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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 5 of 12 covers seven completed UTC days.

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Daily round

  1. 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.

  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. 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.

  4. Which Baroque composer wrote the 1708 oratorio La resurrezione?

    Answer: George Frideric Handel

    George Frideric Handel composed La resurrezione, an Italian-language oratorio first performed in Rome in 1708.

  5. 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.

Daily round

  1. Which color of Easter egg, in many Eastern European Christian traditions, is traditionally dyed first and given special significance as a symbol of new life and resurrection?

    Answer: Red

    In Serbian, Romanian, Bulgarian, and Greek Orthodox traditions, the first egg dyed at Easter is always red, and it is kept in the home as a protective talisman symbolizing the blood of Christ and the joy of resurrection.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. Creating a 'cascarón' involves decorating which type of egg that is then gently broken over someone's head for good luck?

    Answer: A hollowed-out chicken egg

    Cascarones are confetti-filled hollowed eggshells, a tradition with roots in both Spain and Latin American cultures.

  5. 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.

Daily round

  1. 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.

  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 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. 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.

  5. 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.

Daily round

  1. Which artist painted the Resurrection fresco now displayed in the Museo Civico of Sansepolcro?

    Answer: Piero della Francesca

    Piero della Francesca painted the Resurrection for Sansepolcro's civic palace, where the building now houses the Museo Civico.

  2. Which egg-decorating style creates a design by scratching through a dark dyed surface?

    Answer: Drapanka

    Drapanka decoration reveals a lighter eggshell design by scratching lines through a dark layer of dye.

  3. 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.

  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. 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. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. Wax-resist dyeing on eggs, central to the pysanky tradition, works because wax repels the dye. What is the correct order of operations?

    Answer: Apply wax, dye, then remove wax

    In wax-resist dyeing, wax is applied first to preserve the design, the egg is dyed, and then the wax is melted off to reveal the pattern.

  4. Which reading genre is associated with Norway's modern påskekrim tradition during the Easter holiday?

    Answer: Crime fiction

    Påskekrim is Norway's Easter custom of reading, watching, and publishing crime stories during the holiday break.

  5. 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.

Daily round

  1. 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.

  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. 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.

  4. Which tree is famous for producing pink or white blossoms in early spring and is often called 'Easter tree' in parts of Europe?

    Answer: Hawthorn

    The hawthorn is known as the Easter tree in some European traditions because it typically blooms around Easter time.

  5. 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.

Daily round

  1. 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.

  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 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. 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. 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.