What Christian Easter service is traditionally held outdoors at sunrise?

A sunrise service is the Christian Easter service traditionally held outdoors at sunrise.

Sunrise services gather worshippers early on Easter morning to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus. The setting and timing recall the Gospel accounts in which women are described as visiting Jesus’s tomb early in the morning and finding it empty. Services may include hymns, prayers, Scripture readings, and a sermon.

Many sunrise services take place in gardens, cemeteries, parks, or on hillsides, although churches may also hold indoor services at dawn. The practice became especially prominent in Protestant communities in the United States during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

A sunrise service is not the same as the Easter Vigil. The Easter Vigil begins after sunset on Holy Saturday and is a distinct liturgical service, while a sunrise service is specifically associated with early Easter morning.