What is Easter Tuesday?
Easter Tuesday is the third day of the Easter festival. It is much less common as a holiday than Easter Monday and appears in only a few places on this site: Vatican City and Nauru, where it follows the Western Easter date, and Cyprus, where it follows the Orthodox date and is listed as a bank holiday. In 2027 it falls on 30 March in Vatican City and Nauru and on 4 May in Cyprus. In the Catholic calendar the week continues to Divine Mercy Sunday, the second Sunday of Easter, and in the Orthodox calendar the week ends the day before Thomas Sunday, so Tuesday is part of the extended celebration.
In the Catholic Church the whole week after Easter is the Octave of Easter, during which each day is celebrated with the rank of a solemnity and has its own Gospel reading about the appearances of the risen Jesus; on the Tuesday it is John 20:11-18, the appearance to Mary Magdalene at the tomb. In the Orthodox Church the week is called Bright Week, a period of festive services in which the Holy Doors of the iconostasis stay open all week and the fasting rules are lifted, with a procession around the church each day.
Why it is observed
The practice of a week-long Easter celebration goes back to the fourth century, when newly baptised Christians wore white garments during the week after their baptism at the Easter Vigil. Over time most countries reduced the observance to one or two days, usually Sunday and Monday, but in a few places Easter Tuesday survived as a separate day off. Nauru's government gazettes declare Easter Tuesday a holiday for the public service together with Good Friday and Easter Monday, and in Cyprus the holiday fits the Orthodox custom of treating the whole of Bright Week as one continuous festival.
How the date is set
Easter Tuesday is the day after Easter Monday and two days after Easter Sunday. In Vatican City and Nauru it follows the Western Easter, and in Cyprus it follows the Orthodox Easter, so the dates differ in most years.
How it is observed
In Vatican City, Nauru and Cyprus, Easter Tuesday appears as a holiday in the calendar data used for this site; in Cyprus it is a bank holiday, and in Nauru the government declares it a holiday for the public service. In most other countries it is an ordinary working day, which is why it is easy to overlook when planning travel. Because Vatican City and Nauru follow the Western Easter and Cyprus the Orthodox one, the dates are far apart in most years, and the Cyprus date should be checked each year. Pay and substitution rules depend on the employer and the contract. Tourist attractions may follow modified hours.
Sources
Vatican City