Rachel Evans
Easter is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is the most important liturgical time for Catholics. In Western Christianity, Easter is preceded by Lent, a period of penance and fasting that begins on Ash Wednesday and lasts for 40 days (not counting Sundays). The week before Easter is known as Holy Week, which includes Maundy Thursday, commemorating the Last Supper, Good Friday, commemorating the Crucifixion, and Holy Saturday, the transition between Crucifixion and Resurrection. Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday following the first full moon of spring, and it is always celebrated on a Sunday as Jesus rose from the dead on a Sunday. In 2025, Easter will take place on April 20 in Catholic and Western Christian churches. Eastern Catholics typically celebrate Easter at the same time as the dominant culture, following the Orthodox time in the East and the Latin time in the West.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date | For Roman Catholics and other Western branches of Christianity, the tradition of celebrating Easter on the first Sunday following the first full moon of spring dates back to the Council of Nicaea in 325. |
| Date variation | In 2025, Orthodox Easter will take place on April 20, the same day as Easter in Catholic and Western Christian churches. |
| Traditions | Easter eggs, hard-boiled eggs dyed bright red to symbolize the blood of Christ and the promise of eternal life, are cracked together to celebrate the opening of the Tomb of Christ. |
| The custom of associating a rabbit or bunny with Easter arose in Protestant areas in Europe in the 17th century. | |
| Churches are decorated with white lilies, symbolizing rebirth and purity. | |
| The Paschal Candle is used during the Easter Vigil and is a symbol of the divine light of Christ. | |
| The Feast of Mercy is celebrated on the Sunday after Easter and includes a public blessing and liturgical veneration of Christ's image. | |
| The Regina Caeli is prayed by the Church instead of the Angelus at noon from Easter Monday until the end of Easter at Pentecost. | |
| Traditional Italian dishes for the Easter period include abbacchio, cappello del prete, casatiello, colomba di pasqua, pastiera, penia, pizza di pasqua, and pizzelle. |
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What You'll Learn
The date of Easter
Easter is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. It is preceded by Lent, a period of penance, fasting and prayer, and Holy Week, which includes Maundy Thursday, commemorating the Last Supper, Good Friday, commemorating the Crucifixion, and Holy Saturday, the transition between Crucifixion and Resurrection.
Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday following the first full moon of spring, as decided at the Council of Nicaea in 325. This is why Easter is described as a Floating holiday, as it does not have a fixed date. In 1955, the Roman Catholic Church set the time for the Easter vigil at 10 pm, allowing for the Easter mass to be celebrated after midnight.
Eastern Catholics typically celebrate Easter at the same time as the dominant culture. For example, in 2025, Orthodox Easter took place on April 20, the same day as Easter in Catholic and Western Christian churches. However, in places like Ukraine that are still on the Julian calendar, the date of Easter differs.
The fifty days from the Sunday of the Resurrection to Pentecost Sunday are celebrated as one feast day, or "great Sunday". The Sundays during this period are considered to be Sundays of Easter, and the first eight days constitute the Octave of Easter.
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Easter traditions
Easter is a Christian celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, and it is a holiday that is celebrated in many different ways across Europe. The date of Easter varies each year, falling on the first Sunday following the first full moon of spring.
Religious Traditions
In many European countries, Easter is a religious celebration. In Spain, for example, Holy Week is a representative celebration that includes processions with images of the Passion of Christ, accompanied by penitents and music bands. In Florence, Italy, there is a procession of a 500-year-old cart pulled by oxen to the Piazza del Duomo, followed by a 20-minute firework display. In Greece, the village of Kardamyli holds a procession on Good Friday, and on Holy Saturday, the townspeople turn off their lights and gather in the main square where the priest spreads light through the crowd with a candle.
Secular Traditions
In addition to the religious celebrations, there are many secular Easter traditions in Europe. In Germany, Easter is a unique experience with streets, squares, gardens, and balconies decorated for the celebration. The German tradition of Osterbaum involves hanging hollowed-out, painted eggs from trees and bushes. In France, the focus is on bells rather than bunnies. The story goes that the bells fly to the Pope on Good Friday and return on Easter morning with chocolate eggs. In the United Kingdom, Easter egg hunts are a popular tradition, along with egg-rolling and egg-tossing contests. In Sweden, children dress up as Easter witches and trade handmade artwork for sweets.
Food Traditions
Food is a big part of Easter celebrations in Europe. In Hungary, traditional Easter food includes smoked cooked ham, horseradish, potato salad, boiled eggs, and Easter bread. In Germany, it is customary to cook lamb for Easter, either roasted or as a sponge cake. In the United Kingdom, hot cross buns are a popular Easter food—sweet and spicy pastries with raisins, marked with a cross. In France and Italy, lamb is served for the Easter meal, while in the United Kingdom, ham is the traditional choice.
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The history of Easter
The word "Easter" is derived from "Eostre," the name of an Anglo-Saxon pagan goddess who was celebrated in the spring. In Germany, the festival is called "Ostern," named after the goddess "Ostara." Ancient pagans exchanged eggs during their spring festival, and these gifts became associated with new life and fertility. The Easter Bunny or Easter Rabbit, a popular gift-giving character, also has pagan origins, stemming from the pagan festival of Eostre, where the goddess was associated with the hare.
The date of Easter has been a matter of controversy within Christianity. The Quartodeciman controversy centred on whether Easter should be celebrated on Nisan 14 of the Hebrew calendar or the Sunday following, known as the Sunday of Unleavened Bread. This dispute led Emperor Constantine to convene the Council of Nicaea in 325, resulting in the adoption of an 84-year lunisolar calendar cycle.
The customs and traditions associated with Easter have evolved over time, influenced by both Christian and pre-Christian elements. The use of eggs and bunnies as Easter symbols dates back to ancient times, with eggs first being decorated in the 13th century. The Easter lamb also holds significance, reflecting both the sacrificial lamb in ancient Israel and Jesus as the "Lamb of God."
Today, Easter is a time for Christians to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ and gather with loved ones. It is a movable feast, falling between March 22 and April 25, and is often linked with the Jewish festival of Passover.
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Easter in different countries
Easter is a Christian holiday that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is a moveable feast, which means it is always held on the first Sunday following the first full moon of spring. While Easter is celebrated all over the world, different countries in Europe have their own unique traditions and customs to commemorate the occasion.
In Italy, Easter is a popular holiday with festivities occurring nationwide. People wear historic costumes, serve lamb, and organise processions and dances. Religious events are widely attended, with people travelling long distances to St. Peter's Basilica to witness the Pope giving Mass. In Spain, the Holy Week is one of the most representative celebrations. There is a deployment of music, culture, tradition, religion, and theatre. Brotherhoods demonstrate their faith through processions with representative images of the Passion of Christ, followed by penitents or nazarenes.
In Germany, Easter celebrations are rich with customs and traditions. The country is decorated, and the main tradition is to give Easter baskets filled with hand-painted eggs, chocolates, and toys. Germans also have the centuries-old tradition of the Osterbaum or Easter Tree, where the branches of trees and bushes are decorated with hanging eggs and ribbons.
In the Czech Republic, one Easter tradition is the elaboration of the whip, a wicker wand decorated with coloured ribbons. During this celebration, men go from house to house symbolically lashing women and girls with the whips, as a belief for rejuvenation and adornment for the year.
In Hungary, several curious traditions are practised on Easter Day, including outdoor activities. One such tradition is painting Easter eggs. A historic custom saw men pouring water over local women's heads to symbolise fertility, but this has been modernised to include spraying water and perfume.
In England, one Easter tradition is the Morris dance, an English folk dance based on rhythmic stepping. Dancers wear black and white, with straw hats and red sashes, and bells tied around their ankles.
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The significance of Easter
Easter is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in the New Testament as having occurred on the third day of his burial following his crucifixion by the Romans at Calvary c. 30 AD. It is the culmination of the Passion of Jesus, preceded by Lent (or Great Lent), a 40-day period of fasting, prayer, and penance.
The date of Easter is movable and always falls on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25. In the Roman Catholic Church, Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox. Most Catholics attend Easter Vigil at midnight, although daytime services on Easter are shorter and well-attended. Sunrise services are common but are distinctively Protestant.
The week before Easter is known as Holy Week, which is an important time for observers to commemorate the final week of Jesus' life on earth. It includes Maundy Thursday, commemorating the Last Supper; Good Friday, the day of his crucifixion; and Holy Saturday, the transition between crucifixion and resurrection.
Easter is the principal feast of the ecclesiastical year, with Leo I calling it the "greatest feast" and saying that Christmas is celebrated only in preparation for Easter. It is the oldest feast of the Christian Church, as old as Christianity itself, and is considered the most important liturgical time for Catholics. It celebrates Jesus' victory over sin and death and salvation for mankind. It is God's greatest act of love to redeem mankind.
The custom of the Easter bunny or Easter rabbit arose in Protestant areas of Europe in the 17th century but did not become common until the 19th century. The Easter rabbit is said to lay, decorate, and hide Easter eggs. In the United States, the Easter bunny also leaves children baskets filled with toys and candies, a tradition enjoyed by non-religious and Christian families alike.
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Frequently asked questions
Catholics in Europe celebrate Easter on the first Sunday following the first full moon of spring.
Easter is celebrated on a Sunday because Jesus rose from the dead on a Sunday.
Easter is the most important liturgical time for Catholics as it celebrates the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
The Easter celebration for Catholics lasts for 50 days, from the Sunday of the Resurrection to Pentecost Sunday.
