Easter Around the World: Who Celebrates It First and Last?

A Sunrise Like No Other

Easter is one of those rare festivals that connects people across time zones, cultures, and continents. It’s not just about chocolate bunnies and pastel eggs—Easter Sunday marks a spiritual dawn that rolls out slowly across the world like a celestial wave of hope.

But here’s a fascinating question: Who actually celebrates Easter first? And who wraps it up last? Let’s journey across the time zones and uncover how this global celebration unfolds minute by minute.

When is Easter Celebrated Globally?

Easter Sunday is a moveable feast—it doesn’t fall on the same date every year. According to Western Christian tradition, Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox. This means Easter can fall between March 22 and April 25.

But because the world is divided by time zones, Easter “begins” and “ends” at different hours around the globe.

First to Celebrate Easter: Welcome to the Pacific

Where the sun rises first, Easter begins earliest.

The first Easter celebrations on Earth begin in Kiribati, a small island nation in the Pacific Ocean that sits just west of the International Date Line. Specifically, the Line Islands (especially Kiritimati Island) are among the first places on Earth to greet any new day—including Easter Sunday.

Not far behind are New Zealand and parts of eastern Australia, such as Sydney and Brisbane. As the Easter sun rises, churches fill with early morning worshippers, often gathering for beautiful outdoor services by the sea.

Last to Celebrate Easter: From Islands to Alaska

As the sun sets, Easter continues westward.

The last places to celebrate Easter are those just east of the International Date Line—American Samoa, Niue, and parts of the United States Minor Outlying Islands like Baker Island and Howland Island. These remote territories experience Easter nearly a full day after it has begun elsewhere.

Then comes Hawaii and Alaska, among the final mainland areas to hold their Easter celebrations. So while it’s Monday morning in New Zealand, churches in Anchorage are still ringing with Easter hymns.

How Time Zones Shape Holy Traditions

It’s easy to forget how much time zones influence religious observances. For global celebrations like Easter, time becomes a living thread that stitches together millions of hearts across the planet.

In the Philippines, Easter Sunday kicks off with the Salubong—a pre-dawn ritual where two processions symbolically reunite Mary and the risen Christ.
In Italy, the Vatican’s sunrise mass draws pilgrims from every corner of the earth.
In Ethiopia, which follows a different calendar, Easter (called Fasika) can fall on a different date altogether.

Beyond the Clock: Unique Easter Traditions

While we focus on time zones, it’s worth noting that each culture brings its own flavor to Easter:

In Finland, children dress up as Easter witches and go door to door for treats.
In Greece, fireworks light up the night after midnight church services.
In Mexico, the week-long celebration includes dramatic reenactments of the Passion of Christ.
In France, church bells fall silent on Good Friday and “fly to Rome,” returning on Easter Sunday with treats for children.

So while the clock tells us who celebrates Easter first and last, culture tells us how they celebrate—and that part is truly timeless.

A Global Celebration, A Shared Joy

From the moment Easter begins in the Pacific to its closing chords in the far west, the celebration of hope and renewal spans nearly 48 hours of continuous joy.

So whether you’re watching the sunrise in Samoa or lighting candles in Seattle, Easter reminds us that faith knows no borders, and celebration is a language spoken by all.