For many religions, Easter Sunday is a day of celebration together.

It follows the crucifixion of Jesus on Good Friday which was recognised by the thousands who watched the Stations of the Cross staged across the world.

Orthodox Christians commemorated Good Friday, or Holy Friday, by attending evening liturgies with the procession of the epitaph, ending with a candlelit procession through the streets of Sydney.

Catholic Filipinos continued their annual ritual of self-flagellation, where hundreds marched barefoot on main roads carrying heavy wooden crosses and whipping their backs. The devotees performed this religious penance in the week leading up to Easter Sunday as a form of worship and a way to cleanse sins.

It also marks the end of a 40-day fasting period for some, the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus and for the Orthodox, the celebration of spiritual victory. Families come together to celebrate with a festive meal and millions attend church services from early morning into the evening.

The coming together of families and religions is especially evident this year, as Orthodox Easter coincides with Christian Easter, for the first time since 2014. Generally, Orthodox Easter is celebrated later because Orthodox churches use the older Julian calendar while Western churches use the more common Gregorian calendar.

Anglican Church Diocese of Sydney Dean Kanishka Raffel, said Easter Sunday should be a reminder of the way we lived our lives.

"Death is not the end of this beautiful life," he said.

"Today, we celebrate the defeat of death. It means the way we live is transformed.

"We don't have to live with FOMO [fear of missing out], because resurrection Sunday means there is a new life coming."

In his Easter message, Dean Raffel said he hoped people would act with forgiveness and peace on Easter Sunday.

Churches across the state will hold several Easter Sunday services throughout the day with some services starting as early as 12am and continuing until the evening.