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72-403: "Passiontide" refers to the last two weeks of Lent. According to Cyril of Scythopolis , during this time the monks of the East, who had chosen the desert for a severer mode of life, returned to their monasteries. In certain countries, such as Brazil and Italy, it is seen as the beginning of the Holy Week observances. The Viernes de Dolores ( Friday of Sorrows ) is a solemn pious remembrance of

144-699: A Lovefeast on Good Friday as they receive Holy Communion on Maundy Thursday . Communicants of the Moravian Church practice the Good Friday tradition of cleaning gravestones in Moravian cemeteries . Holy Saturday is the day between the crucifixion of Jesus and his resurrection. As the Sabbath day , the Gospel accounts all note that Jesus was hurriedly buried in a cave tomb after his crucifixion, with

216-630: A choir inside the open doors of the church sings the Miserere by Manoel Dias de Oliveria, while the black box is brought inside the church, and people come in to kiss the human-sized figure of Christ. Processions on Tuesday and Wednesday stop at different chapels at each of which a large painting portrays episodes of the Way of the Cross and a related hymn is sung at each. On Thursday morning the Chrism Mass

288-794: A church). The Mass of the Lord's Supper commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus with his Twelve Apostles , "the institution of the Eucharist , the institution of the priesthood , and the commandment of brotherly love that Jesus gave after washing the feet of his disciples." All the bells of the church , including altar bells, may be rung during the Gloria in Excelsis Deo of the Mass (the Gloria

360-668: A distinctive name, " Holy Week " ("Hebdomada sancta") (previously, "Great Week", "Hebdomada major", but referred to in English as Holy Week), and the first days in it were called "Monday (etc.) of Holy Week", not "Monday (etc.) after the Second Sunday of the Passion or Palm Sunday". In the 1969 revision , Passiontide ceased to be a separate liturgical season and became the Fifth Week of Lent, followed by Holy Week. Passiontide

432-813: A harmony of the Gospel stories, responding to the actions in hymns, prayers and litanies, beginning on the eve of Palm Sunday and culminating in the Easter Morning or Easter Sunrise service begun by the Moravians in 1732. Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday, complete: Palm and Passion Sunday (Latin Dominica in Palmis de Passione Domini ). Traditionally, Palm Sunday commemorates the Triumphal entry into Jerusalem described in all four canonical gospels . As described in these accounts, Christ's entry into Jerusalem

504-612: A monk in 543. Very soon thereafter he went to Jerusalem and spent some months at a hermit community ( lavra ) near the Jordan River , before entering the monastery of Euthymius the Great at Jericho in 544. He remained there until 555, when he was one of the orthodox monks sent to replace those expelled for Origenism at the New Lavra of Saint Sabas (today in ruins at Bir el-Wa'ar near Teqoa ). Two years later he moved to

576-588: A practice also kept in other denominations. In the Catholic Church, on this day the private celebration of Mass is forbidden. Thus, apart from the Chrism Mass for the blessing of the Holy Oils that the diocesan bishop may celebrate on the morning of Holy Thursday , but also on some other day close to Easter, the only Mass on this day is the evening Mass of the Lord's Supper , which inaugurates

648-982: Is chanted or recited. Tenebrae liturgies are celebrated by some parishes of the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church , the Polish National Catholic Church , the Lutheran Churches , the Moravian Church , the Anglican Communion , the Methodist Churches , and Western Rite Orthodoxy within the Eastern Orthodox Church . Maundy Thursday (also known as Holy Thursday) commemorates the Last Supper , where Christ lays out

720-533: Is celebrated, with a blessing of the oils. Good Friday afternoon ceremonies are followed by the week's main spectacle of the Taking Down from the Cross in front of the cathedral followed by the Funeral Procession of Our Dead Lord. The drama shows Christ being taken from the cross and placed in a coffin, which is then taken around to the accompaniment of the "Song of Veronica". On Saturday morning

792-446: Is customary to have a blessing of palm leaves or other branches, for example olive branches. The blessing ceremony includes the reading of a Gospel account of Jesus humbly riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, reminiscent of a Davidic victory procession, and people placing palm and other branches on the ground before him. Immediately following this great time of celebration over the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem, he begins his journey to

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864-692: Is followed by a psalm or canticle (such as Exodus 15:1–18 and a prayer relating what has been read to the Mystery of Christ. After the Old Testament readings conclude, the Gloria in excelsis Deo , which has been suspended during Lent, is intoned and bells are rung. A reading from the Epistle to the Romans is proclaimed. The Alleluia is sung for the first time since the beginning of Lent. The Gospel of

936-529: Is gone. The lamp or candle usually situated next to the tabernacle denoting the presence of Christ is blown out. In the Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Methodist, and Presbyterian traditions, the Easter Vigil, one of the longest and most solemn of liturgical liturgies, lasts up to three or four hours, consists of four parts: The Liturgy begins after sundown on Holy Saturday as the crowd gathers inside

1008-523: Is not traditionally sung on Sundays in Lent). The bells then fall silent and the organ and other musical instruments may be used only to support the singing until the Gloria at the Easter Vigil . The Roman Missal recommends that, if considered pastorally appropriate, the priest should, immediately after the homily, celebrate the rite of washing the feet of customarily twelve men, recalling the number of

1080-741: Is observed in many provinces of the Anglican Communion , for example in the Church of England . In the Common Worship liturgy, material proper to Passiontide is used from Evening Prayer on the Eve of the Fifth Sunday of Lent to the evening of Easter Eve. Such "proper material" includes prefaces to the Eucharistic Prayer , special orders for Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer, and seasonal material for Night Prayer and Prayer During

1152-635: Is often called an " altar of repose ". In some places, notably the Philippines and Malta, Catholics will travel from church to church praying at each church's altar of repose in a practice called "Visita Iglesia" or Seven Churches Visitation . In Lutheran, Anglican and Methodist churches, the altar has black paraments or the altar cloths are removed altogether. At the conclusion of the Maundy Thursday liturgy in Lutheran Churches,

1224-542: Is reduced." In some countries, such as Malta, Philippines, Italy, and Spain processions with statues representing the Passion of Christ are held. In some parishes of the Anglican Church, Catholic Church, Lutheran Church, and Methodist Church, the " Three Hours Devotion " is observed. This traditionally consists of a series of sermons, interspersed with singing, one on each of the Seven Last Words from

1296-572: Is the most sacred week in the liturgical year in Christianity . For all Christian traditions, it is a moveable observance . In Eastern Christianity , which also calls it Great Week , it is the week following Great Lent and Lazarus Saturday , starting on the evening of Palm Sunday and concluding on the evening of Great Saturday . In Western Christianity , Holy Week is the sixth and last week of Lent , beginning with Palm Sunday and concluding on Holy Saturday . Holy Week begins with

1368-548: Is used on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of Holy Week. However, even before Pope John XXIII 's Code of Rubrics (1960) changed the name of this Sunday from "Passion Sunday" (Dominica de Passione) to "First Sunday of the Passion " (Dominica I Passionis), the liturgical books gave no special name to this week, referring to the days in it simply as "Monday (etc.) after Passion Sunday", which in Pope John XXIII's edition of

1440-555: Is widely observed as a fast day . A Handbook for the Discipline of Lent recommends the Lutheran guideline to "fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday with only one simple meal during the day, usually without meat". Western Catholic Church practice is to have only one full meal with, if needed, two small snacks that together do not make a full meal. The Anglican Communion defines fasting more generically as: "The amount of food eaten

1512-591: The Great Feasts and emphasize the theme of resurrection. Many television channels air films related to Holy Week, such as The Ten Commandments , The Greatest Story Ever Told and The Jesus Film . Holy Week in the liturgical year is the week immediately before Easter. The earliest allusion to the custom of marking this week as a whole with special observances is to be found in the Apostolical Constitutions (v. 18, 19), dating from

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1584-778: The Great Lavra of Saint Sabas (today known as Mar Saba), where he died sometime in 557/558 or soon after. Cyril was influenced by Saint Sabas the Sanctified , whom he had met when he was still in a young age; in later years, when he was in Jerusalem , he also met Saint John the Silent or the Hesychast , bishop of Colonia in Cappadocia . Cyril is known for a number of hagiographies of seven Palestinian monks: Sabas

1656-652: The Roman Missal became "Monday (etc.) after the First Sunday of the Passion". In Pope John XXIII's revision, not only the Sunday that had previously had the exclusive name of Passion Sunday but also the following Sunday referred in their names to the Passion. The latter became the "Second Sunday of the Passion or Palm Sunday " (Dominica II Passionis seu in Palmis). The week beginning on that Sunday continued to have

1728-519: The Sabbatum Magnum ("Great Sabbath", i.e., Holy Saturday or Easter Eve) with its vigil , which in the early church was associated with an expectation that the second advent would occur on an Easter Day. Other writings that refer to related traditions of the early Church include, most notably, The Pilgrimage of Etheria (also known as The Pilgrimage of Egeria ), which details the whole observance of Holy Week at that time. Today, in

1800-685: The Western Christian Church , among Lutherans, Anglicans, Methodists, Presbyterians and Catholics, the liturgies used for Holy Week are nearly identical. In the Episcopal Church, the main U.S. branch of the Anglican Communion, the 1979 Book of Common Prayer identifies Holy Week--comprising Palm Sunday (Sunday of the Passion) through Holy Saturday--as a separate season after Lent, rather than as part of it; but

1872-408: The color of vestments in Lent) starting on Passion Sunday: "The practice of covering crosses and images in the church may be observed, if the episcopal conference decides. The crosses are to be covered until the end of the celebration of the Lord's passion on Good Friday . Statues and images are to remain covered until the beginning of the Easter Vigil ." (Specifically, those veils are removed during

1944-568: The "lectern and pulpit are [also] left bare until Easter to symbolize the humiliation and barrenness of the cross." Methodist custom holds that apart from depictions of the Stations of the Cross , other images (such as the altar cross) continue the Lenten habitude of being veiled. In the Catholic Church, the altars of the church (except the one used as the altar of repose) are later stripped quite bare and, as much as possible, crosses are removed from

2016-636: The Blessed Virgin is observed on Friday in Passion Week), and the lessons from the Tenebrae service have been set by a variety of composers. Several composers have set to music the seven sayings of Jesus on the cross . Heinrich Schütz composed a cantata, Die sieben Worte Jesu Christi am Kreuz , c. 1645. Joseph Haydn wrote seven string quartets, Die sieben letzten Worte unseres Erlösers am Kreuze (The seven last words of our Redeemer on

2088-648: The Cross , together with an introduction and a conclusion. Another pious exercise carried out on Good Friday is that of the Stations of the Cross , either within the church or outside. The celebration at the Colosseum with participation by the pope has become a traditional event. The Novena to the Divine Mercy begins on that day and lasts until the Saturday before the Feast of Mercy . Moravians hold

2160-569: The Day . Although the Sarum Use used crimson as the liturgical colour for the whole of Passiontide, Common Worship recommends continuing in purple (or Lenten array) throughout the fifth week of Lent, changing to red for Holy Week . Furthermore, until the introduction of the new Harmony of the Gospel Readings for Holy Week in 1969, English-speaking members of the Moravian Church used

2232-566: The Deposit. The figure of Our Lord of the Stations, representing the blood-stained Jesus carrying the cross, is brought from the church in a large black box and displayed in the main square. Then it is solemnly taken to the church following a band and a procession of people. Outside the church, a sermon is delivered on the Easter story of Jesus Christ's death and resurrection. After the sermon,

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2304-578: The Easter Vigil liturgically belongs to Easter Sunday. On Holy Saturday, the Church waits at the Lord's tomb, in prayer and fasting, meditating on his Passion and Death and on his Descent into Hell and awaiting his Resurrection. The Church abstains from the Sacrifice of the Mass, with the sacred table left bare, until after the solemn Vigil, that is, the anticipation by night of the Resurrection, when

2376-418: The Easter Vigil, is the great feast day and apogee of the Christian liturgical year: on this day the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is celebrated. It is the first day of the new season of the Great Fifty Days, or Eastertide , which runs from Easter Day to Pentecost Sunday. The Resurrection of Christ on Easter Day is the main reason why Christians keep every Sunday as the primary day of religious observance. In

2448-408: The Eastertide, remaining in the sanctuary of the Church or near the lectern, and is kept in the baptistry throughout the liturgical year so that in the celebrations of baptisms the candles of the baptized may be lit from the candle. The candles of those present are lit from the Paschal candle. As this symbolic "light of Christ" spreads throughout those gathered, the darkness is decreased. A deacon, or

2520-458: The Passion, either as a self-guided time of reflection and veneration or as a procession of statues or images of the stations. The evening liturgical celebration on Holy Thursday begins the first of three days in the Easter Triduum, which continues in an atmosphere of liturgical mourning throughout the next day, in spite of the name "Good" given in English to the day. For Catholic, Methodist, Lutheran, Reformed and Anglican Christians, Good Friday

2592-402: The Resurrection then follows, together with the Responsorial psalmody . After the conclusion of the Liturgy of the Word, the water of the baptismal font is blessed and any catechumens or candidates for full communion are initiated into the church, by baptism or confirmation . After the celebration of these sacraments of initiation, the congregation renews their baptismal vows and receive

2664-408: The Roman Catholic Church, plenary indulgence is granted once a day by the 1999 Enchiridion Indulgentiarum , in the following cases: Cities famous for their Holy Week processions include: Holy Week has developed into one of Brazil's main symbols of community identity, more specifically in the southern town of Campanha. The Campanha Holy Week begins on the Monday evening with the Procession of

2736-403: The Sanctified, Euthymius the Great, John the Silent, Cyriacus the Anchorite , Theodosius the Cenobiarch , Theognius , and Abramius. This ambitious undertaking was "fostered both by local patriotism and a firm belief in the relationship between holiness and the desert". As the historical information included in these works is both precise and accurate, Cyril is a valuable historical source for

2808-416: The Tract "Saepe Expugnaverunt" (Ps. 128) all express the theme of the persecution of the just man. The Offertory on the other hand "Confitebor" (from Ps. 137 [138]) concentrates on the hope of ultimate victory and vindication. The Communion antiphon "Hoc Corpus" is taken directly from the Gospels and has a eucharist theme fittingly adapted to the liturgical moment that it accompanies, but it also calls to mind

2880-457: The altar candles. Then the deacon or a cantor chants the Exultet , also called the "Easter Proclamation". After that, the people extinguish their candles and sit down for the Liturgy of the Word. The Liturgy of the Word includes nine readings, seven (or at least three) from the Old Testament , followed by two from the New (an Epistle and a Gospel). The reading of the crossing of the Red Sea (Ex 14) must never be omitted. Each Old Testament reading

2952-411: The apostles. In the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churches of Evangelical Catholic churchmanship, and in Anglican churches of an Anglo-Catholic churchmanship, a sufficient number of hosts are consecrated for use also in the Good Friday liturgy, and at the conclusion the Blessed Sacrament is carried in procession to a place of reposition away from the main body of the church, which, if it involves an altar,

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3024-428: The church (or veiled in the pre-Vatican II rite), crucifixes and statues are covered with violet covers during Passiontide, but the crucifix covers can be white instead of violet on Maundy Thursday). Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus and his subsequent death. Commemorations of often solemn and mournful, many denominations use Good Friday to perform the Stations of the Cross , or other commemorations of

3096-464: The commemoration of Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday , marks the betrayal of Jesus on Spy Wednesday ( Holy Wednesday ), climaxing with the commemoration of the Mystical or Last Supper on Maundy Thursday ( Holy Thursday ) and the Passion of Jesus on Good Friday ( Holy Friday ). Holy Week concludes with Christ's rest in death and descent into hell on Holy Saturday . Christians believe that Jesus rested in death from

3168-399: The cross) which also appeared in other arrangements. The Seven Last Words from the Cross , a cantata for choir and strings was composed in 1993) by James MacMillan . Cyril of Scythopolis Cyril of Scythopolis ( Greek : Κύριλλος ὁ Σκυθοπολίτης , romanized :  Kyrillos ho Skythopolitēs ; c.  525 – c.  559 ), also known as Cyrillus Scythopolitanus ,

3240-412: The cross. The blessing is thus followed by a procession or solemn entrance into the church, with the participants holding the blessed branches in their hands. The liturgy includes the solemn reading of the Passion, the narrative of Christ's capture, suffering and death, as recounted in one of the Synoptic Gospels . (In the Tridentine Mass the Passion is always that of St. Matthew.) Before the reform of

3312-406: The diocese as possible together with the bishop. This Mass was not included in editions of the Roman Missal before the time of Pope Pius XII. In this Mass, the bishop blesses separate oils for the sick (used in Anointing of the Sick ), for catechumens (used in baptism ) and chrism (used in baptism, confirmation and the Holy Orders , as well as in rites such as the dedication of an altar and

3384-415: The house of Simon the Leper , especially the anointing of Jesus by Mary of Bethany , which directly preceded the betrayal of Jesus by Judas to the Sanhedrin. Tenebrae ( Latin for "shadows" or "darkness") is celebrated within Western Christianity during Holy Week, especially on Spy Wednesday . Tenebrae is distinctive for its gradual extinguishing of candles while a series of readings and psalms

3456-412: The impending Passover meal, which will serve as the setting for the Last Supper. Passion cantatas have been composed to texts in a variety of languages, taking as their theme the hours or days before the Crucifixion of Christ . Many settings have been made of the Latin poem Stabat Mater , which describes Mary standing in front of the Cross watching her son die (the Feast of the Seven Dolours of

3528-409: The intent to finish proper embalming and burial ceremonies on Sunday, after the Sabbath had ended, as the Sabbath day prohibitions would have prevented observant Jews from completing a proper burial. In the Catholic tradition after the Good Friday service, which represents the burial of Jesus, until the Easter Vigil on Saturday night, no mass takes place whatsoever on Holy Saturday. The celebration of

3600-447: The largest crowds of the year. Many Christian cultures have different traditions such as special liturgies or services, floats, sculptures or live reenactments of Christ's life, his arrest and crucifixion (also called the Lord's passion, the Passion of Christ or Passion of Jesus ); the latter are known as Passion Plays , which are often interdenominational productions. In Eastern Rite Churches there are also many means to commemorate

3672-420: The last days of Jesus Christ's life. Among them: On Holy Wednesday, the story of Judas arranging his betrayal of Jesus with the chief priests is remembered; he was a spy among the disciples of Jesus ( Matthew 26:14–25 ). For this reason, the day is sometimes called "Spy Wednesday". (In the Tridentine Mass the Passion according to St. Luke is read instead.) Other events connected with this date include events at

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3744-508: The latter half of the 3rd century and 4th century. In this text, abstinence from flesh is commanded for all the days, while for the Friday and Saturday an absolute fast is commanded. Dionysius Alexandrinus in his canonical epistle (AD 260), refers to the 91 fasting days implying that the observance of them had already become an established usage in his time. There is some doubt about the genuineness of an ordinance attributed to Roman Emperor Constantine , in which abstinence from public business

3816-426: The model for the Eucharist or Holy Communion. During the meal, Jesus predicted the events that would immediately follow, including his betrayal, the Denial of Peter , and his death and resurrection. The liturgical celebration of the Last Supper on Maundy Thursday marks the beginning of the Paschal Triduum . Catholic and Lutheran parishes traditionally practice the foot washing (Maundy) ceremony on Maundy Thursday ,

3888-421: The name "Passion Week" for Holy Week, a week much more closely associated with the Passion of Christ . Much music has been written for Passiontide. The Gregorian chant composed for the First Sunday of Passiontide expresses two main themes: the expectation of Easter and the suffering that will be endured on Good Friday. The Introit "Iudica Me Domine" (Ps. 42 [43]), the Gradual "Eripe Me Domine" (Ps. 139), and

3960-402: The name "Passiontide" is no longer used for the last two weeks of Lent, although the former usage is somewhat preserved in the formal name for the Sunday before Easter, "Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion". However, the Preface called that of the Passion of the Lord I (The Power of the Cross) is used in the fifth week of Lent and the Preface of the Passion of the Lord II (The Victory of the Passion)

4032-508: The ninth hour (3 pm) on Good Friday until just before dawn on Sunday morning, the day of his resurrection from death , commonly known as Easter Sunday. However, in 1 Peter 3:19, there may be a clue as to a task Jesus performed during this period between death and resurrection: "By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison." This marks the beginning of the season of Eastertide , with its first week being known as Easter Week (Bright Week) . Holy Week liturgies generally attract

4104-694: The normal Mass was celebrated. Churches of many denominations , including the Lutheran, Catholic, Methodist, Anglican, Moravian and Reformed traditions, distribute palm branches to their congregations during their Palm Sunday liturgies. Christians take these palms, which are often blessed by clergy, to their homes where they hang them alongside Christian art (especially crosses and crucifixes ) or keep them in their Bibles or devotionals. The days between Palm Sunday and Maundy Thursday are known as Holy Monday , Holy Tuesday (Fig Tuesday), and Holy Wednesday (Spy Wednesday). There are traditional observances held by liturgical denominations to commemorate events from

4176-495: The period of three days known as the Easter Triduum , that includes Good Friday (seen as beginning with the liturgy of the preceding evening), Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday up to evening prayer on that day. The Chrism Mass, whose texts the Roman Missal and the rubrics used in Lutheran Churches now give under Maundy Thursday, but before the Paschal Triduum which begins that evening, may be brought forward early in Holy Week, to facilitate participation by as many clergy of

4248-568: The period, on topics ranging from political affairs to ecclesiastical events and biographical details. Cyril is particularly valuable on the study of the Arab tribes of the region, notably the Ghassanids and their rivals, the Lakhmids . Apart for the seven monks to whom he dedicated entire vitas , he contributed biographical and hagiographic details for several more, such as: Holy Week Holy Week ( Koinē Greek : Ἁγία καὶ Μεγάλη Ἑβδομάς , romanized:  Hagía kaì Megálē Hebdomás , lit.   'Holy and Great Week')

4320-423: The priest if there is no deacon, carries the Paschal Candle at the head of the entrance procession and, at three points, stops and chants the proclamation "The Light of Christ" (until Easter 2011, the official English text was "Christ our Light"), to which the people respond "Thanks be to God". Once the procession concludes with the singing of the third proclamation, the lights throughout the church are lit, except for

4392-412: The responds at Matins , Prime , Terce , Sext , None , and Compline . Also, the Preface for Lent gives way to the Preface of the Holy Cross unless a festal or votive Mass is celebrated for which a proper preface is assigned. Passion Week is a name for the week beginning on Passion Sunday , as the Fifth Sunday of Lent was once called in the Roman Rite . In the 1955 Holy Week revisions, Passion Sunday

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4464-399: The rite by Pope Pius XII , the blessing of the palms occurred inside the church within a liturgy that followed the general outline of a Mass, with Collect, Epistle and Gospel, as far as the Sanctus. The palms were then blessed with five prayers, and a procession went out of the church and on its return included a ceremony for the reopening of the doors, which had meanwhile been shut. After this

4536-426: The singing of the Gloria .) The veiling was associated with Passion Sunday's Gospel ( John 8:46–59 ), in which Jesus "hid himself" from the people. In the Tridentine Mass , Psalm 42 (43) is omitted at all Masses (unless a feast is observed) until Holy Thursday inclusive, as is the short doxology ( Gloria Patri ) at the Introit and the Psalm Lavabo at Mass. It is likewise omitted in Psalm 94 at Matins , and

4608-441: The sorrowful Blessed Virgin Mary on the Friday before Palm Sunday held in the fifth week of Lent. In the Orthodox Church, the Fifth Saturday of Great Lent is known as the Saturday of the Akathist , when the "Akathist to the Theotokos" is sung at Compline. In the Roman Catholic Church , Western Rite Orthodoxy , Lutheranism , and in Anglo-Catholic churches, all crucifixes and images may be covered in veils (usually violet,

4680-459: The sprinkling of baptismal water . The general intercessions follow. After the Liturgy of Baptism, the Liturgy of the Eucharist continues as usual. This is the first Mass of Easter Day. During the Eucharist, the newly baptised receive Holy Communion for the first time. According to the rubrics of the Missal , the Easter vigil "ends before the dawn on the Sunday". Easter Day (or Easter Sunday), which immediately follows Holy Week and begins with

4752-434: The time comes for paschal joys, the abundance of which overflows to occupy fifty days. Holy Communion may only be given on this day as Viaticum . In some Anglican churches, including the Episcopal Church in the United States , there is provision for a simple liturgy of the word with readings commemorating the burial of Christ. The doors of the empty tabernacle of the main altar are left open, to symbolise that Jesus Christ

4824-449: The unlit church. In the darkness (often in a side chapel of the church building or, preferably, outside the church), a new fire is kindled and blessed by the priest. This new fire symbolizes the light of salvation and hope that God brought into the world through Christ's Resurrection, dispelling the darkness of sin and death. From this fire is lit the Paschal candle , symbolizing the Light of Christ. This Paschal candle will be used throughout

4896-419: The weekdays of Holy Week, like those of Lent, are Days of Special Devotion to be observed by special acts of discipline and self-denial, so the practical effect is the same as if Holy Week were considered part of Lent. In the Moravian Church , the Holy Week services ( Passion Week ) are extensive, as the congregation follows the life of Christ through His final week in daily services dedicated to readings from

4968-401: Was a Christian monk, priest and Greek-language hagiographer or historian of monastic life in Palestine in the early years of Christianity (6th century AD). Cyril was born in Scythopolis , in the province of Palaestina Secunda , sometime around 525. His father John, a lawyer, supervised his early religious education. Shortly after 532 he became an anagnostes (lector), and became

5040-423: Was enforced for the seven days immediately preceding Easter Day, and also for the seven which followed it. The Codex Theodosianus , however, is explicit in ordering that all actions at law should cease, and the doors of all courts of law be closed during those 15 days (1. ii. tit. viii.). Of the particular days of the "great week" the earliest to emerge into special prominence was naturally Good Friday. Next came

5112-401: Was formally renamed from Dominica Passionis or Dominica de Passione ("Sunday of the Passion") to Dominica I Passionis , "First Sunday of the Passion" or "First Sunday of Passiontide". Palm Sunday, formerly Dominica in Palmis ("Sunday in Palms") became Dominica II Passionis seu in Palmis ("II Sunday of the Passion or in Palms"). Since the revision of the General Roman Calendar in 1969,

5184-673: Was noted by the crowds present who shouted praises and waved palm branches . In the Roman Rite, before 1955 it was known simply as Palm Sunday, and the preceding Sunday as Passion Sunday. From 1955 to 1971 it was called Second Sunday in Passiontide or Palm Sunday. Among Lutherans and Anglicans, the day is known as the Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday. In many liturgical denominations, to commemorate Christ's entry into Jerusalem to accomplish his paschal mystery , it

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