Easter Sunday was yesterday. The tomb is empty, the celebration happened - so what exactly is Easter Monday?
It is not just a bonus day off. Easter Monday commemorates the day following the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and Christians have been observing it for more than 1,600 years. For the Church, the resurrection was too big to fit inside a single Sunday.
Easter Monday falls within the Octave of Easter - an eight-day liturgical period during which the Church treats each day as an extension of Easter Sunday itself. In other words, today is still Easter. The feast just keeps going.
According to biblical accounts, Easter Monday was the day Jesus appeared to his disciples after rising from the dead - most notably on the road to Emmaus, where two followers walked and talked with a stranger they didn't recognize until He broke bread at the table. Then He vanished. That moment - recorded in Luke 24 - is the quiet, stunning heartbeat of Easter Monday.
Easter Monday is also known by several names: Bright Monday, Renewal Monday, Little Easter, and Monday of the Angel. Orthodox Christians call it the opening of Bright Week - seven full days of unbroken Easter celebration where all fasting is suspended.
Around the world, the day looks different depending on where you are. Poland celebrates "Śmigus-Dyngus," also known as Wet Monday, where people playfully splash each other with water - a tradition rooted in Christian baptism symbolism. In Austria and southern Germany, some communities observe the "Emmausgang" - a walk that commemorates the disciples' road to Emmaus, the exact journey where the risen Christ first appeared unrecognized.
Easter Monday is a public holiday in many countries, including the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, France, Australia, Canada, and Nigeria.
For believers, today is not the morning after - it is still the morning of. The resurrection does not expire on Sunday. If Easter means anything at all, it means the story is still going. And so is the celebration.
Easter Monday 2026 falls on April 6 - which is today.
Related Article: What Happened After Easter? 3 Key Moments Many Christians Overlook
