302. All Things Being Equal

Later tonight after you go to bed, around 1:58 a.m. here along the Left Bank of the Ohio River near Milepost 606, we will cross over one of those all important imaginary lines, the Vernal Equinox, causing the season to change from Winter to Spring and, because some church authorities so dedided, setting up when Easter will fall in a given year. Easter, a Christian celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus, falls upon the first Sunday after the first Full Moon after the Vernal Equinox, which occurs later tonight. Friday afternoon the Moon passes into its Full phase, and thusly Easter is to be celebrated this Sunday, about as early as it can possibly fall. It last fell on this date in 1913 and will not again until 2160. It can also fall on March 22, having last done so in 1818 and to do so again in 2285 - all of these dates are subject to the idea that I read all the charts correctly. If I did, chances are good none of us will ever see an earlier date for Easter in our lifetimes, whether we are celebraters of Easter or not. Easter originally always fell on 14 Nisan on the Hebrew calendar, a date which falls in preparation for Passover, a day which in Christian tradition will be celebrated tomorrow. Notice the difference between the words date and day. One is unmoving, the other movable. The point of all this is to say that my posting will in all likelihood be light for the next several days, all of which are a part of Easter Week which began Sunday. Surely Barack and Hillary can give it rest for a few days as well.