We may have just got over Christmas and New Year, but the Easter holiday will be here before we know it.
Spring may seem like a long way off thanks to the chilly evenings, but soon people will be enjoying brighter days and warmer weather - and with that comes Easter.
Shops are already stocking up on chocolate treats and sugary sweets - but when exactly should we be buying them?
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Easter is always on the first Sunday after the first full moon that follows the spring equinox, marking the beginning of spring.
This year, Good Friday will fall on Friday, April 15 which means Easter Sunday will be April 17.
April 18 will be Easter Monday and the next bank holiday will not be until May 2 for the May Bank Holiday.
What is Easter?
Unlike other religious festivals, Easter moves around each year, changing the date of Mother's Day (this year, Sunday, March 27) and the start of Lent.
It is a Christian celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus as described in the Bible.
The Gospels - accounts of the life, death and Resurrection of Jesus that are included in the Bible - place the date of the Crucifixion as Friday, April 3, although mention of an eclipse occurring on that day has created further debate.
The year of the Crucifixion has been worked out to be 33 AD by comparing with references to high priest Caiaphas, governor Pontius Pilate and emperor Tiberius Caesar, who all lived around the same time as Jesus.
So, if we know Jesus died on April 3, why is the date of Easter different every year?
This is because the last week in the life of Jesus - a period known as the Passion - includes a series of connected events that must fall in the right place on the calendar.
Lent for the year 2022 will begin on Wednesday, March 2 and end on Thursday, 14 April and is a 40-day period where Christians remember the events leading up to and including the death of Jesus Christ.
When are schools off for Easter Break?
Typically, schools across Liverpool, Knowsley and Wirral will break up for Easter on Monday, April 11 until Friday, April 22.
For individual school holiday dates visit your local authority website.
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