What is Easter?

Easter Sunday in 2025 was celebrated on April 20, following Good Friday on April 18.

This important Christian festival honours the belief that Jesus rose from the dead three days after he died on a wooden cross. While religious, Easter is also enjoyed with traditions like chocolate eggs, hot cross buns, and spending time with family.

Easter doesn’t happen on the same date each year. It is based on the first Sunday after the first full moon that follows the spring equinox, a time when day and night are nearly equal in length. In 2025, the full moon falls on April 13, making Easter Sunday April 20.

Good Friday remembers the day Jesus was crucified and died. Two days later, on Easter Sunday, the Bible tells of how Jesus’ followers found his tomb empty and later saw him alive.

Churches often hold special services, including a Easter vigil on Saturday night where a large candle, called the Paschal candle, is lit.

Easter eggs, once real eggs painted in bright colours, now are mostly made of chocolate. They represent new life and are often used in Easter egg hunts, a fun activity for children.

Hot cross buns, sweet spiced buns marked with a cross, are another Easter treat, traditionally eaten on Good Friday but now available much earlier.

Easter is celebrated in unique ways around the world. On the Greek island of Corfu, people throw pots out of their windows on Easter Saturday. In Poland, Wet Monday involves splashing water on others, and in Bessières, France, locals cook a giant omelette using 15,000 eggs—a tradition said to be inspired by Napoléon Bonaparte.