Holy Week
Holy Week is the
Christian week from
Palm Sunday through
Holy Saturday.
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Holy Week in Puerto de Santa MarÃa, Cádiz, España |
Each of the days of Holy Week has its own traditions of services in the West. Believers are encouraged to follow in their prayers with readings from the
Gospel the account of each of the actions from the time of the entry of
Jesus into
Jerusalem on
Palm Sunday to the
crucifixion and death of Jesus on
Good Friday and the
resurrection on
Easter Sunday. While each day has special
mass celebrations in the Western churches, the week's most elaborate services are during
Triduum (
Holy Thursday,
Good Friday, (
Holy Saturday), and
Easter). In the
Reformation, emphasis was taken away from the
Passion and placed upon the resurrection of Jesus, but contemporary
Protestant Churches, as well as the
Roman Catholic Church, hold the three days between Good Friday and Easter to be the holiest days of the calendar.
In
Eastern Orthodox Christianity, during Holy Week, Orthros (
Matins) services for each day are held during the preceding evening. Thus, the Matins service of Monday is sung on Palm Sunday evening, and so on. (The services of Sunday through Tuesday evenings are often called Bridegroom Matins, because of their theme of Christ-as-Bridegroom.)
In many churches, especially Greek Orthodox, a service of
Anointing (Holy Unction) is held on Wednesday evening.
Divine Liturgy of the
Last Supper is held on the morning of Holy Thursday. Matins of Holy Friday, with its Twelve Gospel Readings, is held on the evening of Holy Thursday; Vespers of Holy Friday (Vespers of the Unnailing) is held in the morning or afternoon of Holy Friday. The figure of Christ is taken down from the Cross, and a richly-embroidered icon on the cloth called the "epitaphios" representing Christ laid in a "tomb" decorated with flowers. Matins of Holy Saturday is held on the evening of Holy Friday; the tomb is sprinkled with rose petals and rose water, and then carried in a candlelit procession, while a set of hymns called "The Lamentations" is being sung.
Divine Liturgy is held Saturday morning. This is the "Proti Anastasi" (First Resurrection) service, with a change from dark vestments to light ones.
Saturday night at midnight, the service begins in darkness. A single candle is lighted by the priest, from a light on the altar which is never extinguished. The light spreads from person to person until everyone holds a lighted candle. The Divine Liturgy follows. A reception or party usually follows, sometimes lasting till dawn. Slavs bring Easter baskets filled with eggs, meat, butter, and cheese to be blessed.
Agape Vespers, during which Gospel is read in as many different languages as possible, is usually held on Easter Day. It is often combined with an Easter egg hunt and other activities for children, but there is no regular Sunday morning Liturgy.
Palm Sunday
*Beginning of the holy week.
*Remembrance of the entrance of the messiah into Jerusalem.
*Mass is dominated by the reading of the Passion â€" narrative of Jesus' capture, sufferings and death.
*Church celebrates Christ's entrance into Jerusalem to accomplish his paschal mystery.
The Procession:
*The people assemble somewhere distinct from the church. Some carry palm branches.
*Priest and ministers put on red.
*A song receiving Christ is sung.
*Priest greets the people.
*Prayers are said. After each prayer there is a pause.
*Blessing of the branches with holy water.
*Lord's entrance from the gospel is said.
*Procession begins to the Church while the people sing.
*Mass is said.
Good Friday
*No mass
*The Church mourns for Christ's death, reverences for the cross, and marvels at His life for his obedience till death.
*The Sacraments are not celebrated on this day or even the next day.
*The altar has no cloth.
*Celebration of the Lord's Passion occurs in the afternoon
*The priest wears red. After a short silence, prayer is said.
*The celebration commences.
*Celebration consists only of liturgy of the word, veneration of the cross, and the Holy Communion.
Easter Vigil
*Takes place during the night.
*The Gospel reminds us to have our lamps ready, to be like men waiting for the Lord's return so that when he arrives we He will find us wide awake and will seat us at his table.
*Night vigil is arranged in four parts:
**A brief service of light;
**Liturgy of the word;
**Liturgy of baptism;
**Liturgy of the Eucharist.
*The priest wears white.
*
Part I: Service of light:**All lights of the church are put out.
**A fire is prepared outside the Church
**One of the ministers carry the Easter Candle.
**The priest greets the people then the fire is blessed.
**After the prayer, the Easter candle is lighted from the new fire.
*Procession:
**The priest takes up the candle and sings: "Christ our light" and the people answers: "Thanks be to God".
**All enters the Church and the priest takes up the candle for the second time and sings: "Christ our light" and the people answers: "Thanks be to God".
**When the priest arrives at the altar the rite is repeated: Priest takes up the candle for the third time and sings: "Christ our light" and the people answers: "Thanks be to God".
**Then all lights in the Church are put on.
*Easter Proclamation (Exsultet)
*
Part II : Liturgy of the word**Nine Readings are provided, seven from the Old Testament and two from the New Testament. (the epistle and gospel)
**After the Easter Proclamation, the candles are put aside and all sit down. Before the readings begin, the priest speaks about Easter.
**The readings follow from:#The book of Genesis 1:1-2:2 The Creation#The book of Genesis 22:1-18 Abraham's sacrifice#The book of Exodus 14:15-15:1 People of Israel leaving the slavery of Egypt#The book of the prophet Isaiah 54:5-14 God speaking to the miserable, oppressed people of Israel#The book of the prophet Isaiah 55:1-11 God's covenant with Israel. (God's magnificent promise)#The book of the prophet Baruch 3:9-15,32-4:4 Wisdom of God#The book of the prophet Ezekiel 36:16-28 God's promises to Ezekiel. (all was fulfilled in Jesus Christ)# Epistle: The letter of Paul to the Romans 6:3-11
Lessons on the death and resurrection of Christ
Alleluia
Gospel#Year A: holy gospel according to Matthew 28:1-10 (Women finding and witnessing to the empty tomb) / Year B: holy gospel according to Mark 16:1-8 (Women are frightened by the empty tomb and the angel's message about resurrection) / Year C: holy gospel according to Luke 24:1-12 (Women see the empty tomb and are told by angels of the Resurrection)
*
Part III: Liturgy of Baptism**A vessel of water is placed in the sanctuary
**Candidates for Baptism is presented
*Litany
**The Litany is sung. The procession begins: Easter Candle first, followed by the candidates then the priest and ministers.
*Blessing of Water
**The priest blesses the baptismal water and prays. The candle is then taken out of the water and people sing the acclamation. Then the baptismal rites proceed.
*Renewal of Baptismal Promises
**After the rite of baptism, all present renew their baptismal profession of faith.
**The priest sprinkles the people with water while the people sing.
**The profession of faith is omitted and proceeds to the Liturgy of the Eucharist
*
Liturgy of the EucharistEaster Sunday
*The Feast of the Resurrection.
*The Church's greatest feast
In this largely Roman Catholic nation, Holy Week, known as
Semana Santa, is treated as one of the most important religious festivals of the entire year. At
Mass on
Palm Sunday, Catholics carry "palaspas" or palm leaves to be blessed by the priest. Many Filipinos bring home the palm leaves after the Mass and place these above their front doors or their windows, believing that doing so can ward off evil spirits. Holy Monday marks the beginning of the Pabasa (literally, reading) or
Pasyon, the marathon chanting of the story of Jesus' life, passion, and death, which continues day and night, for as long as two straight days. A popular
Holy Thursday tradition is the Bisita Iglesia (Church Visit), which involves visiting several Churches at which the faithful would pray the
Stations of the Cross. The last Mass before
Easter is also celebrated on Holy Thursday, usually including a reenactment of the
Washing of the Feet of the
Apostles; this Mass is followed by the procession of the
Blessed Sacrament before it is taken to the
Altar of Repose.
Good Friday in the Philippines is commemorated with street processions, the
Way of the Cross, the commemoraton of Jesus'
Seven last words (Siete Palabras) and a Passion play called the
Sinakulo. In some communities (most famously in the province of
Pampanga), the processions include devotees who self-
flagellate and sometimes even have themselves nailed to crosses as expressions of penance. After three o'clock in the afternoon of Good Friday (the time at which Jesus is traditionally believed to have died), noise is discouraged, bathing is proscribed and the faithful are urged to keep a solemn and prayerful disposition through
Black Saturday. Easter morning is marked with joyous celebration, the first being the dawn
Salubong, wherein large statues of Jesus and Mary are brought in procession together to meet, imagining the first reunion of Jesus and his mother Mary after Jesus'
Resurrection. This is followed by the joyous Easter Mass.
Seville arguably holds the most elaborate processions for Holy Week anywhere in the world. A tradition that dates from
medieval times which has spread to other cities in
Andalusia, the
"Semana Santa en Sevilla" is notable for featuring the procession of
"pasos", lifelike wood or plaster sculptures of individual scenes of the events that happened between Jesus' arrest and his burial, or images of the Virgin Mary showing grief for the torture and killing of her son. These pasos are physically carried in the shoulders of
costaleros (literally "sack men", usually
bodybuilder types who are used to carrying extreme weights), and can weight up to five metric tonnes. The pasos are set up and maintained by
hermandades and
cofradÃas, religious brotherhoods that are common to a specific area of the city, whose precede the paso dressed in Roman military costumes or penitential robes. Those members who wish to do so wear these penitential robes with conical hats, or
"capirotes", used to conceal the face of the wearer (these robes unintentionally served as the basis for the traditional uniform for members of the
Ku Klux Klan in the
United States). These "Nazarenos" carry processional candles, may walk the city streets barefoot, and may carry shackles and chains in their feet as penance. A brass band may accompany the group, playing funereal religious hymns or "
pasodobles" written for the occasion.
Other countries around the world
Cities famous for their Holy Week processions include:
*
Colombia**
Popayán*
Guatemala**
Antigua Guatemala**
Guatemala City*
Italy**
Taranto*
Peru**
Ayacucho**
Cusco**
Huaraz**
Tarma*
Philippines**
Angono**
Baliuag**
Bantayan Island**
Malolos**
Paete **
Pampanga*
Spain**
Andalusia***
Granada***
Málaga, declared of international touristic interest
***
Seville, declared of international touristic interest
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semana_Santa_en_Sevilla**
Castile and Leon***
León, declared of international touristic interest
http://www.turismocastillayleon.com/cm/turcyl/tkContent?pgseed=1142412675459&idContent=1815&locale=es_ES&textOnly=false ***
Valladolid, declared of international touristic interest
***
Zamora, declared of international touristic interest
**Other regions
***
Murcia, declared of national touristic interest
***
Toledo*
Easter (or Pascha)
*
liturgical year*Catholic
Holy Week procession.
*
The Days of Holy Week at The Christian Resource Institute
*
Great Lent, Holy Week and Pascha at the Greek Orthodox Church of America
