When is Easter 2022? Dates of UK bank holiday weekend for Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday

Dates for the Easter weekend vary each year, according to the cycle of the sun and moon
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Consuming as much chocolate as possible has become a favourite Easter tradition.

But the date we tuck into our eggs in 2022 will fall later in April than last year, as the Easter weekend varies annually.

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The date of Easter Sunday falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon - following the spring equinox in March.

If a bank holiday is on a weekend, a ‘substitute’ weekday becomes a bank holiday.

So, when is Good Friday and Easter Monday? This is all you need to know.

When is Good Friday?

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The dates of Easter Sunday, and therefore Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Monday, vary each year due to Easter always falling on the first Sunday after the first full moon that follows the spring equinox.

The spring equinox always takes place on 21 March.

Equinoxes occur twice a year and are the point when the northern and southern hemispheres experience roughly the same amount of day and night as each other.

This year, the first full moon after Monday, 21 March is Sunday, 10 April - therefore Easter Sunday lands on Sunday, 17 April in 2022.

Good Friday - the day Jesus’ crucifiction is commemorated - will land on 15 April.

The Bank Holiday weekend is falling later this year than in 2021 - all because of the sun and moon cycle (image: Shutterstock)The Bank Holiday weekend is falling later this year than in 2021 - all because of the sun and moon cycle (image: Shutterstock)
The Bank Holiday weekend is falling later this year than in 2021 - all because of the sun and moon cycle (image: Shutterstock)

When is Easter Monday?

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Easter Monday holds religious significance for Christians, as it follows Easter Sunday, the day Jesus Christ was resurrected following his crucifixion on Good Friday.

This year Easter Monday will be observed on 18 April.

It is believed that Jesus remained on earth for 40 days after his resurrection, and during this time he appeared to believers, healed the sick and spread the word of God.

The acts he carried out during this period are thought to have helped establish the first church. After the 40 days ended, Christians believe that he ascended into heaven.

The Bible itself does not say anything about what happened on Easter Monday, after Jesus’ resurrection, and it also doesn’t specifically instruct Christians to celebrate the Monday following Easter Sunday.

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But across the globe, different cultures celebrate the day for different reasons. For some it’s a more solemn remembrance of Christ’s death and subsequent resurrection, which is marked with an outdoor procession.

For others there’s a more playful element to celebrating the day, like holding Easter egg-rolling competitions. Rolling Easter eggs is traditionally meant to symbolise the rolling of the stone from the tomb where Jesus was held.

Will 2022 have an extra bank holiday?

It was announced in November last year that in 2022 we will get to enjoy an extra bank holiday to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

The government said in a statement that the UK would celebrate the Queen’s 70th anniversary as monarch with “a blockbuster weekend of celebrations”.

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The Spring bank holiday will be shifted to Thursday, 2 June and an additional bank holiday on Friday, 3 June will usher in a four day weekend to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee.

The Platinum Jubilee is the first time any British monarch has reached this milestone.

Bank holidays in England and Wales in 2022

  • Friday 15 April, Good Friday
  • Monday 18 April, Easter Monday
  • Monday 2 May, Early May bank holiday 
  • Thursday 2 June, Spring bank holiday
  • Friday 3 June, Platinum Jubilee bank holiday
  • Monday 29 August, Summer bank holiday
  • Monday 26 December, Boxing Day
  • Tuesday 27 December, Christmas Day (substitute day)
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