Easter Statistics

Consumers are expected to spend $14.4 billion on food, apparel, gifts, flowers, decorations and candy to celebrate Easter this year, a report issued by the National Retail Federation shows.

The research finds the average consumer will shell out $135.03 on the holiday, similar to last year's expected $135.07.
The majority will spend an average of $41.09 on Easter meals.

Easter, the Christian celebration of Christ's resurrection, is what is known as a moveable feast. Its timing is not fixed on a particular calendar date but is determined according to a fairly complex set of rules.

In Western Christianity, which includes the Roman Catholic Church and Protestant churches, Easter always falls on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25 inclusively.
It falls on the first Sunday following the first ecclesiastical full moon that occurs on or after March 21, which is fixed as a vernal equinox.

The Western observance of Easter will not arrive this early again until 2106.
For Eastern churches, however, Easter's date is determined by a different formula, based on older tables from the Julian calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar used by Western churches.

The Eastern Orthodox church applies the formula so that Easter always falls after Passover. That is because the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ took place after he entered Jerusalem to celebrate Passover, according to gospel accounts.
This year, Passover, which is the Jewish commemoration of the Exodus from Egypt, falls on April 19. Passover falls on the 14th day of Nissan, the first month of the Jewish year.

The Eastern churches' observance of Easter this year falls on April 27.

Some Statistics from the NRA.org

• Thirteen percent of Americans dine out on Easter Sunday, according to National Restaurant Association research.
• Older individuals — 65 and older — are more likely to dine out on Easter than any other age group (18 percent). Adults ages 35 to 44 are the second most likely to dine out during the Easter holiday (14 percent) — whereas adults ages 25 to 34 are the least likely (9 percent). Additionally, men are more likely than women to have an Easter meal at a restaurant (15 percent and 11 percent, respectively).
• Easter is the sixth most popular holiday or occasion to dine out, after birthdays, Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, Father's Day and New Year's.
• In addition to offering Easter brunches and other meals in their establishments, many restaurants offer takeout options to complement meals eaten at home.