This is a photo collection curated by AP photo editors.
A reveler, known as a sayon, tries to put out a fire he started on a tissue paper hat as part of Easter celebrations in Tetela del Volcan, Mexico, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
Children pose for a photo with a reveler, known as a sayon, in a tissue paper hat during Easter Day celebrations in Tetela del Volcan, Mexico, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
Fans wear bunny ears at the Easter baseball game between the New York Mets and the St. Louis Cardinals, Sunday, April 20, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)
Members of the Dechenverein Lügde ignite the straw in a wooden wheel, which then rolls down a slope on fire during Easter celebrations in Lügde, Germany, on Sunday, April 20, 2025. (Christoph Reichwein/dpa via AP)
Catholics carry a statue of Jesus Christ during an Easter procession in Panama City's Casco Viejo, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
A monkey holds an Easter egg given to him by staff at the Buinzoo in Santiago, Chile, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
Christians attend an Easter Mass at the St. John's Cathedral, in Peshawar, Pakistan, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad)
Christians attend an Easter Mass at the Cathedral Church of the Resurrection, in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Devotees carry a religious float with a statue of the Virgin of Solitude, in background, right center, commemorating the death of Jesus Christ at Calvary, during a Holy Week procession in Antigua, Guatemala, on Holy Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
Devotees wait to start the Virgin of Solitude procession in commemoration for the death of her son, Jesus Christ at Calvary, in Antigua, Guatemala, on Holy Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
A trader pulls a sheep to sell in a street market a day before Ethiopian Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter Sunday,in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo)
Indian Catholics dance in the street as the walk in a procession celebrating Easter Sunday commemorating the day when according to Christian tradition Jesus was resurrected in Jerusalem two millennia ago, in Kolkata, India, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)
Worshippers gather for Easter Mass inside the ruins of St. George Melkite Catholic Church in Dardghaya, southern Lebanon, Sunday, April 20, 2025, after the church was heavily damaged in an Israeli airstrike earlier in the conflict. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Christian pilgrims and clergymen participate in the Easter Sunday Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the site where according to tradition Jesus was crucified and buried, in Jerusalem's Old City, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin attend the Orthodox Easter service at Christ the Saviour Cathedral in Moscow, Russia, on Sunday, April 20, 2025. (Oleg Varov/Russian Orthodox Church Press Service via AP)
Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill leads the Orthodox Easter service at Christ the Saviour Cathedral in Moscow, Russia, on Sunday, April 20, 2025. (Oleg Varov/Russian Orthodox Church Press Service via AP)
A Christian Orthodox worshipper lights candles during the Easter Sunday Resurrection liturgy, marking the end of the Holy Week at the Patriarchal Church of St. George in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
A Christian Orthodox worshipper attends the Easter Sunday Resurrection liturgy, marking the end of the Holy Week at the Patriarchal Church of St. George in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world's Eastern Orthodox Christians, leads the Easter Sunday Resurrection liturgy, marking the end of the Holy Week at the Patriarchal Church of St. George in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
Ring-tailed lemurs eat Easter eggs at the Buinzoo in Santiago, Chile, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
A monkey holds an Easter egg at the Buinzoo in Santiago, Chile, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
People attend an Easter procession in Panama City's Casco Viejo, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
A man with his wife and two of his brides sits inside a marquee ahead of the mass Easter weddings for 3,000 people, some polygamous, at the International Pentecost Holiness Church in Heidelberg, east of Johannesburg, South Africa, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
Catholics carry a statue of Jesus Christ during an Easter procession in Panama City's Casco Viejo, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
People in traditional Ukrainian clothes perform folk dances during celebrations for Orthodox Easter at the Museum of Folk Architecture and Life in Lviv, Ukraine, on Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Mykola Tys)
Priest Serhii Zezul blesses Easter baskets in front of a church destroyed in fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces, during celebration of the Orthodox Easter in Lukashivka village, Ukraine, on Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Christian faithful of the Legio Maria African Mission, attend the Easter vigil Mass in the informal settlement of Kibera in Nairobi, Kenya, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla leave after attending the Easter Matins Service at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, England, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, Pool)
Queen Camilla shakes hands with the children who presented her with as posy as she leaves after attending the Easter Matins Service at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, England, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, Pool)
Revelers wearing decorated hats and costumes participate in the annual Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival in front of St. Patrick's Cathedral on Sunday, April 20, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
A reveler wearing decorated hat and costume pause for a portrait as she participates in the annual Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival in front of St. Patrick's Cathedral on Sunday, April 20, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
Pope Francis tours St. Peter's Square in his popemobile after bestowing the Urbi et Orbi (Latin for to the city and to the world) blessing at the end of the Easter mass presided over by Cardinal Angelo Comastri in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Sunday, April 20, 2025.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis receives U.S. Vice President JD Vance, left, before bestowing the Urbi et Orbi (Latin for to the city and to the world) blessing at the end of the Easter mass presided over by Cardinal Angelo Comastri in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Sunday, April 20, 2025. At center the head of the papal houshold Bishop Leonardo Sapienza. (Vatican Media via AP, HO)
Pope Francis appears on the central lodge of St. Peter's Basilica to bestow the Urbi et Orbi (Latin for to the city and the world) blessing at the end of the Easter mass presided over by Cardinal Angelo Comastri in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
A Christian pilgrim rests her head while praying during Easter Sunday Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the site where according to tradition Jesus was crucified and buried, in Jerusalem's Old City, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
A woman holds a child during the Orthodox Easter service at the Armenian cathedral in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
Children hold candles as Iraq-born Armenian church Archbishop Datev Hagopian prepares to share the holy light during the Orthodox Easter service at the Armenian cathedral in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
Women in black church costumes sing Easter hymns as they walk through the small Lusatian village of Maust near Cottbus Sunday, April 20, 2025. (Patrick Pleul/dpa/dpa via AP)
In this photo taken from video released by Roscosmos space corporation Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin holds traditional Easter painted egg shortly after the landing of the Russian Soyuz MS-26 space capsule with Roscosmos cosmonaut Ivan Vagner and NASA astronaut Don Pettit, near Kazakh town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (Roscosmos space corporation via AP)
In this photo taken from video distributed by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Sunday, April 20, 2025, a Russian soldier lights a candle attending a religion service on eve of Orthodox Easter at an unspecified location in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
Archbishop Gintaras Grusas performs the blessing during the Easter vigil Mass at the Cathedral in Vilnius, Lithuania, late Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)
Dean of the College of Cardinals Giovanni Battista Re leads the Easter vigil inside St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Worshippers hold candles during the Easter vigil Mass in the Cathedral Basilica of Vilnius, Lithuania, late Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)
Louis Sako, center, patriarch of Iraq's Chaldean Catholic Church blesses the faithful during attend Easter religious services at Mar Youssif Chaldean Church in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, April 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
Louis Sako, center, patriarch of Iraq's Chaldean Catholic Church blesses the faithful during attend Easter religious services at Mar Youssif Chaldean Church in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, April 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
Iraqi Christians attend Easter religious services at Mar Youssif Chaldean Church in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, April 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
A Lithuanian Orthodox priest blesses cakes and Easter eggs during an Orthodox Easter ceremony at the Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit in Vilnius, Lithuania, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)
Priests bless Easter baskets during celebration of the Orthodox Easter in Lviv, Ukraine, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mykola Tys)
Easter baskets are seen during celebration of the Orthodox Easter in Lviv, Ukraine, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mykola Tys)
In this long exposure photo, Orthodox believers walk with candles around a church during Orthodox Easter midnight service in St. Petersburg, Russia, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
A woman holds a child during the Orthodox Easter service at the Armenian cathedral in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
A boy receives the holy communion from Iraq-born Armenian church Archbishop Datev Hagopian during the Orthodox Easter service at the Armenian cathedral in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
A child rests her head on a pew frontal during the Orthodox Easter service at the Armenian cathedral in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
A child rests her head on a pew frontal during the Orthodox Easter service at the Armenian cathedral in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
A boy receives the holy communion from Iraq-born Armenian church Archbishop Datev Hagopian during the Orthodox Easter service at the Armenian cathedral in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
Iraq-born Armenian church Archbishop Datev Hagopian shares the holy light during the Orthodox Easter service at the Armenian cathedral in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
Christian Orthodox faithful take the holy light at the Agios Epifanios church during Easter celebrations in Droushia in the Paphos district on the Akamas peninsula of Cyprus, early Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)
A young man is seen in front of the traditional Easter bonfire, or lambratzia, where effigies of Judas Iscariot, the disciple believed to have betrayed Jesus, are burned during Easter celebrations at the church of Agios Epifanios in the village of Droushia in the Paphos district on the Akamas peninsula on holy Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Cyprus. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias),
A Christian Orthodox priest takes the holy light at the Agios Epifanios church during Easter celebrations in Droushia in the Paphos district on the Akamas peninsula of Cyprus, early Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)
A Christian Orthodox priest takes the holy light at the Agios Epifanios church during Easter celebrations in Droushia in the Paphos district on the Akamas peninsula of Cyprus, early Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)
Youth stand in front of the traditional Easter bonfire, or lambratzia, where effigies of Judas Iscariot, the disciple believed to have betrayed Jesus, are burned during Easter celebrations at the church of Agios Epifanios in the village of Droushia in the Paphos district on the Akamas peninsula on holy Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Cyprus. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)
Lithuanian Orthodox priests walk in the Easter procession outside the Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit in Vilnius, Lithuania, shortly after midnight, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)
Lithuanian Orthodox priests walk in the Easter procession outside the Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit in Vilnius, Lithuania, shortly after midnight, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)
Catholic devotees join a procession during Easter Sunday rites at the St. Peter Chapels in Quezon City, Philippines, on Sunday. April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
Filipino Catholic devotees light candles as they attend Easter Sunday rites at the St. Peter Chapels in Quezon City, Philippines, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
Filipino Catholic devotees light candles during Easter Sunday rites at the St. Peter Chapels in Quezon City, Philippines, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
Metropolitan Inokentiy, the leader of Orthodox Church in Lithuania, leads the Easter vigil Mass at the Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit in Vilnius, Lithuania, shortly after midnight on Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)
Christian faithful of the Legio Maria African Mission, attend the Easter vigil Mass in the informal settlement of Kibera in Nairobi, Kenya, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
Christian faithful of the Legio Maria African Mission, attend the Easter vigil Mass in the informal settlement of Kibera in Nairobi, Kenya, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
Christian faithful of the Legio Maria African Mission, attend the Easter vigil Mass in the informal settlement of Kibera in Nairobi, Kenya, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, center, the spiritual leader of the world's Eastern Orthodox Christians, stands as worshippers hold candles during Easter Vigil Mass on the eve of Christ's resurrection at the Patriarchal Church of St. George in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, left, the spiritual leader of the world's Eastern Orthodox Christians, holds candles as he conducts the Easter Vigil Mass on the eve of Christ's resurrection at the Patriarchal Church of St. George in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Worshippers attend Easter Vigil mass at the Patriarchal Church of St. George in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
A Christian woman prays during midnight Easter Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral Church, in Karachi, Pakistan, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)
Pakistani Christians attend a midnight Easter Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral Church, in Karachi, Pakistan, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)
A Christian family take selfie after attending a midnight Easter Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral Church, in Karachi, Pakistan, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)
Believers pray during the cake and Easter egg blessing ceremony at the Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit in Vilnius, Lithuania, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)
Cakes and Easter eggs for blessing are displayed during an Orthodox Easter ceremony at the Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit in Vilnius, Lithuania, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)
Believers pray during the cake and Easter egg blessing ceremony at the Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit in Vilnius, Lithuania, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)
Two young women carry their baskets containing traditional cakes and painted eggs as Believers wait to be blessed by a Russian Orthodox priest, in preparation for an Easter celebration at the St. Boris and Gleb Monastery in the old Russian town of Dmitrov, some 70 km (44 miles) north of Moscow, Russia, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
An Orthodox priest blesses believers and their traditional Easter cakes and painted eggs prepared for Easter celebration at a church in St. Petersburg, Russia, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
An Orthodox priest delivers a sermon to the faithful prior to blessing traditional Easter cakes and painted eggs prepared for Easter celebration at a church in St. Petersburg, Russia, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
Father Konstantin, right, blesses traditional Easter cakes and painted eggs in preparation for Easter celebrations outside of the Epiphany Cathedral at Yelokhovo on Great Holy Saturday in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)
Greek Orthodox Christian worshipers pass under the Epitaphios depicting Jesus Christ's preparation for burial, during the Good Friday procession at Agios Epifanios church in Droushia village in Paphos district on holy Friday, April 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)
A woman attends the Orthodox Christians service of the Graveside Lamentation at the Patriarchal Church of St. George, in Istanbul, Turkey, Friday, April 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
A Christian Orthodox worshipper carries a wooden cross during the service of the Graveside Lamentation at the Patriarchal Church of St. George, in Istanbul, Turkey, Friday, April 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world's Eastern Orthodox Christians, leads the service of the Graveside Lamentation at the Patriarchal Church of St. George, in Istanbul, Turkey, Friday, April 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Ethiopian Orthodox devotees gather to pray during Easter celebrations at St. John Orthodox Tewahedo Church in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Friday, April 18, 2025. (AP Photo)
Christians participate in a "Run for Jesus" rally on the eve of Easter Sunday in Hyderabad, India, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)
Ethiopian Orthodox devotees gather to pray during Easter celebrations at St. John Orthodox Tewahedo Church in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Friday, April 18, 2025. (AP Photo)
Believers with their baskets containing traditional cakes and painted eggs cross themselves as they wait to be blessed by a Russian Orthodox priest, in preparation for an Easter celebration at the St. Boris and Gleb Monastery in the old Russian town of Dmitrov, some 70 km (44 miles) north of Moscow, Russia, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Participants holding crosses march in the rain during the Easter parade in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Believers attend blessing ceremony for traditional Easter cakes and painted eggs in preparation for Easter celebrations outside of the Epiphany Cathedral at Yelokhovo on Great Holy Saturday, in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)
Performers reenact during the Easter parade in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Participants attend the Easter parade in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Believers with their baskets and bags containing traditional cakes and painted eggs lineup to be blessed by a Russian Orthodox priest, in preparation for an Easter celebration at the St. Boris and Gleb Monastery in the old Russian town of Dmitrov, some 70 km (44 miles) north of Moscow, Russia, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Believers with their baskets containing traditional cakes and painted eggs wait to be blessed by a Russian Orthodox priest, in preparation for an Easter celebration at the St. Boris and Gleb Monastery in the old Russian town of Dmitrov, some 70 km (44 miles) north of Moscow, Russia, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Participants march in the rain during the Easter parade in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Believers are blessed by Russian Orthodox priest Father Anastasius, as people carry their baskets containing traditional cakes and painted eggs to be blessed in preparation for an Easter celebration at the St. Boris and Gleb Monastery in the old Russian town of Dmitrov, some 70 km (44 miles) north of Moscow, Russia, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Believers with their baskets containing traditional cakes and painted eggs wait to be blessed by an Orthodox priest, in preparation for an Easter celebration at a church in Tallinn, Estonia, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
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A reveler, known as a sayon, tries to put out a fire he started on a tissue paper hat as part of Easter celebrations in Tetela del Volcan, Mexico, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
Children pose for a photo with a reveler, known as a sayon, in a tissue paper hat during Easter Day celebrations in Tetela del Volcan, Mexico, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
Fans wear bunny ears at the Easter baseball game between the New York Mets and the St. Louis Cardinals, Sunday, April 20, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)
Members of the Dechenverein Lügde ignite the straw in a wooden wheel, which then rolls down a slope on fire during Easter celebrations in Lügde, Germany, on Sunday, April 20, 2025. (Christoph Reichwein/dpa via AP)
Catholics carry a statue of Jesus Christ during an Easter procession in Panama City's Casco Viejo, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
A monkey holds an Easter egg given to him by staff at the Buinzoo in Santiago, Chile, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
Christians attend an Easter Mass at the St. John's Cathedral, in Peshawar, Pakistan, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad)
Christians attend an Easter Mass at the Cathedral Church of the Resurrection, in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Devotees carry a religious float with a statue of the Virgin of Solitude, in background, right center, commemorating the death of Jesus Christ at Calvary, during a Holy Week procession in Antigua, Guatemala, on Holy Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
Devotees wait to start the Virgin of Solitude procession in commemoration for the death of her son, Jesus Christ at Calvary, in Antigua, Guatemala, on Holy Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
A trader pulls a sheep to sell in a street market a day before Ethiopian Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter Sunday,in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo)
Indian Catholics dance in the street as the walk in a procession celebrating Easter Sunday commemorating the day when according to Christian tradition Jesus was resurrected in Jerusalem two millennia ago, in Kolkata, India, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)
Worshippers gather for Easter Mass inside the ruins of St. George Melkite Catholic Church in Dardghaya, southern Lebanon, Sunday, April 20, 2025, after the church was heavily damaged in an Israeli airstrike earlier in the conflict. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Christian pilgrims and clergymen participate in the Easter Sunday Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the site where according to tradition Jesus was crucified and buried, in Jerusalem's Old City, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin attend the Orthodox Easter service at Christ the Saviour Cathedral in Moscow, Russia, on Sunday, April 20, 2025. (Oleg Varov/Russian Orthodox Church Press Service via AP)
Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill leads the Orthodox Easter service at Christ the Saviour Cathedral in Moscow, Russia, on Sunday, April 20, 2025. (Oleg Varov/Russian Orthodox Church Press Service via AP)
A Christian Orthodox worshipper lights candles during the Easter Sunday Resurrection liturgy, marking the end of the Holy Week at the Patriarchal Church of St. George in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
A Christian Orthodox worshipper attends the Easter Sunday Resurrection liturgy, marking the end of the Holy Week at the Patriarchal Church of St. George in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world's Eastern Orthodox Christians, leads the Easter Sunday Resurrection liturgy, marking the end of the Holy Week at the Patriarchal Church of St. George in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
Ring-tailed lemurs eat Easter eggs at the Buinzoo in Santiago, Chile, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
A monkey holds an Easter egg at the Buinzoo in Santiago, Chile, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
People attend an Easter procession in Panama City's Casco Viejo, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
A man with his wife and two of his brides sits inside a marquee ahead of the mass Easter weddings for 3,000 people, some polygamous, at the International Pentecost Holiness Church in Heidelberg, east of Johannesburg, South Africa, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
Catholics carry a statue of Jesus Christ during an Easter procession in Panama City's Casco Viejo, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
People in traditional Ukrainian clothes perform folk dances during celebrations for Orthodox Easter at the Museum of Folk Architecture and Life in Lviv, Ukraine, on Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Mykola Tys)
Priest Serhii Zezul blesses Easter baskets in front of a church destroyed in fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces, during celebration of the Orthodox Easter in Lukashivka village, Ukraine, on Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Christian faithful of the Legio Maria African Mission, attend the Easter vigil Mass in the informal settlement of Kibera in Nairobi, Kenya, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla leave after attending the Easter Matins Service at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, England, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, Pool)
Queen Camilla shakes hands with the children who presented her with as posy as she leaves after attending the Easter Matins Service at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, England, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, Pool)
Revelers wearing decorated hats and costumes participate in the annual Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival in front of St. Patrick's Cathedral on Sunday, April 20, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
A reveler wearing decorated hat and costume pause for a portrait as she participates in the annual Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival in front of St. Patrick's Cathedral on Sunday, April 20, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
Pope Francis tours St. Peter's Square in his popemobile after bestowing the Urbi et Orbi (Latin for to the city and to the world) blessing at the end of the Easter mass presided over by Cardinal Angelo Comastri in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Sunday, April 20, 2025.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis receives U.S. Vice President JD Vance, left, before bestowing the Urbi et Orbi (Latin for to the city and to the world) blessing at the end of the Easter mass presided over by Cardinal Angelo Comastri in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Sunday, April 20, 2025. At center the head of the papal houshold Bishop Leonardo Sapienza. (Vatican Media via AP, HO)
Pope Francis appears on the central lodge of St. Peter's Basilica to bestow the Urbi et Orbi (Latin for to the city and the world) blessing at the end of the Easter mass presided over by Cardinal Angelo Comastri in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
A Christian pilgrim rests her head while praying during Easter Sunday Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the site where according to tradition Jesus was crucified and buried, in Jerusalem's Old City, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
A woman holds a child during the Orthodox Easter service at the Armenian cathedral in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
Children hold candles as Iraq-born Armenian church Archbishop Datev Hagopian prepares to share the holy light during the Orthodox Easter service at the Armenian cathedral in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
Women in black church costumes sing Easter hymns as they walk through the small Lusatian village of Maust near Cottbus Sunday, April 20, 2025. (Patrick Pleul/dpa/dpa via AP)
In this photo taken from video released by Roscosmos space corporation Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin holds traditional Easter painted egg shortly after the landing of the Russian Soyuz MS-26 space capsule with Roscosmos cosmonaut Ivan Vagner and NASA astronaut Don Pettit, near Kazakh town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (Roscosmos space corporation via AP)
In this photo taken from video distributed by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Sunday, April 20, 2025, a Russian soldier lights a candle attending a religion service on eve of Orthodox Easter at an unspecified location in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
Archbishop Gintaras Grusas performs the blessing during the Easter vigil Mass at the Cathedral in Vilnius, Lithuania, late Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)
Dean of the College of Cardinals Giovanni Battista Re leads the Easter vigil inside St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Worshippers hold candles during the Easter vigil Mass in the Cathedral Basilica of Vilnius, Lithuania, late Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)
Louis Sako, center, patriarch of Iraq's Chaldean Catholic Church blesses the faithful during attend Easter religious services at Mar Youssif Chaldean Church in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, April 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
Louis Sako, center, patriarch of Iraq's Chaldean Catholic Church blesses the faithful during attend Easter religious services at Mar Youssif Chaldean Church in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, April 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
Iraqi Christians attend Easter religious services at Mar Youssif Chaldean Church in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, April 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
A Lithuanian Orthodox priest blesses cakes and Easter eggs during an Orthodox Easter ceremony at the Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit in Vilnius, Lithuania, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)
Priests bless Easter baskets during celebration of the Orthodox Easter in Lviv, Ukraine, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mykola Tys)
Easter baskets are seen during celebration of the Orthodox Easter in Lviv, Ukraine, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mykola Tys)
In this long exposure photo, Orthodox believers walk with candles around a church during Orthodox Easter midnight service in St. Petersburg, Russia, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
A woman holds a child during the Orthodox Easter service at the Armenian cathedral in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
A boy receives the holy communion from Iraq-born Armenian church Archbishop Datev Hagopian during the Orthodox Easter service at the Armenian cathedral in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
A child rests her head on a pew frontal during the Orthodox Easter service at the Armenian cathedral in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
A child rests her head on a pew frontal during the Orthodox Easter service at the Armenian cathedral in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
A boy receives the holy communion from Iraq-born Armenian church Archbishop Datev Hagopian during the Orthodox Easter service at the Armenian cathedral in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
Iraq-born Armenian church Archbishop Datev Hagopian shares the holy light during the Orthodox Easter service at the Armenian cathedral in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
Christian Orthodox faithful take the holy light at the Agios Epifanios church during Easter celebrations in Droushia in the Paphos district on the Akamas peninsula of Cyprus, early Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)
A young man is seen in front of the traditional Easter bonfire, or lambratzia, where effigies of Judas Iscariot, the disciple believed to have betrayed Jesus, are burned during Easter celebrations at the church of Agios Epifanios in the village of Droushia in the Paphos district on the Akamas peninsula on holy Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Cyprus. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias),
A Christian Orthodox priest takes the holy light at the Agios Epifanios church during Easter celebrations in Droushia in the Paphos district on the Akamas peninsula of Cyprus, early Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)
A Christian Orthodox priest takes the holy light at the Agios Epifanios church during Easter celebrations in Droushia in the Paphos district on the Akamas peninsula of Cyprus, early Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)
Youth stand in front of the traditional Easter bonfire, or lambratzia, where effigies of Judas Iscariot, the disciple believed to have betrayed Jesus, are burned during Easter celebrations at the church of Agios Epifanios in the village of Droushia in the Paphos district on the Akamas peninsula on holy Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Cyprus. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)
Lithuanian Orthodox priests walk in the Easter procession outside the Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit in Vilnius, Lithuania, shortly after midnight, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)
Lithuanian Orthodox priests walk in the Easter procession outside the Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit in Vilnius, Lithuania, shortly after midnight, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)
Catholic devotees join a procession during Easter Sunday rites at the St. Peter Chapels in Quezon City, Philippines, on Sunday. April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
Filipino Catholic devotees light candles as they attend Easter Sunday rites at the St. Peter Chapels in Quezon City, Philippines, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
Filipino Catholic devotees light candles during Easter Sunday rites at the St. Peter Chapels in Quezon City, Philippines, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
Metropolitan Inokentiy, the leader of Orthodox Church in Lithuania, leads the Easter vigil Mass at the Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit in Vilnius, Lithuania, shortly after midnight on Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)
Christian faithful of the Legio Maria African Mission, attend the Easter vigil Mass in the informal settlement of Kibera in Nairobi, Kenya, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
Christian faithful of the Legio Maria African Mission, attend the Easter vigil Mass in the informal settlement of Kibera in Nairobi, Kenya, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
Christian faithful of the Legio Maria African Mission, attend the Easter vigil Mass in the informal settlement of Kibera in Nairobi, Kenya, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, center, the spiritual leader of the world's Eastern Orthodox Christians, stands as worshippers hold candles during Easter Vigil Mass on the eve of Christ's resurrection at the Patriarchal Church of St. George in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, left, the spiritual leader of the world's Eastern Orthodox Christians, holds candles as he conducts the Easter Vigil Mass on the eve of Christ's resurrection at the Patriarchal Church of St. George in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Worshippers attend Easter Vigil mass at the Patriarchal Church of St. George in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
A Christian woman prays during midnight Easter Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral Church, in Karachi, Pakistan, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)
Pakistani Christians attend a midnight Easter Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral Church, in Karachi, Pakistan, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)
A Christian family take selfie after attending a midnight Easter Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral Church, in Karachi, Pakistan, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)
Believers pray during the cake and Easter egg blessing ceremony at the Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit in Vilnius, Lithuania, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)
Cakes and Easter eggs for blessing are displayed during an Orthodox Easter ceremony at the Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit in Vilnius, Lithuania, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)
Believers pray during the cake and Easter egg blessing ceremony at the Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit in Vilnius, Lithuania, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)
Two young women carry their baskets containing traditional cakes and painted eggs as Believers wait to be blessed by a Russian Orthodox priest, in preparation for an Easter celebration at the St. Boris and Gleb Monastery in the old Russian town of Dmitrov, some 70 km (44 miles) north of Moscow, Russia, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
An Orthodox priest blesses believers and their traditional Easter cakes and painted eggs prepared for Easter celebration at a church in St. Petersburg, Russia, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
An Orthodox priest delivers a sermon to the faithful prior to blessing traditional Easter cakes and painted eggs prepared for Easter celebration at a church in St. Petersburg, Russia, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
Father Konstantin, right, blesses traditional Easter cakes and painted eggs in preparation for Easter celebrations outside of the Epiphany Cathedral at Yelokhovo on Great Holy Saturday in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)
Greek Orthodox Christian worshipers pass under the Epitaphios depicting Jesus Christ's preparation for burial, during the Good Friday procession at Agios Epifanios church in Droushia village in Paphos district on holy Friday, April 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)
A woman attends the Orthodox Christians service of the Graveside Lamentation at the Patriarchal Church of St. George, in Istanbul, Turkey, Friday, April 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
A Christian Orthodox worshipper carries a wooden cross during the service of the Graveside Lamentation at the Patriarchal Church of St. George, in Istanbul, Turkey, Friday, April 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world's Eastern Orthodox Christians, leads the service of the Graveside Lamentation at the Patriarchal Church of St. George, in Istanbul, Turkey, Friday, April 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Ethiopian Orthodox devotees gather to pray during Easter celebrations at St. John Orthodox Tewahedo Church in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Friday, April 18, 2025. (AP Photo)
Christians participate in a "Run for Jesus" rally on the eve of Easter Sunday in Hyderabad, India, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)
Ethiopian Orthodox devotees gather to pray during Easter celebrations at St. John Orthodox Tewahedo Church in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Friday, April 18, 2025. (AP Photo)
Believers with their baskets containing traditional cakes and painted eggs cross themselves as they wait to be blessed by a Russian Orthodox priest, in preparation for an Easter celebration at the St. Boris and Gleb Monastery in the old Russian town of Dmitrov, some 70 km (44 miles) north of Moscow, Russia, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Participants holding crosses march in the rain during the Easter parade in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Believers attend blessing ceremony for traditional Easter cakes and painted eggs in preparation for Easter celebrations outside of the Epiphany Cathedral at Yelokhovo on Great Holy Saturday, in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)
Performers reenact during the Easter parade in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Participants attend the Easter parade in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Believers with their baskets and bags containing traditional cakes and painted eggs lineup to be blessed by a Russian Orthodox priest, in preparation for an Easter celebration at the St. Boris and Gleb Monastery in the old Russian town of Dmitrov, some 70 km (44 miles) north of Moscow, Russia, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Believers with their baskets containing traditional cakes and painted eggs wait to be blessed by a Russian Orthodox priest, in preparation for an Easter celebration at the St. Boris and Gleb Monastery in the old Russian town of Dmitrov, some 70 km (44 miles) north of Moscow, Russia, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Participants march in the rain during the Easter parade in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Believers are blessed by Russian Orthodox priest Father Anastasius, as people carry their baskets containing traditional cakes and painted eggs to be blessed in preparation for an Easter celebration at the St. Boris and Gleb Monastery in the old Russian town of Dmitrov, some 70 km (44 miles) north of Moscow, Russia, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Believers with their baskets containing traditional cakes and painted eggs wait to be blessed by an Orthodox priest, in preparation for an Easter celebration at a church in Tallinn, Estonia, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. flu infections showed signs of a slight decline last week, but health officials say it is not clear that this severe flu season has peaked.
New government data posted Friday — for flu activity through last week — showed declines in medical office visits due to flu-like illness and in the number of states reporting high flu activity.
However, some measures show this season is already surpassing the flu epidemic of last winter, one of the harshest in recent history. And experts believe there is more suffering ahead.
“This is going to be a long, hard flu season,” New York State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said, in a statement Friday.
One type of flu virus, called A H3N2, historically has caused the most hospitalizations and deaths in older people. So far this season, that is the type most frequently reported. Even more concerning, more than 91% of the H3N2 infections analyzed were a new version — known as the subclade K variant — that differs from the strain in this year’s flu shots.
The last flu season saw the highest overall flu hospitalization rate since the H1N1 flu pandemic 15 years ago. And child flu deaths reached 289, the worst recorded for any U.S. flu season this century — including that H1N1 “swine flu” pandemic of 2009-2010.
So far this season, there have been at least 15 million flu illnesses and 180,000 hospitalizations, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates. It also estimates there have been 7,400 deaths, including the deaths of at least 17 children.
Last week, 44 states reported high flu activity, down slightly from the week before. However, flu deaths and hospitalizations rose.
Determining exactly how flu season is going can be particularly tricky around the holidays. Schools are closed, and many people are traveling. Some people may be less likely to see a doctor, deciding to just suffer at home. Others may be more likely to go.
Also, some seasons see a surge in cases, then a decline, and then a second surge.
For years, federal health officials joined doctors' groups in recommending that everyone 6 months and older get an annual influenza vaccine. The shots may not prevent all symptoms but can prevent many infections from becoming severe, experts say.
But federal health officials on Monday announced they will no longer recommend flu vaccinations for U.S. children, saying it is a decision parents and patients should make in consultation with their doctors.
“I can’t begin to express how concerned we are about the future health of the children in this country, who already have been unnecessarily dying from the flu — a vaccine preventable disease,” said Michele Slafkosky, executive director of an advocacy organization called Families Fighting Flu.
“Now, with added confusion for parents and health care providers about childhood vaccines, I fear that flu seasons to come could be even more deadly for our youngest and most vulnerable," she said in a statement.
Flu is just one of a group of viruses that tend to strike more often in the winter. Hospitalizations from COVID-19 and RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, also have been rising in recent weeks — though were not diagnosed nearly as often as flu infections, according to other federal data.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
FILE - Pharmacy manager Aylen Amestoy administers a patient with a seasonal flu vaccine at a CVS Pharmacy in Miami, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)