Question 1

How is the date of Easter Sunday calculated each year?

Accepted Answer

The first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox. This formula, set by the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, makes Easter a moveable feast. It can fall anywhere between March 22 and April 25 in Western Christianity.

Question 2

The English word "Easter" is widely thought to come from the name of which Anglo-Saxon goddess?

Accepted Answer

Eostre. According to the 8th-century English monk the Venerable Bede, Eostre was an Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring and dawn whose festival fell in April. Many other languages call the holiday "Pascha".

Question 3

How many days long is the Christian season of Lent leading up to Easter?

Accepted Answer

40 days. Lent runs from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday, lasting 40 days (not counting Sundays). It commemorates the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness.

Question 4

On which day in Holy Week is the crucifixion of Jesus commemorated?

Accepted Answer

Good Friday. Good Friday falls two days before Easter Sunday and marks the day Christians believe Jesus was crucified. It is a public holiday in many countries around the world.

Question 5

What is the name of the Thursday before Easter, on which the Last Supper is commemorated?

Accepted Answer

Maundy Thursday. Maundy Thursday gets its name from the Latin "mandatum" (commandment), referring to Jesus's command to love one another at the Last Supper. Some traditions include foot washing on this day.

Question 6

What is the name of the Sunday before Easter, when Jesus is believed to have entered Jerusalem?

Accepted Answer

Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday marks the start of Holy Week. It commemorates the crowd laying palm branches in Jesus's path as he entered Jerusalem, an event recorded in all four Gospels.

Question 7

Is Easter a moveable or fixed feast?

Accepted Answer

A moveable feast. Easter does not fall on the same date each year. Its date is calculated based on the lunar cycle, which is why other Christian holidays like Pentecost shift with it.

Question 8

Easter is widely considered the oldest of which type of festival?

Accepted Answer

The oldest Christian festival. The celebration of the resurrection dates to the first century, predating Christmas by centuries. Early Christians celebrated Easter weekly on Sunday before it became an annual feast.

Question 9

In which country did the Easter Bunny tradition originate?

Accepted Answer

Germany. The Easter Bunny began as the "Osterhase" in German Lutheran tradition during the 1700s. The hare brought colored eggs to children who had been good and was brought to America by German immigrants.

Question 10

What is the German name for the original Easter hare?

Accepted Answer

Osterhase. Osterhase (also Oschter Haws in Pennsylvania Dutch) means "Easter hare". German immigrants to America in the 1700s brought the legend, which slowly evolved into today's Easter Bunny.

Question 11

In which year did the White House Easter Egg Roll begin as an official annual event?

Accepted Answer

1878. President Rutherford B. Hayes opened the White House lawn to children for the first official Easter Egg Roll in 1878. It has been held nearly every year since.

Question 12

What does the Easter egg traditionally symbolize?

Accepted Answer

New life and resurrection. Eggs have been a symbol of rebirth across many ancient cultures. Christians adopted the symbol to represent the resurrection of Jesus and the empty tomb.

Question 13

Which white flower is most strongly associated with Easter?

Accepted Answer

The Easter lily. The white Easter lily symbolizes purity, hope and new life. Most Easter lilies sold in North America are grown along a small stretch of the California-Oregon border.

Question 14

Which famous Easter parade became a New York City tradition along Fifth Avenue?

Accepted Answer

The Easter Parade. The New York Easter Parade dates back to the mid-1800s, when wealthy churchgoers paraded their new spring outfits after services. It still draws crowds in elaborate hats every year.

Question 15

What is the name of the late-night church service held on the Saturday before Easter Sunday?

Accepted Answer

Easter Vigil. The Easter Vigil is the most important service in the Catholic liturgical year. It includes the lighting of the Paschal candle and traditionally takes place after nightfall on Holy Saturday.

Question 16

What color of eggs is traditionally used in Greek Orthodox Easter celebrations?

Accepted Answer

Red. Greek Orthodox Christians dye eggs red to symbolize the blood of Christ. The eggs are cracked together on Easter Sunday in a game called "tsougrisma" with the winner believed to have good luck.

Question 17

Why does Greek Orthodox Easter often fall on a different date than Western Easter?

Accepted Answer

It uses the Julian calendar (not the Gregorian) to calculate the date. The Eastern Orthodox Church calculates Easter using the older Julian calendar, which is currently 13 days behind the Gregorian. The dates can differ by anywhere from one to five weeks.

Question 18

In Britain and America, which spiced sweet buns are traditionally eaten on Good Friday?

Accepted Answer

Hot cross buns. Hot cross buns are sweet, spiced rolls marked with a cross. The tradition is centuries old in England, and an Elizabethan decree once restricted their sale to Good Friday and Christmas.

Question 19

What is the Italian name for Easter?

Accepted Answer

Pasqua. Pasqua comes from the Hebrew "Pesach" (Passover). In Italy, Easter is celebrated with traditional foods like roast lamb and "Colomba di Pasqua", a dove-shaped Easter cake.

Question 20

Which animal does Australia use as an Easter mascot to support conservation efforts?

Accepted Answer

The bilby (Easter Bilby). The Easter Bilby is promoted in Australia as an alternative to the Easter Bunny. Rabbits are an invasive species in Australia, while the bilby is a native marsupial threatened with extinction.

Question 21

On Polish Easter Monday, what is the name of the tradition where people splash each other with water?

Accepted Answer

Smigus-Dyngus (Wet Monday). Smigus-Dyngus is celebrated on Easter Monday in Poland. People (especially men) splash water on others, traditionally as a fertility rite and now mostly as a playful tradition.

Question 22

What is the Spanish-language name for Holy Week, marked by famous processions in Spain?

Accepted Answer

Semana Santa. Semana Santa is celebrated across Spain with elaborate processions of religious brotherhoods carrying floats called "pasos". Seville hosts one of the most famous Holy Week celebrations in the world.

Question 23

What is the name of the dove-shaped sweet bread eaten at Italian Easter?

Accepted Answer

Colomba di Pasqua. Colomba di Pasqua (Easter Dove) is a sweet yeasted bread similar to panettone, baked in the shape of a dove and topped with pearl sugar and almonds. It is the Easter counterpart to the Christmas panettone.

Question 24

In Germany, what kind of tree is sometimes decorated with eggs for Easter?

Accepted Answer

An Easter egg tree (Ostereierbaum). In Germany the tradition of decorating trees and bushes with colored Easter eggs dates back centuries. The most famous example was the Saalfeld Ostereierbaum, which once held over 10,000 eggs.

Question 25

Which chocolate Easter egg has a soft fondant center and was introduced by Cadbury in 1963?

Accepted Answer

Cadbury Creme Egg. The Cadbury Creme Egg was originally launched as the 'Fry's Creme Egg' in 1963 and rebranded as Cadbury Creme Egg in 1971. It is one of the best-selling Easter candies in the UK and US.

Question 26

Approximately how many jelly beans are produced for Easter in the United States each year?

Accepted Answer

Around 16 billion. The National Confectioners Association estimates that around 16 billion jelly beans are made for Easter in the US each year, enough to fill a giant Easter egg taller than the Empire State Building.

Question 27

What sweet, spiced bread marked with a cross is traditionally eaten on Good Friday?

Accepted Answer

Hot cross buns. Hot cross buns date back to medieval England. The cross on top represents the crucifixion, while the spices are said to symbolize those used to embalm Jesus.

Question 28

Which Russian jeweler created the famous bejeweled Imperial Easter eggs for the Russian royal family?

Accepted Answer

Peter Carl Faberge. Faberge created 50 Imperial Easter Eggs for the Russian czars between 1885 and 1917. The eggs were elaborate jeweled creations, each hiding a "surprise" inside, and are now museum treasures.

Question 29

Which marshmallow chick candy is a Just Born brand Easter staple introduced in 1953?

Accepted Answer

Peeps. Peeps were originally handmade marshmallow chicks that took 27 hours each to produce. Today the Just Born factory in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, makes them in seconds and produces over 5 million Peeps a day.

Question 30

In which country was the first chocolate Easter egg made, in 1873?

Accepted Answer

England (by J.S. Fry & Sons). J.S. Fry & Sons of Bristol produced the first hollow chocolate Easter egg in 1873, followed shortly by Cadbury in 1875. Hollow chocolate eggs quickly became a signature Easter treat.

Question 31

Which Italian Easter tradition involves baking a lamb-shaped cake?

Accepted Answer

L'Agnello Pasquale (Easter Lamb Cake). L'Agnello Pasquale is a sweet cake baked in the shape of a lamb, often decorated with white icing or coconut to look like wool. The lamb symbolizes Christ as the sacrificial Lamb of God.

Question 32

Which dyed-egg tradition involves blowing the inside out of an eggshell and decorating the shell?

Accepted Answer

Pysanky (Ukrainian Easter eggs). Pysanky are intricately decorated Ukrainian Easter eggs made using a wax-resist method. The designs feature symbolic motifs of stars, suns, animals and plants drawn in fine detail.

Question 33

Which 1948 musical starring Fred Astaire and Judy Garland is named after the holiday?

Accepted Answer

Easter Parade. 'Easter Parade' was directed by Charles Walters with music by Irving Berlin. It became MGM's top-grossing musical of 1948 and won the Academy Award for Best Score.

Question 34

In the 2011 animated film "Hop", what is the name of the Easter Bunny's son?

Accepted Answer

E.B.. 'Hop' was a Universal Pictures live-action/animated comedy. E.B. (voiced by Russell Brand) is the rebellious son of the Easter Bunny who would rather become a drummer.

Question 35

In the 2012 animated film "Rise of the Guardians", who voices the Easter Bunny (E. Aster Bunnymund)?

Accepted Answer

Hugh Jackman. 'Rise of the Guardians' reimagines holiday icons as superhero protectors. Hugh Jackman voices the Easter Bunny as a gruff, boomerang-wielding Australian warrior.

Question 36

Since 1973, which Cecil B. DeMille biblical epic has traditionally been broadcast on American TV at Easter?

Accepted Answer

The Ten Commandments. Cecil B. DeMille's 1956 'The Ten Commandments' has been broadcast annually on ABC around Easter since 1973. Starring Charlton Heston as Moses, the film has become a Holy Week TV tradition.

Question 37

Which US president is famously associated with a love of jelly beans, which became fashionable Easter candy during his presidency?

Accepted Answer

Ronald Reagan. Ronald Reagan started eating jelly beans to help quit smoking and kept a jar in the Oval Office. Jelly Belly created the blueberry flavor specifically so he could serve red, white and blue jelly beans.

Question 38

Which 1965 Charles Schulz Peanuts special is set around Easter?

Accepted Answer

It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown. Actually first airing in 1974, 'It\'s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown' features Snoopy delivering colored eggs as the Easter Beagle. It has been a TV staple ever since.

Question 39

Which Mel Gibson-directed 2004 film depicts the final hours of Jesus and is often watched at Easter?

Accepted Answer

The Passion of the Christ. 'The Passion of the Christ' was filmed in Aramaic, Latin and Hebrew. It became one of the highest-grossing R-rated films of all time and is still widely watched around Easter.

Question 40

Which classic stop-motion Rankin/Bass TV special tells the story of the original Peter Cottontail?

Accepted Answer

Here Comes Peter Cottontail. 'Here Comes Peter Cottontail' first aired on ABC in 1971. It tells the story of Peter Cottontail's quest to become the Chief Easter Bunny and has been a children's Easter favorite ever since.

Easter Trivia Questions and Answers

Easter Origins and Religious History

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