The Easter week It is one of the most important celebrations of Christianity, because commemorates the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
However, unlike other festivities with fixed dates, such as Christmas, it changes every year.
Some believe that it is a simple adjustment of the calendar, while other people think that the date decides the church at random. But reason is not a simple adjustment of the calendar or an arbitrary decision of the Church, but is closely linked to lunar calendar.
The relationship between Holy Week and the Moon
The Holy Week Date It is determined following a rule established in the Nicea council held in 325 ADwhere, according to National Geographicit was decided that the Easter or Easter Sunday It should be celebrated The first Sunday after the first full moon that occurs after the Spring equinox (in the northern hemisphere).
This means that, if the full moon falls just after the equinox (March 20 or 21), Easter can be held in March. But if the full moon takes longer to appear, Easter is celebrated in April.
Therefore, the dates of Holy Week vary between March and April every year, But there is always a full moon close to its beginning or during the major week.
In 2025, on Sunday, April 13 there will be Full Moon, known as “Luna Rosa”which will coincide exactly with the Palm Sunday, Date that marks the beginning of Holy Week.
This means that During the first days of Holy Week 2025, the Moon will be full, confirming this traditional association. Good Friday and Holy Saturday will coincide with the end of this lunar phase, which will give way to the waning room on Monday, April 21.
Historical origin of this tradition
This tradition has its roots in Jewish Easter, which commemorates the liberation of the Hebrew people of Egypt. Jesus celebrated the last dinner during this holiday, which is governed by the Hebrew calendar, of a lunar character.
The month of Nisan (March-April in the Gregorian calendar) marks the beginning of Jewish Easter, which always coincides with full moon. The first Christians, many of them Jews, maintained this relationship with lunar cycles by establishing the date of Holy Week.