Manhattan Easter Events, Brunches & Ceremonies in MHTN NYC

There are Two Easters Observed - 1) West European Christians & 2) East European Orthodox

March 26, 2024 / Manhattan Neighborhoods NYC / Manhattan Things To Do Events NYC / Manhattan Buzz NYC.

Very Brief Introduction to Christian Easter Traditions

Christians observe Good Friday, which is when the Bible tells us that Jesus died on the cross. On the Sunday following Good Friday, Christians celebrate the Biblical account of Jesus rising from the dead, which is Easter.

Emperor Constantine became the Roman Emperor in 306. In 324 Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire.

In 1054, the Great Schism occurred, wherein Christianity split into two different sects - Roman Catholic Christians [primarily in Western Europe] and Orthodox Christians [primarily in Eastern Europe]. The traditions have much in common, but one of the differences is in how they calculate the time of Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

The Western European Christians [Protestants and Catholics] use the Gregorian Calendar to calculate when to celebrate Good Friday and Easter. The Gregorian calendar was created in the 16th century and made the official calendar by Pope Gregory. Orthodox Christians use the Julian Calendar, which was made law in the Roman Empire in 45 B.C. by Julius Caesar. The primary difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendars is that the Gregorian calendar uses Leap Year [this year is one of them] to adjust the calendar for the 1/4 extra day per year, that to our rotation around the sun requires. Thus the calendar differences, and how the date of Easter is calculated, is why the Orthodox and Roman Catholic / Protestant Christian Easters oftentimes occur on different dates.

This year [2024] the celebrations of the two traditions are separated by five weeks, with the Western European Christians celebrating next weekend and the Orthodox Christians celebrating a week later.

Next Up - The History of the Easter Bunny & Related Traditions

• CLICK here to view our report on Easter events, Easter egg hunts and Easter brunches in Manhattan NYC. We start off with a brief history of the Easter Bunny and the origin of related traditions.

Manhattan Easter Events, Brunches & Ceremonies in MHTN NYC

There are Two Easters Observed - 1) West European Christians & 2) East European Orthodox

March 26, 2024 / Manhattan Neighborhoods NYC / Manhattan Things To Do Events NYC / Manhattan Buzz NYC. Continued.

The Origin of Easter Bunny & Related Traditions

The origin of the Easter Bunny and the related traditions of painting and hiding eggs dates back to southern Germany in ancient times. Eggs were a sign of fertility, and according to some accounts, the Easter hare originated as a bird before becoming the rabbit. The rabbit is also known as a fertile animal giving birth to litters of little rabbits.

The tradition arrived in America in Pennsylvania in the 1700's. From there it evolved into the whole slew of grand traditions it has become today, which in NYC include an Easter parade of fashion on Easter day in front of St. Patrick's Cathedral on 5th Avenue, numerous Easter Egg hunts in parks and other places in all five boroughs, as well as numerous Easter Brunches organized by numerous restaurants around the city.

What follows are a selection of many of the Easter events occurring in NYC in the coming weeks. These include a few Orthodox Easter events which occur in early May [the 5th, 2024]. We have also included a few non-Easter events we believed are timed to take advantage of folks looking to use their liesure time in non-traditional Easter ways. Have a Happy Easter.

ONLY ASTERISKED EVENTS HAVE BEEN UPDATED. PLEASE NOTE DATES / YEARS.

Manhattan Easter Parade & Easter Events & Egg Hunts NYC

* Sunday, March 24 - April 7, 2024 - The Macy's Flower Show at Macy's Herald Square in Midtown. Macy's is open from 10 am - 9 pm weekdays, open until 10 pm Fridays & Saturdays and opens at 11 am on Sundays. For details see - https://www.macys.com

* Sunday, March 24, 2024 from 11 am to 1 pm - Holi at the South St Seaport - at 12 Fulton Street [at Pearl] in the Downtown neighborhood of Manhattan. An Indian festival celebrating Spring where folks put colorful powders on each other in a sign of affection or recognition. Free. For details and to purchase powder from the organizer copy & paste - https://theculturetree.com

* Friday, March 29 - Sunday, April 7, 2024 from 10 am - 10 pm, except Sundays when it closes at 7 pm, the International Auto Show will be at the Javits Center in West Midtown Manhattan. Admission is $22 adults [age 13+ ] / $8 kids [ages 3 - 12] tickets / kids 2 and under are free. For details & tickets see - https://www.autoshowny.com/ or https://javitscenter.com/

* Sunday, March 31, 2024 from 10 am - 3 / 4 pm - Easter & Easter Bonnet Parade. The parade takes place along 5th Avenue from 49th to 57th Streets. It's more of a milling about in bonnets and Easter outfits, than it is a real parade. More like a themed costume party. Near as I can tell there isn't any official web presence.

* Sunday, March 31, 2024 at various times - Easter Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral. For details, copy & paste - https://www.saintpatrickscathedral.org

CLICK here to view Manhattan street fairs and festivals NYC 2024.

* April 16, 2024 beginning at 8 pm - International Music Festival - at Carnegie Hall at 881 7th Avenue in Manhattan. For details and $23 tickets, copy & paste - https://www.carnegiehall.org.

* I DON'T YET SEE AN UPDATE FOR 2024 _ Friday, April 7th - October 9th, 2023 from 7 am to 9 pm daily, Pickleball Courts are open at Wollman Rink on the southwest corner of Central Park. For details and tickets that cost $5 and up, see - https://wollmanrinknyc.com.

* Saturday, March 30, 2024 from 10 am - 3 pm - Governors Island Egg Hunt - on Governors Island. This is the 2nd Annual Governors Island Easter egg hunt, with 50,000 candy-filled eggs spread around Governors Island. Begins at Colonel's Row. The event is free, but you're advised to plan in advance as this event is very popular. To give you an idea of how popular, consider that 50,000 candy filled eggs are hidden over the 120 acres of park. For details and ferry passage planning & ticket purchases [$4 / ride], copy & paste - https://www.govisland.com/things-to-do/events/governors-island-egg-hunt

* Saturday, March 30, 2024 from 11 am - 4.30 pm & 11 am - 2 pm - Spring Flower Scavenger Hunt & Easter Hunt & Cookie Decorating at the South Street Seaport. This series of events are organized by the Seaport Business District in tandem with participating businesses. Both events begin at 11 am, with the Easter Egg Hunt & Crafts ending at 2 pm in Seaport Square between Pier 16 & 17 [also Rooftop]- free & ticketed with rsvp. From 11 am - 4.30 pm there's a flower hunt aboard the 1885 tall ship Wavertree. Free but must rsvp as there's limited space. There are also numerous restaurants serving brunch and dinner, a few of which offer East River waterfront views. For details and to rsvp copy & paste - https://theseaport.nyc/neighborhood-events/

ONLY ASTERISKED EVENTS HAVE BEEN UPDATED. PLEASE NOTE DATES / YEARS.

MANHATTAN GREEK ORTHODOX EASTER COMING MAY 5, 2024

• MANHATTAN ORTHODOX Easter Events. Friday, April 14, 2023 beginning at 7 pm a Greek Orthodox Church Trisagion Service commemorating Holy Friday and the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ with the carrying of the epitaphios through the streets of Gramercy Park in a candlelit procession. The religious and cultural event includes a procession from the Church of St. John around several nearby blocks, before returning to the church. St. John is located at 148 East 17th Street at 3rd Avenue in the Gramercy Park neighborhood of Manhattan. For more details, including of Greek Orthodox Easter Sunday mass see - https://www.stjohn.ny.goarch.org/