1. Easter Sunday celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ

Easter Sunday marks Jesus’ resurrection. After Jesus was crucified, his body was taken down from the cross, and placed in a cave. The cave was guarded by Roman soldiers and an massive stone was put over the entrance.

On Sunday, three days after the crucifixion, Mary Magdalene visited the tomb to find that the stone had been moved and Jesus’ body had gone.

According to the Gospels in the Bible, Mary Magdalene saw Jesus that day and Christians believe God raised Jesus from the dead. Christians call this the Resurrection and believe it shows that Jesus died for our suns and that mankind will have eternal life in Heaven.

2. It is traditional to eat Easter Eggs on Easter Sunday

On Easter Sunday in the U.K. we eat chocolate eggs!

Even before Easter was celebrated, our ancestors celebrated Spring at a similar time to Easter and eggs were a symbol of new life with Spring being a time to celebrate new life and rebirth.

3. Easter Sunday is on a different date every year

Easter falls on the first Sunday after the Full Moon that is after the 21st March.

4. It is traditional to eat lamb on Easter Sunday

The eating of lamb on Easter Sunday goes back further than Easter and is connected to Passover, a Jewish festival.

Passover celebrate the Israelites being freed from slavery and at then end of passover a ‘Passover lamb’ is eaten.

It is likely that Jews who converted to Christianity kept the tradition of eating a lamb but rather than eat it on Passover they ate it on Easter Sunday.

5. Easter Island was discovered on Easter Sunday

In 1772 on 5th April, Jacob Roggeveen first stepped foot on the Island. It was Easter Sunday so he named the island Easter Island.

It was already called Rapa Nui by the people who lived on the island but Roggeveen decided to name it after Easter Sunday anyway. So in the English speaking world we call it Easter Island but it’s real name is Rapa Nui.

6. In Sweden children dress up as Easter Witches on Easter Sunday

Children in Sweden and Finland dress up as Easter Witches on Easter Sunday and go door-to-door with bunches of willow twigs. They will say a blessing which is said to drive away evil spirits and in return the children are given a chocolate egg.

7. On Easter Sunday thousands of people go to the Vatican City to see the Pope

On Easter Sunday, thousands of people go to St. Peter’s Square to hear the Pope’s blessing from the church’s balcony.

This is known as ‘Urbi et Orbi’ which means ‘To the city and to the world’.

 

8. The word Easter came before Christianity

The name Easter originates from an Anglo-Saxon springtime goddess named Ēostre.

9. In Hungary, women dress up in traditional clothes on Easter Sunday and get splashed with water.

This tradition has happened since the second century AD, which means it is even older than Christianity.

10. Between 80 and 90 million chocolate eggs are eaten each year in Britain

Over 80 million chocolate eggs are eaten each year in Britain with a lot of these eaten on Easter Sunday