Easter Sunday in Canada

Easter Sunday in Canada celebrates Jesus Christ's resurrection after his death, which is described in the Christian Bible. Some people observe Easter Sunday by attending church while others spend time with their families and friends or engage in Easter egg activities.

Easter eggs are part of the Easter tradition in Canada.

©iStockphoto.com/VIKTORIIA KULISH

What do people do?

Easter is a religious holiday that commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ after his death by crucifixion. For Christians, Easter is a day of religious services and family gatherings. Easter Day is a popular day for attending church, getting together for a big family meal, and staging an Easter egg hunt. It is also a good time for people to decorate Easter eggs, join in Easter craft contests and to indulge in holiday recipes, such as mustard-crusted lamb and the Easter basket cake.

The Bal en Blanc’s main event is held every Easter Sunday, attracting thousands of partygoers every year in Montreal.

Public life

Many businesses, government offices, banks and liquor stores are closed on Easter Sunday.

Background

Many people organized spring festivals associated with the Pagan gods in ancient times. Many festivals celebrated nature's rebirth, the return the land to fertility and the birth of many young animals.The idea of modern day Easter eggs derives from these festivals.

Many ideas associated with spring were then linked with Jesus Christ's crucifixion and resurrection as the Christianity spread throughout the world. The crucifixion is remembered on Good Friday and the resurrection on Easter Sunday. The idea of the resurrection became joined up with the ideas of re-birth in Pagan beliefs. The Easter date depends on the ecclesiastical approximation of the March equinox.

Symbols

Easter candles are sometimes lit in churches on the eve of Easter Sunday. Some believe that these can be directly linked to the Pagan customs of lighting bonfires to welcome the rebirth or resurrection of the sun god.

Eggs of all types are an important symbol of Easter. They represent the rebirth of nature in the spring and the promise of new life in the spring and summer months to come and are seen as a reflection of the resurrection of Christ after his crucifixion. Easter eggs, whether they are made of chocolate or candy or are decorated hens eggs, are common gifts all over the world during Easter. However, the biggest Easter egg in the world is a representation of a Ukrainian Easter egg, known as a Pysanka, located in Vegreville, Alberta.

The Pysanka in Vegreville was constructed in 1974 to mark the centenary of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and to celebrate Vegreville's strong links with the Ukraine. It is made of more than 2000 aluminium triangles fixed together with nearly 7000 bolts and 177 internal struts. The egg is more than 25 feet (nearly eight meters) in diameter and is decorated with a gold, silver and bronze design. Its construction represented significant advances in computer modeling, mathematical theory, architectural design and engineering construction.

About Easter Sunday in other countries

Easter Sunday Observances

Related holidays

• Palm Sunday ―Sunday, March 24, 2013
• Maundy Thursday ―Thursday, March 28, 2013
• Holy Saturday ―Saturday, March 30, 2013
• Good Friday ―Friday, March 29, 2013
• Easter Monday ―Monday, April 1, 2013
• Epiphany ―Sunday, January 6, 2013

Other holidays in March 2013 in Canada

• St David's Day ―Friday, March 1, 2013
• Daylight Saving Time starts ―Sunday, March 10, 2013
• Commonwealth Day ―Monday, March 11, 2013
• St. Patrick's Day ―Sunday, March 17, 2013
• St. Patrick's Day ―Monday, March 18, 2013
• March equinox ―Wednesday, March 20, 2013
• Palm Sunday ―Sunday, March 24, 2013
• First day of Passover ―Tuesday, March 26, 2013
• Maundy Thursday ―Thursday, March 28, 2013
• Good Friday ―Friday, March 29, 2013
• Holy Saturday ―Saturday, March 30, 2013