Easter is the principal annual celebration of Jesus' resurrection in most Christian traditions. Its observance developed over centuries, bringing together a liturgical sequence, different calendar systems and a wide range of local customs.
The Christian liturgical calendar
In the earliest centuries of Christianity, Easter and Pentecost were among the central annual observances. Other days associated with the final period of Jesus' life were gradually incorporated into a longer season of preparation and remembrance. The precise order and emphasis vary among churches.
Holy Week in brief
Palm Sunday begins Holy Week by recalling Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. Maundy Thursday remembers the Last Supper and themes of service. Good Friday is a solemn commemoration of Jesus' death, while Holy Saturday marks a period of waiting before the Easter celebration. These observances are interpreted differently across Christian communities, and some churches use distinctive names or omit particular services.
How the date of Easter is determined
Easter is a movable feast rather than a fixed anniversary. In the Western calculation, Easter Sunday is the first Sunday after the ecclesiastical full moon that falls on or after the traditional spring reference date, 21 March. This is a calendrical rule, not necessarily the date of the astronomical equinox or the exact astronomical full moon.
The calculation uses an ecclesiastical cycle related to the Metonic cycle, an ancient approximation of the relationship between lunar months and solar years. As a result, Western Easter can occur between 22 March and 25 April. The historical date of Jesus' death and the chronology of the resurrection narratives are not known with enough certainty to establish a yearly anniversary.
Western practice
Uses the Gregorian calendar and an ecclesiastical lunar calculation. Easter may fall on any Sunday from late March through late April.
Eastern practice
Many Orthodox churches coordinate the feast with the Julian calendar and additional traditional criteria, producing a different date in some years.
Rabbits, eggs and other traditions
Modern Easter customs have developed through several layers of Christian, regional and seasonal culture. Similar spring symbols have often been associated with renewal, fertility or the return of life, but their histories are not uniform and should not be reduced to a single origin story.
- Eggs: eggs can represent new life and are used in many spring customs. In some Christian communities, their use also became connected with the end of Lenten restrictions.
- Hares and rabbits: the hare became an Easter symbol in parts of Europe, later appearing in popular customs as the Easter rabbit or hare.
- Hot cross buns: spiced breads marked with a cross are associated particularly with Good Friday in several English-speaking cultures.
- Lilies and spring flowers: white lilies and other flowers are used in some churches as visual signs of life, hope and renewal.
- Sunrise services and candles: worship at dawn and the lighting of the Paschal candle express resurrection and light in many Christian communities. Their meanings should be understood within the practices of the churches that use them.
Reading the traditions carefully
Claims that one Easter custom has a single pagan or Christian source are often too simple. Symbols move between cultures, change meaning and acquire new explanations. A respectful account distinguishes documented history from later interpretation and recognizes that believers may understand the same object or ceremony in different ways.
Related reading
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