Sunday, April 20, marks Easter, one of the holiest days in the Christian calendar, revered by millions around the globe. This significant holiday commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ, a pivotal event in Christian belief that signifies hope and renewal. Easter falls at the conclusion of Holy Week, a period that begins with Palm Sunday and culminates on Holy Saturday, encompassing seven days of reflection and observance leading up to Easter Sunday itself.

Easter is a moveable feast, meaning it does not have a fixed date; rather, it is determined by the lunar calendar. Specifically, according to the current ecclesiastical approximation, Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday following the first full moon that occurs on or after the vernal equinox, which typically falls around March 21. As a result, the date of Easter can vary each year, falling anywhere between March 22 and April 25.

This year, eager Christians worldwide will celebrate on April 20. The historical significance of Easter's timing is steeped in tradition and scripture. The earliest Christians faced a dilemma in determining the appropriate day for Easter celebration. According to the Royal Museums Greenwich in London, by the 8th century AD, no consensus existed regarding how to calculate Easter's date.

Many believe that the choice of Sunday for Easter is directly rooted in the Gospels, where it is noted that Jesus was resurrected on the first day of the week, which is Sunday. Matthew Easter, an associate professor of biblical studies at Missouri Baptist University, elaborates that the consensus to celebrate Easter on Sunday was not simply a straightforward decision. He notes, "Easter in the Gospels is connected to the Jewish Passover, and Passover can vary within the Jewish calendar, which complicates the celebration of Easter. In the early Christian communities in Asia Minor, present-day Turkey, there were groups that celebrated Easter on the same day as Passover, which meant it did not have to necessarily fall on a Sunday." This led to a significant debate among early Christians regarding the proper day for Easter observance.

According to biblical texts, Passover is celebrated on the 14th of Nissan, a month in the Jewish calendar that aligns with the months of March and April in the civil calendar. As Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire, it became increasingly formalized that Easter would be celebrated on a Sunday.

In approximately 190 AD, Bishop Victor of Rome issued a decree mandating that all Christians should celebrate Easter exclusively on a Sunday. Those who continued to observe Easter on Passover, notably the communities in Asia Minor, were threatened with excommunication, although Bishop Victor later softened this stance. The definitive establishment of Easter Sunday occurred in 325 AD during the Council of Nicaea, convened by the Roman Emperor Constantine. This council affirmed that Easter should be observed on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox, a formula that has remained in place for centuries.

Since that time, the method established by the Council of Nicaea has gradually become the widely accepted calculation for determining Easters date. Consequently, the tradition of celebrating Easter on a Sunday in either March or April continues to endure in the Christian faith, symbolizing not only the resurrection of Christ but also the promise of new life and hope for believers everywhere.