Memorable Catholic Easter Traditions to Try Right Now
In this post, I will be sharing some Catholic Easter Traditions for your family. Until very recently in my adult life, I had no idea that Easter lasts for FIFTY days! 50!! The Catholic church celebrates Easter for 50 days in order to fully recognize and enjoy the glorious resurrection of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Easter season, also known as Eastertide, is the highest liturgical season in the church. Alleluia!
This should come as great news to us Catholics because:
- We don’t have to cram in all of the Easter fun and joy into one Sunday – we can (and should!) spread it out over all 50 days
- If we have prayed, fasted, and given alms well during Lent, then that makes the long Easter season all the more enjoyable!
Today, I am sharing all of my favorite ways to celebrate Christ’s Resurrection for all 50 days! These activities and devotions are great for the entire family.
How do Catholics celebrate Easter at home?
Catholics can celebrate Easter in the home in many different ways. One awesome thing about being Catholic is that each family can celebrate its own Catholic Easter traditions to suit their home and family. Catholic Easter traditions in the home include:
- Greeting each other with “Christ is risen! Alleluia!” The appropriate response is ‘Indeed, He is risen!” Try using this greeting within your home for all 50 days of Easter!
- Praying the Regina Caeli daily. Traditionally, the Angelus is prayed everyday at 6 am, noon, and 6 pm. However, during Easter, the Regina Caeli replaces the Angelus.
- Attending Mass during the Easter Octave and other times during the week besides Sunday.
- Keeping up bright and cheerful Easter decorations for all 50 days. During Lent, we keep the home sparsely decorated and bare of colorful displays or flowers. During Easter, try displaying bright and fresh flowers (especially Easter lilies) in your home as well as bunnies, chicks, brightly colored eggs, and other signs of new life!
- Dressing in bright Easter colors. In order to contrast the somber colors of Lent, be sure to dress is bright spring color and/or pastels during the Octave of Easter (the week after Easter Sunday) and throughout the entire Easter season.
- Making or purchasing a Paschal Candle to display in the home. Here is an explanation and free printable to make your own.
- Playing Easter hymns and praying special prayers, such as the Glorious Mysteries of the rosary, during Easter.
- Cooking special meals, desserts, and treats. We fasted for 40 days! It’s time to break the fast with some Easter feasting!
- Make special artwork for al 8 Sundays of Easter. This free download includes fun drawing prompts for each of the 8 Sundays of Easter as well as Ascension Thursday. Grab the free printable and enjoy with your kids! These would also be great for Bible journaling.
Do Catholics do Easter eggs?
Absolutely! 100%! For one, eggs are a symbol of new life and remind us of the new life (eternal life) Christ gave us by opening the gates of heaven through His death and resurrection.
Also, eggs are a symbol Christ’s life bursting forth from the tomb. A newly laid egg is still and looks even lifeless, until the baby chick hatches revealing the new life within!
We love hardboiling lots of eggs and coloring them and decorating them throughout Easter. These Easter egg wraps are also adorable and work great on edible or wooden eggs.
This natural dye kit is absolutely awesome and is our favorite for dying egss.
So, yes, it is very appropriate for Catholics to decorate eggs and participate in Easter egg hunts during all 50 days of Easter. When you run out of Easter candy or treats, add some Cheddar Bunnies or goldfish inside the eggs before hiding them for your children.
You may even consider hosting an Easter egg hunt with friends in your yard or at a local part.
One year, our friends welcomed their 7th baby to the family on Good Friday. During the second week of Easter, we surprised the kids with an Easter egg hunt in their front yard and brought diapers and gifts for the new baby!
Catholic Easter prayers for kids
Easter is a time for prayers of thanksgiving and praise. Here are some prayers and devotions to focus on during the Easter season.
Daily Mass and Receiving the Eucharist During Easter
The 3rd precept of the church states that: “You shall receive the sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the Easter season.”
Of course, most of us receive the Eucharist at least every Sunday! What a gift! So, during Easter it would be a great idea and huge blessing to receive Our Lord in the Eucharist as much as possible.
The Divine Mercy Chaplet and the Divine Mercy Novena
- Divine Mercy Sunday always falls on the 2nd Sunday after Easter. The 2nd Sunday of Easter is also actually a Solemnity that falls during the Octave of Easter. Here is more information on this beautiful feast day.
You can also pray the Divine Mercy Novena starting on Good Friday. You pray for a different intention each day, which is beautiful. The entire novena ends on Divine Mercy Sunday.
You can even receive a plenary indulgence on Divine Mercy Sunday! Here is how.
Here are some great ways to teach kids about Divine Mercy Sunday and how to pray the Divine Mercy Novena and Chaplet with them:
- Here is a whole list of Divine Mercy Activities with kids from Catholic Icing.
- Activities from The Religion Teacher.
- A beautiful craft from The Little Ways
- Some more great ideas and coloring pages from Holy Heroes.
- And how awesome is this Divine Mercy Perler bead pattern?
The Regina Caeli
As I mentioned before, the Regina Caeli is prayed all throughout Easter.
- Here is an awesome article on praying the Regina Caeli with kids from Catholicmom.com.
- Here is a cute mini book for kids to color and pray along from Look to Him and Be Radiant.
- Here is a beautiful printable and guidance for singing the Regina Caeli in Latin.
The Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary
You can pray the Glorious Mysteries of the rosary all Easter! The 5 glorious mystereis are:
- The Resurrection
- The Ascension of Our Lord Jesus into Heaven
- The Descent of the Holy Spirit
- The Assumption of Our Blessed Mother in Heaven
- The Coronation of Our Blessed Mother
Read more about how to pray the rosary here.
Here is my post with lots of tips for praying the rosary with kids.
The Via Lucis (The Way of Light)
During Lent, you probably prayed the Stations of the Cross (also known as The Way of the Cross or the Via Crucis) to meditate on Jesus’s Passion.
During Eastertide, you can pray The Way of Light, also known as the Stations of the Resurrection or the Via Lucis.
The Via Lucis allows us to meditate on Christ’s glorious Resurrection! Each station is an event from Christ’s life that occurred between Easter Sunday and Pentecost.
- Here is a free printable from Family Feast and Feria and instructions
- Here is a lovely Via Crucis nature walk
- You can also pray the Via Crucis with the free Amen App
- Here is an awesome and affordable set of posters, stations, prayers and stickers to learn the Via Lucis from Dumb Ox.
- Catholic Icing also has some beautiful Via Crucis printables and a Via Crucis inspired tea party!
The 14 Stations of Light are:
1. Jesus rise from the dead
2. Women find the empty tomb
3. The risen Lord appears to Mary Magdalene
4. The risen Lord appears on the road to Emmaus
5. The risen Lord is recognized in the breaking of the bread
6. The risen Lord appears to the disciples in Jerusalem
7. The risen Lord gives the disciples the power to forgive
8. The risen Lord strengthens the faith of Thomas
9. The risen Lord meets the disciples on the shore of Lake Tiberius
10. The risen Lord confers primacy on Peter
11. The risen Lord sends the disciples into the whole world
12. The risen Lord ascends into heaven
13. Waiting with Mary in the Upper Room
14. The risen Lord sends the Holy Spirit
Catholic Easter Music and Shows
Lastly, I would like to share some favorite Easter movies, shows, and music to include in your Catholic Easter Traditions.
The Wonderful World of Benjamin Cello: Easter/Holy Week Special Feature
Formed is like a Catholic Netflix! It has so many wonderful shows for adults and children.
One of our favorites during Easter is their Easter/Holy Week Special Feature.
The music is exquisite and the shadow puppet show telling the events of Christ’s Passion and Resurrection is absolutely awesome!
Annie Moses Band Easter Special
Another awesome program on Formed is the Annie Moses Band Easter Special.
It actually features the same family from Benjamin Cello! The Easter Special is a beautiful variety show of singing and even some comedy skits. Great for the whole family!
Eastertide Playlist
St. Augustine said, “The one who sings prays twice.”
We can glorify God in the music we listen to during Easter! Here are some favorites to get your Easter playlist started:
Ye Sons and Daughters (O Filii et Filiae)
More Catholic Easter Traditions to Try
Here are some more Catholic Easter Traditions for your family to celebrate Eastertide!
- 5 Ways to Observe Eastertide in your Domestic Church from Eva to Ave
- Celebrating the Entire Easter Season with Catholic Kids from Catholic Icing
- Free Easter Lily Science Lesson
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