Easter
Sunday falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon following
March 20th, the nominal date of the Spring Equinox. Many sources
incorrectly state that the starting date of the calculation is the
actual day of the Equinox rather than the nominal date of Mar-20. Other
sources use an incorrect reference date of March 21st.
Easter Sunday in the West can fall on any date from March 23 to April 26th. The year-to-year sequence is so complicated that it takes 5.7 million years to repeat. Eastern Orthodox churches sometimes celebrate Easter on the same day as the rest of Christendom. However if that date does not follow Passover, then the Orthodox churches delay their Easter - sometimes by over a month.
Some dates related to Easter are celebrated on the following dates by the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches:
| Year | Ash Wednesday | Easter Sunday | Ascension Day | Pentecost |
| 1996 | Feb-21 | Apr-7 | May-16 | May-26 |
| 1997 | Feb-12 | Mar-30 | May-8 | May-18 |
| 1998 | Feb-25 | Apr-12 | May-21 | May-31 |
| 1999 | Feb-17 | Apr-4 | May-13 | May-23 |
| 2000 | Mar-8 | Apr-23 | Jun-1 | Jun-11 |
| 2001 | Feb-28 | Apr-15 | May-24 | Jun-3 |
| 2002 | Feb-13 | Mar-31 | May-9 | May-19 |
| 2003 | Mar-5 | Apr-20 | May-29 | Jun-8 |
| 2004 | Feb-25 | Apr-11 | May-20 | May-30 |
| 2005 | Feb-9 | Mar-27 | May-5 | May-15 |
| 2006 | Mar-1 | Apr-16 | May-25 | Jun-4 |
Dates taken from reliable sources.
