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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 11 of 12 covers seven completed UTC days.

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Daily round

  1. Tsoureki, a braided Easter bread popular in Greece, gets its distinctive flavor and golden color primarily from which ingredient?

    Answer: Mahleb and mastic resin

    Greek tsoureki is flavored with mahleb (ground cherry-kernel spice) and sometimes mastic resin (mastiha), giving it a subtly floral, piney aroma, while red dyed eggs are often nested in the braids as a centerpiece.

  2. An Easter egg hunt typically involves hiding what type of eggs?

    Answer: Hard-boiled or plastic eggs

    Easter egg hunts most commonly use hard-boiled dyed eggs or plastic eggs filled with small treats or coins.

  3. 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.

  4. What natural phenomenon marks the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere?

    Answer: The vernal equinox

    The vernal equinox, usually on March 19 or 20, occurs when day and night are nearly equal in length and spring begins.

  5. Decoupage, a technique often used to decorate Easter eggs, involves adhering what material to the shell surface?

    Answer: Cut paper

    Decoupage is the art of decorating objects by gluing colored paper cutouts onto them and sealing with varnish.

Daily round

  1. Which type of pastry, a hollow chocolate egg filled with small toys or candies, is a staple Easter treat in Italy?

    Answer: Uovo di Pasqua

    The Uovo di Pasqua is a large hollow chocolate egg, commercially produced and often containing a small surprise gift inside, given to children and loved ones throughout Italy during the Easter season.

  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. How often does Easter fall on the same date in both Western and Eastern (Orthodox) Christianity?

    Answer: It varies and sometimes does not coincide for decades

    Because Eastern Christianity uses the Julian calendar for the calculation while the West uses the Gregorian, the dates coincide in some years but can differ by up to five weeks in others.

  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. 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.

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. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

Daily round

  1. 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.

  2. Simnel cake, a fruit cake topped with a layer of marzipan and eleven marzipan balls, is traditionally associated with which holiday period in the UK?

    Answer: Mothering Sunday and Easter

    Simnel cake is eaten during Lent and Easter, with strong associations to Mothering Sunday; its eleven marzipan balls are said to represent the faithful apostles, excluding Judas.

  3. What liturgical color is most commonly associated with Lent and penitential seasons?

    Answer: Purple

    Purple (or violet) is the traditional liturgical color for Lent and Advent, symbolizing penance, preparation, and solemnity.

  4. Which bird is a traditional Christian symbol of peace and sometimes appears in Easter artwork?

    Answer: Dove

    A dove is a longstanding Christian symbol of peace and the Holy Spirit and can appear in Easter-season art.

  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. 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.

  2. What is the name of the prayer service held at the tomb of Jesus in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on Holy Saturday?

    Answer: The Holy Fire ceremony

    The Holy Fire ceremony takes place at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on Holy Saturday, during which the Orthodox patriarch enters the tomb and emerges with a flame that is passed among the faithful.

  3. What was the primary reason the Gregorian calendar reform of 1582 affected the date of Easter?

    Answer: It corrected the drift in the vernal equinox date used in the Computus

    The Julian calendar had caused the vernal equinox to drift from its traditional date of March 21; the Gregorian reform corrected this drift, which in turn affected the calculation of Easter's date.

  4. Which mineral compound makes up most of a chicken eggshell?

    Answer: Calcium carbonate

    Calcium carbonate forms most of a chicken eggshell and gives the shell its rigid structure.

  5. 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.

Daily round

  1. 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.

  2. What does the Exsultet, sung at the Easter Vigil, proclaim?

    Answer: The glory of the Paschal candle and Christ's victory over death

    The Exsultet (or Praeconium Paschale) is an ancient hymn of praise sung at the Easter Vigil, blessing the Paschal candle and declaring Christ's resurrection as the triumph of light over darkness.

  3. In a botanical egg-dyeing technique, what is held against the shell before wrapping and dyeing to leave a plant-shaped silhouette?

    Answer: A small leaf or flower

    A small leaf or flower can be pressed against the shell under a tight wrapping so the dye leaves its silhouette behind.

  4. Which word, from the Latin for 'renewal,' is often used in religious and literary contexts during Easter?

    Answer: Renovatio

    Renovatio is the Latin word for renewal and has historically been used in theological writings about the Easter season.

  5. Which Mediterranean spring flower belongs to the genus Narcissus, named for a figure in Greek mythology?

    Answer: The daffodil

    The daffodil belongs to the genus Narcissus, named after the mythological figure, and species like Narcissus tazetta grow wild across the Mediterranean, blooming in early spring and naturally associating with Easter garden displays.

Daily round

  1. In Matthias Grünewald's Isenheim Altarpiece, what distinctive feature characterizes the depiction of the resurrected Christ?

    Answer: He radiates light against a dark landscape, contrasting with the suffering crucifixion panel

    Grünewald's altarpiece contrasts the gruesome crucifixion with a luminous resurrection panel where Christ glows with golden light against a deep landscape, symbolizing the victory over death.

  2. In Hungary, the Easter tradition of "locsolás" involves young men visiting young women and doing what?

    Answer: Sprinkling them with perfume or cologne water

    Locsolás (from the verb "to sprinkle") is a Hungarian Easter Monday custom where men recite a short poem and sprinkle women with perfume or cologne water in exchange for painted eggs, chocolate, or a small drink.

  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. 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.

  5. In France, what massive edible structure is traditionally constructed in town squares on Easter Monday as part of a communal celebration?

    Answer: A giant omelette

    The town of Bessières in southwestern France is famous for its Fraternity of the Giant Omelette, which cooks over 4,500 eggs in a massive pan in the town square each Easter Monday, a tradition linked to Napoleon's visit.