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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 10 of 12 covers seven completed UTC days.

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Daily round

  1. In Scandinavian countries, children often dress as Easter witches and go door-to-door with a copper coffee pot. Which country most prominently practices this tradition?

    Answer: Sweden

    Swedish children don old clothes, shawls, and painted faces to resemble påskkärringar (Easter hags) and visit neighbors exchanging handmade cards and drawings for small sweets, a custom blending old folklore with Easter celebration.

  2. Which liturgical color is commonly used for Easter Sunday celebrations in Western churches?

    Answer: White or gold

    White or gold is commonly used at Easter to express celebration, light, and resurrection in Western liturgy.

  3. What is the Octave of Easter?

    Answer: An eight-day period of celebration extending from Easter Sunday to the following Sunday

    The Octave of Easter is the eight-day celebration running from Easter Sunday through the Second Sunday of Easter (also called Divine Mercy Sunday), during which each day is treated as a solemnity.

  4. Which Bach work was first performed on Easter Sunday in 1725?

    Answer: Easter Oratorio

    Bach's Easter Oratorio, BWV 249, originated in a cantata first performed on Easter Sunday in 1725.

  5. 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.

Daily round

  1. 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.

  2. The phrase "Easter parade" refers to a real tradition in which U.S. city, where people historically walked along a major avenue in new spring clothing after church services?

    Answer: New York

    New York's Fifth Avenue became famous for its Easter Parade, where wealthy and middle-class New Yorkers alike strolled in their finest spring outfits following Easter Sunday services, a custom dating to the late 19th century.

  3. What event does the Easter Vigil service primarily commemorate?

    Answer: The resurrection of Jesus and the passage from death to life

    The Easter Vigil, held after nightfall on Holy Saturday, is the most important liturgy of the year in many Christian traditions, celebrating Jesus' resurrection through Scripture readings, the lighting of the Paschal candle, and baptismal rites.

  4. What is the traditional Gospel reading for Easter Day in many Western lectionaries?

    Answer: John 20:1–18

    John 20:1–18, which describes Mary Magdalene's discovery of the empty tomb and her encounter with the risen Christ, is the standard Easter Day Gospel in many Western Christian lectionaries.

  5. In Christian art, the Latin title Agnus Dei identifies Christ with which animal?

    Answer: Lamb

    Agnus Dei means Lamb of God, a title represented by a lamb in Christian art and liturgy.

Daily round

  1. 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.

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

    Answer: March 22

    Easter can fall as early as March 22, which last occurred in 1818 and will next occur in 2285.

  4. Which 15th-century Italian painter created the Legend of the True Cross fresco cycle in San Francesco at Arezzo?

    Answer: Piero della Francesca

    Piero della Francesca painted the extensive fresco cycle "The Legend of the True Cross" in the Bacci Chapel of San Francesco in Arezzo during the 1450s, covering events from the Passion through the discovery of the cross by Saint Helena.

  5. 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.

Daily round

  1. 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.

  2. 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."

  3. 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.

  4. What ingredient gives traditional Italian Colomba di Pasqua (Easter dove cake) its characteristic light, airy texture?

    Answer: A long yeast-risen dough

    Colomba di Pasqua is made from a butter-rich, egg-yolk dough that undergoes a lengthy yeast rising process, similar to panettone, giving it a tall, tender crumb beneath its glazed almond-sugar topping.

  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. Which word, derived from a Hebrew expression meaning 'praise the Lord,' is a joyful Easter acclamation?

    Answer: Alleluia

    Alleluia comes through Greek and Latin from a Hebrew expression meaning praise the Lord and is prominent in Easter worship.

  2. Which spring flower, a member of the Liliaceae family, is commonly called the "Lent lily" in England because it typically blooms during the Lenten season?

    Answer: Daffodil

    The wild daffodil (Narcissus pseudonarcissus) is traditionally known in parts of England as the Lent lily because its flowering period closely aligns with the weeks of Lent leading up to Easter.

  3. The "Easter lily cactus" (Echinopsis multiplex) is a flowering plant known for producing large, fragrant white blooms that open at what time of day?

    Answer: Night

    The Easter lily cactus produces trumpet-shaped white flowers that typically open in the evening or at night, lasting only through the following day, which is a characteristic trait of many Echinopsis species.

  4. What is Tenebrae, a service observed during Holy Week?

    Answer: A service of gradually extinguished candles on the last three days of Holy Week

    Tenebrae is a liturgical service held on Wednesday evening of Holy Week (or spread across Thursday, Friday, and Saturday) in which candles are progressively extinguished to symbolize the gathering darkness after the crucifixion.

  5. Which ecclesiastical computation method, developed in the medieval period, was used to calculate the date of Easter each year?

    Answer: The Computus

    The Computus was the medieval system of calendar calculation used to determine the date of Easter, involving the interplay between the solar year, the lunar month, and the fixed date of the vernal equinox.

Daily round

  1. Which technique involves blowing out the contents of an egg through small holes at each end before decorating the shell?

    Answer: Egg blowing

    Egg blowing involves piercing both ends of a raw egg and using air pressure to empty the contents, leaving an intact shell for decorating.

  2. Which pastel color, heavily associated with Easter branding and decorations in North America, was named after a flowering plant first cultivated in France in the 18th century?

    Answer: Lilac

    The color lilac takes its name from the Syringa vulgaris flower, which was widely cultivated in European gardens by the 18th century and became a standard pastel shade used in Easter packaging, clothing, and décor.

  3. Which composer wrote Symphony No. 2, commonly nicknamed the Resurrection Symphony?

    Answer: Gustav Mahler

    Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 2 is widely known as the Resurrection Symphony because of its final movement's subject.

  4. The tradition of the "Easter sunrise service" originates from which biblical account that early Christians reenacted by gathering outdoors at dawn?

    Answer: The women discovering the empty tomb at early dawn

    The Gospel accounts describe women visiting Jesus's tomb "very early in the morning" on the first day of the week and finding it empty, which inspired the longstanding Christian practice of holding outdoor worship services at sunrise on Easter morning.

  5. 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.

Daily round

  1. 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.

  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. 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.

  4. What does the Paschal candle symbolize in Christian liturgy?

    Answer: The light of Christ rising from the tomb

    The Paschal candle is lit at the Easter Vigil to symbolize the risen Christ as the light of the world; it is used throughout the Easter season and at baptisms and funerals.

  5. In which century did the practice of observing a pre-Easter fast of 40 days become standardized in the Western church?

    Answer: 4th century

    The 40-day Lenten fast became formally established in the 4th century, with the Council of Nicaea (325 CE) providing early evidence of its widespread acceptance.