Trivia Quiz: Easter Facts

How much do you know about the history and traditions behind the original religious observance? Test yourself with these ten questions.


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Question 1: What is burned to make the ashes for Ash Wednesday?

 A: Palms from the previous year's Palm Sunday
 B: Cedar wood
 C: Slips of paper on which prayers have been written
 D: Scraps of fabic

Question 2: On which of these days is it traditional to make and serve pancakes?

 A: Ash Wednesday
 B: Good Friday
 C: Maundy Thursday
 D: Shrove Tuesday

Question 3: According to the Bible, who helped Jesus carry the cross?

 A: Simon of Cyrene
 B: Simon the Zealot
 C: Joseph of Arimathea
 D: Saul of Tarsus

Question 4: What color was the cloak Jesus wore on the way to the cross?

 A: Green
 B: Black
 C: White
 D: Purple

Question 5: Who rolled away the stone from the front of Jesus' grave?

 A: Joseph of Arimathea
 B: A gardener
 C: An angel
 D: A soldier

Question 6: In the Greek Orthodox tradition, what are you supposed to do with Easter eggs dyed red for good luck?

 A: Sleep with one at the foot of your bed
 B: Crack them against someone else's
 C: Place a row of them near your front door
 D: Throw them out the back door of the church

Question 7: Where did Easter Island get its name?

 A: It was the farthest east of any of the islands visited in that journey
 B: It was discovered on Easter Sunday
 C: It was named by the Pope
 D: The native name for it was pronounced similarly to "Easter"

Question 8: What does Palm Sunday celebrate?

 A: The arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem
 B: The link between the Eastern and Western Easter celebrations
 C: The commemoration of the Last Supper
 D: The council of Nice dictating that Easter must fall on a Sunday

Question 9: Which of these isn't a reason Orthodox Easter often falls on a different date from the Western celebration of Easter?

 A: The Orthodox Church always make sure Easter is after Passover
 B: The two churches usually observe the vernal equinox on different days
 C: When the two churches separated, they refused to celebrate on the same day
 D: One is calculated by the Gregorian calendar, and the other by the Julian

Question 10: What is celebrated forty days after Easter Sunday?

 A: The Ascension
 B: Pentecost
 C: All Souls' Day
 D: The Assumption