Easter 2027 and 2028
The Easter season in South Africa is celebrated with a public holiday on Good Friday and another three days later known as Family Day. These holidays create a highly anticipated long weekend, especially in years when Easter coincides with school holidays.
In 2027, Good Friday falls on 26 March. The holiday will be on Friday 14 April in 2028.
| Year | Date | Day | Holiday |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | 26 Mar | Fri | Good Friday |
| 29 Mar | Mon | Family Day | |
| 2028 | 14 Apr | Fri | Good Friday |
| 17 Apr | Mon | Family Day | |
| Please scroll down to end of page for previous years' dates. | |||
The date of Easter changes each year because it is determined by a 1700 year-old calculation system that refers to the phases of the moon and therefore doesn’t maintain a fixed point in the modern calendar. According to this system, Easter Sunday is the first Sunday after the first full moon that occurs on or after 21 March (the ecclesiastical vernal equinox). This means Easter Sunday can fall anywhere between the end of March and the end of April, and it is the reason why Easter will be observed later in 2025 than in other recent years.
For Christians, Easter commemorates the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. For South Africans regardless of belief, it often involves Easter bunnies and chocolate eggs. There are also frequently Easter parades, egg hunts, egg-decorating workshops, and grand family meals. In 1995, the name of Easter Monday was officially changed to “Family Day” to encourage people of all belief systems to participate in festivities held on the day after Easter.
South Africa does have a good deal of special Easter time dishes, including hot cross buns and pickled fish. Both of these dishes are especially common in the area around Capetown. Hot cross buns derive from a British Easter tradition brought over by early Cape Province settlers. The pickled fish, however, are a Muslim Malay tradition. The Dutch, who originally settled Capetown, brought Malay and Indian slaves who introduced the dish, which is very spicy and has a sweet and sour flavouring.
Previous Years
| Year | Date | Day | Holiday |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 3 Apr | Fri | Good Friday |
| 6 Apr | Mon | Family Day | |
| 2025 | 18 Apr | Fri | Good Friday |
| 21 Apr | Mon | Family Day |
