Each spring, folks begin asking a familiar question: “When is Easter this year?”

Unlike Christmas, which is fixed on December 25, Easter is on a flexible date—it can fall as early as March 22 or as late as April 25. In 2024, we celebrated Easter on March 31. This year, it arrives on April 20. Next year, it will be April 5. Why the variation?

The date of Easter is not based on the historical anniversary of the resurrection, but rather on a formula tied to the cycles of the moon and the spring equinox. But why?

This very question stirred considerable controversy in the early church. In the middle of the second century, a dispute arose between Christian leaders in Rome and those in Asia Minor over the correct date for Easter. Churches in the East celebrated Easter based on the timing of the Jewish Passover, regardless of the day of the week. Meanwhile, churches in the West believed it should always be observed on a Sunday—the day Jesus rose from the dead.

The debate came to a head when Bishop Polycarp of Smyrna, a disciple of the apostle John, met with Bishop Anicetus of Rome. Though both leaders held deep respect for one another, they could not reconcile their positions. Each continued to celebrate Easter according to his own tradition. Eventually, the controversy escalated to the point where Bishop Victor of Rome excommunicated those who refused to adopt Sunday as the proper day of celebration.

It wasn’t until the Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325, convened by Emperor Constantine, that a standardized formula was adopted: Easter would be observed on the first Sunday following the first full moon on or after March 21 (the approximate date of the spring equinox). This formula is still in use today, tying Easter to both the lunar calendar and the rhythm of spring.

The connection to Passover is not accidental. Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with his disciples during Passover, and his crucifixion and resurrection occurred within that sacred week. The lunar basis of the Easter calendar is a theological reminder of Christianity’s Jewish roots and of God’s redemptive timeline in history.

Even the name “Easter” has curious origins. While the term itself is thought to derive from a pre-Christian spring festival—possibly named for the Teutonic goddess Ēostre—it was reclaimed by the early church as a name for the highest holy day in the Christian faith: the celebration of Christ’s resurrection.

So whether Easter arrives in late March or late April, its timing reminds us that resurrection does not operate on a fixed human schedule. It breaks through at just the right time—according to divine rhythm—not just to mark a date on the calendar, but to awaken new life in our hearts.

Theologian and author N.T. Wright puts it well:

“The message of Easter is that God’s new world has been unveiled in Jesus Christ—and that you’re now invited to belong to it.”

(Barry Howard is a retired pastor who currently serves as a leadership coach with the Center for Healthy Churches. He and his wife reside on Cove Lake in northeast Alabama.)