The Easter Bunny might need a few tricks up his sleeve this year to go along with the sweets, since Easter Sunday falls on April Fools' Day for the first time in more than 60 years.
Just how does this happen? And who picks the date for Easter Sunday each year? Or Palm Sunday? Or Ash Wednesday, a Christian day of fasting and repentance, which happened to fall on Valentine's Day this year?
Well, it's all about the moon. On the Gregorian calendar (the one that we use), Easter, the day when Christians around the world celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, is celebrated on the first Sunday after the Paschal full moon, which is the first full moon on or after March 21, according to Catholic.com.
Easter, thus, always falls between March 22 and April 25. In addition to the religious significance to Christians, Easter is also a time for family festivities, community parties, egg hunts and the traditional visit of the Easter Bunny, bringing candy and other treats to children's Easter baskets to celebrate spring.
Since 1900, Easter Sunday has only fallen on April Fools' Day four times - 1923, 1934, 1945 and 1956 - and it won't happen again until 2029.
Now, to find Palm Sunday, the sixth Sunday of the Christian Lenten season, you start with the date of Easter and back up one week: It is the Sunday before Easter, which is Sunday, March 25, this year.
To find Ash Wednesday, you start with the date of Easter Sunday, back up six weeks (that gives you the first Sunday of Lent), and then back up four more days: Ash Wednesday is the Wednesday before the first Sunday of Lent.
The Easter season coincides with Passover, one of the most important festivals on the Jewish calendar. In 2018, Passover begins on Friday, March 30, and ends in the evening of Saturday, April 7. Passover commemorates the liberation of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt.
Next weekend, the Shore Club will post the annual 'Easter Bunny Dock Hop' scheduled stops.
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