| Where: | Countrywide |
| When: | Maundy Thursday to Easter Monday (March or April dependng on the calendar) |
| Time: | All day |
Easter is the major festival of the Christian Church and is still very widely celebrated throughout the UK today, though many of the events and customs associated with it may have pre-Christian or secular origins. It falls in March or April each year and Maundy Thursday is followed by Good Friday, Easter Saturday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday. Churches hold special services to mark the occasion, including many services at dawn and overnight vigils. In an echo of the foot washing practised in olden days, some clergy will be polishing the shoes of members of the public on Maundy Thursday, though as this is a low-key event it can be hard to find out about in advance. One of the most popular organised events you are likely to find is the Easter Egg Hunt – there are several locally to us at National Trust and similar properties and children follow clues to find the reward of a chocolate egg, usually hidden by the Easter Bunny. Large and small chocolate eggs are eaten everywhere by all ages and also it’s customary to eat ham and hard boiled eggs (we always have this on Good Friday). Egg jarping is the practice of bashing boiled eggs together – the person with the uncracked egg wins- and you may also find many egg-rolling customs all around the country where boiled or chocolate eggs are rolled down hills. Hot Cross Buns are also traditionally eaten on Good Friday with the symbol of the crucifix on top, and it’s common to have a roast lunch on Easter Sunday. New clothes seem to be the successor to the old Easter Bonnet! As Easter weekend has a bank holiday at each end (Good Friday and Easter Monday) it is a popular time for a variety of events to take place (see individual listings in Eastertide table for details) in spite of the variable date from year to year. Daffodils are associated with Eastertide as they are usually in bloom.
Helpful Hints
In 2025 Maundy Thursday is 17th April, Good Friday 18th April, Easter Saturday 19th April, Easter Sunday 20th April and Easter Monday April 21st.
Click here to find your local Church of England parish: http://www.achurchnearyou.com/
Click here for Churches in Wales: http://www.churchinwales.org.uk/
And here for Church of Scotland : http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/
And the Catholic church: http://www.catholic-ew.org.uk
I was under the impression the cross on top of Hot Cross Buns is actually the pagan Solar Cross, representing the four quarters of the year. They’ve found similar grain cakes dating back to 79AD which were similarly part of spring fertility rites.
Yes that’s an interesting point – it may well be one of the many aspects of the festival that the Christian Church absorbed and adapted. And using the cross then changing its meaning would be a very easy transition for the church to make.