Do Mormons Celebrate Easter?
For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called "Mormons" because of the collection of scripture called the Book of Mormon) the atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ is the most important and central event in the history of the earth.
Church doctrine holds that Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem, was baptized by immersion by John the Baptist, ministered in the Holy Land to the Jews, established his Church, gave power and authority to his apostles to continue his work, suffered in Gethsemane, was crucified, and rose again the third day — the "firstfruits of the resurrection." His resurrection guaranteed that all of us, both the righteous and the wicked, will be resurrected, to live on eternally with perfect bodies, no longer subject to injury, sickness, or death. Thus, by his resurrection, Christ has overcome physical death, and the grave has no power over us except to separate us for a time from loved ones who have passed on before us.
Christ's atonement has also overcome what members of the Church call the "second death," defined as our separation from God. His atonement offers us salvation from our sins, and purification through his grace, that we might stand before the Father and on condition of our faith and repentance, and our willingness to follow him, to live with him forever. This is called "exaltation" or "eternal life."
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How Members of the Church of Jesus Christ Celebrate Easter
Members of the Church celebrate Easter mostly according to the traditions of the cultures in which they live. In every area of the world, however, members of the Church hold a special Sacrament Meeting to honor the resurrection of Christ. Choirs prepare musical pieces and special hymns honoring the day and the event, and narratives are based on the biblical account. Members of the Church do not follow the traditions of Lent, Ash Wednesday, or Good Friday. Nor do they participate in passion rites, such as mock crucifixions. It should be noted that the annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is always held the first weekend of April, Easter season, and this also makes the season very special, as Latter-day Saints worldwide are able to listen to messages presented by prophets and apostles and other General Authorities and general officers of the Church, and to listen to beautiful seasonal music presented by the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square and other choirs made up of members of the Church of Jesus Christ. Other special events are sponsored near temples. Especially notable is the Easter pageant presented on the grounds of the Mesa Arizona Temple. This is the largest Easter pageant in the world.
The outdoor pageant was born more than 85 years ago as an Easter Sunrise Service on the Mesa Arizona Temple grounds. On March 23, 2024, President Dallin H. Oaks addressed the cast and crew of the pageant in a devotional before the show.
President Oaks said the Mesa Easter Pageant is an excellent support of one of the Church’s major initiatives to “celebrate Easter in a way that is appropriate as a worldwide commemoration.”
- “I am pleased to say thank you for your wonderful efforts, and in doing so, I speak on behalf of the First Presidency of the Church, who are aware of your remarkable service and that of those who have preceded you in this long-standing production in this important part of the world,” he said.
- President Oaks said Easter celebrations can commemorate “the entire ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ ... as we worship Him and consider the immense significance of His Atonement for sins and His Resurrection from death.”
- “I am here in furtherance of President Russell M. Nelson’s call for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to make the Easter holiday celebration have the same balance, fullness and rich tradition as Christmas. This requires us to make Easter a more Christ-centered holiday than Christmas has become.”[1]
A series of 15 videos featuring each member of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will testify of the many ways the Savior blesses the lives of Heavenly Father’s children.The first two videos, published on Monday, March 18, 2024, will be followed by daily videos until Easter Sunday on March 31.
First Presidency 2024 Easter Message
“This Easter season, we invite you to ponder the Savior’s atoning sacrifice and glorious Resurrection, which bless all of us.
“Through our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, we receive this message of hope: ‘In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world’ (John 16:33). The Savior promises that as we keep His commandments and ordinances, we will have ‘peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come’ (Doctrine and Covenants 59:23).
“We testify that Jesus Christ lives! ‘He is risen’ (Matthew 28:6). Because of Him, we can be guided and strengthened as we bear the burdens we face in mortality. Through our faith in the Savior’s atoning sacrifice, the bonds of sin cannot hold us and the trials that we experience in life will have no lasting power over us. ‘The sting of death is swallowed up in Christ’ (Mosiah 16:8).”[2]
The Mesa Arizona Temple Easter Pageant
The Easter pageant staged at the Mesa Arizona Temple has been performed for more than 85 years. The pageant has been drawing about 15,000 people each evening to watch the performance. [3] Attendance at the yearly pageant is free of charge and tickets are not required. Cast members are not all members of the Church of Jesus Christ, and people of many faiths have attended the pageant. The pageant depicts the story of Jesus Christ's birth, ministry, death, and Resurrection through music, dance, and drama. The pageant is performed in Spanish on some evenings. [4] As of 2018, the pageant is authorized to continue under area leadership following the renovation of the Mesa Arizona Temple.
