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When is Easter Monday?
Easter Monday falls on Monday, March 29, 2027.
About Easter Monday
Easter Monday is the day immediately after Easter Sunday and is a public holiday in many countries. These include the United Kingdom, with the exception of Scotland, along with Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and most of continental Europe. The day extends the Easter weekend, giving workers in those countries a four-day break running from Good Friday through Easter Monday. Most denominations hold no fixed religious service on Easter Monday, and the day is generally treated as a quieter time for family or leisure after the Easter Sunday celebrations. Some traditions are more lively. In Poland and parts of central and eastern Europe, Easter Monday includes customs of sprinkling or dousing other people with water.
In Poland and parts of central Europe, Easter Monday is marked by Śmigus-dyngus, also called Wet Monday, a folk custom in which water is thrown over others. The tradition is centuries old and is sometimes traced to a symbolic baptism. Hungary has a similar custom called locsolkodás, in which girls receive cologne or water in exchange for a painted egg. The UK's Easter Monday became a public holiday under the Bank Holidays Act of 1871, the law introduced by Sir John Lubbock, and it is one of only four bank holidays in England, Wales and Northern Ireland with a religious origin. In Italy the day is known as Pasquetta and is traditionally given over to family picnics and short trips into the countryside, marking the close of the Easter weekend.
Frequently asked questions
Is Easter Monday a public holiday?
Easter Monday is a public holiday in much of the world, including the United Kingdom, except Scotland, as well as Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and most of continental Europe. In those countries it completes a four-day Easter weekend that begins on Good Friday. It is not a public holiday in the United States, where the Monday after Easter is a normal working day. Scotland is an exception within the UK, since Easter Monday is not an official bank holiday there.
What is the day after Easter called?
The day after Easter Sunday is called Easter Monday in English. Several countries have their own names for it. In Italy it is Pasquetta, meaning "little Easter". In Poland it is linked with Śmigus-dyngus, or Wet Monday. In parts of the German-speaking world it is Ostermontag. In some Christian traditions it is also known as Bright Monday or Renewal Monday, the start of a festive week that follows Easter. The names reflect the different customs attached to the day.
What is Wet Monday?
Wet Monday is the popular name for the Easter Monday custom of Śmigus-dyngus, kept in Poland and parts of central Europe. People throw or sprinkle water over one another, often in good humour, and traditionally boys soaked girls. The custom is very old and is sometimes linked to ideas of cleansing and to the baptism of Prince Mieszko I of Poland, which took place around Easter. Today it is mostly a light-hearted tradition, especially among children and young people.
Why is Easter Monday a holiday?
Easter Monday extends the celebration of Easter into a second day and rounds out a long weekend. In Christian tradition, the days after Easter Sunday form a festive week, so a Monday holiday has deep roots. In the UK, Easter Monday was made an official bank holiday by the Bank Holidays Act of 1871, which created the first set of statutory public holidays. The practical effect in many countries is a four-day weekend from Good Friday to Easter Monday, valued for travel and family time.
Is Easter Monday a holiday in Scotland?
Easter Monday is not a statutory bank holiday in Scotland, unlike the rest of the United Kingdom. Good Friday is also not a formal bank holiday in Scotland, though both days are observed by many employers and schools in practice. Scotland has historically set its own pattern of public holidays, with more weight on local holidays and on dates around the new year. So while England, Wales and Northern Ireland get an official Easter Monday day off, Scotland does not.