Frequently asked questions about Easter:

What is Easter and what does Easter celebrate?

Easter marks the point in the life of Jesus where he takes on the sins of man and allows himself to be executed on the day we call Good Friday demonstrating Gods love of man. Jesus could have used the powers of the spirit to avoid being executed but that would not have been such a power demonstration. On Easter Monday Jesus returns from the dead (the resurection) and demonstrates there is life beyond death and the power of the holy spirit.  

What colours represents Easter?

The main colours of Easter are Purple which is a royal colour and then White which represents the purity of Jesus.  Red can also be used to represent the blood of Jesus during his execution on the cross. Green is a traditional colour of hope and ever lasting life. 

What is Easter Monday Called?

The week before Easter is known as Holy Week, it is the most significant week in the Christian faith, more so than Christmas. The Sunday before Easter is Palm Sunday, with the Wednesday before Easter being known as Spy Wednesday. The last three days before Easter are Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday (sometimes referred to as Silent Saturday) all leading up to Easter Sunday or Easter Day.  In Western Christianity, Eastertide, or the Easter Season, begins on Easter Sunday and lasts seven weeks, ending with the coming of the fiftieth day, Pentecost Sunday.    

How many days until holy week?

As explained above the  week before Easter Sunday is known as Holy Week. Therefore to decide how many days before Holy Week, just subtract 7 from the above Days Until Easter Sunday. 

How many more days until Easter?

It depends on what you mean by Easter. If you mean Holy Week then see above. More likely you mean how many days until Easter Sunday. The countdown to Easter Sunday is shown above in the box at the top of this page.

How many days in Lent?

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, which is always held 46 days before Easter Sunday.

Is Easter Sunday a Bank Holiday?

No, Easter Sunday is not a Bank Holiday, mainly because traditionally no shops or businesses worked on a Sunday so it wasn’t necassary to create this as a holiday.  Most businesses should appciate that this is a holy day and not require staff to work.

Is Easter Saturday a Bank Holiday?

No, Easter Saturday is not a Bank Holiday.

Is Easter Monday a Bank Holiday?

Yes, Easter Monday is a Bank Holiday in the UK.

Is Easter a pagan Holiday?

No please refer to the above answer about What is Easter.  While Christmas replaced an earlier pagan mid-winter festival, I am not aware of anything similar for Easter.  Also the fact that the date of Easter varies, tends to rule out this connection.