Easter 2027 falls on Sunday, March 28, 2027. Easter is the greatest feast of the Christian year, the day Christians celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The Church calls it the “Feast of feasts” and the “Solemnity of solemnities” (Catechism 1169), and it is not one day but a season of fifty days that ends at Pentecost.
Below you will find the dates of Easter and Holy Week 2027, why the date changes every year, what Easter means, the Easter readings, how the Easter season unfolds, and Catholic customs and prayers for the day.
Easter 2027 at a glance
| Celebration | 2027 date |
|---|---|
| Ash Wednesday (Lent begins) | Wednesday, February 10 |
| Palm Sunday | Sunday, March 21 |
| Holy Thursday (Easter Triduum begins in the evening) | Thursday, March 25 |
| Good Friday | Friday, March 26 |
| Holy Saturday and the Easter Vigil | Saturday, March 27 |
| Easter Sunday | Sunday, March 28 |
| Divine Mercy Sunday (end of the Easter Octave) | Sunday, April 4 |
| Ascension of the Lord | Thursday, May 6 (Sunday, May 9, in most US dioceses) |
| Pentecost (end of the Easter season) | Sunday, May 16 |
Easter dates for the coming years
| Year | Easter (Catholic and Western) | Orthodox Easter |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | April 5 | April 12 |
| 2027 | March 28 | May 2 |
| 2028 | April 16 | April 16 |
| 2029 | April 1 | April 8 |
| 2030 | April 21 | April 28 |
| 2031 | April 13 | April 13 |
Why does the date of Easter change?
Jesus rose on the Sunday after the Jewish Passover, which follows the lunar calendar. In 325 the Council of Nicaea set the rule most Christians still use: Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the spring equinox (fixed by the Church at March 21, with the full moon calculated by tables rather than observed). So Easter can fall anywhere between March 22 and April 25.
Orthodox Christians apply the same rule to the older Julian calendar, which is why their Easter is often later, as in 2027 (May 2), and sometimes falls on the same day, as in 2028 and 2031.
What Easter means
On Easter the Church proclaims that Jesus, who died on the cross on Good Friday and was buried, rose from the dead on the third day. “The Resurrection of Jesus is the crowning truth of our faith in Christ” (Catechism 638). St. Paul hands on the earliest summary of the Gospel:
For I delivered unto you first of all, which I also received: how that Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures:
And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day, according to the scriptures:
And that he was seen by Cephas; and after that by the eleven.
Then he was seen by more than five hundred brethren at once: of whom many remain until this present, and some are fallen asleep.
After that, he was seen by James, then by all the apostles.
And last of all, he was seen also by me, as by one born out of due time.
By his death and Resurrection, Christ has destroyed death and opened heaven to us. Through Baptism we share in his new life:
Know you not that all we, who are baptized in Christ Jesus, are baptized in his death?
For we are buried together with him by baptism into death; that as Christ is risen from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also may walk in newness of life.
For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.
That is why Easter is the traditional day for baptisms, and why Catholics renew their baptismal promises at Easter Masses.
The Easter Triduum
The “Three Days” (Triduum) from the evening of Holy Thursday to the evening of Easter Sunday are celebrated as one great feast, the high point of the whole year (Catechism 1168):
- Holy Thursday evening: the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, with the washing of feet. See Holy Thursday.
- Good Friday: the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion, with the veneration of the cross. See Good Friday.
- Holy Saturday night: the Easter Vigil, “the mother of all vigils,” with the new fire, the Easter candle, the Exsultet and baptisms. See the Easter Vigil.
- Easter Sunday: Masses of Easter Day.
For the whole week, day by day, see Holy Week 2027.
The readings for Easter Sunday
| Reading | Passage |
|---|---|
| First reading | Acts 10:34a, 37–43 (Peter: “God raised him on the third day”) |
| Psalm | Psalm 118: “This is the day the Lord has made” |
| Second reading | Colossians 3:1–4 or 1 Corinthians 5:6b–8 |
| Sequence | Victimae paschali laudes (“Christians, to the Paschal Victim”) |
| Gospel | John 20:1–9 (the empty tomb); or the Gospel of the Easter Vigil; or, at an afternoon Mass, Luke 24:13–35 (Emmaus) |
The Gospel of Easter morning, in the Douay-Rheims translation:
And on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalen cometh early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre; and she saw the stone taken away from the sepulchre.
She ran, therefore, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and saith to them: They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.
Peter therefore went out, and that other disciple, and they came to the sepulchre.
And they both ran together, and that other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.
And when he stooped down, he saw the linen cloths lying; but yet he went not in.
Then cometh Simon Peter, following him, and went into the sepulchre, and saw the linen cloths lying,
And the napkin that had been about his head, not lying with the linen cloths, but apart, wrapped up into one place.
Then that other disciple also went in, who came first to the sepulchre: and he saw, and believed.
For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.
St. Paul’s invitation in the second reading:
Therefore, if you be risen with Christ, seek the things that are above; where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God:
Mind the things that are above, not the things that are upon the earth.
For you are dead; and your life is hid with Christ in God.
When Christ shall appear, who is your life, then you also shall appear with him in glory.
The Easter season: fifty days of joy
- The Easter Octave (March 28 to April 4, 2027): each of the eight days is celebrated as a solemnity. See the Easter Octave.
- Divine Mercy Sunday (April 4, 2027): the Second Sunday of Easter. See Divine Mercy Sunday.
- The Regina Caeli replaces the Angelus throughout the season. See the Regina Caeli.
- The Ascension (May 6 or 9, 2027), forty days after Easter.
- Pentecost (May 16, 2027), the fiftieth day, which closes the Easter season. See Come, Holy Spirit.
During the whole season, the Easter duty applies: Catholics must receive Holy Communion at least once a year, during the Easter season (canon 920). In the United States the period runs from the First Sunday of Lent to Trinity Sunday.
Catholic Easter customs
- The Easter greeting. “Christ is risen!” answered by “He is risen indeed!” Many Eastern Catholics use the Greek Christos anesti! and Alithos anesti!
- The paschal candle. Lit at the Easter Vigil, it burns at every Mass through Pentecost, and later at baptisms and funerals.
- Easter eggs. Eggs, once given up during the Lenten fast, became a symbol of the tomb from which new life breaks forth.
- The blessing of Easter food. In many Polish, Slovak and other families, baskets of eggs, bread, salt and meat are blessed on Holy Saturday and eaten at Easter breakfast.
- Holy water. Easter water blessed at the Vigil is taken home to bless the family.
- Easter Monday. A day of visiting family and friends; in some countries an “Emmaus walk,” recalling the two disciples who walked with the risen Jesus.
Easter prayers
A short Easter prayer, written for this page:
Lord Jesus Christ, risen from the dead,
you have conquered sin and opened the gates of heaven.
Fill our hearts and our home with your Easter joy,
and let us live as people of the Resurrection,
bringing your peace to everyone we meet. Alleluia! Amen.
The traditional Easter hymn O filii et filiae (“Ye sons and daughters of the Lord”) tells the story of Easter Sunday and of St. Thomas. Read it with the Latin, together with blessings for the Easter table and more prayers, on our Catholic Easter prayers page.
Frequently asked questions
When is Easter 2027?
Sunday, March 28, 2027. Orthodox Easter 2027 is May 2.
When does Lent 2027 begin and end?
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 10, 2027, and ends before the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on the evening of Holy Thursday, March 25. See Lent 2027.
What is the earliest and latest date for Easter?
The earliest possible date is March 22 and the latest April 25. Easter fell on March 22 in 1818 and will not do so again until 2285; it fell on April 25 in 1943 and will again in 2038.
Is Easter Sunday a holy day of obligation?
Yes. Every Sunday is a day of obligation, and Easter is the greatest of them. The Easter Vigil on Saturday night also fulfills the obligation.
Why is Easter called Easter?
The English and German names (Easter, Ostern) probably come from an old word for the spring season or for the dawn. Most languages use a word derived from the Hebrew Pesach, Passover: Pascua, Pâques, Pasqua.
More Lent and Easter pages
- Psalm 66 (Shout joyfully to God, all the earth)
- Psalm 114 (When Israel went out of Egypt)
- Psalm 30 (You have turned my mourning into joy)
- Psalm 118 (This is the day the Lord has made)
- Divine Mercy Novena
- The Ascension of the Lord 2027
- Pentecost 2027
- Holy Week 2027
- Lent 2027 and Ash Wednesday 2027
- Good Friday and the Easter Vigil
- Catholic Easter prayers
- The Regina Caeli
- Liturgical calendar 2026–2027
Texts and sources
- Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:3–8; Romans 6:3–5; John 20:1–9; Colossians 3:1–4, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain. Reading references follow the Lectionary for Mass, Easter Sunday.
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, 638 and 1168–1169.
- Code of Canon Law, canon 920 (Easter duty).
- Dates calculated with the Gregorian and Julian computus.
- The Easter prayer was written for this page.