Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday, known in Brazil as Domingo de Páscoa, will be celebrated on April 5, 2026. It is the central feast of the Christian calendar, commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ after his crucifixion. The observance was introduced to Brazil through Portuguese Catholic colonization and became deeply established alongside the country’s religious institutions, parish communities, and public calendar. Its date changes each year according to the lunisolar calculation used by Western Christianity, falling on the Sunday after the first full moon following the March equinox.

In Brazil, Easter is the culmination of Semana Santa, or Holy Week, which begins with Palm Sunday and includes Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. Brazilian customs combine Portuguese Catholic traditions with regional practices and the country’s diverse cultural heritage. Although Brazil remains religiously pluralistic, Easter continues to have strong significance for Catholic and Protestant Christians, while its commercial symbols—especially chocolate eggs—have made the holiday familiar in homes, schools, shops, and workplaces across the country.

Brazilian Easter observances commonly include church services, prayer, Scripture readings, music, and special liturgies celebrating the resurrection. In many communities, Holy Week is marked by processions, Stations of the Cross, passion plays, and symbolic decorations featuring palms, crosses, candles, and white flowers. Some historic towns in Minas Gerais, Goiás, and the Northeast are known for elaborate religious pageants, street carpets made from colored materials, and public ceremonies that continue from Good Friday into Easter Sunday.

Family gatherings and festive meals are central to the holiday. Common foods include bacalhau, or salted cod prepared in Portuguese-influenced styles, seafood, rice, salads, roasted meats, and regional dishes; many families avoid meat on Good Friday but enjoy a more celebratory meal on Easter Sunday. Chocolate Easter eggs, often filled or packaged with sweets, are especially popular gifts for children and relatives, while smaller chocolate treats and the Italian-inspired colomba pasquale may also appear. Typical greetings include “Feliz Páscoa!” (“Happy Easter!”) and, in Christian settings, “Cristo ressuscitou!” (“Christ is risen!”), to which people may respond, “Verdadeiramente ressuscitou!” (“He is truly risen!”).