Easter

What is Easter?	Celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ
Who celebrates it?	Christians and many cultural traditions
How is it celebrated?	Church services, family meals, Easter egg decoration and gifts
When does it happen?	Changes each year – in 2025 it will be on April 20

Easter, also called Pasch or Pascha, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. According to the Bible's New Testament, this event happened three days after Jesus was crucified. Easter ends a special time called Lent, a 40-day period of fasting, prayer, and penance.

Christians around the world observe Easter in many different ways. The week before Easter, called Holy Week, is very important. In Western Christianity, it begins with Palm Sunday, when Jesus entered Jerusalem. It includes Maundy Thursday, marking the Last Supper, and Good Friday, the day of Jesus' crucifixion. Easter Sunday starts a seven-week season called Eastertide, ending with Pentecost Sunday.

Easter does not happen on the same date every year—it moves based on a special calendar. It is always the first Sunday after the first full moon that occurs on or after the March equinox. Because of this, Easter is closely linked to the Jewish holiday of Passover.

Many fun customs are associated with Easter. People attend special services, exchange greetings, decorate churches, and enjoy Easter eggs. In many places, children hunt for eggs, and the Easter Bunny is a popular symbol. Easter is also a time for special meals that vary from country to country.

Etymology

Main articles: [Ēostre] and [Names of Easter]

The word "Easter" comes from an old English word for a month around April. A writer named Bede said this month was named after a goddess called Ēostre.

In many languages, Easter is called "Pascha." This word comes from a Jewish holiday called Passover. It celebrates when the Jewish people left slavery in Egypt. Early Christians used this word to talk about Jesus coming back to life. Some people also call Easter "Resurrection Sunday." This is because it celebrates Jesus returning to life.

Theological significance

A stained-glass window depicting the Passover Lamb, a concept integral to the foundation of Easter

Easter celebrates Jesus' supernatural resurrection from the dead. This is a key belief in Christianity. It is thought that through faith in Jesus, believers can live a new kind of life and hope for eternal salvation and life in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Easter is connected to the holiday of Passover and the story of the Exodus from Egypt in the Old Testament. During the Last Supper, Jesus shared bread and wine with his followers.

Early Christianity

The Last Supper (1495–1498). Mural, tempera on gesso, pitch and mastic, 700 x 880 cm (22.9 x 28.8 ft). In the Santa Maria delle Grazie Church, Milan, Italy, it is Leonardo da Vinci's dramatic interpretation of Jesus' last meal before death. The Last Supper celebrated by Jesus and his disciples. The early Christians, too, would have celebrated this meal to commemorate Jesus's death and subsequent resurrection.

The first Christians celebrated the resurrection of Jesus with the Jewish Passover festival. By the mid-2nd century, Easter, also called Pascha, became a Christian festival. One of the earliest writings about Easter is a homily by Melito of Sardis.

Martyrs in early Christianity had fixed dates, but the date of Easter was set using the Jewish lunisolar calendar. This shows Easter became part of Christianity in its early Jewish period.

Date

Main articles: Date of Easter and List of dates for Easter

A five-part Russian Orthodox icon depicting the Easter story. Eastern Orthodox Christians use a different computation for the date of Easter from the Western churches.

Easter and holidays related to it are moveable feasts, meaning they do not happen on the same date every year. They do not follow the Gregorian or Julian calendars. Instead, the date for Easter is set using a lunisolar calendar, similar to the Hebrew calendar.

Leaders long ago tried to pick one date for Easter. The First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD helped decide that Easter would be on the first Sunday after the full moon that follows the spring equinox.

Today, most Western Christians use the Gregorian calendar to find Easter, which is always on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25. Eastern Orthodox Christians use the Julian calendar, so their Easter can be from April 4 to May 8 in the Gregorian calendar. This means Orthodox Easter can sometimes be on the same day as Western Easter, or a few weeks later.

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Position in the church year

Further information: Liturgical year

In Western Christianity, Easter comes after Lent. Lent is a 40-day time of fasting and prayer. It starts on Ash Wednesday. The week before Easter is called Holy Week. It starts with Palm Sunday, when people welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem. The days before Easter include Maundy Thursday, when we remember the Last Supper, and Good Friday, when we remember Jesus. Easter celebrates when Jesus came back to life.

In Eastern Christianity, the time before Easter is called Great Lent. It starts on Clean Monday. Easter begins late on Holy Saturday night during the Paschal Vigil. The days after Easter are called Bright Week. It is a happy time for celebration.

Liturgical observance

The Easter festival is celebrated in many ways by Western Christians. For Roman Catholics, Lutherans, and some Anglicans, the celebration starts on the night of Holy Saturday with the Easter Vigil. This service uses candles, light, and Bible readings. Services also happen on Easter Sunday and sometimes Easter Monday. Some churches have sunrise services in open areas where people can see the sunrise.

Christian worshippers attend an Easter Sunday church service at St James's Church, Piccadilly, London. The cross in the chancel is draped with a white shroud, symbolizing the resurrection.

Eastern Orthodox, Eastern Catholics, and Byzantine Rite Lutherans also celebrate Easter with great importance. Their preparation begins with Great Lent, a time for fasting and prayer. The Orthodox Easter service starts late on Saturday night, showing the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The church stays dark until the priest lights a candle. The service includes a special walk. The fasting ends with a feast on Easter Sunday.

Some Christian groups, such as Puritans, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Quakers, do not observe Easter. They think it either does not come from the Bible or that all days should be treated the same. Jehovah’s Witnesses have a service to remember the Last Supper and Christ’s death. Quakers see every day as the Lord’s Day and do not pick special days for celebration.

Easter celebrations around the world

Easter is celebrated in many different ways around the world. People often have special meals and decorations for the holiday. Common traditions include going to sunrise services, decorating churches with flowers, and saying hello to friends. One popular activity is decorating and hunting for Easter eggs, which stand for new life and the empty tomb of Jesus.

In many countries, Easter is a public holiday. Good Friday and Easter Monday are often days off from work and school. Each country has its own special foods and customs. For example, in Sweden and Denmark families might eat herring and salmon, while in Finland they enjoy roasted lamb and a special Easter treat called mämmi. In Italy, families eat lamb and special Easter bread called Colomba di Pasqua.