If you felt like you were waiting forever for spring to actually start last year, there was a good reason for that. Easter Sunday 2025 fell on April 20. It was a late one. Honestly, it was one of the latest dates possible on the Gregorian calendar. Most years, we’re hunting for eggs in late March or maybe the first week of April, but 2025 pushed the holiday right up against the end of the month. This wasn't some random fluke or a secret meeting of church leaders deciding to mess with your vacation plans. It all comes down to a mix of ancient lunar cycles and a bit of 4th-century math that still dictates our modern calendars.
What day was Easter in 2025?
Specifically, it was Sunday, April 20, 2025.
For those who follow the liturgical calendar, this date is a big deal because it dictates almost everything else. Ash Wednesday landed on March 5, and Palm Sunday was April 13. If you felt like winter dragged on, it’s probably because the entire Lenten season was pushed deep into the spring.
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Why does this happen? Well, unlike Christmas, which is fixed to December 25, Easter is a "moveable feast." It bounces around. It can happen as early as March 22 or as late as April 25. By landing on the 20th, 2025 was leaning heavily toward the late side of that spectrum.
The "Pink Moon" Connection
The timing of Easter is tied directly to the first full moon after the vernal equinox. In 2025, the spring equinox occurred on March 20. However, the first full moon following that—often called the "Pink Moon" in North American traditions—didn't happen until Sunday, April 13.
Because the rule (established way back at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD) says Easter is the first Sunday after that Paschal Full Moon, we had to wait an entire extra week. If that full moon had happened on a Saturday, Easter would have been the very next day. Since it hit on a Sunday, the rules pushed the celebration to the following Sunday, April 20.
The Math Behind the Date
It sounds complicated because it is. We are basically trying to align a solar calendar (the 365 days it takes Earth to go around the Sun) with a lunar calendar (the 29.5 days it takes for the Moon to phase). They don't line up perfectly.
Every year, the lunar calendar loses about 11 days against the solar year. To keep things from drifting into summer or winter, the date of Easter "resets" based on these cycles. Astronomers and theologians call this the "computus." It’s a series of calculations that involve the Golden Number of the year and the Epact, which is basically the age of the moon on January 1st.
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In 2025, the Golden Number was 11. Without getting too deep into the weeds of medieval arithmetic, this specific cycle ensured that the lunar phase lagged behind the equinox just enough to force a late April holiday.
Orthodox vs. Western Easter in 2025
Something pretty rare happened in 2025. Usually, the Western (Catholic/Protestant) church and the Eastern Orthodox church celebrate Easter on different days. This is because the Orthodox church still uses the Julian calendar for religious dates, while the West uses the Gregorian calendar.
But in 2025, the two calendars actually synced up.
Both Western Easter and Orthodox Pascha fell on April 20, 2025. This doesn't happen every year. In fact, it's a bit of a unifying moment for global Christianity when the dates align. The last time this happened was in 2017, and it won’t happen again until 2028. For families that are "inter-calendrical"—say, a Greek Orthodox spouse and a Catholic spouse—2025 was a year where no one had to choose which family dinner to attend. Everything happened at once.
Why the Date Matters for Your Life
It’s not just about church services or when the kids get candy. The date of Easter impacts global economies and travel patterns.
- School Breaks: Many school districts, particularly in Europe and parts of the Northeast U.S., tie their "Spring Break" to the Easter holiday. In 2025, this meant many students didn't get a week off until mid-to-late April, leaving a very long stretch of classroom time between February and the break.
- The Travel Surge: Since it was a unified Easter (East and West), travel demand was through the roof. Popular destinations like Rome, Jerusalem, and Athens saw record crowds because everyone was celebrating on the same weekend.
- Retail Cycles: Retailers hate a late Easter. It shortens the "post-Easter" shopping season before Mother’s Day and summer kicks in.
If you remember 2025 being particularly expensive for a spring getaway, the calendar is exactly why. When the whole world tries to fly on the same weekend, prices don't just go up; they skyrocket.
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Common Misconceptions About the 2025 Date
I hear people say all the time that Easter is just "the third Sunday in April." It’s not. There is no fixed Sunday. If the moon had behaved differently, Easter could have been three weeks earlier.
Another weird myth is that Easter is timed to coincide with Passover. While they are historically and theologically linked (the Last Supper was a Passover Seder), the way the two dates are calculated today is different. The Jewish calendar is a lunisolar calendar with its own leap months. In 2025, Passover began at sundown on Saturday, April 12. Because Easter was April 20, the two holidays actually overlapped quite closely, which isn't always the case.
A Quick Glance at Surrounding Years
To see just how late April 20 really is, look at the years around it:
- 2024: March 31 (Early)
- 2025: April 20 (Late)
- 2026: April 5 (Mid-range)
We won't see an Easter this late again for a while. The next time Easter hits April 20 or later isn't until 2030 (April 21).
Planning for Future Holidays
Understanding that Easter was April 20 in 2025 helps us look forward. If you are someone who likes to plan vacations or family gatherings years in advance, you can't just look at the weather patterns of "last April." You have to look at the moon.
Because the date moves, the "traditional" weather for Easter changes wildly. An April 20 Easter in the Northern Hemisphere almost guarantees flowers and mild shirtsleeve weather. A March Easter often means parkas and snow on the tulips.
Actionable Steps for Navigating Moveable Holidays:
- Check the Lunar Cycle: If you want to know if next year's Easter will be early or late without googling it, look for the first full moon after March 21.
- Book "Unified" Years Early: Whenever Western and Orthodox Easter coincide (like they did in 2025), book your flights and hotels at least 9 months in advance. The "double demand" is real.
- Watch the Passover Overlap: If you are planning a multi-faith event or just want to avoid high grocery prices, check the Jewish calendar. When Passover and Easter overlap, supply chains for specific items (like eggs or brisket) get tight.
- Audit Your PTO: Late Easters mean a long winter slog. If the holiday isn't until late April, consider taking a "micro-vacation" in early March to avoid burnout before the official spring break arrives.
Easter 2025 was a rare alignment of calendars and a late-season celebration that shifted the rhythm of the entire year. Whether you were celebrating in a cathedral or just enjoying a late-spring brunch, the moon was the one pulling the strings.