Easter Birthday

I share my birthday with Easter this year. This is only the second time in my lifetime that Easter has fallen on April 12. It seemed odd to me that in 29 years Easter has fallen on my birthday only twice; so I did some research as to what other years Easter has been celebrated on April 12.

The first time I shared my birthday with Easter was in 1998. Prior to that, the last time Easter fell on April 12 was in 1936. After this year, the next time Easter will be on my birthday is in the year 2020; after that, 2093. What a strange series of years; 1936, 1998, 2009, 2020, 2093. With no apparent rhyme or reason as to the date Easter falls, I was intrigued to find out how the date of Easter is determined.

I did some research and found that in Western Christianity, Easter is always celebrated on the Sunday following the Paschal Full Moon. Oh, okay...what's the Paschal Full Moon? The Paschal Full Moon is the first moon whose 14th day (the ecclesiastic "full moon") is on or after March 21 (the ecclesiastic "vernal equinox").

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So there it was, I had my answer. I found it peculiar that the timing of this Christian holiday was based on a full moon, but that's another post. At least I had my answer, and I know I won't be sharing my birthday with Easter again until I am 40. Now that's something to look forward to.