Easter is one of the most significant festivals in the Christian calendar, yet it is also one of the most widely observed public holidays in modern society. For Christians, it commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the event at the very centre of Christian faith and hope (Church of England, n.d.; Haskell, 2012). For many others, Easter is associated with springtime, family gatherings, chocolate eggs and the welcome pause of a long weekend. This combination of religious meaning, historical development and popular custom makes Easter especially compelling. It is neither simply a church feast nor merely a seasonal holiday. Rather, it is a cultural occasion in which theology, tradition and social practice intersect. This article explores the origins, meaning, symbols and contemporary celebration of Easter in the Catholic and wider Western Christian tradition, showing why it continues to hold such power in both religious and secular life.
1.0 The Historical Roots of Easter
1.1 Easter and the Early Church
The word Easter is widely used in English, but many Christian traditions use terms related to Pascha, which reflects the festival’s close connection with Passover (Bradshaw and Hoffman, 2000; Leonhard, 2012). Early Christians linked the death and resurrection of Jesus with the Jewish Passover season, since the Gospel narratives place these events within that setting. As a result, Easter developed not as an isolated feast, but as part of a wider story of deliverance, sacrifice and renewal.
Scholars note that debates about the correct date of Easter emerged quite early in Christian history, showing how seriously the Church took the festival (Beckwith, 2018; Cullen, 2007). These disputes were not merely technical. They reflected deeper questions about identity, authority and the relationship between Jewish and Christian timekeeping. Zerubavel (1982) argues that calendar decisions can shape group identity, and Easter is a clear example of that principle.
1.2 Why the Date Changes
Unlike Christmas, Easter does not fall on a fixed date. In the Western Church, it is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox. This is why Easter can fall anywhere between late March and late April. The moving date reflects a long historical attempt to connect the festival both to the weekly rhythm of Sunday and to the older lunar-solar calendar traditions associated with Passover (Beckwith, 2018; Groen, 2011).
A simple modern example shows how this affects public life: schools, businesses and travel services often plan months in advance because Easter changes every year, influencing everything from holiday bookings to supermarket promotions.
2.0 The Religious Meaning of Easter
2.1 The Resurrection as the Centre of Christian Faith
For Christians, the central message of Easter is not springtime cheerfulness but resurrection. According to Christian teaching, Jesus was crucified, buried and then raised from the dead on the third day. The Church of England describes Easter as the celebration of Christ’s victory over sin and death (Church of England, n.d.). Haskell’s (2012) study of Easter sermons found that preachers consistently present the resurrection as a source of hope, renewal and divine promise.
This is why Easter is often seen as even more theologically important than Christmas. Christmas celebrates the birth of Christ; Easter celebrates the event that many Christians believe confirms his divinity and the promise of new life. In practical terms, this belief shapes worship. Churches may hold sunrise services, ring bells, decorate the sanctuary with flowers and sing hymns such as Jesus Christ Is Risen Today.
2.2 Holy Week and Preparation
Easter does not stand alone. It is the climax of Holy Week, which includes Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Before that comes Lent, traditionally a forty-day period of reflection, fasting and repentance (Church of England, n.d.). This pattern gives Easter emotional and spiritual depth. Without the sorrow of Good Friday, the joy of Easter Sunday loses much of its force.
A familiar example in Britain is the custom of “giving something up” for Lent, such as sweets, social media or takeaway food. Even when practised lightly, this creates a sense of anticipation that makes Easter feel earned rather than casual.
3.0 Symbols and Customs of Easter
3.1 Eggs, Rabbits and New Life
Many Easter customs draw on the idea of new life. The egg has long been used as a symbol of rebirth, and over time it became one of the most recognisable signs of Easter (Aveni, 2004; Prendergast, 2011). Today that symbolism appears in both religious and secular forms, from decorated eggs in Eastern Europe to the chocolate eggs sold in British supermarkets.
The Easter Bunny is another well-known symbol, especially in commercial culture. While not rooted in the New Testament, the rabbit’s association with fertility and spring helped it become attached to Easter customs in some European traditions before spreading more widely (Aveni, 2004). Barnett (1949) argues that festivals often absorb and reshape local customs over time, and Easter illustrates this process well.
3.2 Food, Feasting and Family
After the restraint of Lent, Easter has often been a time of feasting. Families may gather for roast lamb, seasonal cakes, or special breads, depending on region and denomination. In the UK, hot cross buns are strongly associated with Good Friday and Easter. These customs show that festivals are lived not only through belief, but through food, ritual and shared memory.
For example, an Easter egg hunt in a public garden may seem light-hearted, yet it still reflects the older idea that Easter is about joy, discovery and renewal. Etzioni and Bloom (2004) observe that holidays help societies express shared values, even when people participate for different reasons.
4.0 Easter in Modern Society
4.1 A Religious Festival and a Public Holiday
Modern Easter exists in two overlapping forms: as a sacred Christian feast and as a public cultural holiday. In many countries, people who do not attend church still celebrate Easter through meals, gifts or leisure activities. This does not necessarily erase the festival’s religious roots, but it does broaden its social meaning.
Barnett (1949) described Easter as a striking example of cultural change, where older religious practices adapt to new social contexts. That remains true today. A person might attend an Easter service in the morning and host a family lunch in the afternoon, while another might skip church entirely but still mark the day as a moment of togetherness and rest.
4.2 Continuing Relevance
Easter remains relevant because it speaks to enduring human concerns: loss, hope, change and renewal. In a world often shaped by uncertainty, the language of fresh beginnings still carries emotional power. Watts (2023) notes that Easter continues to resonate because it combines profound theological claims with vivid symbolism that ordinary people can grasp.
Easter endures because it brings together history, belief, ritual and community in a uniquely powerful way. Its roots lie in the early Christian understanding of Jesus’ death and resurrection, yet its reach extends far beyond the walls of the church. Through Holy Week, Lent, eggs, feasting and family tradition, Easter has become both a deeply theological event and a widely recognised public celebration. Its changing date, rich symbolism and varied customs remind us that festivals are never static; they evolve as communities reinterpret them across time. Even so, the central idea remains strikingly consistent: Easter is about the possibility of new life. Whether approached through faith, culture or memory, that message helps explain why Easter continues to matter so much.
References
Aveni, A.F. (2004) The Book of the Year: A Brief History of Our Seasonal Holidays. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Available at: https://books.google.com/books?id=4Mmmvol6DvkC.
Barnett, J.H. (1949) ‘The Easter Festival—A Study in Cultural Change’, American Sociological Review, 14(4), pp. 473–482. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/2086447.
Beckwith, R.T. (2018) Calendar and Chronology, Jewish and Christian: Biblical, Intertestamental and Patristic Studies. Leiden: Brill. Available at: https://books.google.com/books?id=PPn7EAAAQBAJ.
Bradshaw, P.F. and Hoffman, L.A. (2000) Passover and Easter: Origin and History to Modern Times. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press. Available at: https://books.google.com/books?id=LlkFDgAAQBAJ.
Church of England (n.d.) Lent, Holy Week and Easter. Available at: https://www.churchofengland.org/faith-life/what-we-believe/lent-holy-week-and-easter (Accessed: 12 March 2026).
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Groen, B. (2011) ‘The Long Way to a Common Easter Date: A Catholic and Ecumenical Perspective’, Journal of Eastern Christian Studies, 63(3–4), pp. 353–370. Available at: https://brill.com/view/journals/jecs/63/3-4/article-p353_4.xml.
Haskell, D.M. (2012) ‘The Theological Meaning of Jesus’ Resurrection: A Content Analysis of Mainline and Conservative Protestant Easter Sunday Sermons’, Journal of Empirical Theology, 25(2), pp. 205–229. Available at: https://brill.com/view/journals/jet/25/2/article-p205_4.xml.
Leonhard, C. (2012) The Jewish Pesach and the Origins of the Christian Easter: Open Questions in Current Research. Berlin: De Gruyter. Available at: https://books.google.com/books?id=Er-QZeW12tUC.
Prendergast, N. (2011) American Holidays, A Natural History. Master’s thesis. University of Arizona. Available at: https://repository.arizona.edu/handle/10150/204910.
Watts, A. (2023) Easter: Its Story and Meaning. London: SPCK. Available at: https://books.google.com/books?id=PbiqEAAAQBAJ.
Zerubavel, E. (1982) ‘Easter and Passover: On Calendars and Group Identity’, American Sociological Review, 47(2), pp. 284–289. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/2094969.
