Easter Bunny

Easter fun!

Orthodox Easter Dates

Orthodox Easter Dates

What Day is Easter? The current Gregorian ecclesiastical rules that determine the date of Easter trace back to 325 CE at the First Council of Nicaea convened by the Roman Emperor Constantine. For more detail, see the description after the list. Orthodox Easter dates are as follows, dates when “Western” (Protestant and Catholic) Easter and “Greek Orthodox Easter” coincide are indiated below:

2008  April 27	    
2009  April 19
2010  April 4 (same)
2011  April 24 (same)
2012  April 15
2013  May 5
2014  April 20 (same)
2015  April 12 
2016  May 1
2017  April 16 (same)
2018  April 8
2019  April 28
2020  April 19
2021  May 2
2022  April 24
2023  April 16

The general statement is that Easter falls on the first Sunday following the first ecclesiastical full moon that occurs on or after the day of the vernal equinox; this particular ecclesiastical full moon is the 14th day of a tabular lunation (new moon); and the vernal equinox is fixed as March 21. The result is that Easter can never occur before March 22 or later than April 25.

Western Easter Orthodox Easter
15 April 1990 15 April 1990
31 March 1991 7 April 1991
19 April 1992 26 April 1992
11 April 1993 18 April 1993
3 April 1994 1 May 1994
16 April 1995 23 April 1995
7 April 1996 14 April 1996
30 March 1997 27 April 1997
12 April 1998 19 April 1998
4 April 1999 11 April 1999
23 April 2000 30 April 2000
15 April 2001 15 April 2001
31 March 2002 5 May 2002
20 April 2003 27 April 2003
11 April 2004 11 April 2004
27 March 2005 1 May 2005
16 April 2006 23 April 2006
8 April 2007 8 April 2007
23 March 2008 27 April 2008
12 April 2009 19 April 2009

References

When is Easter? For more detailed explanations on calculating the date of Easter, there are several resources

Easter Ham

 

Easter Ham

The custom of serving ham at Easter goes back as far as William the Conquerer. Some believe that ham became traditional because the pig is a symbol of prosperity in many cultures. Ingredients: 1 7 to 8 pound fully cooked smoked ham 1 cup maple syrup 2 tablespoons cider vinegar 1 tablespoon prepared mustard whole cloves How to Make Your Easter Ham Combine syrup, vinegar and mustard. Place ham, fat side up, on rack in shallow roasting pan. Pour about 1/2 cup mixture over ham and bake, uncovered, in a preheated 325 degree oven for 1-1/2 hours. Baste every 30 minutes with additional sauce. Remove ham from oven and score fat into diamond shapes. Insert a clove into each diamond. Bake ham an additional 30 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of meat registers 140 degrees. Let ham rest 15 minutes before carving. Makes 10 to 12 servings.