About Easter Sunday 2026

Easter Sunday is the most important date in the Christian calendar, marking the resurrection of Jesus Christ three days after his crucifixion on Good Friday. In 2026, Easter Sunday falls on 5 April. The date changes each year because it is calculated using a lunisolar formula – it is always the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after 21 March.

When is Easter Sunday?

The significance of Easter

For Christians worldwide, Easter Sunday celebrates the central belief of the faith – that Jesus rose from the dead, fulfilling prophecies in Scripture. The resurrection is seen as God’s victory over sin and death, and it forms the foundation of Christian hope and theology. Churches hold special services at dawn (sunrise services), throughout the morning, and in many traditions, a vigil the night before.

Easter concludes Holy Week, a period that begins with Palm Sunday and includes Maundy Thursday (commemorating the Last Supper) and Good Friday (marking the crucifixion). In Western Christianity, the Easter season (Eastertide) continues for seven weeks until Pentecost Sunday. In Eastern Orthodox traditions, Pascha – as Easter is known – may fall on a different date because the Julian calendar is used for the calculation.

How Easter is celebrated around the world

While the religious significance of Easter is shared across Christian denominations, celebrations vary widely from country to country.

United Kingdom

Easter is a four-day bank holiday weekend in the UK, running from Good Friday to Easter Monday. Families exchange chocolate Easter eggs, and many attend church services. Hot cross buns are traditionally eaten on Good Friday. Egg rolling competitions, Morris dancing, and community egg hunts are popular across England, Scotland, and Wales.

United States

The White House Easter Egg Roll is one of the most recognised Easter traditions in the US, held on the South Lawn each Easter Monday. Families gather for Easter egg hunts, Easter baskets filled with sweets, and festive meals centred around ham or lamb. The Easter Parade on Fifth Avenue in New York City draws thousands of participants in elaborate spring bonnets.

Australia

Easter falls in autumn in the Southern Hemisphere, giving Australian celebrations a different feel. The Easter Bilby – a native marsupial – has become an alternative symbol to the Easter Bunny, partly to raise awareness of the bilby’s endangered status. The Royal Easter Show in Sydney is a major annual event, and many Australians use the four-day weekend for camping and travel.

Europe and beyond

In Spain, elaborate Semana Santa processions fill the streets of cities like Seville. In Sweden and Finland, children dress as Easter witches and go door to door exchanging willow twigs for sweets. In Greece, midnight church services are followed by fireworks and a feast of lamb. In the Philippines, some devotees take part in dramatic re-enactments of the crucifixion.

Easter traditions and symbols

Easter eggs are perhaps the most universal symbol of the holiday, representing new life and the resurrection. The tradition of decorating eggs dates back centuries – in many Eastern European countries, intricate patterns are applied using wax-resist dyeing techniques such as Ukrainian pysanky.

The Easter Bunny originated in German Lutheran communities in the 17th century, where an egg-laying hare called Osterhase would judge whether children had been good during Lent. German immigrants brought the tradition to America in the 1700s.

Easter lilies are used to decorate churches and homes, symbolising purity and the resurrection. The trumpet-shaped white flowers are native to Japan and were introduced to the Western world in the late 19th century.

Hot cross buns, marked with a cross on top, are traditionally eaten on Good Friday in the UK, Australia, and other Commonwealth countries. They have been associated with Easter since at least the 16th century.

How the date of Easter is calculated

Easter does not fall on a fixed date. The First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD established that Easter should be celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon occurring on or after the spring equinox (21 March). This means Easter can fall anywhere between 22 March and 25 April in Western Christianity.

Eastern Orthodox churches often celebrate Easter on a different date because they use the Julian calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar to determine the equinox. In some years, Western and Eastern Easter coincide; in others, they can be weeks apart.

Easter and the connection to Passover

Easter is closely linked to the Jewish festival of Passover (Pesach), both in timing and symbolism. The Last Supper is widely believed to have been a Passover meal, and in many languages the word for Easter derives from Pesach – for example, Pâques in French, Pascua in Spanish, and Pasqua in Italian. The English word “Easter” is thought to come from Eostre, an Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring.

Making the most of the Easter weekend

Whether you celebrate Easter for its religious significance or simply enjoy the long weekend, there are plenty of ways to mark the occasion:

• Attend a sunrise service or church celebration in your local area
• Organise an Easter egg hunt for children – in the garden, at a local park, or indoors
• Bake hot cross buns or try a traditional Easter recipe such as simnel cake
• Visit a local National Trust property, farm, or botanical garden – many run special Easter trails
• Spend time with family over a festive meal
• Support an Easter charity campaign – many organisations run fundraising drives over the holiday

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