Easter
Image: a girl completes an English Heritage adventure quest booklet

Easter traditions, crafts and recipes

Why does the date for Easter move each year?

Why do we have Easter eggs? 

Answer these questions and more with our craft activity ideas, seasonal Easter recipes and traditional Easter history. 

This year, Easter Sunday falls on Sunday 5 April, and we've got plenty of ideas to help you fill the full weekend and Easter holiday. Find Easter craft activity ideas, have a go at baking using some seasonal Easter recipes and discover the history behind some of our Easter traditions.

Traditional Easter Games

Stuck for things to do this Easter?

Discover a variety of traditional games and learn how to play them in and around your home this Easter. From Easter egg hunts to egg rolling, egg-and-spoon and more.

Discover traditional Easter games

The history of chocolate

From currency to culture, join food historian Sam Bilton as she investigates the history of one of the nation's favourite ingredients.

Read about the history of chocolate

Why do we eat eggs at Easter?

Find out with our mini history of the Easter egg and learn about unusual medieval egg-decorating techniques.

Find out why we eat eggs at Easter
Image: a Renaissance painting of the crucifixion

How the English celebrated Easter

Over the centuries, Easter has become associated with many different traditions. From baked goods to ball games and bunnies, discover some of the ways that the English have celebrated Easter throughout history.

Find out how the English have celebrated Easter

Easter activities for kids

The Big Brick Build: We built castles out of LEGO® Bricks

This Easter, Big Brick builds are coming to historic places across the country. To get ourselves ready, we teamed up with Ben Shires and historian Will Wyeth and challenged three budding builders to create mighty castles entirely out of LEGO® Bricks!

LEGO® is a trademark of the LEGO® Group which does not sponsor, authorise or endorse this event. ©2026 The LEGO® Group.

  • How to paint a Henry VIII easter egg

    Use our video tutorial to take your egg decoration to the next level and learn how to paint your own decorative Henry VIII easter egg.

  • How to Decorate Eggs for Easter

    Looking for fun crafts and activities to enjoy this Easter? Look no further than our guide to decorating Pace Eggs with colourful dyes.

  • Make your own clay dragon

    Follow our easy step-by-step guide to create your own friendly (or fierce) modelling clay dragon!

  • How to make a shield

    Prepare for your Easter adventure and make a shield. Decorate it with a heraldic design to have the best-looking protection around!

  • How to make a sword

    No adventure is complete without a trusty sword at your side! Follow our instructions to make your own out of cardboard.

  • Spring explorer sheet

    Download and print our spring activity sheet, then head out to explore your local English Heritage site this Easter holiday!

How to Make Saffron Buns

Join Mrs Crocombe, the Victorian cook, as she shows you how to create your own saffron buns. They're a lovely treat, guaranteed to bring a bit of colour to any Easter table.

Alternatively, try your hand at following one of our historic Easter recipes to make a range of delicious baked goods:

Hot cross bun recipe
Simnel cake recipe
Banniet Tort recipe 

Easter traditions and history

  • How the Synod of Whitby settled the date of Easter

    Why does the date of Easter change each year? Uncover the landmark medieval meeting that decided the system for determining the dates of Easter we still use today.

  • Holy or heretical? A history of hot cross buns

    We all love a hot cross bun at Easter time, but for how long have people enjoyed this tasty treat, and how has the hot cross bun evolved over time?

  • How did medieval monks and nuns celebrate Easter?

    Senior Properties Historian Dr Michael Carter explains the intense spiritual significance of Lent, Holy Week and Easter to medieval monks and nuns.

  • 5 things you might not know about Easter

    Easter has always been a time of celebration, but festivities have changed over the years. Find out about lucky hot cross buns, traditional Easter sports and Edward I’s colourful eggs.

  • History of the Egg Hunt

    For many families Easter isn’t complete without an egg hunt. We explore where the egg hunt originated and how it came to be a part of our Easter celebrations.

  • Skipping at Easter

    There are many traditions we associate with Easter: bunnies, hot cross buns, eggs and... skipping? Explore why this simple game was historically so popular at Easter time.

Podcast: The History of the Easter Hunt

Why do we hunt for eggs at Easter time?

Listen to this episode of The English Heritage Podcast to discover how the seasonal tradition of the Easter egg hunt started, how the tradition has evolved, and when natural eggs were replaced by the chocolate variety we're more familiar with today.

Listen to The English Heritage Podcast

More to Explore

  • Top 10 Castles

    Want to be a king or queen for the day? We asked our Facebook followers to name their favourite English castle.

  • Victorian Cookery Recipes

    Watch Victorian recipes being brought to life, and discover the reality of life below stairs at a Victorian country house.

  • Family Days Out

    Planning your next family day out? Our special historic places are full of options for mums, dads and children alike. 

  • BECOME A MEMBER

    English Heritage membership offers an unlimited annual pass to over 400 historic sites plus free entry for up to six children.