pascua

Pascua is a term in Spanish with several related meanings, most prominently Easter. It derives from Latin Pascha via Greek Pascha and Old French Paques. In Spanish-speaking countries, Pascua can refer to Easter Sunday, the Easter season, or Holy Week (Semana Santa). The date of Easter is movable and based on the liturgical calendar: Western churches celebrate it on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the vernal equinox, while Orthodox churches often observe a different date using the Julian calendar. Customs associated with Pascua include church services, processions, family meals, and Easter eggs.

Pascua also denotes Easter Island, known in the local language as Rapa Nui and in Spanish as Isla de Pascua. This Chilean territory is located in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, about 3,700 kilometers west of the Chilean coast. It is renowned for the moai, large stone statues carved by the Rapa Nui people from the 13th to the 16th centuries, and for its distinctive archaeology and culture. The island was named Isla de Pascua by Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen, who encountered it on Easter Sunday in 1722. The site, including the Rapa Nui National Park, is a UNESCO World Heritage property and a major focus of research and tourism.

Aside from religious and geographic uses, Pascua appears in historical and cultural contexts, including references to Easter celebrations in Spanish-speaking regions and, in some cases, to place names or historic terms such as La Pascua Florida, linked to early explorations in Florida.