Every spring, Easter and Passover appear close together.
They are linked by history, by the calendar and by a shared story: a passage from suffering to freedom.
EASTER AND PASSOVER ARE LINKED THROUGH TIME
Passover, a Jewish holiday, recalls a historical event and is rooted in collective memory and ritual retelling. The Christian holiday of Easter, by contrast, recalls a theological claim and speaks to a belief about life, death and renewal. One looks back to a moment of escape from oppression and the formation of a people. The other looks forward, affirming that death is not the end and that suffering can be transformed. Together, they reflect different ways of understanding time, memory and hope.
Easter is celebrated by Christians across all major denominations, including Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox believers, in 154 countries around the world. It celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ after his death by crucifixion. While Easter has religious roots, the holiday also draws secular participants who observe the holiday through cultural traditions rather than religious practice. The use of painted and decorated Easter eggs is widely popular. The Easter bunny, which originated in Protestant areas of Europe in the 17th century, is said to lay, decorate and hide Easter eggs, while in the US it also leaves children baskets filled with toys and candy.
Passover is observed by Jewish communities worldwide. One of Judaism’s most significant holidays, Passover commemorates the Hebrews’ liberation from enslavement in Egypt and the “passing over” of God’s forces of destruction during the tenth plague, the death of all firstborn males of Egypt. On the eve of the Exodus, the Israelites were instructed to paint their doorframes with lamb’s blood to spare their firstborns.
Both holidays draw their communities together in shared ritual and remembrance, though they do so from different faith traditions and for different reasons. Both holidays are also built around the idea of passage. In Passover, the movement is from slavery to freedom, marked by departure, urgency and the beginning of a journey. In Easter, the movement is from death to life, expressed through loss, silence and renewal.
A WEEK OF CHRISTIAN CELEBRATIONS PRECEDES EASTER
In 325 AD, the Council of Nicaea decreed that Easter should be observed on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox (March 21). Despite this decree, not all Christians observe Easter on the same date. Eastern Orthodox churches follow the Julian calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar, which means Orthodox Easter often falls on a different Sunday than Western Easter. This year, for example, Western Christians celebrate Easter on April 5 while Orthodox Christians celebrate it a week later on April 12. In Orthodox Christianity, Easter, often called Pascha, is the pinnacle of the liturgical year, celebrated with profound ritual and a distinctive calendar.
Holy Week, the observance of Jesus’s final days, is only recognized by Christians. It follows a 40-day period of fasting and penance called Lent, which begins on a holiday called Ash Wednesday. It begins on Palm Sunday and progresses towards the events of the crucifixion on Good Friday and the resurrection on Easter Sunday. Passion is intended to move the believer from the role of an observer to a participant in the final days of Jesus’s life.
Palm Sunday serves as the prologue. The week begins with a triumphal entry into Jerusalem, where Jesus is hailed as a king with palm branches and shouts of “Hosanna.” In Mass, participants are given palm fronds, which are then burned to make the ashes for the next year’s Ash Wednesday. Traditionally, there is a retelling of the crucifixion, in which the priest reads out Jesus’s lines of dialogue, with the lectors and people in the pews reading the other dialogues. The week then culminates in the Triduum (Latin for “Three Days”), which is technically viewed as one long continuous service in many denominations.
Maundy Thursday focuses on the “New Commandment” (Mandatum) of love and the institution of the Eucharist. Good Friday is a day of mourning and silence, reflecting on the Crucifixion. This is often a time of “Passion plays,” or elaborate dramatizations of the passion and crucifixion of Christ, a tradition rooted in the 17th century. Holy Saturday stands as the “Great Silence.” Historically, it is the Jewish Sabbath, when no work was to be performed. For Christians, it represents the time Jesus spent in the tomb. It marks the moment of absence before the presence of Easter morning. Easter morning celebrates the moment when three of Jesus’s female disciples discover Christ’s empty tomb. The resurrected Jesus then makes several discreet appearances to his followers.
PASSOVER: THE EIGHT-DAY JEWISH HOLIDAY
Passover, as we’ve said above, takes place at a similar time and celebrates the freedom of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. The holiday begins on the 15th day of Nisan in the Hebrew calendar with the Seder, a 15-step Passover meal celebrated with four cups of wine, matzah (unleavened bread) and bitter herbs as well as the retelling of the Haggadah, the story of the Exodus. Like with the crucifixion reading at Palm Sunday, the Haggadah is meant to connect people to the emotion behind the stories.
The first and last two days of Passover (a total of four days) are considered “full-fledged” holidays. The Jewish people observe these days much like Sabbath — no work — and light candles and enjoy holiday meals. The middle four days are “semi-festive,” and work is permitted.
During the eight days, the Jewish people are forbidden to consume or even retain any chametz, or leavened grain. Jewish households often have a ceremonial search through the house for any chametz on the eve of Passover. The chametz is either thrown away, burned or sold to non-Jewish people. During the last two days of Passover, prayers are recited, candles are lit and some households observe special practices.
WHY ARE EASTER AND PASSOVER CELEBRATED?
Why are Passover and Easter still celebrated, generation after generation? At their core, both holidays mark turning points where something fundamental shifts. Passover recalls the movement from slavery to freedom, a story that continues to resonate wherever people experience constraint, injustice or the weight of circumstance. It is not only a historical memory but a recurring question: can we leave behind what binds us, and step into something different? Easter, in turn, centers on sacrifice and renewal. It holds together loss and hope, suggesting that even suffering, however real, may carry meaning beyond itself, opening the possibility of transformation rather than finality.
These stories endure because they speak to a shared human experience that extends beyond religious belief. What does it mean to be liberated, not only politically, but inwardly? How do we make sense of suffering without reducing it to mere misfortune? And how do we recognize that endings, however painful, can also be beginnings? In different ways, Passover and Easter offer a framework for navigating rupture and renewal. They do not eliminate uncertainty, but they give shape to it, inviting reflection on how change, loss and hope remain intertwined in human life.
CREDITS
Researched and Written by Liam Roman, Casey Herrmann and Roberta Campani; Produced by Netleon, edited by Cheyenne Torres
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Passover | Judaism, Story, Meaning, & Traditions | Britannica
Countries that Celebrate Easter 2026
In pictures: Easter celebrated around the world from Greece to Iraq BBC
What Is Passover (Pesach)? - Passover 2026 will be celebrated from April 1-9 - Chabad.org
The Last Two Days of Passover - What and How We Celebrate - Chabad.org
Passover: Dates, History, Traditions & Rituals | Reform Judaism