What Is Easter? Why the Date Moves and What to Send
What is Easter? Why the date moves and what to send
Easter Sunday is the one big occasion in the calendar with no fixed date. It falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after 21 March, which puts it anywhere between 22 March and 25 April.
Good Friday and Easter Monday are bank holidays in England, Wales and Northern Ireland; Scotland has Good Friday but not Easter Monday as a general holiday. For most families the practical meaning is a four-day weekend, a roast and a lot of chocolate.
Here is how the date works, what happens across the weekend, and what to write if you send a card.
Easter cards
Designed in house, printed in the UK and posted with a kraft envelope.
How the date is worked out
- Easter Sunday is the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after 21 March. Shop this card
- That places it between 22 March and 25 April each year. Shop this card
- Good Friday is the Friday before, Easter Monday the day after. Shop this card
- Mothering Sunday, three weeks earlier, moves with it, because both sit in the church calendar. Shop this card
The weekend in practice
- Good Friday: hot cross buns, and church services for those who go. Shop this card
- Easter Saturday: the last supermarket run before everything shuts. Shop this card
- Easter Sunday: egg hunts, a roast, and chocolate before breakfast. Shop this card
- Easter Monday: leftovers, a walk, and the school holidays continuing. Shop this card
What to write in an Easter card
- Happy Easter. Hope the chocolate lasts past Sunday lunch. Shop this card
- Wishing you a lovely Easter weekend with the people you like most. Shop this card
- Happy Easter from all of us — enjoy the long weekend. Shop this card
- Hope the egg hunt is fierce and the roast is enormous. Shop this card
- Happy Easter. Eat well, rest properly, and let someone else wash up. Shop this card
Cards for family
For grandparents, godchildren and whoever hosts the lunch.
Top Trumps 60th Birthday Card for Dad
£3.87
Top Trumps 90th Birthday Card for Dad
£3.87
Two's A Couple, Three's A Family (Guinness Congrats On The New Baby Card)
£3.87
Top Trumps 80th Birthday Card for Dad
£3.87
Top Trumps 65th Birthday Card for Dad
£3.87
Top Trumps 70th Birthday Card for Dad
£3.87
That's What I Call Old (Funny Dad Happy Birthday Card)
£3.87
You Don't Look A Day Over 79 (80th Birthday Card for Dad)
£3.87
You Don't Look A Day Over 89 (90th Birthday Card for Dad)
£3.87
Happy Birthday, Dad! (Guinness Happy Birthday Card)
£3.87
Happy Birthday Card For The World's Best Step Dad
£3.87
My Dad Is My Hero Fathers Day Card
£3.87
How to write it so it lands
- Post by the Tuesday of Easter week so it beats the bank holiday.
- For children, write it so they can read it themselves.
- A card with a small egg posts more cheaply than a boxed gift.
Where to shop next
Frequently asked questions
Why does the date of Easter change every year?
It is set by the lunar calendar: the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after 21 March, so it moves between 22 March and 25 April.
Which Easter days are bank holidays in the UK?
Good Friday and Easter Monday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, Good Friday is observed but Easter Monday generally is not.
Do people send Easter cards?
Yes, mainly to children, grandparents and godchildren, often sent with or instead of an egg.