Every year, Christians eagerly anticipate Easter Sunday, one of the most special holidays on their religious calendar. The timing of Easter as a momentous occasion — marking Jesus’ resurrection from the dead — varies every year based on moon cycles.
Easter, which is also known as Resurrection Sunday or Pascha, takes place on the first Sunday after the Paschal full moon rises. This refers to the first full moon on or after the spring equinox, and occurs on a different date from year to year. Accordingly, Easter Sunday always occurs between March 22 and April 25.
If you’re planning to celebrate the holy holiday this year, then you may be wondering when Easter falls in 2025 so you can prepare ahead of time.
See below to find the date the Christian observation occurs, along with details on Ash Wednesday and when Lent ends.
When is Easter in 2025?
In 2025, Easter will take place on Sunday, April 20. On this day, Christians around the world will gather at church services, restaurants, and in their homes to celebrate Jesus Christ’s rise from the dead. Easter is considered the holiest holiday of the year and always takes place three days after Holy Thursday, which lands on April 17, 2025.
If you observe Lent — a special time frame of restraint and prayer in preparation for Easter — that period kicks off 40 days before Easter. The first day of Lent is observed as Ash Wednesday and this year, the roughly six-and-a-half week period commenced on Wednesday, March 5.
Unlike other dates on the calendar, like Christmas and Independence Day, the date of Easter Sunday changes year over year. It’s determined by when the first full moon occurs after the spring equinox, which typically is on or around March 20.
Easter Facts
Did you know that Easter and the Jewish holiday of Passover are intimately linked?
“Easter is a Christian holiday that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus which occurred three days after his crucifixion by the Romans in the first century CE,” explains professor Christy Cobb, Associate Professor of Christianity and Women’s Studies at University of Denver. “The New Testament gospels describe Jesus’s death and resurrection as occurring during the Jewish holiday of Passover, so Easter and Passover are linked historically. However, early Christians shifted the date of Easter so it does not always fall on the same time as Passover and many other Easter traditions are now distinct from that of Passover.”
Another fascinating piece of insight about Easter is the way it sheds a light on the joy of new life. “Many of the prayers used on Easter include biblical language and verses that highlight resurrection and new life. For example, John 11:25 reads: ‘I am the resurrection and the life,’” explains Cobb. Interestingly, per Cobb, this quote from John is from a passage where Jesus has brought his beloved friend Lazarus back to life. “Jesus says these words to Lazarus’s sister, Martha, and then asks her if she believes. She affirms her belief and becomes the first of his followers to state directly that Jesus is the Messiah,” elaborates Cobb.
