Early Easter?

If you thought Easter came earlier than usual this year, you’re right. The last time Easter was celebrated this early was in 1913. And, don’t start planning for the next time Easter occurs this early in the year; it’s highly unlikely any of us will be around in 2160.

So now you’re probably wondering if this is the earliest date on which Easter is observed.

As it turns out, the earliest day Easter is celebrated is the 22nd of March. None of us were around the last time that happened in 1818, and the next time is in 2285!

So now you know. This was the earliest Easter for any of us under the age of 95.

More details are available at the popular urban legend site Snopes.

Update:

I found a couple of sites with a lot more information on the topic of determining the date for Easter: here and here. The wikipedia link revealed an image of a computational aid first used in Sweden back in 1140:

computus