Yes—members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints celebrate Easter. For Latter-day Saints, Easter is a supremely sacred observance: the celebration of the literal, bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, the cornerstone of their faith. As the Apostle Paul taught, if Christ is not risen, “your faith is vain” (1 Corinthians 15:17). Latter-day Saints celebrate Easter with worship, scripture study, and testimony of the risen Christ.
For Latter-day Saints, everything rests on the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because He rose from the dead, members know He is the Son of God, that death is not the end, and that His promises—resurrection and the possibility of forgiveness and eternal life with God—are sure.
On the first Easter morning, two angels at the empty tomb declared:
“Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen.” (Luke 24:5–6)
Latter-day Saints believe this literally: Christ’s spirit and physical body were reunited, and He appeared to Mary Magdalene (John 20:11–18), to His Apostles, and to hundreds of witnesses (1 Corinthians 15:3–8). The Book of Mormon adds a second witness from the other side of the world. After His Resurrection, Jesus Christ descended to a multitude gathered at a temple in the ancient Americas and invited them forward, one by one, to see for themselves:
“Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world.” (3 Nephi 11:14)
Latter-day Saints believe that because Jesus Christ resurrected, all people will one day be resurrected.
LDS Easter traditions will feel familiar to most Christians:
Church members also observe Palm Sunday and Holy Week with daily scripture readings, following events from the final week of the Savior’s mortal ministry to the Garden of Gethsemane, the cross, and the empty tomb. The Church has invited the world to join these observances through its annual Easter initiatives and worldwide broadcasts, sharing the message of the risen Christ across social media in dozens of languages.
Latter-day Saints believe resurrection is the permanent reunion of a person’s spirit with a perfected, physical body—and that it comes to everyone. A Book of Mormon prophet described it plainly:
“The spirit and the body shall be reunited again in its perfect form; both limb and joint shall be restored to its proper frame.” (Alma 11:43)
Because of Jesus Christ, resurrection is a free gift to every person who has ever lived. Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ—His suffering in Gethsemane, His death on the cross, and His rising from the tomb—all people will be resurrected, their bodies and spirits reunited, never to be separated again.
Job’s ancient confidence—“For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God” (Job 19:25–26)—is every believer’s inheritance. As recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants:
“And the spirit and the body are the soul of man. And the resurrection from the dead is the redemption of the soul.” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:15–16)
As great as the gift of resurrection is for all who have lived on this earth, it still is not the ultimate gift God desires us to receive. In Matthew 5:48, Jesus Christ clearly declares the purpose of mortality: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”
God the Father has given all of His children the gift of agency. This is the freedom to choose to become like Him and His Son, Jesus Christ. The choices people make in this mortal existence matter. Choices, whether right or wrong, provide the perspective and experience needed to develop and grow. When people fall short, God has given another powerful gift to help them recognize mistakes, repent, refocus, and become more like Him through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
After resurrection, each person is judged and receives a place in God’s kingdoms of glory (see What Do Mormons Believe About the Plan of Salvation?).
Yes. Most Latter-day Saint families enjoy egg hunts, Easter baskets, spring gatherings, and the other cultural traditions of the season. The Church does not prohibit them—parents simply use the day to point children beyond the baskets to the empty tomb, teaching that because Jesus lives, everyone will live again.
The Book of Mormon describes the spirit Latter-day Saints strive to carry at Easter and all year long: “And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ … that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins” (2 Nephi 25:26).
Living prophets carry that same witness today. President Russell M. Nelson declared on an Easter Sunday: “Through your faith, Jesus Christ will increase your ability to move the mountains in your life” (“Christ Is Risen; Faith in Him Will Move Mountains,” general conference, Apr. 2021). For Latter-day Saints, Easter is not one Sunday of hope—it is the reason for hope every day of the year.
If you want to feel what Easter means to Latter-day Saints, join them. Attend an Easter worship service at a local congregation—all are welcome, and no invitation is needed. Read the Resurrection account in Luke 24 with your family, as if hearing the news for the first time. Then ask God, in the name of Jesus Christ, whether these things are true. Latter-day Saints testify that Jesus Christ lives today—and that because He lives, so will you and everyone you love.