Easter Sunday is an important date in the religious calendar by which other dates are set. As Easter is a moveable feast, whereby the date changes each year, so do these other dates associated with Easter.
Easter Dates – Western Christianity
In Western Christianity, Easter is preceded by Lent, a period of forty days of fasting and penitence.
The Sunday before Easter is Palm Sunday and the three days before Easter are known as Maundy (Holy) Thursday (the Last Supper leading to Eucharist), Good Friday (the day on which Jesus was crucified) and Holy Saturday.
The period of Easter, Eastertide, starts on Easter Sunday and finishes seven weeks later on the day of Pentecost.
Calendar of Western Christianity Easter Dates
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | |
| Ash Wednesday | 22 Feb | 13 Feb | 5 Mar | 25 Feb |
| Palm Sunday | 1 Apr | 24 Mar | 13 Apr | 29 Mar |
| Maundy Thursday | 5 Apr | 28 Mar | 17 Apr | 2 Apr |
| Good Friday | 6 Apr | 29 Mar | 18 Apr | 3 Apr |
| Holy Saturday | 7 Apr | 30 Mar | 19 Apr | 4 Apr |
| Easter Sunday | 8 Apr | 31 Mar | 20 Apr | 5 Apr |
| Easter Monday | 9 Apr | 1 Apr | 21 Apr | 6 Apr |
| Ascension | 17 May | 9 May | 29 May | 14 May |
| Pentecost | 27 May | 19 May | 8 Jun | 24 May |
Easter Dates – Eastern (Orthodox) Christianity
In Eastern Christianity, Easter preparations start with Great Lent. This is followed by Palm week, which follows the fifth Sunday of Great Lent, and ends with Lazarus Saturday. This brings to a close the period of Great Lent.
Palm Sunday follows Lazarus Saturday, then Holy week and finally Easter (or Pascha) when the fast is broken. Bright Week follows Easter.
Easter is also linked to the Jewish Passover because of its position in the calendar. The date of the Last Supper, the meal shared between Jesus and his disciples, is generally thought of as a Passover meal.
Calendar of Eastern (Orthodox) Easter Dates
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | |
| Clean Monday | 27 Feb | 18 Mar | 10 Mar | 23 Feb |
| Lazarus Saturday | 7 Apr | 27 Apr | 12 Apr | 4 Apr |
| Palm Sunday | 8 Apr | 28 Apr | 13 Apr | 5 Apr |
| Holy Friday | 13 Apr | 3 May | 18 Apr | 10 Apr |
| Easter Sunday (Pascha) | 15 Apr | 5 May | 20 Apr | 12 Apr |
| Ascension | 24 May | 13 Jun | 29 May | 21 May |
| Pentecost | 3 Jun | 23 Jun | 8 Jun | 31 May |