How many days until Easter?

What Easter celebrates

Easter Sunday celebrates the resurrection of Jesus, which Christians believe took place on the third day after his crucifixion. It is the oldest and most important feast of the Christian year, and the culmination of Holy Week, which includes Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. The 40-day season of Lent, beginning on Ash Wednesday, prepares for it with fasting, prayer and giving.

Why the date changes

Easter is a moveable feast. In Western churches it falls on the first Sunday after the first ecclesiastical full moon on or after March 21, so it can land on any date from March 22 to April 25. Orthodox churches use the same rule with the older Julian calendar, so their Easter is often one to five weeks later. Our guide Why does Easter change every year? explains the calculation in detail.

Easter traditions

• Church services: sunrise services and the Easter Vigil on Saturday night are among the most important services of the year.
• Easter eggs: eggs symbolize new life. Painting eggs is an ancient tradition, seen in the intricate Ukrainian pysanky and the red eggs of Greek Orthodox Easter. Chocolate eggs became popular in Europe in the 19th century.
• The Easter Bunny: a tradition brought to America by German immigrants, the "Osterhase" delivers eggs to children.
• Egg hunts and rolls: the White House Easter Egg Roll has been held on the South Lawn since 1878.
• Food: roast lamb, hot cross buns (traditionally eaten on Good Friday), simnel cake, and Italian colomba bread are common.

Easter as a holiday

Good Friday and Easter Monday are public holidays in the UK, Australia, Germany and many other countries, creating a four-day weekend. In the US, Easter is not a federal holiday because it always falls on a Sunday, though some states and many schools observe Good Friday or a spring break around it.

Related countdowns

Because the whole season moves with Easter, you can also count down to Mardi Gras, Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday and Good Friday.