Summary: Twas a time to be holy, as three great religions took five slots this week. The holiest weekend in the Christian calendar corresponded not only with the Jewish Passover (as it usually does) but also with the Hindu festival of colour (which it doesn't always). Ironically, (or appropriately, depending on your point of view) The Walking Dead was the only other following to get any recognition, with three slots. Otherwise, a markedly slow week; aside from the usual noting of pop culture and celeb deaths (fare thee well, Uncle Vernon) the only other bit of news was the unexpected reappearance of Amanda Knox, whose life we continue to show a prurient interest in.
For the week of March 24 to March 31, the 25 most popular articles on Wikipedia, as determined from the report of the 5,000 most trafficked pages* were:
It's hard to remember these days, under the onslaught of bunnies, chocolate eggs and marshmallow peeps, that Easter, not Christmas, is the most sacred date of the Christian calendar. Doubtless a lot of people learned that this week, along with some fairly eye-raising information about the events it actually celebrates.
The multiple delays must have been worth it because this long-awaited (in video games, three years is long-awaited) sequel to one of the most critically acclaimed video games of all time looks like it can stand proud next to its predecessor. In gamer circles, this has the same level of anticipation as a blockbuster film.
The American television series, currently airing in third season, is becoming a genuine phenomenon, having seen its ratings more than double since it premiered.
The dark bit of Easter, this commemorates ("celebrates" isn't really the right word) the torture and crucifixion (Passion) of Jesus Christ, as opposed to Easter Sunday (above) which celebrates his resurrection.
The death of this well-liked British stage actor pushed his page up the ranks, though Wikipedia users are more likely to remember him as Uncle Vernon in Harry Potter than for his Tony-winning role in The History Boys.
This fun Hindu spring festival, which involves people throwing coloured powder at each other in the streets, coincidentally fell the same week as Easter and Passover this year.
Popular singer returning the top 25, though nearly always in the top 50}
This list is derived from the WP:5000 report. It excludes the Wikipedia main page (and "wiki"), non-article pages, and anomalous entries (such as DDoS attacks or likely automated views). Please feel free to discuss any removal on the talk page if you wish. Standard removals this week include:
G-force; this has been in the Top 25 since the list was started at the beginning of the year. The continuing popularity of this article, which jumped in June 2012, has been without explanation. Articles on popular scientific concepts get nowhere this level of viewing based on our analysis to date, e.g., Gravitation (49,516 views from March 3–9), and therefore we have decided to remove it from the list as most likely caused by non-human views.
Cat anatomy; explanation still unknown for its continuing high view counts
Nubile female convicts in bikinis with guns continue to be a popular diversion.
This onetime murder suspect shot back into the headlines when an Italian court overturned her two-year-old acquittal.
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