Passover begins on the Nisan 15.
Passover begins on the Nisan 15. Nisan 14 always begins on the night of a full moon after vernal equinox. Easter is the first Sunday after Passover begins.

So it goes like Vernal Equinox => Full Moon ==> Passover ==> Easter on Sunday.

In 2012:
Vernal Equinox was March 19, 2012 at 10:14 pm PDT
Paschal Full Moon is Friday, April 6, 2012 at 12:19 pm (PDT) (11:19 pm MSK)
Passover is Saturday, April 6, 2012 (actually starts at sunset the previous day)
Easter is Sunday, April 8, 2012.

Except for the adherents of Orthodox church, for whom Easter is one week later - April 13. If you are one of those, step out on Friday night, see Full Moon, and decide for yourself who you believe, your church or your own lying eyes.

Next year, in 2013, it will be even worse. Western church will celebrate Easter on March 31, while Orthodox church on May 5.

That's because in 1583, Roman Catholics switched to Gregorian Calendar, while Eastern Churches continue to use the Julian Calendar.

Before the First Council of Nicaea (AD 325) Christians simply asked the Jews when they should celebrate Easter (naturally), but after, they started calculating it themselves, claiming (correctly) that the contemporary Jews were clueless, since Nisan 14 kept happening before Vernal Equinox (fixed soon thereafter). However, the Council still left the rule that no matter what, Easter always followed Nisan 15 = Passover.

Which brings us to the matter of 2019. If we define Astronomical Easter (AE) as the first Sunday on the meridian of Jerusalem, after the Astronomical full moon, then the next time Western Easter (WE) will disagree with Astronomy is 2019 (AE is Mar 21, WE is Apr 21 and Eastern Easter (EE) 2019 Apr 28). It's the "fault" of the Jews, whose Nissan 15 = Passover in 2019 is Apr 20).

That's because Nisan is the first month of Jewish calendar. And not only Nisan 14 (Full Moon) should happen after Vernal Equinox, but even Nisan 1 (New Moon) should. The world (with heavenly bodies) was created on Nisan 1, 3761 BC, so, clearly, a year must begin on the night of the New Moon after Vernal Equinox.
In 2019 New Moon is Mar 7 and Apr 19. In 2012, New Moon was Mar 23, so we are fine.

https://plus.google.com/112065430692128821190/posts/Hp9FZmGx1oR

In English this is Sun-day (pagan throwback, we agree with, between Saturn-day and Moon-day), but in Russian it's the Resurrection-day. In Ukrainian Sunday is "Неділя" (Неделя) which means rest-day "не діла" (нет дела).
https://plus.google.com/112065430692128821190/posts/Hp9FZmGx1oR

Labels: Oleg Zabluda

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