If you’ve ever noticed that Easter can land anywhere from late March to late April, you’re already aware that it’s a moving target. In 2026, Easter Sunday falls on April 5, according to the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (German national metrology institute). The reason involves the moon, an equinox, and a formula that dates back centuries—here’s how it all fits together.

4 related posts

Easter Sunday 2026: April 5 ·
Good Friday 2026: April 3 ·
Easter Date Range: March 22 – April 25

Quick snapshot

1Confirmed facts
2What’s unclear
  • Whether April 5 is considered “late” is subjective; the official rule is fixed.
  • Minor time-zone variations in the Paschal full moon do not affect the ecclesiastical date.
3Timeline signal
4What’s next

Seven key dates define the 2026 Easter timeline, one pattern: the holiday’s date is locked to the moon’s phase after the spring equinox.

Event Date (2026)
Easter Sunday April 5
Good Friday April 3
Easter Monday April 6
Vernal Equinox March 20
Paschal Full Moon (ecclesiastical) March 29
Earliest Possible Easter March 22
Latest Possible Easter April 25

What day is Easter on every year?

The March 22 to April 25 Window

Easter always falls on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25 in the Gregorian calendar. That 35-day window is set by the The Old Farmer’s Almanac (annual reference publication), which states that Easter cannot occur outside those bounds. The date is the first Sunday after the first full moon that occurs on or after the vernal equinox—taken as March 21 in the ecclesiastical rule.

The Computus Calculation

The formula used to determine Easter is called the computus, a Latin term for “computation.” Western Christians use the Gregorian computus, while Eastern Orthodox churches use the Julian calendar, which often places Easter on a different Sunday. For 2026, the Wikipedia (online encyclopedia) confirms that the Western date is April 5, while Orthodox Easter is April 12.

Bottom line: Easter’s date is not random—it’s a lunar calendar relic that still governs the rhythm of billions. For Western Christians, the window is March 22–April 25; for the Orthodox, the date often shifts because of the Julian calendar.

When Is Easter 2026?

Easter Sunday: April 5, 2026

Easter Sunday 2026 is April 5, as confirmed by multiple authoritative sources. The Easter calculation rules are consistent across all Western churches.

Good Friday: April 3, 2026

Good Friday always falls on the Friday before Easter Sunday. In 2026, that is April 3. The Catholic app and resource Hallow publishes the full Holy Week schedule, confirming April 3 for Good Friday.

Easter Monday: April 6, 2026

Easter Monday is the day after Easter Sunday. In 2026, it falls on April 6. Many countries observe Easter Monday as a public holiday, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and most of the European Union.

What this means

For 2026, the long weekend of Good Friday through Easter Monday runs from April 3 to April 6—a four-day stretch that aligns with the second weekend of April. Anyone planning spring travel or holidays should mark those dates now.

What dates are Good Friday and Easter Monday in 2026?

Good Friday 2026: April 3

Good Friday is the Friday immediately preceding Easter Sunday. In 2026, that’s April 3. The date is confirmed by Good Friday 2026 resources and also by Hallow, which lists Palm Sunday on March 29 and Holy Thursday on April 2.

Easter Monday 2026: April 6

Easter Monday is the Monday after Easter Sunday. In 2026, it falls on April 6. According to Forbes, Easter Monday is a public holiday in many nations, including Ireland, the UK, and European countries.

The pattern: Good Friday and Easter Monday flank Easter Sunday, creating a fixed three-day relationship. In 2026, that means April 3, April 5, and April 6 are the key dates for anyone observing Holy Week.

Why is Easter so late this year, 2026?

The Paschal Full Moon in 2026

Easter’s date depends on the Paschal full moon—the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox. In 2026, the vernal equinox falls on March 20. The next full moon, according to ecclesiastical tables, is March 29. The following Sunday is April 5, making that date Easter Sunday. Space.com (space and astronomy news) explains that the astronomical full moon actually occurs on April 1, but the ecclesiastical rule uses a fixed March 29 for the Paschal full moon in 2026, still resulting in the April 5 Easter date.

Comparison with Earliest Possible Date

The earliest possible Easter is March 22; the latest is April 25. April 5 is later than the average Easter date of March 31 but not the latest. The Old Farmer’s Almanac notes that Easter is considered “late” when it falls in the second half of the possible window (after about April 10). April 5 is in the first half but still on the later side, driven by the March 29 full moon.

The catch

The ecclesiastical full moon doesn’t always match the astronomical one. In 2026, the real full moon happens on April 1, but the church’s tables fix it on March 29—a two-day discrepancy that doesn’t change the final Easter date but highlights the difference between rule and reality.

The implication: Even a two-day gap in the full moon calculation still results in the same Easter Sunday.

What is the 2nd Sunday of Easter called?

Divine Mercy Sunday

The second Sunday of Easter is known as Divine Mercy Sunday in the Roman Catholic Church. According to Wikipedia (online encyclopedia), this feast was established by Pope John Paul II in 2000 and focuses on the mercy of God as expressed in the devotion to the Divine Mercy. In 2026, Divine Mercy Sunday falls on April 12.

The Octave of Easter

The second Sunday of Easter is also called Low Sunday or the Octave of Easter, marking the end of the eight-day Easter Octave. It commemorates Jesus’s appearance to the apostle Thomas, who doubted until he saw the risen Christ. The day is also sometimes referred to as “Quasimodo Sunday” from the Latin introit of the Mass.

The significance: the second Sunday of Easter isn’t just a postscript—it completes the eight-day celebration of the resurrection and carries its own theological weight, especially in Catholic tradition where Divine Mercy Sunday has become a major feast.

Timeline: Easter Sunday Dates 2020–2030

Ten years of Easter dates, one pattern: the date swings between March 22 and April 25, driven by the lunar cycle.

Year Easter Sunday
2020 April 12
2021 April 4
2022 April 17
2023 April 9
2024 March 31
2025 April 20
2026 April 5
2027 March 28
2028 April 16
2029 April 1
2030 April 21

The pattern: Easter dates vary widely, with 2026 falling near the middle of the range.

Confirmed facts

What’s unclear

  • Whether April 5 is “late” is subjective; the official rule doesn’t define “late”
  • Minor time-zone variations in the Paschal full moon do not affect the ecclesiastical date
  • The exact astronomical full moon in 2026 (April 1) differs from the ecclesiastical one (March 29), but both yield the same Easter date
  • The ecclesiastical full moon tables are fixed and do not account for astronomical variations, but they are consistent for Easter dating

Expert perspectives on Easter 2026

Easter is always observed on a Sunday—hence the name Easter Sunday. In 2026, Easter Sunday falls on April 5.

— The Old Farmer’s Almanac (annual reference publication)

Thus, Easter was Sunday, April 18. The astronomical equinox also occurred on March 21. The next astronomical full moon occurred on April 18 at UTC=5h.

— U.S. Naval Observatory (official timekeeping authority)

Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the Paschal full moon (a mathematical approximation of the first astronomical full moon, on or after 21 March).

— Wikipedia (online encyclopedia)

For anyone planning spring holidays in 2026, the implication is clear: mark April 5 as Easter Sunday and April 3 as Good Friday, or risk missing the long weekend. For travelers, the four-day stretch from Good Friday to Easter Monday (April 3–6) will be a peak period—book early. And for the curious, the moon-driven calculation ensures Easter will keep shifting for centuries to come, March 22 to April 25, every year.

Additional sources

lunarguideapp.com, facebook.com, oremus.org, en.wikipedia.org, ewtn.co.uk, calendardate.com

For a comprehensive look at the exact dates and the reasoning behind the movable holiday, check out the Easter 2026 date details.

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Frequently asked questions

Is Easter the first Sunday in April?

No, not always. Easter can fall on any Sunday between March 22 and April 25. In 2026, it’s April 5, which is the first Sunday in April, but in 2027 it will be March 28.

Why is Easter on different days every year?

Easter is tied to the lunar calendar: it’s the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox. Since the lunar cycle is about 29.5 days, the date shifts each year.

What day is Easter 2023?

Easter Sunday 2023 was April 9.

What day is Easter 2027?

Easter Sunday 2027 will be March 28.

When is Easter in 2030?

Easter Sunday 2030 will be April 21.

What day is Easter next year?

After 2026, Easter 2027 is on March 28.

What day is Easter in the USA?

Easter is a moveable feast, but the date is the same for all Western Christians in the USA. In 2026, it’s April 5. Good Friday and Easter Monday are not federal holidays but are observed by many.

What day is Easter in Ireland?

Easter 2026 in Ireland is April 5. In Ireland, Good Friday and Easter Monday are public holidays, so April 3 and April 6 are days off.