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Seven days of questions and answers

Easter Trivia Answers Archive

Review earlier daily rounds, reveal the correct answer, and use the short explanation to learn the fact behind each question. Page 1 of 12 covers seven completed UTC days.

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Daily round

  1. Which famous Renaissance sculptor created a marble Pietà depicting Mary holding the body of the crucified Christ?

    Answer: Michelangelo

    Michelangelo carved the Pietà between 1498 and 1499; it is housed in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City and is one of the most recognized sculptures of the Easter narrative.

  2. Which underground plant structure stores food for a daffodil between growing seasons?

    Answer: Bulb

    A daffodil grows from a bulb that stores energy underground between its seasonal periods of growth.

  3. Which Gospel describes Mary Magdalene mistaking the risen Jesus for a gardener near the tomb?

    Answer: The Gospel of John

    The Gospel of John recounts Mary Magdalene meeting the risen Jesus and initially thinking he is the gardener.

  4. In which city was the Last Supper, according to the Gospel accounts, most commonly understood to have taken place?

    Answer: Jerusalem

    All four Gospels place the Last Supper in Jerusalem, where Jesus had traveled for the Passover feast, and it is traditionally associated with the Upper Room (Cenacle) on Mount Zion.

  5. Which early spring flower has the botanical genus name Galanthus?

    Answer: Snowdrop

    Snowdrops belong to the genus Galanthus and often flower near the end of winter or in early spring.

Daily round

  1. The phrase 'spring forward, fall back' is a mnemonic for what seasonal practice?

    Answer: Adjusting clocks for daylight saving time

    The mnemonic reminds people to set clocks one hour ahead in spring and one hour back in autumn for daylight saving time.

  2. In the Czech Republic and Slovakia, Easter Monday features a tradition where men playfully whip women with braided willow branches. What is this whip called?

    Answer: Pomlázka

    The pomlázka is a braided willow rod that men use to gently whip women on Easter Monday in a ritual traditionally believed to transfer health and vitality for the coming year; women may respond by splashing water on the men.

  3. In Poland, the Easter Monday custom of Śmigus-Dyngus involves people playfully doing what to one another?

    Answer: Throwing water on each other

    Śmigus-Dyngus, or Wet Monday, is a Polish tradition where people—especially young men and women—splash or pour water on each other, with roots that likely predate Christian Easter celebrations.

  4. In the context of the Easter calendar, what is a "moveable feast"?

    Answer: A religious observance whose date changes each year based on a calculation

    A moveable feast is a church observance whose calendar date varies from year to year, with Easter being the primary example because its date depends on lunar and solar calculations.

  5. Which long-eared Australian marsupial is featured in Easter-themed conservation fundraising because rabbits are invasive there?

    Answer: Bilby

    The bilby, a nocturnal marsupial with long ears, has been championed since the 1990s by Australian conservationists as a native alternative to the rabbit, which is an invasive pest in Australia, with chocolate bilbies sold to raise funds for bilby conservation.

Daily round

  1. What is the historical origin of the 40-day duration of Lent?

    Answer: It matches the number of days Jesus spent in the wilderness before his public ministry

    The 40 days of Lent mirror the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness as described in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, which themselves echo the 40 years the Israelites wandered in the desert.

  2. Which Russian composer wrote the orchestral Russian Easter Festival Overture, subtitled Bright Holiday?

    Answer: Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

    Rimsky-Korsakov composed the "Russian Easter Festival Overture" in 1888, weaving together liturgical melodies and depicting the Easter celebration as described in the Orthodox tradition.

  3. Which flower structure develops into a fruit after fertilization?

    Answer: Ovary

    After fertilization, a flower's ovary develops into the fruit that surrounds its seeds.

  4. What is the latest possible date for Easter Sunday in the Western calendar?

    Answer: April 25

    The latest possible Easter date is April 25, which occurred in 1943 and will next happen in 2038.

  5. What is the meaning of the Greek word "Pascha," from which the term "Paschal" is derived?

    Answer: Passover

    Pascha is the Greek form of the Hebrew word Pesach, meaning Passover, reflecting the close connection between the Jewish Passover and the Christian celebration of Christ's death and resurrection.

Daily round

  1. Paskha is a Russian Orthodox Easter dish shaped like a truncated pyramid and made primarily from which dairy ingredients?

    Answer: Cottage cheese (tvorog) and sour cream

    Paskha (or pascha) is a no-bake dessert made by pressing a mixture of tvorog (farmer's cheese), sour cream, butter, eggs, and dried fruit into a pyramid-shaped mold decorated with the letters XB, representing "Christ is risen."

  2. The word 'maundy,' as in Maundy Thursday, is thought to derive from the Latin word for what?

    Answer: Command

    Maundy likely comes from the Latin mandatum, meaning commandment, referring to Jesus' new commandment to love one another as recorded in the Gospel of John.

  3. What liturgical period of approximately 40 days of fasting and penance precedes Easter Sunday?

    Answer: Lent

    Lent is a roughly 40-day season of preparation that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends before the Easter Triduum.

  4. In many European traditions, spring cleaning is done before Easter. What is the German term for this thorough seasonal cleaning?

    Answer: Frühjahrsputz

    Frühjahrsputz literally means 'spring cleaning' in German and refers to the tradition of thoroughly cleaning the home around Easter.

  5. Hot cross buns are spiced sweet buns marked with a cross on top. In which country did a 1592 edict temporarily restrict their sale to Good Friday, Christmas, and burials?

    Answer: England

    Elizabeth I of England issued a decree limiting the sale of spiced buns with religious symbols to specific holy days, though enforcement was inconsistent and the buns remained popular year-round in practice.

Daily round

  1. The Easter Bunny legend in its current form is widely traced to German immigrants who brought the tradition of the "Osterhase" to which country in the 1700s?

    Answer: The United States

    German settlers in Pennsylvania Dutch country introduced the Osterhase, or Easter Hare, which laid colored eggs for well-behaved children, and the custom spread throughout the United States over the following decades.

  2. In which country is the tradition of crafting elaborate pysanky—eggs decorated with intricate wax-resist patterns—most strongly associated?

    Answer: Ukraine

    Pysanky (from the Ukrainian word meaning "to write") is a centuries-old Ukrainian folk art in which beeswax and successive dye baths build up layered geometric and symbolic motifs on eggshells.

  3. Easter Monday is a public holiday in many countries. In which of these countries is it traditionally celebrated with water fights?

    Answer: Hungary

    In Hungary, Easter Monday is marked by 'locsolkodás,' a tradition where people playfully sprinkle or splash water on each other.

  4. What is the primary reason animal welfare organizations in several countries advise against giving live rabbits as Easter gifts?

    Answer: Most rabbits given as gifts are surrendered within months

    Shelters consistently report a spike in abandoned rabbits in the weeks and months following Easter, as many recipients are unprepared for the decade-plus commitment, specialized veterinary care, and social needs of a pet rabbit.

  5. Lamb is a traditional Easter main course in many Mediterranean and European cultures. Which of these dishes is a Greek Easter specialty made of offal, herbs, and rice wrapped in lamb intestine?

    Answer: Kokoretsi

    Kokoretsi is a festive Greek dish of seasoned organ meats wrapped in lamb intestines and slow-roasted on a spit, commonly served at Easter celebrations alongside roast lamb.

Daily round

  1. In Eastern Orthodox iconography, which event is most commonly depicted directly below the resurrection (Anastasis) icon?

    Answer: The Harrowing of Hell

    The Orthodox Anastasis icon shows Christ descending into Hades to liberate the righteous dead, commonly referred to as the Harrowing of Hell, and is the central image of Orthodox Easter theology.

  2. What is the common Amharic name for the Ethiopian Orthodox celebration of Easter?

    Answer: Fasika

    Fasika is the Amharic name commonly used for Ethiopian Orthodox Easter, celebrated after a long fasting season.

  3. Food coloring is the most common way to dye Easter eggs today. Which natural ingredient produces a blue tint on eggshells?

    Answer: Red cabbage

    Red cabbage leaves contain anthocyanins that turn eggshells blue when used as a natural dye.

  4. In Lebanon and Syria, Christian communities mark Easter with maamoul, a shortbread cookie filled with which ingredient?

    Answer: Dates or walnuts

    Maamoul are buttery semolina cookies molded into ornate shapes with a wooden press and filled with either date paste or a walnut-sugar-rose-water mixture, traditionally baked and shared among family at Easter and other Christian feast days.

  5. In Bulgaria and Romania, the Easter egg-tapping game, in which two players tap the pointed ends of their eggs together until one cracks, is most commonly known by what name?

    Answer: Lupanje

    In Bulgaria, the egg-tapping game is called lupanje, and the person whose egg remains uncracked is believed to enjoy good health and luck for the coming year; the winning egg is often preserved until the next Easter.

Daily round

  1. Which spice commonly provides the warm, sweet aroma in hot cross buns?

    Answer: Cinnamon

    Cinnamon is a common spice in hot cross buns, often paired with nutmeg or mixed spice.

  2. The Easter Lamb cake, baked in a lamb-shaped mold and frosted with white icing, is a tradition most strongly associated with which European-American communities in the United States?

    Answer: German-American

    The lamb cake tradition was brought to the United States by German immigrants, who used cast-iron molds to bake a pound-cake-style lamb dusted with powdered sugar or coated in white frosting, often with a small flag inserted as a finishing touch.

  3. In Germany, the "Osterbaum" (Easter tree) is a custom involving what activity?

    Answer: Decorating tree branches with hung eggs

    Families in Germany and parts of Austria hang blown and decorated eggs from the branches of cut trees or outdoor bushes to create an Osterbaum, a colorful Easter display that has been documented since at least the 16th century.

  4. What breed of domestic rabbit, known for its floppy ears and calm temperament, is among the most frequently chosen as a pet around Easter time?

    Answer: Holland Lop

    The Holland Lop is consistently one of the most popular pet rabbit breeds, and animal welfare organizations regularly urge people to consider long-term care before acquiring one as an Easter gift.

  5. Which day of Holy Week is traditionally called "Spy Wednesday"?

    Answer: The Wednesday before Easter

    Spy Wednesday refers to the Wednesday of Holy Week, named for Judas Iscariot's arrangement to betray Jesus on that day.