The time for the celebration of Easter was determined by the church as far back as the 3rd century. There is no clear date tied to the same day, since it is not known exactly which calendar the Jews used to describe the days of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Therefore, the beginning of Easter is calculated using a combination of the solar and lunar cycles. Moreover, the dates of the celebration for Catholics, Orthodox Christians and Jews do not coincide. In addition, Orthodox Easter always comes after the Jewish one.
Instructions
Step 1
In Russia in the 19th and early 20th centuries, when religion largely determined the life of society, even illiterate peasants could easily determine the date of Easter. But they acted simply: they counted 48 days from the beginning of Great Lent, which was observed by almost everyone. Now they use only numerical data.
Step 2
Based on the binding of the date of Easter to the days of the vernal equinox and the full moon, in order to accurately determine it, you must first determine the day of the vernal equinox. Then you calculate when the full moon comes after it. And Easter is celebrated on the Sunday following the full moon. Scientists have determined that the earliest date for Easter is March 22 and the latest is April 25 according to the Julian calendar, which corresponds with us, according to the Gregorian calendar, from April 4 to May 8.
Step 3
Since the system for calculating the date of Easter is rather complicated and requires special knowledge, you can use Easter - ready-made special tables that are compiled by the Orthodox Church. They are easy to find both in any temple and on the Internet.
Step 4
To determine the date of Easter at home, it is customary to use the simplest system proposed by the German mathematician Gauss in the 19th century. To make the correct calculation of Easter, you need to determine the value of several mathematical quantities. Let's designate them for clarity with the letters A, B, C, D, D and try to calculate the required date for 2012. Read and write:
Step 5
And equal to the remainder of dividing the year by 19 (2012: 19 = [17])
Step 6
B is equal to the remainder of dividing the year by 4 (2012: 4 = [0])
Step 7
B is equal to the remainder of dividing the year by 7 (2012: 7 = [3])
Step 8
Г is equal to the remainder of the division by the number 30 of the expression 19A + 15 ((19x17 + 15) / 30 = [8])
Step 9
D is equal to the remainder of dividing by the number 7 of the expression 2B + 4B + 6G + 6 ((2x0 + 4x3 + 6x8 + 6) / 7 = [3]
Step 10
To calculate, you need the values of G and D. If the sum of G + D is less than 9, then we will celebrate Easter in March (according to the old style). Specifically, this date is calculated as the sum of 22 + Y + D.
Step 11
If the amount of G + D is greater than 9, then Easter is celebrated in April (calculation according to the old style). In this case, the calculation of the date is as follows: G + D-9.
Step 12
So, calculate the date of Easter for 2012: 8 + 3-9 = 2, i.e. April 2 old style, or April 15 new style (2 + 13).
Step 13
This calculation is universal, and only in 2101 will it be slightly changed: the difference between the styles, old and new (Julian and Gregorian calendars), will not be 13 days, as it is now, but 14.
