When Is Easter 2016 And What Date Are The Holidays?

When Is Easter 2016?

In 2016 Easter occurs in the final weekend of March.

Good Friday will be on 25 March, Easter Sunday on 27 March and Easter Monday on the 28th.

Good Friday and Easter Monday are Bank Holidays, meaning a four day weekend for many workers and most schools will break until 10 April.

Easter, also known as Resurrection Sunday, celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The Resurrection of Christ depicted on the main Archway to the entrance of the Basilica di San Marco, Venice

Christians believe Jesus was crucified on Good Friday and rose from the dead three days later on Easter Sunday.

Easter Sunday also marks the end of Lent, a 40-day period of fasting, prayer and penance.

Not all Christians observe Easter Sunday however, with Quakers believing the events celebrated should be kept in mind throughout the year.

Jehovah’s Witnesses believe the festivals are based on pagan customs and religions.

Another integral part of Easter is of course eggs. You can decorate them, you can roll them, you can hide them and most crucially, you can eat them.

For Christians, the Easter egg is symbolic of the resurrection of Christ. In the Orthodox and Eastern Catholic churches dye the eggs that to represent the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed on the cross.

Easter occurs in the final weekend of March in 2016

The shell represents the sealed Tomb of Christ and cracking the shell represents his resurrection from the dead.

The Easter bunny is pagan in origin, with the animal representing a symbol of fertility signifying spring and new life. (And now mass cocoa-based consumerism!)

Lifeless eyes, black eyes, like a doll's eyes...

19 Creepy Easter Bunnies

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