Why do Christians celebrate Christmas and Easter?
The role and meaning of the major Christian festivals of Christmas and Easter, how they are celebrated, and why they are important to believers.
A focused answer on Christian festivals for AQA GCSE Religious Studies A (8062), covering the meaning and celebration of Christmas and Easter and why they matter.
Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed
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What this dot point is asking
AQA wants you to explain the meaning of the two main Christian festivals, Christmas and Easter, describe how they are celebrated, and explain why they are important. The 12-mark evaluation usually asks you to compare the two, so be ready to argue which is more important and why.
Christmas
Christmas is preceded by Advent, a season of preparation and expectation. The customs carry religious meaning: gift giving echoes the gifts of the Magi and God's gift of his Son, light and candles recall Jesus as "the light of the world" (John 8:12), and the nativity story is read from Luke and Matthew. For Christians the point is not the food and presents but the doctrine the festival celebrates: that the eternal God took human flesh, which is the foundation for everything that follows in Jesus' life and death.
Easter
Easter matters most because the resurrection is the foundation of Christian hope: it confirms Jesus' victory over death and the promise of eternal life for believers. The mood moves from the sorrow of Good Friday, when churches are stripped and the crucifixion is remembered, to the joy of Easter Sunday, marked by special services, the Eucharist, the lighting of the Paschal candle and shouts of "He is risen". Many Christians keep Lent, forty days of fasting and reflection, as preparation for Easter, mirroring Jesus' forty days in the wilderness.
Why festivals matter
Festivals help Christians remember the key events of Jesus' life, strengthen and renew their faith, build community through shared worship, and pass belief on to the next generation. They turn doctrine into lived experience, so that the incarnation and resurrection are not just ideas but events the community relives each year.
For the exam, link each festival to a belief and to a practice. Christmas connects to the incarnation (a Christianity beliefs topic) and is expressed through Midnight Mass and carols. Easter connects to salvation and the resurrection and is expressed through the Easter Sunday Eucharist and the lighting of the Paschal candle. Examiners reward this kind of joined-up answer, where you show how a celebration carries a doctrine, rather than describing customs in isolation. Note too that festivals differ between traditions: Orthodox Christians follow a different calendar and often celebrate Christmas in January, and the degree of fasting during Lent varies, so a top answer can show awareness of diversity within Christianity as well as the shared core meaning.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of AQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
AQA 20182 marksWhat does Easter celebrate?Show worked answer →
A 2-mark AO1 question. Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. One mark for resurrection of Jesus, the second for accuracy (rising from the dead after the crucifixion, on Easter Sunday). Do not confuse Easter with the crucifixion itself, which is Good Friday.
AQA 20204 marksExplain two reasons why Easter is important to Christians. Refer to scripture or another source of Christian belief in your answer.Show worked answer →
A 4-mark AO1 question. Reason one: Easter celebrates the resurrection, which proves Jesus defeated death and is the foundation of salvation and eternal life, "if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile" (1 Corinthians 15:17). Reason two: it renews Christian hope and unites believers in joyful worship and the Eucharist. Markers reward two distinct, developed reasons plus a source. Linking importance to belief (salvation, eternal life) scores higher than describing customs.
AQA 202212 marks"Christmas is more important than Easter for Christians." Evaluate this statement. In your answer you should refer to Christian teaching, give reasoned arguments to support this statement, give reasoned arguments to support a different point of view, and reach a justified conclusion. [12 marks plus 3 SPaG]Show worked answer →
The AO2 evaluation, 5 bands plus 3 SPaG. Arguments for Christmas: it celebrates the incarnation, the starting point of salvation, and is the most widely observed festival in society, drawing many to church. Arguments against (Easter is greater): the resurrection is the basis of salvation, "if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile" (1 Corinthians 15:17), so without Easter the birth would mean little; Easter is the oldest and central festival of the church year. Use terms (incarnation, resurrection, salvation). Reach a justified conclusion weighing the birth against the resurrection.
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Sources & how we know this
- AQA GCSE Religious Studies A (8062) specification — AQA (2016)