When The Hell Is Easter? -- An Introduction to the Computus

Tomorrow is Easter, perhaps the most important fest and event in the Christian Liturgical Year. Easter Sunday marks the celebration of Jesus' resurrection in the first century AD, viewed by Christians as a triumph over death and the moment of salvation for humankind. As Christendoms most important feast, Easter is also one of its oldest; records of Easter celebrations stretch back to 154 AD, slightly more than a century after the crucifixion.

But though histories provide a detailed account of Easters in years past, they fail us in the smaller measures of time. At present, Easter Sunday is celebrated in a widely varying range between the end of March and the end of April. Earlier Christian traditions celebrated the feast earlier in the months, with Easter falling between early April and early May. Over the centuries Christians have used differing calendars ranging from the Hebrew to the Julian, and the Gregorian - each placing Easter on a different day of the year.