When Is Easter?
Easter 2027 is on Sunday, March 28 — in 143 days. It is always the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after March 21.
Updated · By the YearlyCalendar.org team
Easter Sunday celebrates the resurrection of Jesus and is the principal feast of the Christian year. Its date moves every year: in Western churches it falls between March 22 and April 25.
March 2027 calendar
Easter is marked on Sunday, March 28, 2027, along with the other US federal holidays and observances of the month.
- Federal holiday / day off
- Observance
- Weekend
March 2027 – Easter 2027
| Wk | SundaySun | MondayMon | TuesdayTue | WednesdayWed | ThursdayThu | FridayFri | SaturdaySat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 10 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| 11 | 14Daylight saving time begins | 15 | 16 | 17St. Patrick's Day | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 12 | 21Palm Sunday | 22 | 23Purim | 24 | 25 | 26Good Friday | 27 |
| 13 | 28Easter Sunday | 29 | 30 | 31 |
Easter dates 2020–2040
Between 2020 and 2040, Easter falls as early as March 25 (2035) and as late as April 25 (2038). It is always a Sunday.
How the date of Easter is calculated
The Council of Nicaea (325) decided that all Christians should keep Easter on the same Sunday. Its decree does not survive, and methods of calculation differed for centuries. Western churches now use this rule:
- Take March 21 as the fixed date of the spring equinox.
- Find the Paschal full moon: the first full moon on or after March 21. It is an “ecclesiastical” full moon taken from church tables based on the 19-year lunar cycle, not the observed Moon, so it can differ from the astronomical full moon by a day or two.
- Easter is the next Sunday after that full moon. If the full moon falls on a Sunday, Easter is a week later.
The Paschal full moon falls between March 21 and April 18. That gives the range: Easter is March 22 when the full moon is on Saturday, March 21 (last in 1818, next in 2285), and April 25 when it is on Sunday, April 18 (last in 1943, next in 2038). The tables in use today come from the Gregorian reform of 1582: Aloysius Lilius devised the system, and Christopher Clavius completed it for a commission of Pope Gregory XIII.
Western and Orthodox Easter
Eastern Orthodox churches use the same rule but with the Julian calendar, so their Easter falls on the same day as the Western date or one, four or five weeks later.
| Year | Western Easter | Orthodox Easter | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | 5 weeks later | ||
| 2028 | Same day | ||
| 2029 | 1 week later | ||
| 2030 | 1 week later | ||
| 2031 | Same day | ||
| 2032 | 5 weeks later | ||
| 2033 | 1 week later | ||
| 2034 | Same day | ||
| 2035 | 5 weeks later | ||
| 2036 | 1 week later |
Easter Monday
The White House Easter Egg Roll was first held at the White House on Easter Monday in 1878, under President Rutherford B. Hayes. Elsewhere Easter Monday is often a public holiday:
- UK: Good Friday is a bank holiday everywhere; Easter Monday everywhere except Scotland.
- Canada: Good Friday is a statutory holiday (in Quebec, employers may give Easter Monday instead); Easter Monday is a paid holiday for federal public servants.
- Australia: Good Friday and Easter Monday are public holidays in every state and territory.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
When is Easter 2028?
Easter 2028 is on Sunday, April 16, 2028.
Is Easter a federal holiday?
No. Easter always falls on a Sunday and is not a federal holiday. Good Friday, two days earlier, closes the NYSE and Nasdaq but not federal offices.
Is Easter Monday a holiday in the US?
No. It is not a federal holiday; federal offices, post offices and banks keep normal hours.