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Why is Easter so late this year?

Easter 2025 is significantly later than usual with Good Friday on April 18 and Easter Sunday occurring on April 20. Here’s why.

Easter is linked to the lunar cycle, with Easter Sunday occurring on the first Sunday that falls after the first full moon which occurs following the March equinox.

• This year (2025), the March equinox occurred on March 20, with the next full moon due this coming Sunday, April 13. The next Sunday after that is April 20 – Easter Sunday.
• Last year (2024), Easter Sunday fell on March 31, a full three weeks earlier.

Easter Sunday can occur anywhere from March 22 to April 25. So this year, Easter is within five days of its latest possible date.

Image: For some, Easter simply means the irresistible smell of freshly baked hot cross buns. Source: iStock/zi3000.

So Easter Sunday can fall on Anzac Day?

It can indeed.

This year marks the first time since 2019 that Easter Sunday and Anzac Day (April 25) have fallen so close together – allowing many people to string together a week of leave to observe both occasions or simply to take a break from work.

In 2038, Easter Sunday will fall on April 25, which as mentioned is both Anzac Day and the latest possible date for one of Christianity’s most important days.

This hasn't happened since 1943. That year, Australia’s Prime Minister John Curtin urged churches to participate actively in commemorating Anzac Day in conjunction with Easter Sunday church services where possible.

For those wondering why Christmas (which marks Christ’s birthday) occurs on the same date each year while Easter (which marks Christ’s resurrection) is linked to lunar cycles, the generally accepted reason is that no one is certain of the exact date of the resurrection.

It’s also worth noting that different Christian denominations sometimes celebrate Easter on different dates.

That’s because some denominations operate on the old Julian Calendar while others use the Gregorian calendar (the calendar used almost universally since 1582). But this year, Easter Sunday happens to fall on April 20 for all denominations.