Friday, March 21, 2008

Easter

For the past few weeks I have been sublimely coasting along on my internal clock, believing I had lots of time to get Easter cards and send them out, spend time with family or just plain celebrate.
But YESTERDAY I was rudely and verbally slapped in the face by our local newscasters with the information that Easter is THIS Sunday! Good grief, I had been thinking I had an extra week to not hurry or worry.
All the signs were there that it was coming.
The grocery stores were loaded with Easter baskets, candy and cards. Turkey, hams and lambs have been rolling through the cash registers as if it were a bowling marathon. "Boy, people are really getting on the ball, buying early for once", I thought. Occasionally I would hear someone call out "Happy Easter" just thinking they were strange.
Well, thanks to some person named Gregory and his collisional (my own made up word)disagreement with the Julian calendar, he has managed to screw up my nicely organized mental calendar. It all has to do with the number of days in a month, the vernal equinox and I'm sure that even Greenwich has it's hands-no pun intended-in there.
I do know that I will have lots of time before it ever comes this early again, 230 some odd years, in fact. Lots of time to make Easter eggs, paint paper plates, grow some lilies and send out cards. Whew! I just have to get the ones in between that one all figured out. Now, if I can just get my sun and moon dates figured out, I might just be ahead of the game...

Is it any wonder I am confused? Here is a look at the past dates of Easter...
1989 March 26 April 30
1990 April 15
1991 March 31 April 7
1992 April 19 April 26
1993 April 11 April 18
1994 April 3 May 1
1995 April 16 April 23
1996 April 7 April 14
1997 March 30 April 27
1998 April 12 April 19
1999 April 4 April 11
2000 April 23 April 30
2001 April 15
2002 March 31 May 5
2003 April 20 April 27
2004 April 11
2005 March 27 May 1
2006 April 16 April 23
2007 April 8
2008 March 23 April 27
2009 April 12 April 19
2010 April 4
2011 April 24
2012 April 8 April 15
2013 March 31 May 5
2014 April 20
2015 April 5 April 12
2016 March 27 May 1
2017 April 16
2018 April 1 April 8
2019 April 21 April 28
2020 April 12 April 19

Easter and the holidays that are related to it are movable feasts, in that they do not fall on a fixed date in the Gregorian or Julian calendars (both of which follow the cycle of the sun and the seasons)

In any event, may you all have a wondrous and beautiful Easter.