You're probably looking at your calendar and feeling a bit lost. It happens every spring. One year we’re hunting eggs in March while shivering in light jackets, and the next, it’s almost May and the tulips are already wilting. If you want the short answer, how many days until Easter depends entirely on the lunar cycle and an ancient bit of math that honestly feels a little like sorcery.
As of today, January 16, 2026, we are exactly 80 days away from Easter Sunday, which falls on April 5, 2026.
That feels late, right? It is. But not as late as it could be. Because Easter is a "moveable feast," it has this annoying habit of jumping around a 35-day window. If you've ever felt like you can't keep track of your holiday planning, don't worry—most of the world has been struggling with this since the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD.
Why the countdown to Easter changes every single year
Most holidays are easy. Christmas is December 25th. Halloween is October 31st. Even Thanksgiving, while it moves, stays locked into a specific Thursday. But Easter? Easter follows the moon.
Basically, the rule is this: Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon occurring on or after the vernal equinox.
Wait. It gets more complicated.
The church doesn't use the actual astronomical equinox. They use a fixed date—March 21. So, even if the sun decides the spring equinox is on March 20, the "Ecclesiastical" calendar sticks to the 21st. Then you have to wait for the Paschal Full Moon. If that full moon hits on a Sunday, Easter is actually the following Sunday.
It’s a massive logistical headache for schools, airlines, and anyone trying to book a brunch reservation. In 2026, the first full moon after March 21 happens to be Thursday, April 2. That lands us on Sunday, April 5.
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The range of dates you need to know
Easter can be as early as March 22 or as late as April 25.
We won't see a March 22 Easter again until the year 2285. You won't be around for that, and neither will I. The last time it happened was 1818. On the flip side, a "late" Easter like April 25 is also incredibly rare, last seen in 1943. Most of the time, we’re hovering in that mid-April sweet spot where the weather is finally starting to cooperate.
Calculating the days: The "Computus" method
If you really want to nerd out on how many days until Easter, you have to look at the "Computus." That’s the Latin name for the calculation.
For centuries, the greatest minds in mathematics—people like Carl Friedrich Gauss—tried to create a perfect formula to predict these dates. Gauss actually failed his first time around because he didn't account for the difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendars.
Think about that. One of the greatest mathematicians in human history tripped up on this.
The reason it's so hard is that the solar year (the time it takes Earth to orbit the sun) and the lunar month (the time between full moons) don't line up. A solar year is roughly 365.24 days. Twelve lunar months are only about 354 days. That 11-day gap is what causes the holiday to drift.
Western vs. Orthodox Easter: Why they don't match
You might notice your Greek or Russian friends celebrating on a different day.
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This usually happens because the Orthodox Church still uses the Julian calendar for religious dates, whereas most of the Western world moved to the Gregorian calendar in 1582. There's also a rule that Easter cannot precede or coincide with Passover. Because of these differences, Orthodox Easter in 2026 will actually fall on April 12, a full week after the Western date.
It's kind of wild that in our hyper-connected digital age, we still have two different "official" dates for the same event based on 16th-century paperwork disputes.
Preparing for the April 5th deadline
Eighty days might sound like a long time. It isn't.
If you’re planning a family gathering or a trip, you’re already in the "danger zone" for affordable flights. Since Easter 2026 is in early April, it overlaps heavily with Spring Break schedules for many school districts in the U.S. and Europe.
- Travel spikes: Expect peak pricing for Florida, Mexico, and European hubs starting April 2.
- Lent kicks off: For those who observe, Ash Wednesday is February 18, 2026. That’s just about a month away.
- The "Sugar Rush" window: Candy manufacturers start shipping those chocolate bunnies to grocery stores as early as late January. Honestly, you'll probably see them on shelves next week.
The weird history of the "Fixed Date" debate
There is a semi-serious movement to stop this madness.
For decades, various groups—including the World Council of Churches—have proposed picking a fixed Sunday. The most popular suggestion is the second Sunday in April. If this happened, you’d never have to Google how many days until Easter ever again. You’d just know.
But tradition is a stubborn thing.
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The Vatican and the Archbishop of Canterbury have both expressed openness to a fixed date, but getting every denomination on Earth to agree is like trying to herd cats. Until that happens, we are stuck with the moon.
What to do right now
Since we are 80 days out, you should probably check your freezer. Seriously. If you're hosting the big meal, hams and lambs go on sale about 30 days before the holiday, but the savvy move is to clear space now.
Also, if you're into gardening, an April 5 Easter is a bit of a gamble for outdoor decorations in the Northern Hemisphere. You might get lucky with some early crocuses, but don't count on the full "spring bloom" look unless you're living in the southern states.
- Check your 2026 calendar specifically for the week of March 30. That’s Holy Week. If you have work deadlines, that’s the week things will get quiet.
- Book your dining. If you want a specific brunch spot, the high-end places usually open their books 60 to 90 days out. That means reservations for April 5 are opening right now.
- Confirm the school break. Many districts are decoupling Spring Break from Easter to keep the schedule consistent, but many still link them. Don't assume.
The countdown is officially on. Whether you care about the religious significance or just want to know when you can legally eat your weight in jelly beans, April 5 is the finish line.
Keep an eye on the moon. If it looks full around the beginning of April, you'll know you're close. Just remember that 2026 is an "early-mid" year—not quite the freezing March Easters of the past, but definitely not the heatwave Easters we sometimes get in late April. Pack a sweater just in case.
Actionable Next Step: Open your digital calendar and create a reminder for February 18. That is Ash Wednesday. Even if you don't observe Lent, that date serves as the final "40-day warning" that Easter is just around the corner, giving you plenty of time to finalize travel or dinner plans before the rush hits.