Around the world
Easter is kept across the Christian world, but this page only names customs we can tie to a source checked on 14 November 2026. Where we do not have that, we stay silent.
Eastern Orthodox churches use a slightly different calculation based on the Julian rather than the Gregorian calendar, with the result that the Orthodox Easter celebration usually occurs later than that celebrated by Protestants and Roman Catholics. Britannica Scholars: Easter The gap between the two Easters is different every year. It can be as much as five weeks. World Council of Churches
In the Orthodox tradition eggs are painted red to symbolize the blood Jesus shed on the cross. Britannica Scholars: Easter The tradition of dyeing and decorating Easter eggs is ancient, and its origin is obscure, but it has been practiced in both the Eastern Orthodox and the Western churches since the Middle Ages. Britannica Scholars: Easter eggs
The custom of the Easter lamb appropriates both the appellation used for Jesus in Scripture ('Here is the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!' John 1:29) and the lamb's role as a sacrificial animal in ancient Israel. Britannica Scholars: Easter Since the 12th century the Lenten fast has ended on Easter with meals including eggs, ham, cheeses, bread, and sweets that have been blessed for the occasion. Britannica Scholars: Easter
The Easter sunrise service is a distinctive Protestant observance in North America. Britannica Scholars: Easter
In some European countries other animals brought the Easter eggs: in Switzerland the cuckoo, in Westphalia the fox. Britannica Scholars: Easter Britannica Students says that in some European countries other animals brought the Easter eggs: in Switzerland the cuckoo, in northwestern Germany the fox. Britannica Students: Easter
German records of the same era describe children hunting for eggs hidden by the Easter hare (Osterhase). Britannica Scholars: Easter bunny German immigrants to Pennsylvania in the 18th century are credited with bringing to the United States the tradition of an Easter hare that lays and hides eggs. Britannica Scholars: Easter bunny
In the United States the Easter bunny also leaves children baskets with toys and candies on Easter morning. Britannica Scholars: Easter In the United States, the White House Easter Egg Roll has been held, with some interruptions, on the Monday following Easter since 1878. Britannica Scholars: Easter eggs
In the UK, traditional Easter meals include roast lamb, Simnel cake, and hot cross buns. Timeanddate: Easter Sunday UK Although Easter Sunday is not a bank holiday in the United Kingdom, Good Friday and Easter Monday are bank holidays in most parts of the UK, although Easter Monday is not observed as a bank holiday in Scotland. Timeanddate: Easter Sunday UK
Timeanddate notes that the monarch takes part in the Maundy Thursday ceremony, distributing Maundy money in a centuries-old Holy Week custom. Timeanddate: Easter Sunday UK
On the Isle of Man, the sourced Good Friday custom is the eating of flitters. That has its own page, and we have not added other Manx Easter claims without a source.