Why does the Easter celebration date change every year? Everyone’s page

KOMPAS.com – The celebration of Easter, the oldest Christian tradition, is the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, three days after being crucified.

However, each year, the celebration of Easter falls on a different date and it has always been a subject of controversy that has divided the Church to this day.

All four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) report the death of Jesus Christ on Passover, but each cites a different date.

John mentions that the interpolation took place on the Passover itself, the fourteenth day after the first month appeared at the starting point of spring, according to the Hebrew calendar.

But according to Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus was still enjoying the Paschal meal and was crucified a day later, on the fifteenth day after the appearance of the first month.

So, just a few generations after Jesus’ death, distinctions have emerged to commemorate his death and resurrection.

Also read: Easter 2017 is actually late, this is the explanation

How are Easter dates determined?

Sometimes Easter is celebrated at the end of March, but also at the end of April.

In 2021, Easter is celebrated on April 4, while in 2019, Easter falls on April 21. Easter will fall again in the third week of April 2038.

Easter always falls on the first Sunday after the full moon that follows the starting point of spring. But this full moon is not calculated based on modern astronomy.

For the purposes of calculating Easter, the equinox or first day of spring is always counted on March 21.

And for 2021, the first Sunday after March 21 is March 28, and therefore Easter falls on April 4.

With this calculation, based on the spring equinox on March 21, the fastest holy week could occur on March 22. This happened in 1818.
Computus calculations

The method for calculating the date of Easter is called ‘computus’, from the Latin word for calculation. This was a major problem in the Middle Ages and is still not resolved today.

Illustration of the cross of Jesus Christ. (Shutterstock)

Passover marks the date of Jesus’ death and resurrection, which according to the Gospels falls around the Jewish Passover.

As with Passover, the dates to mark the resurrection of Jesus are calculated using the lunar calendar or the lunar cycle. At that time, calculations based on the lunar cycle used a variety of methods.

Various Christian groups at that time did not agree on the date of the Resurrection celebration. Some celebrate Easter itself, others on Sundays.

This gets complicated.

Also read: History of Easter and its celebrations in Indonesia

In 325, Emperor Constantine organized a meeting of the Council of Nicea, the first council of the Christian Church. In addition to discussing other issues, the City Council wants to resolve the controversy over the date of Holy Week.

Then it was prescribed that all Christians should observe Passover on the first Sunday after the first month on or after the starting point of spring.

This problem had been solved, but various traditions still performed calculations in different ways.

In 2009, the issue was even discussed at the World Council of Churches, the World Council of Churches, with the suggestion that there should be a fixed date to solve the problem. But not all the churches agree.

So ever since, the question of establishing the most important date in the Christian calendar has continued, more than 2,000 years after all Christians believed and agreed that Jesus rose from the dead.