Re: CHAT: Passover

Lars Henrik Mathiesen wrote:
> The definition I was taught is that Easter Sunday is the first Sunday
> after the first full moon after the vernal equinox.
Close - the first Sunday after the first full moon *on or after* the
vernal equinox.  The official full moon can occur on March 21, but
Easter cannot, because Easter cannot be on that full moon.

Of course, in reality, the full moon and vernal equinox are not used,
but merely calculated.  Thus, it's conceivable that a full month could
occur between what astronomical observation would indicate and the
calculation, since both the actual vernal equinox and the actual full
moon can vary a day or so from the calculated point.

> The same can happen with any observation-based methods of determining
> the dates of equinox and full moon, of course. So it really does make
> sense to fix a meridian, if only to know when 'Sunday' starts.
If you want unity in celebration, certainly.  But, that's not used for
Easter.

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believe and adore, and preserve for many generations the remembrance of
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