What religious oddity occurs in this year's Jewish calendar that has happened only twice before in the last 15 years?

gmackematix

As you are asking it now I presume it relates to Passover? Mar 21 05, 7:49 PM

gmackematix

This year Jewish Passover falls after Easter in the Gregorian calendar which (I think) is a bit unusual. Mar 21 05, 7:54 PM

Arpeggionist

It is related indirectly to Passover, but that's not all. There's more to this particular phenomenon. Mar 22 05, 2:33 AM

Stew54

It's a Jewish leap year; is that it? Mar 22 05, 5:56 AM

Arpeggionist

Yes, but that happens seven times every 19 years (once every two or three years in practice). Mar 22 05, 6:14 AM

Stew54

OK, a "Triple Purim" then? That's about the right frequency. Mar 22 05, 6:52 AM

Arpeggionist

Wow, I'm impressed. You guessed it properly. It's a real shame this holiday is only celebrated the way it is in three places in the world (Jerusalem, Tiberias and Safed). What most people outside Israel complain about is that when this happens, Passover begins on a Saturday night (and it's hard to get the last of the bread out on a Saturday). Mar 22 05, 8:00 AM

Stew54

Don't be too impressed, Arpeggionist. I work in the property business and have always needed to schedule meetings and deadlines to avoid Jewish holidays etc. Mar 22 05, 8:06 AM

Arpeggionist

It's still impressive that you knew about triple Purim. One would have to at least have been in Jerusalem to notice that such a holiday even exists. Anywhere in England Purim is Friday and only Friday. Whereas here we celebrate through Sunday. Mar 22 05, 8:47 AM

Stew54

I'm not so clever though that I can understand why Passover is so late this year. I did read that if this year hadn't been a leap year then Pesach would've more or less coincided with Easter (as it usually seems to) rather than arriving four weeks later. Is that right? Mar 22 05, 12:15 PM

Arpeggionist

Generally Passover (Pesach) coincides with Easter. The Jewish calendar is set up so that the new moon closest to the vernal equinox is the 1st of the month of Nissan, the month in which Passover falls (thus the first full moon after the equinox is generally the first night of Passover, and Easter is the following Sunday). Leap years were invented to keep the months in sync with that basic rule. However, occasionally the leap year will defeat its own purpose. Today is the vernal equinox this year, and the closest new moon was 12 days ago. But because this is the 8th year in the 19-year cycle it was made a leap year. So the Hebrew dates turn out very late on the Gregorian calendar. The first full moon after this year's equinox is Friday night, but the 1st of Nissan is 16 days later. So Easter does not coincide with Passover this year, but with Purim, which is celebrated exactly 29 days before Passover. I appologize if the details here seem a bit complicated. But if one can understand them, the oddity of Easter and Passover not coinciding makes perfect sense. Mar 22 05, 4:18 PM