Dear Quizters, If you’re like me, you can’t wait to sing Alleluia’s in church again. To celebrate the Easter season, here's an all Holy Week/Easter-themed quiz. Oh happy day!

1. Easter

Which calendar does the Roman Catholic Church use to calculate the date of Easter each year?

• a) Julian calendar
• b) Babylonian calendar
• c) Gregorian calendar
• d) Jewish calendar

2. Holy Week

Holy Thursday is also known as Maundy Thursday after the Latin word “mandatum” meaning what?

• a) mandatory (refers to required church attendance during Holy Week)
• b) commandment (refers to Jesus saying at the Last Supper, “I give you a new commandment: love one another.”)
• c) betrayal (refers to Judas’ betrayal of Jesus)
• d) mound (refers to the Mount of Olives)

3. Easter Culture

French Catholics follow the tradition that on Good Friday all of these leave the churches in France and fly to the Vatican, returning on Easter Sunday with chocolate, eggs and other goodies for children.

• a) bunnies
• b) crosses
• c) statues
• d) bells

4. Picture

People from this cultural background decorate eggs (like those seen above) as a resurrection symbol according to the tradition of pysanky, or “writing” with wax on the eggs and then dyeing them.

• a) Indian
• b) Ukrainian
• c) Polish
• d) Irish

5. Saints

In 1934 Pope Pius XI became the first pontiff to canonize a saint on Easter Sunday. Which saint did he canonize? (Hint: this person founded the Salesians.)

• a) John Bosco
• b) Peter Fourier
• c) Padre Pio
• d) Joseph Benedict Cottolengo

6. Easter

There are four seasonal Marian antiphons in the Catholic Church including the shortest, which is sung at Easter and tells Mary, “Queen of Heaven,” to rejoice at Jesus’ resurrection. What is the antiphon’s name?

• a) Salve Regina
• b) Gentle Mother
• c) Regina Coeli
• d) Magnificat

7. Sacraments

Catechumens are welcomed into the Catholic Church on the Easter Vigil and receive which sacraments?

• a) Baptism and Eucharist
• b) Eucharist and Confirmation
• c) Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist and Penance
• d) Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation

8. Church Trivia

What feast is celebrated 40 days after Easter Sunday?

• a) All Soul’s Day
• b) the Ascension
• c) the Assumption of Mary
• d) Pentecost
• 9. Easter

Where does the term Easter apparently come from?

• a) It refers to Eostre, a Teutonic goddess of spring, dawn and fertility.
• b) It comes from the biblical figure of Esther.
• c) It was a misspelling of “eats” because people often held feasts on the day.
• d) It’s the name of the Greek goddess Flora’s sister.

10. Picture

At the Easter Vigil, churches bless a new, large wax candle that symbolizes Christ as the light of the world. What is its name?

• a) Maundy Candle
• b) Saturday Candle
• c) Paschal Candle
• d) Illumination Candle