Christian Easter: The Feast of Feasts

01 How it's observed, by tradition

The feast is shared, but Holy Week and the Easter services differ. Here is what each tradition keeps.

Catholic

Structured around the Paschal Triduum: Holy Thursday (the Mass of the Lord's Supper), Good Friday (the Passion and the veneration of the Cross), and the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday night, with the New Fire, the readings of salvation history, and baptisms. Easter Sunday Masses follow. The season runs fifty days to Pentecost.

Orthodox

Pascha is the year's principal feast, preceded by Great Lent and Holy Week. The Paschal Vigil runs through the night of Holy Saturday; near midnight the priest proclaims "Christ is risen!" with a candlelit procession and the Divine Liturgy, then the blessing of Pascha baskets. Orthodox Pascha is dated by the older method and often falls after Western Easter.

Anglican / Episcopal

Follows the Western calendar. Holy Week runs Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday, to the Great Vigil of Easter on Saturday night, which keeps the New Fire, the Easter readings, and the renewal of baptismal vows. Easter Sunday Eucharist is the principal service; "Alleluia! Christ is risen!" opens the season.

Mainline Protestant

Structured around Holy Week and Easter Sunday. Palm Sunday opens the week; many congregations keep Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, often a Tenebrae service of readings and gradually extinguished candles. Easter Sunday is the principal service, sometimes with a sunrise service and full music. The season is kept less formally than in Catholic or Anglican practice.

Evangelical

Centered on the Easter Sunday morning service, often with a sunrise service and a Good Friday service. Larger churches may hold an Easter weekend production; smaller ones a single service. Holy Week and Lent observance varies. The emphasis is the Resurrection: "He is risen!" and the response "He is risen indeed!"

02 The date

Easter is a movable feast, so it falls on a different Sunday each year, between late March and late April. Orthodox Pascha is calculated by the older method and often lands a week or more later. See when Easter falls each year, or the full Christian calendar.

03 Gifts and readings

Gifts Easter gifts Religious Easter gift ideas and the lighter Easter gift tradition, by relationship. Readings Easter readings The Resurrection passages read at Easter services, by tradition.

04 Common questions

Why does the date of Easter change each year?

Easter is a movable feast, set as the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the spring equinox, so it shifts between late March and late April. For the date each year, see the Christian calendar.

Why do Orthodox and Western Easter often differ?

Orthodox churches calculate Easter (Pascha) by the older Julian method, so it frequently falls a week, four weeks, or occasionally five weeks after Western Easter. In some years the two coincide.

What is the Triduum?

The Paschal Triduum is the three days at the heart of Easter: Holy Thursday evening, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday night into Easter Sunday. It is the summit of the Christian year in the liturgical traditions.

Last updated: August 21, 2026