What do we call the Christian celebration of Jesus’ resurrection?

The story behind the answer

It is the feast that celebrates Jesus’ resurrection on the third day, the centerpiece of Christian belief and the climax of Holy Week following Good Friday (which marks the crucifixion). By contrast, Christmas honors Jesus’ birth, and Pentecost recalls the descent of the Holy Spirit.

In late antiquity and the Middle Ages, its date was fixed by the Council of Nicaea (325): the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox, making it a movable feast. Medieval Europe marked it with elaborate vigils, the lighting of the Paschal fire, fasting’s end after Lent, and mystery plays dramatizing the empty tomb. The name derives from Pascha, linked to Jewish Passover, and traditional symbols like eggs and lamb echo themes of new life and deliverance.