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in March when daylight and darkness are of equal lengths in the Northern Hemisphere.) Helpful astronomers created a chart that plotted out their estimates of the dates of full Moons for many years to come. The Church formally adopted these dates as what are called “Ecclesiastical Full Moons.” They noted that the spring equinox fell on March 20 in 325, so they made that an official date. From then on, the rule for scheduling Easter was that Easter should fall on the first Sunday after the first Ecclesiastical Full Moon after March 20. The result of this complicated scheduling is that the Western Easter can fall anywhere between March 22 and April 25. The Eastern Orthodox Easter usually comes after the Western Easter. There are several reasons for this. First, the Eastern Churches do not use the same calendar as the Western Churches. Western Churches use the Gregorian calendar, which is the calendar that is used in Canada, Europe, the United States, and most of the world. The Eastern Churches use the Julian calendar, which was the calendar in place when the rules for scheduling Easter were first set. The Julian calendar is currently 13 days ahead of the Gregorian calendar. Second, Eastern Churches use the actual first full Moon after the spring equinox to set the date of Easter. They do not use the Ecclesiastical

Full Moons. Third, the Orthodox Easter must fall after the Jewish holiday of Passover. This is to remain faithful to the Bible’s claim that Jesus died after Passover. With these regulations, April 3 is the earliest date on which the Eastern Churches can celebrate Easter. Sometimes the Eastern Orthodox Easter falls on the same date as it does for Western Churches. In other years it might be as many as five weeks later. With the date of Easter in place, the starting date for Lent can be determined. In the Western Church it begins 46 days prior to Easter. Although it is said to last for 40 days, Sundays are not included in the count because they are not considered “fast days.” In the Eastern Churches, neither Saturdays nor Sundays are considered fast days, so they do not count toward the 40-day total. To make it 40 days, the Eastern Churches observe

Why Is Lent 40 Days? Scholars suggest several explanations for the length of Lent. The number 40 has a great deal of biblical significance. A few examples of events that could have influenced the early Church’s decision to make Lent 40 days are: • Jesus is believed to have spent 40 days in the desert being tempted by Satan. • Jesus is said to have lain 40 hours in his tomb after his death. • Moses spent 40 days on Mount Sinai talking with God. • Noah and his family and animals survived living on the Ark through 40 days of rain.

Origins and Observations of Lent n

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