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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 3 of 12 covers seven completed UTC days.

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Daily round

  1. 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.

  2. What natural dye, made from the dried bodies of a scale insect, was historically used in Europe to produce deep red Easter eggs?

    Answer: Cochineal

    Cochineal dye, derived from the Dactylopius coccus insect, was imported to Europe from the Americas and became a prized source of crimson and scarlet for egg dyeing in the 16th century onward.

  3. Mämmi is a traditional Finnish Easter dessert made from rye flour, water, and dried malt, then baked slowly in a low oven. What is its characteristic appearance?

    Answer: A dark brown, gelatinous pudding

    Mämmi has a distinctive dark brown, almost black color and a firm, gelatinous texture; it is traditionally baked in rectangular containers made of birch bark and served cold with cream or sugar.

  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. 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.

Daily round

  1. In pysanky, the traditional Ukrainian art of egg decorating, what tool is used to apply melted beeswax to the eggshell?

    Answer: A stylus called a kistka

    A kistka is a small funnel-tipped stylus heated in a candle flame to draw wax lines on the egg during pysanky.

  2. In parts of Latin America, a custom called "Quema de Judas" (Burning of Judas) involves what activity on Easter Saturday or Sunday?

    Answer: Setting fire to an effigy representing Judas Iscariot

    In countries including Mexico, Venezuela, and parts of Central America, communities stuff and hang an effigy of Judas Iscariot, sometimes filled with firecrackers, and set it alight in a public spectacle symbolizing the rejection of betrayal.

  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 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. 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.

Daily round

  1. 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.

  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. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

Daily round

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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."

  5. 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.

Daily round

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. Which common kitchen ingredient acidifies an egg-dye bath and helps many food colorings bind to the shell?

    Answer: White vinegar

    White vinegar adds acetic acid to the dye bath, helping many water-based food colorings adhere more evenly to an eggshell.

  5. 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.

Daily round

  1. Which type of flower is most traditionally associated with Easter and symbolizes resurrection and new life in many cultures?

    Answer: Lily

    The white Easter lily has long symbolized purity, hope, and renewal, making it the most common Easter flower.

  2. 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.

  3. In the United Kingdom, which chocolate confection resembling a cracked eggshell, filled with a whipped fondant center, has been produced by Cadbury since 1963 and is closely linked to Easter?

    Answer: The Creme Egg

    The Cadbury Creme Egg, with its thick chocolate shell and sugary white-and-yellow fondant filling designed to mimic a raw egg yolk, has become one of the best-selling Easter candies in the UK and several other countries.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

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.