How to calculate the date of Easter
Having calculated the date of Easter, you will be able to plan your actions in preparation for this holiday in advance. In this article, we will consider several issues related to the correct calculation of the date of Easter.
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Easter and lunar calendar
Easter date depends on the lunar and solar calendars. Moreover, it is according to the lunar calendar that Easter happens at one specific time, and according to the solar calendar - within 35 days. Many people calculate the date of Easter according to special algorithms and tables, since in order to determine the date of Easter according to the lunar and solar calendars, certain knowledge is required. It is much easier to compute a date using the simplest mathematical operations.
How to calculate Easter for 2016
In 2016 Easter will be celebrated on May 1st.
It is from Easter that all other holidays in the Orthodox calendar are calculated.
Every year Easter is calculated according to the same algorithm: "Easter is celebrated on the Sunday following the first spring full moon, and it is forbidden to celebrate Easter with the Jews."
On the basis of this rule, as well as the nineteen-year "Metonian" cycle of recurrence of the lunar phases in the Julian calendar, the Easter tables (Easter) were compiled, according to which the time of the celebration of Easter is determined. The dates for Easter are cyclically repeated every 532 years (Great Indication).
How to calculate Easter for 2017
In 2017 we will have Easter on April 16th. It is very easy to calculate this.
It is enough to count 40 days from the day of Shrovetide. Exactly on this day, the Easter holiday begins.
In 2017, on March 7, we will see off the winter, and on April 16, we will bake Easter cakes.
How to calculate Easter day in any year
Easter dates usually vary between April 4th and 9th, although there may be exceptions.
To calculate the Orthodox holiday, refer to the data of both the lunar and solar calendar. That being said, there is an easier way to calculate the date of Easter.
To do this, you need to calculate the following data.
- The numerical value of the current year must be divided by 7, write down the remainder, since there will be too many numbers to remember.
- The numerical value of the year must be divided by 19, and the remainder must be written down.
- Then divide the numerical value of the current year by 4 and also write down the remainder.
After that, we work with the recorded residues.
- The second remainder must be multiplied by 19.
- Divide the resulting figure by 30. It turns out the remainder, which needs to be fixed.
- Now we multiply the third remainder by 2.
- And multiply the first remainder by 4.
- The last remainder is multiplied by 6.
- Next, you need to add up all the results and add 6.
- Add up the results and add 6.
- Divide the resulting number by 7, calculate the remainder.
- To determine the exact date, you need to add the fourth and fifth remainder and subtract 9 from the resulting date.
Such a scheme helps to calculate the exact date of Easter without resorting to calendar data.
How is Catholic Easter calculated?
Easter is a very important holiday for Catholics. On this date, bright performances and festivities take place.
Once upon a time, Catholics celebrated this holiday together with Christians on the same day. This happened according to the Julian calendar, but from the 16th century the Julian style was replaced by the Gregorian one. And Russia kept the old calendar, and now the dates of Catholic and Orthodox Easter are calculated according to different calendars, but at the same time, the dates coincide regularly, once every 3-4 years. There is a whole complex algorithm for calculating Catholic Easter, although in religious publications you can always easily find the date of Easter for the current year.
How the date of Easter was calculated earlier
Previously, the date of the holiday was calculated according to the following principle: "Easter falls on the first Sunday after the spring full moon." The spring full moon is, accordingly, the full moon that follows the spring equinox.
The full moon came before March 21 (the day of the vernal equinox), the next full moon was considered Easter. And if the Easter full moon falls on a Sunday, then Easter is celebrated the next Sunday.
You can always find out the date of Easter several years in advance. You do not need to calculate the date of Easter yourself, especially since with your own calculations there is a high probability of making mistakes, which means that the date of Easter will be calculated incorrectly.
