How to Use the Easter & Global Holiday Date Calculator
Easter is, alongside Christmas, one of the most important dates on the Christian calendar in the West — but unlike Christmas, it's a movable feast that lands on a different date every year. Select a year above and this calculator works out that year's Easter Sunday along with Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, Easter Monday, and Halloween, which always falls on the same date.
Easter's date is set by the rule "the first Sunday after the first full moon following the March equinox" (the equinox itself is fixed at March 21 for this calculation). That rule is why Easter always lands somewhere between March 22 and April 25, and calculating the exact date requires a formula (called the "computus") that accounts for the lunar cycle. This calculator uses the well-established Gregorian algorithm to compute the correct Easter date for any year instantly.
Several other dates are set relative to Easter. Ash Wednesday, which marks the start of Lent, always falls 46 days before Easter. Good Friday, which commemorates the crucifixion, is the Friday two days before. Easter Monday, the day after Easter, is also a public holiday in many European countries. Halloween (October 31), by contrast, isn't a movable feast at all — it's a fixed-date fall celebration — so it's worth keeping the two categories straight when planning travel or time off around these holidays.
Frequently Asked Questions
Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the March equinox (fixed at March 21). That rule means Easter always lands somewhere between March 22 and April 25 each year.
Good Friday is always the Friday two days before Easter, and Ash Wednesday — the start of Lent — is always 46 days before Easter. This calculator computes both from that year's Easter date.