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When Is Easter in 2027? Why It Falls So Early

"Why Easter Changes Dates Every Year", image of roses and easter eggs. When is Easter?
Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Easter Sunday falls on March 28 in 2027. Easter is a holiday set by the Moon and the arrival of spring, which is why its date hops around the calendar from year to year. But why is Easter so early in 2027?

The holiday is celebrated on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25, making March 28 one of its earliest possible dates. See when Easter falls this year, next year, and beyond in the chart below, then discover how the date is determined.

When Is Easter in 2027?

In 2027, Easter Sunday is March 28 for most Christians in the U.S. and Canada. Orthodox Easter, observed by the Eastern Orthodox Church, falls later, on May 2.

Easter Dates

YearEaster SundayOrthodox Easter
2026April 5April 12
2027March 28May 2
2028April 16April 16
2029April 1April 8
2030April 21April 28

Did you know? Most Western churches calculate Easter’s date using the Gregorian calendar (the kind hanging on your kitchen wall). The Eastern Orthodox Church uses the older Julian calendar.

Why Does Easter’s Date Change Every Year?

Easter is known as a “movable feast,” which is a fancy way of saying that the date it falls on the calendar changes from year to year. The date is tied to both the spring equinox (the first day of spring) and the Moon.

Curious why Easter is so early in 2027? Jump to the explanation below—or keep reading to learn how Easter’s date is determined.

How Is the Date of Easter Determined?

Here’s the basic rule: Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first Full Moon on or after March 21.

While the actual start of spring (spring equinox) can shift between March 19, 20, and 21, the Church always uses March 21 as the start of spring for calculating Easter. This keeps the calculation consistent year after year. 

But the Church doesn’t use the exact date of the Full Moon we see in the sky. Instead, it uses a calendar based on the Moon’s repeating 19-year cycle.  The Full Moon date the Church uses is called the Paschal Full Moon (say PASS-kul). Paschal means “relating to Easter” and comes from Pascha, a traditional name for the holiday. 

Did you know? The Church’s Paschal Full Moon and the actual Full Moon in the sky fall on the same date in 2027: March 22. See upcoming Full Moon dates using our Moon Phase Calendar.

For more on the connection between the Moon and Easter, see Easter and the Full Moon: Understanding the Paschal Moon Rule.

Full Moon reflected in water during early spring

Why Is Easter So Early in 2027?

Easter is unusually early in 2027 because the Full Moon that sets its date arrives almost as soon as spring begins!

Remember the basic rule: The Church uses March 21 as the start of spring for calculating Easter, and Easter falls on the Sunday after the next Full Moon. In 2027, that Easter Full Moon falls on March 22—just one day later!

Because the Full Moon arrives so early, Easter lands on the very next Sunday: March 28, 2027.

Is Easter Always in March or April?

Yes! Easter Sunday always falls between March 22 and April 25. Depending on where you live, Easter may arrive with the first spring bulbs—or when flowering trees and shrubs are already putting on a show.

Orthodox Easter follows a different calendar, so the holiday can fall in May. That’s the case in 2027, when Orthodox Easter is celebrated on May 2.

Easter crosses against a sunset sky

When Are Ash Wednesday, Lent, Palm Sunday, and Good Friday?

In the Western Christian calendar, the weeks leading up to Easter bring several important observances. Here’s when they fall in 2027 and what each one means.

Observance2027 DateWhat It Marks
Ash WednesdayFebruary 10The start of Lent and a day of fasting and reflection.
LentBegins February 10The traditional 40-day season of preparation before Easter.
Palm SundayMarch 21The Sunday before Easter and the start of Holy Week.
Good FridayMarch 26The Friday before Easter, commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

And now you’ll know just when to dust off your hot cross buns recipe—a Good Friday tradition!

Frequently Asked Questions

  • When is Easter next year?

    Easter Sunday falls on March 28 in 2027. In 2028, Easter will be celebrated on April 16.

  • Is Easter always in April?

    No! Easter Sunday can fall in March or April, on any Sunday between March 22 and April 25. In 2027, Easter arrives early, on March 28.

  • Why does Easter change every year?

    Unlike holidays with fixed dates, Easter follows the Moon and the arrival of spring. Its date is determined by the first Sunday after the Church’s Paschal Full Moon on or after March 21.

Easter
Sources
  1. U.S. Naval Observatory — The Date of Easter
  2. U.S. Census Bureau — Easter Dates from 1600 to 2099
  3. Ohio Journal of School Mathematics — The Mathematics of Easter

About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s Almanac found each other. She leads digital content for the Almanac website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana.

Read more from Catherine Boeckmann
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Comments

<span>Shawn B</span> Fri, 04/06/2012 - 01:05
My remaining number was April 7, 2020. This is fun. I will check again.
<span>G. Michael Sadie</span> Mon, 04/05/2010 - 04:04
Actually, it is merely coincidence that the Orthodox Pascha always follows Passover. The current formula for calculating Easter was imposed after the early Church debate over Quartodecimenism, which celebrated the Pascha according to the Hebrew calendar. The basic problem was that with Quartodecimenism Easter could fall on any day of the week. Outside the Middle East, (as in Rome and North Africa)people were more disposed to keep Easter on Sunday because the original event was on Sunday. So a Council decreed the current formula. However, when Pope Gregory revised the calendar, the Orthodox churches refused to change their church kalendars, hence, their continued use of the Julian calendar. It is merely coincidence that for the last few centuries Orthodx Pashca always follows Passover; it was not so when the rule was first implemented. Another complication is the use of church kalendar data instead of accurate astronomical calendar data. The rule says that Easter falls on the first Sunday following the first full moon following the vernal equinox, but when I was a young man I was surprised one year to discover that Western Easter was celebrated a week later than the full moon as noted in the OFA. This, it turns out, was because of the calculations for the date of the full moon of the church kalendar, which is not astronomically accurate. Sorry, I can't remember the year.
<span>Cmt Hogan</span> Thu, 01/24/2013 - 13:00
Not all Eastern churches follow the Julian calendar. My church, the Orthodox Church of America (OCA) follows the Western calendar and yet Easter is the same. That is because Easter is based on an event and not a date and yes, the event includes Passover having commenced.
<span>Odysseus</span> Mon, 08/06/2012 - 20:47
_Astronomical Algorithms_ by Jean Meeus lists the following years between 1900 & 2100 when the Gregorian Easter differs from "the purely astronomical rule": 1900, '03, '23, '24, '27, '43, '54, '62, '67, '74, 1981, 2038, '49, '69, '76, '89, '95, 2096. So we seem to be near the middle of an 'accurate patch'. The most frequent date is April 19. Meeus also mentions that the dates of Julian Easter, according to the Julian (Old Style) calendar, repeat every 532 years. During that time the discrepancy between the Julian and Gregorian calendars increases by three to five days.
<span>Meg Lark</span> Thu, 04/01/2010 - 07:02
The Eastern Orthodox also require that Easter follow Passover, so when Passover occurs late in the season, Pascha (Orthodox Easter) will occur in late April or early May, as in 2013.
<span>Genak</span> Mon, 02/04/2013 - 19:19
In the Eastern Orthodox, if the first full moon after the vernal equinox is a Sunday, Pascha (Eastern Orthodox Easter) will be the following Sunday. Also, the Greek Orthodox is the only Eastern Orthodox denomination whose Church calendar follows the Gregorian calendar for the entire Church year EXCEPT that cannonically all Eastern Orthodox Churches "must" celebrate Easter on the same day. Therefore, the Greek Orthodox Church calendar switches from following Gregorian to following Julian and then back to Gregorian. For example, Greek Orthodox Christmas is celebrated on Dec. 25 (Gregorian) vs. all other Eastern Orthodox denominations' Christmas which is celebrated on Jan. 7 (Julian); since Jan. 7 is the Julian equivalent of Gregorian Dec. 25. That's why some years the Greek Orthodox Church has to move when it celebrates St. George's Day (April 25) [Gregorian] until after Easter if Easter falls before St. George's Day! Whew!
<span>Bulgarian Anonymous</span> Sun, 05/05/2013 - 11:56
Not ALL other Eastern Orthodox denominations use Julian calendar to celebrate Christmas. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas on December 25, using Gregorian calendar (small clarification, so you have your facts right)
<span>Polyxeni</span> Sun, 04/21/2013 - 03:44
Saying that all Greek Orthodox Churches follow the (new)Gregorian calendar is not accurate. The correct term for the calendar that is followed is neither the Gregorian nor Julian, but rather the Patristic Calendar. The early fathers used the Julian calendar and worked it over to create the dates and schedules of feasts for the church within the framework of the Julian calendar. When Pope Gregory undertook the project to create a (new) calendar, it's purpose was for more than to correct the flaws of the Julian calender, but to demonstrate his sole authority over the church. For this and other reasons, the church has never accepted this change and it was forced upon the Orthodox in Greece under the threat of death or imprisonment. Co-celebrating with heretics as many do with the (new)calender is clearly condemned in the anathamas read during the Sunday of Orthodoxy. There is only ONE HOLY CATHOLIC AND APOSTOLIC CHURCH, not several divided by calendars. The fathers, through the ecumenical councils, determined the calendar, the Theology, and practices of the church that need to be held until a valid ecumenical council, guided by the Holy Spirit, determines otherwise.
<span>Athanasios Toma</span> Tue, 04/09/2013 - 16:57
The Ancient Church of the East also know as "Holy Apostolic Catholic Church of the East" follows the Julian Calendar for all of it's festivities. Recently in 2011 they changed Christmas day to be celebrated using the Gregorian Calendar all other church festivities are still using the Julian. Calendar
<span>Orthodox Russian</span> Fri, 03/29/2013 - 11:50
The Russian Orthodox Church (ROCOR) also strictly follows the Gregorian calendar.