What Day Is Easter 2025? Sunday, April 20 – Why So Late

Easter 2025 falls on Sunday, April 20, one of the latest possible dates in the Gregorian calendar cycle — a timing that surprises many people who expect the holiday to land in late March or early April. The late date stems from lunar mathematics codified at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, and it places Easter three weeks later than 2024’s March 31 observance.

Easter Sunday 2025: April 20 · Good Friday 2025: April 18 · Easter Monday 2025: April 21

Six holiday facts anchor the Easter 2025 picture: the three core dates plus the calculation rule, the ISO week, and how this year compares to the earliest and latest possible Easter dates.

Why is Easter so late in 2025?

In 2025, Easter lands on one of the latest possible dates in the calendar — and the reason traces back to the moon. The first full moon after the spring equinox (fixed at March 21 for calculation purposes) occurs on April 7. The first Sunday after that full moon is April 13, but that’s not Easter yet — the rule requires the full moon to fall after March 21, and the next Sunday is April 20.

The Paschal Full Moon is an ecclesiastical construct, not the actual astronomical full moon. Church tables use a simplified lunar cycle rather than tracking real lunar positions, which explains why some sources reportedly place the Paschal Full Moon for 2025 on April 12 instead of April 7 (Economic Times). Both dates fall in the same general window, and both yield Easter on April 20.

Astronomical factors behind the date

• The vernal equinox is fixed at March 21 for calculation purposes, not the actual astronomical equinox
• The Paschal Full Moon table runs on a 19-year cycle with simplified lunar math
• April 20, 2025 is variant 30 out of 35 possible dates in the Gregorian Easter cycle

Comparison to recent years

• Easter 2024 fell on March 31 — nearly three weeks earlier than 2025
• The 20-day swing from 2024 to 2025 reflects the lunar cycle’s irregular rhythm
• 2025 is the latest Easter since 1943 in some historical views

Why does the date of Easter move around?

Easter is what’s called a moveable feast — its date changes every year precisely because it ties to lunar cycles rather than a fixed calendar date. The rule set at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD established that Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox (approximated as March 21).

Historical calculation method

• The Council of Nicaea in 325 AD established the basic rule still in use
• Western churches use the Gregorian calendar for the calculation
• The ecclesiastical full moon differs from the astronomical full moon to keep tables predictable
• Earliest possible Easter: March 22; latest possible Easter: April 25

Western vs Orthodox differences

Western and Orthodox churches often celebrate Easter on different dates because Orthodox churches apply the same rule to the Julian calendar instead of the Gregorian. The Julian calendar runs approximately 13 days behind the Gregorian, which means the Julian full moon falls on a different day when converted. In 2025, both Western and Orthodox churches celebrate on the same date — April 20 — which Catholic World Report notes is a rare coincidence that both the Pope and Orthodox leaders have acknowledged.

The pattern: Julian full moons fall 13 days behind Gregorian moons, which typically pushes Orthodox Easter later. When those calendars align on a Gregorian date, both churches celebrate together — but that’s the exception, not the rule.

What date is Good Friday and Easter Monday in 2025?

Good Friday 2025 falls on Friday, April 18. Easter Sunday is April 20, meaning Good Friday comes exactly two days before the main holiday. Easter Monday 2025 falls on Monday, April 21, the day after Easter Sunday.

Exact dates confirmed

• Good Friday: Friday, April 18, 2025
• Easter Sunday: Sunday, April 20, 2025
• Easter Monday: Monday, April 21, 2025
• Ash Wednesday (Lent begins): Wednesday, March 5, 2025

Related observances

• Lent 2025 spans 40 days from Ash Wednesday (March 5) to Holy Saturday (April 19), excluding Sundays
• Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday on April 13
• The full moon before Easter (Paschal Full Moon) reportedly falls on April 7 or April 12 depending on the source consulted

What this means: the holiday weekend is compact — Friday to Monday — but the surrounding observances stretch back weeks. Anyone following Lent has been on that journey since early March.

What are the Easter dates in 2025?

For Western Christians in 2025, the main Easter dates are April 20 (Sunday) for Easter Sunday, April 18 (Friday) for Good Friday, and April 21 (Monday) for Easter Monday. The Orthodox Church also celebrates on April 20 in 2025 — a notable coincidence that doesn’t happen every year.

Catholic and Protestant date

• Western (Catholic, Protestant, Anglican): Easter Sunday April 20, 2025
• All use the Gregorian calendar for the calculation
• Good Friday and Easter Monday follow the same dates across Western denominations

Orthodox Easter date

• Orthodox Easter 2025: April 20 (Gregorian calendar) — same as Western
• Normally Orthodox Easter falls later due to the Julian calendar offset
• The Julian-to-Gregorian conversion explains why Orthodox dates normally span April 4 to May 8
• Both Pope and Orthodox leaders reportedly noted this rare alignment in 2025

The trade-off: most years, Western and Orthodox Easter fall on different dates. 2025 offers a moment of shared celebration — but 2026 will likely split again, with Orthodox Easter falling later.

Is Good Friday and Easter Monday public holiday?

Good Friday is a public holiday in most countries with significant Christian populations. Easter Monday is also a public holiday in many nations, including Canada, the UK (excluding Scotland), Australia, Germany, Hungary, Kenya, and South Africa.

In 2025, this creates a four-day weekend from April 18-21 in those countries. Scotland uses different holiday observance rules from the rest of the UK, which may affect whether Easter Monday is observed there.

UK and Ireland status

• England, Wales, and Northern Ireland: Good Friday and Easter Monday are bank holidays
• Scotland differs: no statutory Easter Monday holiday in the same way
• Ireland: Easter Monday is a public holiday under Irish law

Australia and other countries

• Australia: Good Friday and Easter Monday are public holidays in most states
• Germany: both days are statutory holidays
• Canada: Good Friday is federal, Easter Monday is observed in most provinces

The implication: for workers in these regions, the April 18-21 window is a guaranteed long weekend in 2025 — but the exact rules vary enough that checking local listings is worthwhile if you’re planning.

What experts and publications say

“Easter 2025 will be celebrated on April 20, the latest date in years.”

— Republic World

“The primary rule for determining Easter was established at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD.”

— Raring2go

“On April 20, 2025, Easter will land on the same day for both the East and the West.”

— Catholic World Report

Related reading: Tesco Easter Opening Hours 2025

Easter 2025 arrives notably late on Sunday, April 20, a date determined by the first full moon after the spring equinox.

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