SCHOOLS may have only just re-opened this week- but many of us will be looking ahead to the Easter holidays and bank holiday weekend.

All legal limits on social contact are set to be lifted by June 21st at the earliest, meaning our Easter break is set to be just as quiet as last year.

However, if you want to organize your diary and start planning some lockdown activities with the kids, then here are the important Easter holiday dates that you need to be aware of:

When is Easter 2021?

This year, Easter is on Sunday 4 April which is a week earlier than it fell last year.

The easter holiday dates and bank holidays are as follows:

  • April 2- Good Friday (bank holiday)
  • April 3- Holy Saturday
  • April 4- Easter Sunday
  • April 5- Easter Monday (bank holiday)

When are the 2021 Easter school holidays in Cumbria?

The Easter holiday dates vary across the United Kingdom.

In Scotland, schools will generally close between April 2 -19.

In Northern Ireland, most schools will close from April 1 to 9 this year.

In Wales, schools can be expected to close from Monday, March 29 until Friday, April 9, 2021.

In Cumbria, the Easter holidays fall between Thursday 1 April- Friday 16 April.

The summer term then commences on Monday 19 April.

While this is the case for most schools in Cumbria, the Cumbria County Council website advises parents to “check with individual schools as there can be a slight variation in start/finish dates”.

To check the exact term and holiday dates for your school, enter your postcode into the government website.

Why do Easter Dates change every year?

Times and Star: The dates are linked to lunar cyclesThe dates are linked to lunar cycles

As a general rule, the Easter Holidays can fall anywhere between March 22-April 25.

These dates are actually based on the Jewish calendar and the cycle phases of the moon.

Easter is always the first Sunday after the first full moon that follows the spring equinox.

As we now work off the solar Gregorian calendar rather than a lunar one, it means the full moon falls on a different date every year.

As a result, some churches celebrate Easter on different days as not everyone follows the same calendar we do.