Scottish Poetry Selection
- The Date of Easter

The date of Easter is a mystery to most people - it moves around the calendar in March and April and without a diary to provide the date, most folk would not know when to celebrate the festival (or, more likely these days, have a long weekend break). But in the days before most of the population had a diary, it was necessary for people to be able to work out when Easter should be. This little poem was designed to provide the answer, in Scotland at least. Of course, you also have to know the phases of the moon! Back to the printed diary again?


The Date of Easter (in Scots)

First comes Candlemas.
An syne the new meen,
The first Tuesday aifter that
Is Fastern' Een.
That meen oot,
An the neist meen's hicht,
On the first Sunday aifter that
Is Pess richt.

The Date of Easter (in English)

First comes 2 February.
And after the new moon,
The first Tuesday after that
Is Shrove Tuesday.
That moon passes,
And the next full moon,
On the first Sunday after that
Is Easter by rights.

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