Easter
Easter is the highest feast of the Christian year — the celebration of Jesus' resurrection from the dead. A guide to what it is, when it's celebrated, and how Christians around the world mark it.
What Christians celebrate at Easter
Easter (called Pascha in many Eastern traditions) is the celebration of Jesus' resurrection from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. It is the single event on which the entire Christian faith rests — as Paul wrote, 'if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain' (1 Corinthians 15:14). Easter is not just one day; it begins a fifty-day season ending at Pentecost.
When Easter is celebrated
Easter does not fall on a fixed date because it is calculated lunarly. Western Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the spring equinox (March 21) — so it shifts between March 22 and April 25 each year. Eastern Orthodox Easter (Pascha) uses the older Julian calendar for its calculation and usually falls 1-5 weeks later than Western Easter, sometimes on the same date.
Holy Week — the days before
Easter is preceded by Holy Week, the most solemn week in the Christian year. Palm Sunday marks Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. Maundy Thursday remembers the Last Supper and the institution of communion. Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion. Holy Saturday is a day of quiet waiting. Easter Vigil (late Saturday night) and Easter Sunday morning are the great celebration. Walking through the week deepens the joy of Sunday.
How to celebrate Easter well
Attend a sunrise or Easter morning service if you can. Read the resurrection accounts in all four Gospels (Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20-21). Greet other Christians with the traditional 'Christ is risen!' / 'He is risen indeed!' Break the Lenten fast with celebration — feast, not just brunch. Stay in the season: Easter is fifty days, not one.
Easter in Quiethaven
Quiethaven shows the right Easter date for your tradition (Western or Orthodox) on the liturgical calendar. On Holy Week, daily readings walk through the Passion. On Easter morning the home screen leads with resurrection texts. Pair with a prayer timer for a few minutes of silence before the day begins.
Key verse
"He is not here: for he is risen, as he said." — Matthew 28:6 (KJV)
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