Easter

Easter

Find information about the origins, traditions and dates of Easter, as well as events, activities and library resources.

Easter is a public holiday and is celebrated on a different date every year. In Christian tradition it commemorates the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ who was crucified on Good Friday and rose from the dead on Easter Sunday.

When is Easter?

Catalogue record for EasterEaster is celebrated on a different date every year. The date that it falls on is the Sunday following the first full moon after the March equinox. In New Zealand the Easter public holidays are on Good Friday and Easter Monday.

In 2025 Easter was celebrated on Sunday 20 April. Good Friday is 18 April and Easter Monday is 21 April.

Public Holidays - future dates
New Zealand public holiday information from the Department of Labour.

For kids

Easter traditions

We get the name Easter and some of our traditions from the pagan festival Eostre. Rabbits and hares were special to this festival and that is why we have the Easter Bunny today. The Easter Bunny visits children and leaves yummy Easter treats for them.

We give eggs at Easter because during Lent, a Christian festival before Easter, people weren’t meant to eat them. So once Lent was finished, and Easter started, people gave each other decorated eggs to celebrate. Now we mostly have chocolate eggs instead of decorated real eggs.

Easter is a time when you might enjoy hunting for Easter eggs, having a family Easter dinner, eating hot cross buns or going to a special Church service.

Easter on the web

For kids

Images

Lockdown Easter Egg Hunt, Entry in 2020 Photo Hunt by Kaye Leckie, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, CCL-PH20-DW-123341

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