Easter most generally falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon occurring on or after the vernal equinox. The 2018 equinox came on March 20, marking an unofficial beginning of spring for the Northern Hemisphere. The first full moon after the March equinox comes on Saturday, March 31. Voila. In 2018, Easter Sunday is the following day, April 1.
The Council of Nicaea – first ecumenical council of the Christian church – established the date of Easter when it met in Turkey in the year 325 CE. By ecclesiastical rules set centuries ago, there are 35 dates on which Easter can take place. The earliest possible date for Easter is March 22 and the latest possible date is April 25.
2018 doesn’t hold a record for the earliest possible Easter. The earliest Easter in the 21st century came in the year 2008 (March 23, 2008). Another March 23 Easter won’t come again until the year 2160.
The last time Easter fell on March 22 (earliest possible date) was in 1818, and the next time will be in 2285. The most recent time an Easter came in March was March 27, 2016.
The century’s latest Easter will occur in the year 2038 (April 25, 2038). After that, it will next fall on April 25 in the year 2190.
More dates at http://tlarsen2.tripod.com/thomaslarsen/easterdates.html
Easter can never come as early as March 21 because, by ecclesiastical rules, the vernal equinox is fixed on March 21. That’s in spite of the fact that in the 21st century (2001 to 2100) every March equinox after the year 2007 will fall on March 19 or March 20.
Moreover, an ecclesiastical full moon does not necessarily happen at the same time as an astronomical full moon. Therefore, it’s possible for an ecclesiastical Easter and an astronomical Easter to occur on different dates.
Next year, in 2019, the full moon will come on March 21, 2019 (after the spring equinox). Yet, the ecclesiastical Easter will fall on April 21, 2019, whereas the astronomical Easter will take place March 24, 2019.
Bottom line: How the date of Easter is determined, and some dates of earliest and latest Easters. Happy Easter to all who celebrate it!
Bob Vander Plaats is the president and CEO of The Family Leader, a social conservative organization, and a former national co-chair for Ted Cruz for President. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his.
(CNN) In the past week, both Erin Burnett of CNN and Katy Tur of MSNBC have engaged in a national conversation about evangelicals and forgiving a most controversial subject: Donald Trump.
Bob Vander Plaats
While there is value in these discussions, there is danger in looking at forgiveness and faith through the lens of politics. As we head into Easter weekend, I want us to look higher than headlines -- to look through God's eyes, rather than our own.
For God doesn't look at us like we look at each other, doesn't judge as we judge, and isn't swayed by politics. The Bible insists that God holds us all to the same standard: his own perfection. And against that standard, we all sin and fall short of his glory. None of us is righteous. None of us has merited his favor, and we all deserve his judgment. Worse yet, the Bible says, the judgment for our sin is death.
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A little over indulgence on Easter Sunday is pretty much unavoidable, but you could be devouring more than you think.
An investigation by Wren kitchens has revealed the unhealthiest Easter snacks on the market with whopping calorie counts and sky high sugar content.
And with many Easter treats containing chocolate treats as well as an egg devouring them in one sitting could add up.
An investigation from Wren Kitchens has revealed the unhealthiest chocolate treats on sale this Easter
In fact one indulgent treat recommended to children amounts to a shocking 5,500 calories if completely devoured.
The kitchen supplier analysed over 27 popular treats. Here we reveal some of the worst offenders...
While it may resemble a superfood the Waitrose dark chocolate avocado contains 1,620 calories in total
WAITROSE DARK CHOCOLATE AVOCADO
Calories: 1,620kcal
Sugar: 89g
Fat: 114g
This has been the Easter egg of the season with the quirky chocolate treat now completely sold out.
However, while it may resemble a superfood this is one of the highest calorie Easter offerings with 162 calories per 25g serving and a total of 1,620 calories in total.
Although, as the egg is dark chocolate it comes in with the lowest sugar contents per serving at just under 9g per serving.
Devouring an entire Giant Golden Bunny from Lindt would amount to 5,500 calories
LINDT GIANT GOLDEN BUNNY
Calories: 5,500kcal
Sugar: 550g
Fat: 330g
The Lindt Golden Bunny is a favourite among families at Easter and this 1kg version is recommended as the top choice for children by Good Housekeeping.
However, if a little one was to tackle the entirety of the bunny they would be consuming no less than 5,500 calories - over three times the recommended daily amount for children age 5-10 at 1,800.
The Rolo Medium Easter Egg contains a chocolate egg as well as namesake sweet and comes in at 720 calories
ROLO MEDIUM EASTER EGG
Calories: 720kcal
Sugar: 84g
Fat: 38g
Wren points out that even the average size Easter egg can cause havoc when it comes to calorie counting.
The Rolo egg includes a hollow milk chocolate egg as the namesake sweet.
Packing the box away completely would amount to 720 calories, almost half a woman's GDA and includes 84g of sugar and 38g of fat.
Eating an entire Snickers egg would also result in 147g of sugar, almost six times the GDA for adults and 78g of fat
SNICKERS EASTER EGG
Calories: 1,429
Sugar: 147g
Fat: 78g
A standard Snickers egg includes two of the peanut, caramel and nougat bars amounting to 1,429 calories.
Eating the whole thing would also result in 147g of sugar, almost six times the GDA for adults and 78g of fat.
CADBURY MINI EGGS MEDIUM EASTER EGG
Calories: 696kcal
Sugar: 78g
Fat: 63g
With an egg and just one packet of mini eggs the calorie content of this treat may seem relatively low at 696 calories, however, it lets itself down elsewhere.
This egg was found to have the highest fat content at over 12g of fat per 25g serving and 63g in total.
Wolfing down the milk chocolate egg which contains chopped nuts as well as the chocolate bar included amounts to almost 3,000 calories
DAIRY MILK CHOPPED NUT EGG
Calories: 2,977kcal
Sugar: 285g
Fat: 180g
We know that nuts are high in calorie and they certainly help to bump up the calorie count in this egg.
Wolfing down the milk chocolate egg which contains chopped nuts as well as the chocolate bar included amounts to almost 3,000 calories - well over the GDA for women.
The overall sugar and fat content is also sky high for this treat, so best to avoid eating in one sitting.
There are many ways you could celebrate spring and Easter, as far as cooking and eating goes. Brunch is one option: With a no-cook crab cocktail, custardy bread puddings and vegan waffles that taste like carrot cake (and mimosas, obviously). There’s also the classic duo of ham and potatoes. But when Easter sneaks up on us and feels a little earlier than normal, we opt for a menu that’s a little less complicated, with a few things we can make a day ahead and a few others that come together in a snap.
Lamb Chops With Scallions in a Cola Glaze, above. Featuring a little magic in the form of Coca-Cola*, which reduces to a sticky, not-too-sweet glaze that’s accented with some anise seed and scallions. (Save the scallion greens to make your own vegetable broth.) Note: If the lamb chops you find are on the larger side, like ours were when we recently made it, plan on one chop per serving, for a total of four (rather than eight). Make them just before serving, preferably — they only take about 30 minutes, including prep time.
*Yes, you can use Pepsi. No, sorry, you cannot use diet.
(Deb Lindsey for The Washington Post)
Braised Potatoes With Bay Leaves and Garlic. A clever way to cook small red or white potatoes: They become very flavorful, fragrant and tender as they cook in a covered pot with some liquid (a cooking technique known as braising). You can make these a day ahead, too — they’ll taste even better when reheated in a skillet.
(Deb Lindsey for The Washington Post)
Spring Polenta With Radishes. Are you tired of polenta yet? We hope not, because here’s another tasty way to serve it: topped with fresh springy vegetables, cooked until they’re just crisp-tender and some chickpeas for a little extra protein boost. (This dish would make a good main for vegetarians.) If you can’t find garlic scapes or green garlic, use chives or scallions; you can also substitute broccoli florets for the broccolini. (But in that case, we might add some sliced kale or mustard greens, just to lend a slight bitter note.) If you want to make this ahead of time, know that the polenta will thicken significantly as it cools — you can thin it out with some extra liquid as you reheat it in a pot, or embrace the firmness and cut it into slabs, drizzle them with oil and bake until crusty.
(Deb Lindsey for The Washington Post)
Orange + Radish Salad With Olive Dressing. This quick and beautiful salad will make your Easter spread really pop. (It would be even more lovely served atop a pile of tender greens.)
(Renee Comet for The Washington Post)
Sunrise Granita. Cheery, sunny and made in advance, this is a light dessert that’ll help balance out all the chocolate bunnies and jelly beans you’ll be snacking on. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, or drop a few spoonfuls into glasses of sparkling wine.
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