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| Calculating the Paschal Moon |
The First Council of Nicea (325) established the date of Easter as the first Sunday after the full moon (the Paschal Full Moon) following the March equinox. Ecclesiastically, the equinox is reckoned to be on 21 March (even though the equinox occurs, astronomically speaking, on 20 March in most years), and the "Full Moon" is not necessarily the astronomically correct date. Because the date of the full moon after the equinox varies, Easter and Passover vary - a moveable feast.