What Is a Paschal Full Moon? The Easter Moon Explained
Quick Reference: The Paschal Full Moon
- Definition: the first full moon on or after the spring equinox (March 21).
- Easter rule: Easter is the first Sunday after the Paschal Full Moon.
- Resulting Easter range: March 22 through April 25.
- 2026 Paschal Full Moon: April 2, 2026.
- 2026 Easter: Sunday, April 5, 2026.
- Origins: Council of Nicaea, 325 AD.
Easter doesn’t fall on a fixed date because the holiday was originally tied to the lunar calendar, the same calendar that governed Passover in the ancient Jewish tradition. The Paschal Full Moon is the key, the first full moon on or after the spring equinox. Easter is the first Sunday after that moon. Here is how the rule works and why Easter dates jump around so much year to year.
The Rule
The Council of Nicaea in 325 AD established the formula: Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon that falls on or after March 21 (the ecclesiastical spring equinox).
Note that ‘ecclesiastical’ is important. The church uses a fixed date of March 21 for the equinox, not the astronomical equinox (which can fall March 19, 20, or 21 depending on the year). The church also uses a calculated ‘ecclesiastical full moon’ that can differ by a day or two from the astronomical full moon. This means church Easter sometimes lands on a different Sunday than astronomical calculations would suggest.
Why the Date Varies So Much
Easter can fall anywhere from March 22 to April 25, a span of 35 days. This is because the lunar month (29.5 days) doesn’t fit neatly into the solar year. Some years the first full moon after the equinox is close to the equinox; some years it’s nearly a full month later.
Western Christian Easter (used by Catholic, Protestant, and most Anglican churches) and Eastern Orthodox Easter often fall on different Sundays because Orthodox tradition still uses the Julian calendar for Easter calculations.
When the Next Paschal Full Moons Are
Upcoming Paschal Full Moons:
- 2026: April 2 (Easter April 5).
- 2027: March 22 (Easter March 28).
- 2028: April 9 (Easter April 16).
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Easter move around?
Because Easter is tied to the Paschal Full Moon, which moves around the calendar. The lunar month (29.5 days) doesn’t fit neatly into the solar year.
Is the Paschal Full Moon the same as a regular full moon?
Yes, with a technical note. The church uses an ‘ecclesiastical full moon’ calculated from medieval tables, which can differ by a day or two from the astronomical full moon.
Why is Eastern Orthodox Easter on a different date?
Eastern Orthodox churches still use the Julian calendar for Easter calculations, which produces dates 1 to 5 weeks later than the Western (Gregorian) date.
When is Easter 2026?
Sunday, April 5, 2026. The Paschal Full Moon is April 2.
This article was published by the Staff at FarmersAlmanac.com. Any questions? Contact us at questions@farmersalmananac.com.
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In the article you state this “In 2025, the first full Moon of spring occurs on April 12”. This is Saturday. The article also states Easter thus falls on the first Sunday following the full moon. This should be the next day, April 13. So why is Easter on April 20? This contradicts what your article states.
Hi Gary, yes that would seem to be the case but the full Moon actually falls on Sunday the 13th of April based on UTC and GMT (European time) but on Saturday the 12th Eastern Time. Excellent observation and question. Heres’s a little more explanation:
The initial rule for Easter was set out at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD and did revolve around Moon phases, inasmuch as it was meant to commemorate an event that occurred on Jewish Passover while one of its contradictory aims was never to have Easter occur on the date of Passover. To accomplish those contradictory injunctions, the rule is much more complex than simply looking at the vernal equinox and the full Moon around it.
In any case, even if we were to use the rule,, we’d have the Full Moon at 00:22 on Sunday the 13th of April 2025 (based on UTC) or 01:22 (based on GMT). So, the next Sunday would be the 20th. Of course, time zones were invented in the late 1800s, so one can only guess they attempted to mimic Jerusalem local time. Even more complexity in the rule.
My sister skull was cut open from brain tumor. So now when the moon is full she feels the draw of the moon on that part of her head . It makes her sick .
Is there anything to use to stop or slow down that draw ?
Anything and any suggestions will help .
Thank you
Try a led shield the kind they use when taking x-ray pictures, maybe a hat could be made out of led. Not sure, just something I would try if I was in a similar situation.
Exact date,moon for the Easter
What time in Knoxville TN?
Hi Madalynn, the Moon for March was full on the 28th at 2:48 p.m. (Eastern). Here’s the full Moon schedule for 2021.
It’s interesting that you note how “Easter” is chosen as it relates the the “Passover” moon. Hmmm. Would love that the definition is how it relates to Passover, hence it’s name. 🙂
See if this makes it easier. Here is a Paschal Full Moon table for years 1900 thru 2199. Add 1 to the remainder obtained by dividing the year by 19, then apply the appropriate Paschal Full Moon date without regard to the actual full moon:
1- Apr 14. 6-Apr 18. 11-Mar 25. 16-Mar 30
2-Apr 3. 7-Apr 8. 12-Apr 13. 17-Apr 17
3-Mar 23. 8-Mar 28 13-Apr 2 18-Apr. 7
4-Apr 11. 9-Apr 16. 14-Mar 22 19-Mar 27
5-Mar 31. 10-Apr 5. 15-Apr 10
Easter is the Sunday following the applicable date. If this date is on a Sunday, Easter is the next Sunday. It should be pointed out that adjustments are needed for years before 1900 and after 2199.
The earliest Easter can fall is March 22nd This has occurred 4 times in the Gregorian Calendar; 1598, 1693, 1761, and 1818. With this table in effect, the earliest Easter occurs in the 20th, 21st, and 22nd centuries is March 23rd, in 1913, 2008, and 2160. The next year Easter occurs on March 22nd is 2285.
The latest is April 25th, which has also occurred in 4 Gregorian years, 1666, 1734, 1886, and 1943. The next year Easter occurs on April 25th is 2038, the next thereafter is 2190.
what tme? Live in Western Washington.
You do this country a great service by explaining old time history.
Thank you.
i found this very interesting, I didn’t know this about the full moon & Easter
and most of the information you shared about the full moon, I enjoyed it.
Thank you very much for sharing 🙂
An avid reader, Sherry.
Veronica, Not just because we want it to be, no. The date is set based on the Paschal full Moon, which is the first full moon after the Spring Equinox. It can come as early as March 22 or as late as April 25.