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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>Kathleen</span> Thu, 03/21/2019 - 07:32
Tradition verses what the bible states of how Easter came about, it starts in Exodus with the Passover, and yes, Jesus was raised on a certain date. Tradition fails to dig a little deeper. So what does the easter bunny and eggs have to do with our Lord Jesus Christ, its tradition passed down accepted.
<span>Mike</span> Sun, 03/17/2019 - 11:26
The Full Moon may be the 20th Mar in the USA, but in Europe it's the 21st. It's 1:42 am in the UK. Since the method of determining Easter was established by the Roman Catholic Church, based in Rome, surely the date used for the Full Moon should be 21st, and Easter Sunday should be the 24th of March, at least in Europe, you can have a different one if you want. I understand that the algorithm for calculating the Full Moon is not exact, which is why there is this discrepancy, and the location of the Full Moon does not come into it. The method of calculating Easter Day was meant to prevent if coinciding with the Jewish Passover, and also prevent it from falling on the day of a Full Moon. In fact, both these eventualities can arise. When Britain was considering changing from the Julian to Gregorian Calendar in 1752, the Royal Society with people like Edmund Halley and Christopher Wren opposed the change (because of its Roman Catholic origin) and suggested that the date of Easter should be determined from astronomical observations, using the actual date of the Full Moon rather than an approximate algorithm.
<span>Debbie</span> Fri, 03/30/2018 - 10:29
Jesus was crucified on a specific date and rose early the morning of the 1st day of the week, so moving the date around because of pagan feast and deity’s seems wrong, you don’t move people’s birthdays or anniversaries or remember those who have passed away on different days, I think the date of Jesus death and resurrection is important!
<span>Eileen Burke</span> Sun, 04/21/2019 - 13:42
The date of Easter isn't moved because of an association with pagan Spring festivals. The pagan festivals are where we get the name, Easter. The pagan Spring festivals became the religious celebration of the resurrection. The date moves because the original date ( when Jesus and his disciples were celebrating Passover, or the Last Supper--same thing ) was calculated according to the moon, as many ancient calendars were. They used months or "moons", and added several days at the end of the year to make the 12 lunar periods match the one solar ( sun ) year of 365 days. The date changes on our modern solar calendar because this is what we know about the date--the first Sunday after the first full moon in Spring.
<span>Uraca Navarrete</span> Wed, 04/10/2019 - 03:54
Thank you for your comment, the issue is too commonly overlooked. We can give a pagan holiday (holy-day) any name we want, but the truth is, we are celebrating a pagan holiday. Resurrection Sunday is but should not be mixed with the worship of Ishtar.
<span>Harry</span> Tue, 04/24/2018 - 10:46
Jesus' execution occurred during the Passover weekend, hence why he was not left on the cross. The date of Passover is set by the lunar cycle. In pre-modern times, setting a specific date for an anniversary, ignoring lunar cycles and equinoxes would be as odd to them as moving the dates are to us. The Easter date tradition is 1900-odd years old. The calendar we currently use was invented only in 1582 and not in use in English North America until 1752. George Washington was born on February 11, 1732. However, after the Calendar Act of 1750 was enacted, the calendar was shifted to cohere more closely to the actual length of the orbit of the Earth around the sun. Thus, George Washington's 20th birthday was February 22, 1752 on the new (Gregorian) calendar.
<span>Diane</span> Sat, 03/10/2018 - 09:20
Thank you for all the information on Easter and all the comments we are still able to read from years ago on Easter. I have learned a lot about different religions and their celebration practices. So thank you for this education and information.
<span>Barbara G.</span> Sat, 03/03/2018 - 13:44
Years ago my daddy told me Easter is always the 1st Sunday after the 4th full moon after Christmas. Use to a person could get a free calendar that had all the moon's, holidays, etc listed, from their bank. I checked my calendar every year and my daddy had it correct. It wasn't that I doubted him.....I had to see it for myself. I told this to lots of people and they doubted me.....so I showed them on my calendar.
<span>Chidera</span> Sun, 03/12/2017 - 14:11
Tell all about ester
<span>Victoria</span> Thu, 03/09/2017 - 17:39
that is a nice picture of the lamb and cross, what is the meaning?