox?

[Spud]

Nice stuff.

What decides the spring equinox?

Like the winter solstice, it's determined by the elevation of the sun in the sky.

[jeremyp]

Like the winter solstice, it's determined by the elevation of the sun in the sky.

The Earth goes round the Sun on a certain plane. The Earth's axis is tilted relative to the plane. The solstices are determined by the day on which either the North pole or the South pole tilts directly towards the Sun.  The equinoxes are determined by when the axis is tilted at right angles to the direction of the Sun.

The Moon has virtually nothing to do with when the seasons are.

[Humph Warden Bennett]

Passover is at the full moon after the first new moon following the spring equinox. So for instance, the reason it was on April 22 this year and not the March full moon is that the March new moon was before the spring equinox. Interesting that winter still doesn't seem to have completely finished. I wonder if it's just a coincidence that Passover is so late or if there is some link between the phases of the moon and the timing of the seasons?

FTR The Orthodox Easter this year is 1st May.

[ippy]

We had a 6-page discussion on this same topic earlier this year - http://www.religionethics.co.uk/index.php?topic=11449.msg583296#msg583296

What a worthwhile way of spending some precious time, I'm impressed.

ippy

[jeremyp]

FTR The Orthodox Easter this year is 1st May.

And the actual Passover is this week.