Easter Countdown 2026: When Is Easter and Everything You Need to Know

Easter is one of the few major holidays without a fixed date — which means every year, millions of people find themselves asking the same question: when is Easter this year? And once they have the answer, the follow-up is immediate: how many days until Easter?

Here's everything you need to know about Easter 2026 — the date, how it's calculated, and traditions from around the world.

When Is Easter 2026?

Easter Sunday 2026 falls on April 5th. That means Good Friday is April 3rd, and Easter Monday is April 6th — giving most people a four-day long weekend to celebrate.

How Is Easter's Date Calculated?

Easter's date is one of the most complex calculations in the Western calendar. The official rule, established by the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, is that Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon that occurs on or after the spring equinox (March 21st).

This means Easter can fall anywhere between March 22nd and April 25th. The calculation involves both the solar calendar (to determine the equinox) and the lunar calendar (to determine the full moon), which is why the date shifts so dramatically from year to year.

In practice, the church uses a set of pre-calculated dates called the Computus rather than the actual astronomical full moon, which is why the ecclesiastical calculation and the actual lunar calendar sometimes differ slightly.

Eastern Orthodox Easter

The Eastern Orthodox Church calculates Easter using the older Julian calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar used in the West. As a result, Orthodox Easter — celebrated in Greece, Russia, Serbia, Romania, and Ethiopia among others — often falls one, four, or five weeks after Western Easter.

In 2026, Orthodox Easter falls on April 12th — one week after Western Easter.

Easter Traditions Around the World

United Kingdom

Hot cross buns on Good Friday, Easter egg hunts for children, and a long weekend of family gatherings. The UK's chocolate Easter egg tradition is among the most enthusiastically observed in the world — the British spend around £400 million on Easter chocolate every year.

Germany

Germany is the origin of many Easter traditions now observed worldwide — including the Easter Bunny and the decorated Easter egg. Germans decorate trees and bushes with painted eggs, create elaborate Easter fires (Osterfeuer), and bake a lamb-shaped cake called Osterlamm.

Greece

Greek Orthodox Easter is the most important religious holiday in the Greek calendar, often outweighing Christmas in significance. Traditions include the midnight Resurrection service, cracking red-dyed hard-boiled eggs against each other (the winner whose egg survives is said to have good luck), and a large family feast of spit-roasted lamb on Easter Sunday.

United States

The White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn is one of America's oldest traditions — it has been held every year since 1878. Across the country, Easter morning church services, Easter baskets filled with candy, and egg hunts are the central traditions.

Australia

Australia has a unique Easter tradition all its own: the Easter Bilby. Because rabbits are an invasive pest in Australia, some Australians have adopted the native bilby — a small marsupial — as an alternative to the Easter Bunny. Easter Bilby chocolate figures are sold alongside traditional Easter eggs, with a portion of sales going to bilby conservation.

Easter Activities for Families

Count Down to Easter 2026

Easter 2026 is on Sunday, April 5th. Use our free Easter countdown at daysuntil.me to track exactly how many days remain — updated automatically every single day. Whether you're planning an Easter egg hunt, a family feast, or a long weekend away, knowing your countdown helps you plan ahead.