As spring arrives in Canada, you’ll start seeing chocolate bunnies, colourful eggs, and perhaps a few confused classmates asking, “Wait, when is Easter this year?” For many international students, this holiday can feel like a mystery wrapped in a riddle.
Unlike fixed-date holidays, Easter moves around the calendar. But why? The answer lies in ancient traditions, lunar cycles, and a rule set over 1,700 years ago.
Here are 7 fascinating facts about Easter that might surprise you.
1. Easter is a “Movable Feast” Guided by the Moon
Easter doesn’t have a fixed date like Christmas or Canada Day. Instead, it is determined by the Moon. The holiday falls on the first Sunday after the Paschal Full Moon.
Because the lunar cycle is about 29.5 days long and doesn’t line up with our calendar months, Easter can occur anytime between March 22 and April 25. In 2026, that date is April 5.
2. The Date of Easter Was Decided in A.D. 325
Ever wondered who came up with this complicated system? In A.D. 325, the Council of Nicaea established a uniform method for calculating Easter. To simplify things, they fixed the spring equinox at March 21, even though the astronomical equinox can vary slightly from year to year.
This fixed date is known as the ecclesiastical equinox, and it’s used to determine the timing of the Paschal Full Moon.
3. The “Paschal” Full Moon is Named After Passover
You might hear the term Paschal Full Moon and wonder what it means. The word Paschal comes from Pascha, a Latin term derived from the Hebrew Pesach, meaning Passover.
This reflects the deep historical connection between Easter and the Jewish holiday of Passover. The Paschal Full Moon is specifically defined as the 14th day of a lunar month occurring on or after March 21.
4. Sometimes the Astronomical and Ecclesiastical Full Moons Don’t Match
Because the Church fixed the equinox on March 21, the “Paschal Full Moon” used to calculate Easter isn’t always the same as the astronomical Full Moon you see in the sky.
A famous example occurred in 2019. The astronomical spring equinox and a Full Moon both fell on March 20. However, since the Church’s equinox is March 21, that Full Moon didn’t count. Easter was instead celebrated after the next Full Moon, on April 21.
5. There’s a Secret Code Called the “Golden Number”
If you want to impress your friends, you can calculate the Golden Number, a traditional method used to predict Easter’s date. It represents a year’s position in a 19-year lunar cycle (called the Metonic cycle), after which the phases of the Moon repeat on roughly the same dates.
To find the Golden Number for any year:
- Add 1 to the year.
- Divide the result by 19.
- The remainder is the Golden Number. (If there’s no remainder, it’s 19.)
For 2026, the Golden Number is 13.
6. Easter Has Two Different Dates in Canada
If you have friends from different Christian backgrounds, you might notice they celebrate Easter on different Sundays. This is because many Eastern Orthodox churches follow the Julian calendar, rather than the Gregorian calendar used in Western Canada.
In 2026, while most Canadians celebrate Easter on April 5, Orthodox Easter falls on April 12. Occasionally, the two calendars align—the next time they will fall on the same day is in 2028.
7. The Origin of the Word “Easter” is a Mystery
While many languages use a variation of Pascha (like Pâques in French), the English word “Easter” has uncertain origins. Some historians trace it to Old English words associated with dawn or spring.
The Venerable Bede, an 8th-century monk, proposed that it derived from Eostre, an Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring and fertility. Regardless of its origins, today the name is synonymous across Canada with the arrival of warmer weather, chocolate eggs, and a celebration of renewal.
So, when you see your first chocolate bunny or hot cross bun in a Canadian grocery store this April, you’ll know there’s more to Easter than meets the eye. It’s a holiday where astronomy, ancient tradition, and the promise of spring all come together.
Happy Easter!
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Source: When Is Easter 2026? Why Does the Date Change? | The Old Farmer’s Almanac
