Easter lasts 50 days. Here are 12 ways to keep celebrating
- Aimee Boudreaux MacIver
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
Shout with me: Alleluia! Doesn’t that feel great? Easter Sunday has dawned and everything is different. And, my friends, in light of the redemption of all creation: you have a divine duty to eat cake.
Feasts matter to our embodied, sacramental nature. God made us ultimately for the glorious, authentic feast of Heaven. Our feasts in this life help us to anticipate our eternal destiny. The more we can anticipate Heaven, the better and more properly ordered we will live. St Irenaeus agrees: “The glory of God is man fully alive.” And in John 10:10: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
Easter only begins on Easter Sunday. The liturgical celebration lasts through Pentecost. That's 50 days! Which is, for the record, longer than Lent. Here are 12 ways we can keep rejoicing through our bodies and senses.
1. Make and eat a traditional Easter bread (pick your culture).
The Church is universal, and almost every Catholic culture has its own Easter bread—a beautiful, edible sign that the feast belongs to everyone. Italy's colomba di Pasqua is dove-shaped, soft, and fragrant, studded with almonds and sugar pearls. Greece's tsoureki is a braided brioche scented with mahlab and mastic, with red-dyed eggs nestled in the braid to represent the blood of Christ. Poland's babka wielkanocna is a tall, golden cake baked in a fluted pan. Portugal's folar da Páscoa has a whole hard-boiled egg baked right into the top. Pick your culture, find a recipe, and make something.
2. Keep fresh flowers in the house.
Lent strips everything away, but only for the sake of new life. Easter restores. During Eastertide, keep fresh flowers somewhere visible. They’re not mere accessories. Flowers are a testimony that beauty is real and death doesn't win.
3. Set the Sunday table for a true feast.
On Sundays of Eastertide (or any Sunday—they’re all actually a mini Easter) use tablecloths, napkins, candles, and special dishes you normally save for company.
4. Bring something to life.
Plant something. Start an herb garden on the windowsill. Paint a room. Deep clean your windows. Conquer death by bringing life into the physical environment of your home.
5. Play music “publicly” at home.
It’s shocking how little most families share music. Everyone’s tucked away with personal earbuds instead. During Easter, let music surge through the walls and draw you all into a common joy.
6. Mark the Sundays with a special dinner or dessert.
There are seven Sundays in Eastertide, each with its own name and character: Divine Mercy Sunday, Good Shepherd Sunday, all the way through Pentecost. Review each Sunday’s Gospel and plan a loosely-themed meal or dessert for each one.
7. Use more candles, especially at meals.
Lighting candles at dinner or other meals is a visible sign of the Light of the world! We have a few sets of these amazing flameless candles—so realistic that I often catch myself fussing at kids for being careless around them as if there was an actual flame. You could even light your own Paschal candle.
8. Visit a church you've never been to.
The 50 days of Easter season offer plenty of time to visit at least one church you've never walked into. Go to the historic parish across town. Visit the beautiful church you're always driving past without stopping. There’s something deeply engaging about worshipping in an unfamiliar place.
9. Swap the Angelus for the Regina Caeli.
During Easter, the Church replaces the Angelus with the Regina Caeli. This short, ancient prayer replaces the meditation on the Incarnation with a joyful celebration of the Resurrection and Mary's role in it. Print out a copy and tape it to your bathroom mirror or coffee maker so you can pray it while you go through your routines.
10. Watch The Chosen.
The beloved series brings to life the real people whose words we read and hear proclaimed during Holy Week: Peter, John, Matthew, Mary, and Jesus. Start from the beginning if you can. If you’re short on time, Season 5 delves into the events leading to Jesus’ Passion.
11. Read Acts of the Apostles.
The Easter season readings at daily Mass come from the Acts of the Apostles—the story of what happened next in the early Church. If you can, go to daily Mass. You can also read the daily readings on your own (I like to do this first thing in the morning using my phone). It reads like an adventure story because it is one.
12. Open the windows.
This one is simple but significant. Easter opens the tomb with light and air and hope. Throw open the windows. Jesus is risen and even the air feels different because of it!
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