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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 4 of 12 covers seven completed UTC days.

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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. 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.

  3. 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.

  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. How is the date of Easter determined in Western Christianity?

    Answer: The first Sunday after the first full moon following the vernal equinox

    Western Christianity calculates Easter as the first Sunday following the first ecclesiastical full moon that occurs on or after the March 21 vernal equinox.

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. The word 'equinox' comes from Latin. What does it literally translate to?

    Answer: Equal night

    Equinox combines aequus, meaning equal, with nox, meaning night, referring to roughly equal day and night lengths.

  3. Which council in 325 CE established the rule that Easter should be observed on the same Sunday by all Christians?

    Answer: Council of Nicaea

    The First Council of Nicaea in 325 CE decreed that Easter should be celebrated on a Sunday and that all Christians should observe it on the same day.

  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. 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.

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. In the traditional Stations of the Cross, how many stations trace the events from Jesus' condemnation to his burial?

    Answer: Fourteen

    The traditional devotion of the Stations of the Cross consists of 14 stations following Jesus from his condemnation by Pilate through his crucifixion, death, and placement in the tomb.

  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. 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.

  5. Which spring bulb flower, native to Central Asia, is one of the earliest to bloom and often appears around Easter?

    Answer: Crocus

    Crocuses are among the first spring bulbs to bloom, often pushing through snow in late winter or early spring.

Daily round

  1. Egg rolling is a popular Easter activity in several countries. On whose lawn did the White House Easter Egg Roll tradition reportedly begin in 1878?

    Answer: Rutherford B. Hayes's

    President Rutherford B. Hayes officially opened the White House lawn to children for egg rolling in 1878, starting an annual tradition.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. What is the name of the Thursday of Holy Week that commemorates the Last Supper?

    Answer: Maundy Thursday

    Maundy Thursday remembers the Last Supper Jesus shared with his disciples; the word "maundy" derives from the Latin mandatum, meaning commandment, referring to the new commandment to love one another.

  5. In the Philippines, a predominantly Catholic country, what does the "Salubong" ritual reenact in the pre-dawn hours of Easter Sunday?

    Answer: The meeting of the risen Christ and the Virgin Mary

    The Salubong (meaning "meeting") is a dramatic dawn procession in which statues of the resurrected Christ and the grieving Virgin Mary are brought together, symbolizing the moment Mary learns of the resurrection, often accompanied by music and dance.

Daily round

  1. The astronomical event that can cause Easter to fall as late as April 25 in some years is related to what?

    Answer: A full moon falling after March 21

    Easter is observed on the first Sunday after the first full moon occurring on or after the spring equinox, which can push the date to April 25.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. Which herb, often called "pasque flower" from the Old French for Easter, is a spring-blooming purple wildflower found across European meadows?

    Answer: Pulsatilla vulgaris

    Pulsatilla vulgaris, the pasque flower, takes its common name from "Pâques," the French word for Easter, because it typically blooms around the holiday in its native European and central Asian grasslands.

  5. What does the liturgical term "Triduum" literally mean in Latin?

    Answer: Three days

    Triduum is a Latin word meaning "three days," referring to the three most solemn days of the Christian year: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday.

Daily round

  1. 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.

  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 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.

  4. 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.

  5. The white lily, often called the Easter lily in North America, is a species native to which group of Pacific islands before it was widely cultivated for the holiday market?

    Answer: The Ryukyu Islands

    The Lilium longiflorum, marketed as the Easter lily, is native to the Ryukyu Islands of Japan and was brought to the United States in the late 1800s before domestic production centered in Oregon and California.

Daily round

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  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 English composer wrote the oratorio "Messiah," which includes the famous "Hallelujah" chorus commonly performed during the Easter season?

    Answer: George Frideric Handel

    Handel composed "Messiah" in 1741; while it is often associated with Christmas, the work's second and third parts focus on the Passion, resurrection, and redemption, making it a fixture of Easter programming.

  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.