EASTERSUNDAY Function (LibreOffice Calc)
The EASTERSUNDAY function returns the date of Easter Sunday for a given year using the computus algorithm. It is essential for holiday calendars, scheduling, and workflows that depend on moveable feast dates.
Compatibility
▾| Excel | ✖ |
| Gnumeric | ✔ |
| Google_sheets | ✖ |
| Libreoffice | ✔ |
| Numbers | ✖ |
| Onlyoffice | ✔ |
| Openoffice | ✔ |
| Wps | ✔ |
| Zoho | ✔ |
What the EASTERSUNDAY Function Does â–¾
- Returns the date of Easter Sunday for a given year
- Uses the computus algorithm (Western Christian tradition)
- Works with any year from 1583 onward
- Returns a serial date number formatted as a date
It is designed to be accurate, reliable, and ideal for holiday‑based workflows.
Syntax â–¾
EASTERSUNDAY(year)
Arguments
- year:
A four‑digit year (e.g., 2024).
Basic Examples â–¾
Easter in 2024
=EASTERSUNDAY(2024)
Returns 2024‑03‑31.
Easter in 2025
=EASTERSUNDAY(2025)
Returns 2025‑04‑20.
Easter in the current year
=EASTERSUNDAY(YEAR(TODAY()))
Easter in a year stored in a cell
=EASTERSUNDAY(A1)
Advanced Examples â–¾
Determine if today is Easter Sunday
=TODAY() = EASTERSUNDAY(YEAR(TODAY()))
Determine if a date is in Easter week
=AND(A1 >= EASTERSUNDAY(YEAR(A1))-7; A1 <= EASTERSUNDAY(YEAR(A1))+7)
Compute Good Friday (2 days before Easter)
=EASTERSUNDAY(A1) - 2
Compute Easter Monday (1 day after Easter)
=EASTERSUNDAY(A1) + 1
Compute Ascension Day (39 days after Easter)
=EASTERSUNDAY(A1) + 39
Compute Pentecost (49 days after Easter)
=EASTERSUNDAY(A1) + 49
Build a holiday label
="Easter Sunday " & YEAR(A1) & " falls on " & TEXT(EASTERSUNDAY(A1); "YYYY-MM-DD")
Easter for a year extracted from a timestamp
=EASTERSUNDAY(YEAR(DATEVALUE(LEFT(A1;10))))
Edge Cases and Behavior Details â–¾
EASTERSUNDAY returns a date
Accepts:
- Any integer year ≥ 1583
- YEAR() output
- VALUE() output
Invalid year → Err:502
EASTERSUNDAY does not accept:
- Dates
- Text dates
- Negative years
- Years before Gregorian reform
EASTERSUNDAY of an error → error propagates
Algorithm details (Western Easter)
- Based on the Gregorian computus
- Uses Paschal full moon
- Returns the Sunday following that moon
Eastern Orthodox Easter is not supported
(Uses Julian calendar rules)
Common Errors and Fixes â–¾
Err:502 — Invalid argument
Cause:
- Year is text
- Year < 1583
- Non-numeric input
Fix:
- Wrap with VALUE
- Validate year
- Ensure numeric input
Wrong year due to text parsing
Fix:
- Convert with VALUE(A1)
Unexpected results for pre‑Gregorian years
Fix:
- Use years ≥ 1583
Best Practices â–¾
- Use EASTERSUNDAY as the anchor for all moveable Christian holidays
- Use YEAR(TODAY()) for dynamic calendars
- Use DATEVALUE + YEAR for timestamps
- Use EASTERSUNDAY with WORKDAY for business‑holiday logic
- Use EASTERSUNDAY for payroll, scheduling, and compliance calendars
EASTERSUNDAY is your moveable‑holiday anchor — perfect for building dynamic calendars, scheduling systems, and workflows that depend on Easter‑related dates.
Related Patterns and Alternatives â–¾
- Use DAYSINMONTH and DAYSINYEAR for month/year lengths
- Use DATE to construct related holidays
- Use YEAR to extract the year from timestamps
- Use WORKDAY to adjust Easter‑related holidays to business days
By mastering EASTERSUNDAY and its companion functions, you can build powerful, accurate, and fully dynamic holiday‑aware workflows in LibreOffice Calc.