When is Easter Sunday?
In 2026, Easter Sunday falls on Sunday, April 5, 2026. It is an observance rather than a federal holiday, so federal offices and most businesses follow their normal schedules.
History of Easter Sunday
Easter Sunday is the culmination of Holy Week for Mauritius's Catholic, Anglican, Protestant and other Christian communities. Missionary churches established under French and British colonial rule developed into locally led communities, and worship now ranges from Catholic vigil and Mass traditions to Protestant sunrise, communion and revival services.
Easter is listed by the Government among Mauritius's principal religious festivals, but it is not separately named in the First Schedule or the amended 2026 notice. Its 2026 date, April 5, is nevertheless a public holiday because every Sunday is statutory; that does not turn Good Friday or Easter Monday into public holidays.
The festival is not one of the named annual holidays, but the First Schedule independently makes every Sunday a public holiday. Consequently April 5 is legally a Sunday public holiday, not a separate Easter entitlement; the Workers' Rights Act's specific treatment of Sundays applies and no Monday substitute follows.
How Easter Sunday is observed
Observed Sunday, April 5 in 2026. Easter is not separately named in the annual public-holiday notice, but every Sunday is a public holiday under the First Schedule; Good Friday and Easter Monday remain ordinary working days unless another arrangement applies.
Traditions of Easter Sunday
Resurrection worship
Catholic, Anglican and Protestant churches celebrate Mass or communion with scripture, hymns and preaching; liturgies differ by denomination.
Family meal
Christian households may gather after worship for a meal or outing, while recipes and the scale of celebration vary across families.
End of Holy Week
The day follows Good Friday services and Saturday vigils, completing a sequence of observance even though Friday and Monday are not named statutory public holidays.
Dates and observance rules are checked against the official Mauritius cultural, civic or religious guidance. Government, regional, school and employer schedules in Mauritius may differ; check the linked official source and current local notices before making time-sensitive plans.
History sources: Prime Minister's Office: Public Holidays 2026 (amended), Mauritius Public Holidays Act, Public Holidays (Amendment) Act 2015, Workers' Rights Act 2019 and current consolidations, Government of Mauritius: principal religious festivals, Encyclopaedia Britannica: Easter.
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