Easter is the most important date in the Christian calendar, and it’s also a major secular holiday, too.

For Christians, Easter is the day of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

It also marks a four-day bank holiday weekend, giving the opportunity to get away, plan a fun family day out, and eat your body weight in chocolate eggs and bunnies.

Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday are the main bank holidays, and they’re sandwiched between Good Friday and Easter Monday.

As a result of these holidays, many people are now wondering when Easter 2023 will fall.

Here’s everything you need to know, as well as when the school holidays will fall.

When is Easter 2023?

In 2023, Easter Sunday falls on April 9, 2023, just over a week earlier than in 2022, when it fell on April 17.

Unlike in 2022, this year, Easter is set to arrive near the end of the school holidays, and next year’s celebrations are set to come midway through the break.

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As a result, Good Friday will be on Friday, April 7, marking a national bank holiday in the United Kingdom.

Easter Monday is set to be on Monday, April 10, which will complete a four-day weekend for those in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

In Scotland, Easter isn’t a nationwide bank holiday, although various councils do claim it as one.

When are the school holidays?

For most schools, the Easter holidays in 2023 will fall from Friday, March 29 to Friday, April 12 (Easter weekend is on March 29 - April 1). But some areas are different.

Why does Easter change every year?

Each year, Easter is moveable - unlike Christmas, for example.

Easter’s date depends on the lunar cycle, as well as the timing of the Jewish festival of Passover, which is rooted in the Biblical account of Jesus’s crucifixion and resurrection.

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The Last Supper, which took place the night before Jesus was crucified, was on Passover.

The following day, Jesus was crucified, and buried the day after that, before rising again on the third day, which is when Easter Sunday now falls.

As a result of this, Easter is connected to Passover, which is in turn connected to the first full moon after the spring equinox - being held on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox.

Is Easter related to Lent?

Yes, Lent is ongoing now and leads up to Easter. Starting in February, Lent is a period of abstaining from food and luxuries in the run-up to Easter.

Millions of Christians around the world will begin a 40-day fast, which sees them cut out treats such as biscuits, crisps, and chocolate until Holy Thursday.

Always held after Shrove Tuesday, Lent marks a time for Christians to prepare for Easter through penance, prayer, and repentance of their sins.

What treats are eaten at Easter?

From hot-cross buns to Easter eggs and even luxury sweet treats for adults — Easter is known for a time of giving and indulging. If you don’t have a sweet tooth, that’s also fine, as there are a whole host of other presents you can gift.