Easter / Autumnal equinox – celebrated in March

The Easter festival marks the end of the first term at Michael Mount. Teachers select age-appropriate stories and activities with symbols and metaphors related to themes of new life and renewal. There are decorated eggs, painted butterflies, suns and roosters and, of course, the Easter egg hunt, in which young children search for eggs hidden by a mythical hare whom they never see. The painted eggs are brightly coloured, individually designed works of art.

The Autumnal equinox which, in the Southern hemisphere happens during the time of Easter, is a time of equal day and night, when nature is considered to be in balance. Easter is celebrated as a secular as well as religious holiday in both hemispheres, regardless of whether that part of the world is experiencing autumn or spring.

Easter doesn’t fall on a fixed date, but on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox in the Northern hemisphere. Calculated this way, the earliest Easter can be is when a full moon falls on a Saturday, March 21, in which case it’s Sunday, March 22. The latest is when a full moon falls on a Saturday, March 20, in which case it’s Sunday, April 25.

In the Northern hemisphere, the Autumnal Equinox is celebrated with the festival of Michaelmas in late September.