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Holy Week (Latin: Hebdomada Sancta or Maior Hebdomada, "Greater Week") in Christianity is the last week of Lent and the week before Easter. It includes the religious holidays of Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday) and Good Friday, and lasts from Palm Sunday (or in the Eastern, Lazarus Saturday) until but not including Easter Sunday, as Easter Sunday is the first day of the new season of The Great Fifty Days. It commemorates the last week of the earthly life of Jesus Christ culminating in his crucifixion on Good Friday and his resurrection on Easter Sunday.
Week in the Christian year is the week immediately preceding Easter.
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Encyclopedia
Holy Week (Latin: Hebdomada Sancta or Maior Hebdomada, "Greater Week") in Christianity is the last week of Lent and the week before Easter. It includes the religious holidays of Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday) and Good Friday, and lasts from Palm Sunday (or in the Eastern, Lazarus Saturday) until but not including Easter Sunday, as Easter Sunday is the first day of the new season of The Great Fifty Days. It commemorates the last week of the earthly life of Jesus Christ culminating in his crucifixion on Good Friday and his resurrection on Easter Sunday.
History
Holy Week in the Christian year is the week immediately preceding 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 the latter half of the 3rd century and 4th century. In this text, abstinence from and 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 six 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 Constantine, in which abstinence from public business was enforced for the seven days immediately preceding Easter Sunday, 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 fifteen 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 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 Sunday.
There are other texts that refer to the traditions of the Early Church, most notably The Pilgrimage of Etheria (also known as The Pilgrimage of Egeria) which details the complete observance of Holy Week in the early church.
Holy Week in Eastern Christianity
In Eastern Orthodox Churches and Eastern Catholic Churches, Holy Week is referred to as "Great and Holy Week". Orthros (Matins) services for each day are held on the preceding evening. Thus, the Matins service of Great Monday is sung on Palm Sunday evening, and so on. This permits more of the faithful to attend, and shows that during Holy Week the times are out of joint—Matins ends up being served in the evening, and in some places Vespers is served in the morning.
Fasting during Great and Holy Week is very strict. Dairy products and meat products are strictly forbidden. On most days, no alcoholic beverages are permitted and no oil is used in the cooking. Friday and Saturday are observed as strict fast days, meaning that nothing should be eaten on those days. However, fasting is always adjusted to the needs of the individual, and those who are very young, ill or elderly are not expected to fast as strictly. Those who are able to, may receive the blessing of their spiritual father to observe an even stricter fast, whereby they eat only two meals that week: one on Wednesday night and one after Divine Liturgy on Thursday.
The services of Sunday through Tuesday evenings are often called "Bridegroom Prayer", because of their theme of Christ as the Bridegroom of the Church, a theme expressed in the troparion that is solemnly chanted during them. On these days, an icon of the "Bridegroom" is placed on an analogion in the center of the temple, portraying Jesus wearing the purple robe of mockery and crowned with a crown of thorns (see Instruments of the Passion).
Towards the end of the Tuesday evening Bridegroom service, the Hymn of Kassiani is sung. The hymn, (written in the 9th century by Kassiani the Nun) tells of the woman who washed Christ's feet in the house of Simon the Pharisee. Much of the hymn is written from the perspective of the sinful woman:
- O Lord, the woman who had fallen into many sins, sensing Your Divinity, takes upon herself the duty of a myrrh-bearer. With lamentations she brings you myrrh in anticipation of your entombment. "Woe to me!" she cries, "for me night has become a frenzy of licentiousness, a dark and moonless love of sin. Receive the fountain of my tears, O You who gathers into clouds the waters of the sea. Incline unto me, unto the sighings of my heart, O You who bowed the heavens by your ineffable condescension. I will wash your immaculate feet with kisses and dry them again with the tresses of my hair; those very feet at whose sound Eve hid herself from in fear when she heard You walking in Paradise in the twilight of the day. As for the multitude of my sins and the depths of Your judgments, who can search them out, O Savior of souls, my Savior? Do not disdain me Your handmaiden, O You who are boundless in mercy."
The Byzantine musical composition expresses the poetry so strongly that it leaves many people in a state of prayerful tears. The Hymn can last upwards of 25 minutes and is liturgically and musically a highpoint of the entire year. In many places in Greece, the Bridegroom Matins service of Great Tuesday is popular with sex workers and those engaged in prostitution, who may not often be seen in church at other times of the year. They come in great numbers, in order to hear the Hymn of Kassiani, as the hymn is traditionally associated with the woman fallen in many sins.
On Great and Holy Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is celebrated, at which the faithful may receive Holy Communion from the reserved Holy Mysteries. This service combines Vespers with a Communion Service. Each of these services has a reading from the Gospel which sets forth the theme for the day.
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 Great and Holy Thursday. Matins of Great and 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 Great and 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.
Vespers joined to the Divine Liturgy is served on Great and Holy Saturday morning. This is the Proti Anastasi (First Resurrection) service, with Just before the reading of the Gospel, the hangings and vestments and changed from dark lenten colors to white.
On Saturday night, the service begins in darkness with the chanting of the Midnight Office. Afterwards, all remain in silence and darkness until the stroke of midnight. Then, the priest lights a single candle from the eternal flame on the altar (which is never extinguished). The light is spread from person to person until everyone holds a lighted candle. Then a procession takes place circling around the outside of the church, recreating the journey of the Myrrh Bearers as they journeyed to the tomb of Jesus on the first Easter morning. The procession stops in front of the closed doors of the church. The opening of these doors symbolized the "rolling away of the stone" from the tomb by the angel, and all enter the church joyfully singing the Troparion of Pascha. Paschal Orthros begins with an Ektenia (litany) and the chanting of the Paschal Canon. One of the highpoints is the sharing of the paschal kiss and the reading of the Hieratikon (Catechetical Homily of John Chrysostom) by the priest. The Divine Liturgy follows, and every Orthodox Christian is encouraged to confess and receive Holy Communion on this holiest day of the year. A breakfast usually follows, sometimes lasting till dawn. Slavs bring Easter baskets filled with eggs, meat, butter, and cheese -- foods from which the faithful have abstained during Great Lent -- to be blessed by the priest which are then taken back home to be shared by family and friends with joy.
On the afternoon of Easter Day, a joyful service called "Agape Vespers" is celebrated During this service the Great Prokeimenon is chanted and a lesson from the Gospel is read in as many different languages as possible, accompanied by the joyful ringing of bells. It may be combined with an Easter egg hunt or other activities for children.
Holy Week in the Western Church
Palm Sunday (Passion Sunday)
Before most celebrations of Mass this day, the priest blesses palm leaves (or other branches of plants, for example olive branches) and then a Gospel account is read of how Jesus rode into Jerusalem humbly on a donkey, reminiscent of a Davidic victory procession, and how people placed palms on the ground in front of him. This is followed by a procession or solemn entrance into the church, with the participants holding the blessed branches in their hands.
- Mass includes a reading of the Passion, the narrative of Jesus’ capture, sufferings and death.
- Before the reform of the rite by Pope Pius XII, the blessing of the palms occurred, within what followed the general outline of Mass as far as the Sanctus, after the Gospel reading and again after the Sanctus, and the procession, which began within the church, included a ceremony whereby the doors, which meantime had been shut, were opened for the return of the procession.
Monday to Wednesday
The days between Palm Sunday and Maundy Thursday are known as Holy Monday (or Fig Monday), Holy Tuesday and Holy Wednesday (sometimes called Spy Wednesday). The Gospels of these days recount events not all of which occurred on the corresponding days between Jesus' entry into Jerusalem and his Last Supper. For instance, the Monday Gospel tells of the Anointing of Bethany , which occurred before the Palm Sunday event described in .
The Chrism Mass, whose texts the Roman Missal now gives under Holy Thursday, may be brought forward to one of these days, to facilitate participation by as many as possible of the clergy of the diocese 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, but especially in Confirmation and Holy Orders, as well as in rites such as the blessing of an altar and a church).
Tenebrae
When the principal services of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil were celebrated in the morning, the office of Matins and Lauds of each day was celebrated on the evening of the preceding day in the service known as Tenebrae.
Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday)
- The day commemorates the Last Supper of Christ and his Eleven Apostles and the institution of the Eucharist and, since the reform of Pope Pius XII, the Mass that in a particular way recalls that event is celebrated in the evening, not in the morning, which is now free for celebration of the Chrism Mass.
- Celebration of this Mass marks the beginning of the Sacred Paschal Triduum that concludes with the Easter Vigil.
- During the Gloria, all the bells of the church are rung, including altar bells. They and the organ then fall silent at the end of the song and remain silent until the Easter Vigil. Children are sometimes told "the bells have flown to Rome."
- The Roman Missal recommends that, if considered pastorally appropriate, the priest should, immediately after the homily, celebrate the rite of washing the feet of an unspecified number of men, customarily twelve.
- At the conclusion of Mass, within which a sufficient number of hosts are consecrated for use also in the Good Friday service, the Blessed Sacrament is carried in procession to an "altar of repose" away from the main body of the church.
- Before the reform of Pope Pius XII, the priest then ceremonially stripped the altar, while reciting Psalm 21 (22). Later editions of the Roman Missal say only that, at an appropriate time, the altar is stripped and, to the extent possible, whatever crosses are in the church are removed, and it recommends that any remaining crosses be veiled.
Good Friday
- The Church mourns for Christ’s death, reverences the Cross, and marvels at his life for his obedience until death.
- The only sacraments celebrated are Penance and Anointing of the Sick. While there is no celebration of the Eucharist, Holy Communion is distributed to the faithful only in the Service of the Passion of the Lord, but can be taken at any hour to the sick who are unable to attend this service.
- The altar remains completely bare, without cross, candlesticks, or altar cloths.
- It is customary to empty the holy water fonts in preparation of the blessing of the water at the Easter Vigil.
- The Stations of the Cross are often prayed either in the church or outside.
- The Celebration of the Passion of the Lord takes place in the afternoon, ideally at three o'clock, but for pastoral reasons a later hour may be chosen.
- Since 1970, the colour of the vestments is red. Previously it was black. If a bishop celebrates, he wears a plain mitre.
- 'The liturgy consists of three parts in the Roma Rite: the Liturgy of the Word, the Veneration of the Cross, and Holy Communion.
- Liturgy of the Word
Prostration of the celebrant before the altar.
The readings from Isaiah 53 (about the Suffering Servant) and the Epistle to the Hebrews are read.
The Passion narrative of the Gospel of John is sung or read, often divided between more than one singer or reader.
General Intercessions: The congregation pray for the Church, the Pope, the Jews, non-Christians, unbelievers and others.
- Veneration of the Cross: A crucifix is solemnly unveiled before the congregation. The people venerate it on their knees. During this part, the "Reproaches" are often sung.
- Communion service: Hosts consecrated at the Mass of the previous day are distributed to the people.
- Even if music is used in the Liturgy, it is not used to open and close the Liturgy, nor is there a formal recessional (closing procession).
- It was once customary in some countries, especially England, to place a veiled monstrance with the Blessed Sacrament or a cross in a Holy Sepulchre".
Holy Saturday
- A day of silence and prayer which commemorates the dead Christ in the tomb. No Mass is celebrated. 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 tabernacle is left empty and open. The lamp or candle usually situated next to the tabernacle denoting the Presence of Christ is put out, and the remaining Eucharistic Hosts consecrated on Holy Thursday are kept elsewhere, usually the sacristy, with a lamp or candle burning before it, so that, in cases of the danger of death, they may be given as viaticum.
- The celebration of Easter may begin after sundown on what is therefore liturgically Easter Sunday, though still Saturday in the civil calendar.
Easter Vigil
- Takes place during the night, either after sunset or early in the morning on Easter Sunday.
- Night vigil is arranged in four parts:
- A brief service of light;
- Liturgy of the word;
- Liturgy of baptism;
- Liturgy of the Eucharist.
- The vestments are 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 (the deacon, if one is present) carries the Paschal Candle.
- The priest greets the people and then blesses the fire.
- He then lights the Easter candle from the new fire.
- Procession:
- The deacon or priest raises up the candle and sings: “Christ our light” and the people answer: “Thanks be to God”.
- All enter the Church and the deacon or priest sings for the second time: “Christ our light” and the people answer: “Thanks be to God”.
- When the deacon or priest arrives at the altar he raises up the candle facing the congregation and sings: “Christ our light” and the people answer: “Thanks be to God”.
- Then all lights in the Church are put on.
- Easter Proclamation (Exsultet)
- Part II : Liturgy of the word
- After the Easter Proclamation, the candles are put aside and all sit down. Before the readings begin, the priest speaks about Easter.
- Nine Readings are provided. There are seven from the Old Testament. The reading from Exodus must be used along with at least two others. There are two Readings from the New Testament. One is from an Epistle and the other is a Gospel Reading.
- 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 36:16-17a, 18-28 God’s promises to Ezekiel. (all was fulfilled in Jesus Christ)
After the last Old Testament Reading, the church lights are switched on, the altar candles lit, and the hymn Gloria in Excelsis is solemnly intoned. The church bells are rung during this hymn.
- 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 (catechumens) - if present - are 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 (if catechumens are present, they are baptized.
- 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
- Part IV: Liturgy of the Eucharist
Easter Sunday
- The Feast of the Resurrection.
- The Church’s greatest feast
Holy Week in Spain
Spain is renowned in the world for its Holy Week traditions. Andalusia see the most glamorous celebrations (Seville and Malaga as most relevant examples), while those of Castille or Leon see the more sombre and solemn events (Valladolid).
A common feature in Spain is the almost general usage of the "nazareno" or penitential robe for some of the participants in the Processions. This garment consists in a tunic, a hood with conical tip ( "capirote") used to conceal the face of the wearer, and sometimes a cloak. The exact colors and forms of these robes depend on the particular procession. The robes were widely used in the medieval period for penitents, who could demonstrate their penance while still masking their identity. (These robes intentionally served as the basis for the traditional uniform for members of the Ku Klux Klan in the United States, ironically a very anti-Catholic organization.) These "Nazarenos" carry processional candles or rough hewn wooden crosses, may walk the city streets barefoot, and, in some places may carry shackles and chains on their feet as penance.
In some areas, sections of the participant wear dress freely inspired in the uniforms of the Roman Legion.
Seville, Spain
Seville arguably holds some of the most elaborate processions for Holy Week. A tradition that dates from Counterreformation times, or even earlier. The "Semana Santa en Sevilla" is notable for featuring the procession of "pasos", lifelike wood sculptures of individual scenes of the events that happened between Jesus' entry in Jerusalem and his burial, or images of the Virgin Mary showing restained grief for the torture and killing of her son. Some of the images are of great antiquity and artistic masterworks. These "pasos" (which usually weigh over a metric tonne) are physically carried on the neck of costaleros (literally "sack men", for its distinctive -and functional- headdress). The "costaleros" (from 24 to 48) are hidden inside the platform of the "paso", so it seems to walk alone. Historically dock workers were hired to carry the "pasos". From 1973 onward, that task has been universally taken over by the members of the confraternities who organize each procession. same
The "pasos" are set up and maintained by hermandades and cofradías, religious brotherhoods, confraternities or sodalities, which precede the "pasos" (up to 3) dressed in penitential robes. Some of the processions are near 3000 persons each. In Seville, but for some officials, "costaleros", acolytes and a few other exceptions every participant must wear penitential robes and be hooded. A brass band may accompany the group, playing funereal religious hymns or "marchas" written for the occasion. Some processions are silent with no musical accompaniment. As each procession leaves its home church, called a salida, as well at its return (the entrada) and along the march route there are special extemporaneous songs offered by individuals in the crowd or a balcony. These songs are generically called saetas (arrows).
A total of 58 processions (as of 2007) occur during the week, from Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday morning. On Maundy Thursday there are two sets of processions. One group occurs during the afternoon and evening. The second set begins near midnight and continues until early afternoon on Good Friday. The most famous processions occur this night (the madrugá), including Jesus del Gran Poder, Esperanza - Macarena, and Esperanza - Triana.
Málaga, Spain
Holy Week processions mark the main religious celebrations in Spain but none as the processions of Málaga. Holy Week in Malaga are famous countrywide. Processions start on Palm Sunday and continue until Easter Sunday with the most dramatic and solemn on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Images from the Passion on huge ornate "tronos" (floats or thrones) some with more than 5.000 kilos carried by more than 250 members (Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza) shape the processions that go for the streets with penitents dressed in long purple robes, often with pointed hats, followed by women in black carrying candles. Drums and trumpets play solemn music and occasionally someone spontaneously sings a mournful saeta dedicated to the floats as it makes its way slowly round the streets.
León, Spain
Holy Week processions in León are also very popular, with more than 15,000 papones (Leonese language word for penitents) on the streets. Processions begin on "Viernes de Dolores" (the Friday in the week before Holy Week) until Easter Sunday. The most solemn and famous procession is the "" also known as the ""(Procession of the Meeting). During this marathonian procession, which lasts nine hours, about 4,000 penitents carry 13 "pasos" around all the city. The most solemn moment is (The Meeting) when the pasos representing Saint John and La Dolorosa face one to the other and are "" (penitents move the paso like Saint John and La Dolorosa were dancing).
Also famous is a secular procession, called Entierro de San Genarín (Burial of Saint Genarín). In 1929 on Maundy Thursday night a poor alcoholic person, called Genaro Blanco was run over by the first rubbish truck in León. The procession consists of a march through the city with Orujo at the head of the procession to the front of the city walls where the man was supposedly run over and then cheese, a bottle of Orujo and two oranges are left at the spot.
The processions in Cartagena do not closely resemble others in Spain due to their strict order and unique characteristics:
-Every brotherhood is divided into smaller groups (“agrupaciones”), each in charge of one of the floats in the procession. The members of the group are all clad in the same colours and wear a robe, a sash around the waist, a cloak, a high pointed hood to cover their heads and faces, and sandals.
-Each float is preceded at the front by a richly embroidered standard (“estandarte”), carried by three members of the group and followed by two symmetrical lines of members, who march and stop in unison to the beat of drums. When they stop, they all remain absolutely still and in total silence. Maybe they are called a “tercio” (a word which broadly means “regiment”) because of this military-like discipline.
-At the rear of the “tercio” come a music band and the drummers, and then the float (called “trono”), made of artistically carved gilded or varnished wood. Some of the floats move on wheels whereas others are carried on the shoulders of hundreds of “portapasos” (or float-carriers), who also march to the rhythmic beat of the drums.
-On the top of the float you can see the processional images, polychrome wooden sculptures which are displayed either separately or in groups. The images include works by classic artists such as Francisco Salzillo, José Capuz, Juan González Moreno, Mariano Benlliure, or Federico Coullaut-Valera as well as others by contemporary sculptors. Unlike in other cities, in Cartagena the order of the floats in the procession follows the chronological order of the events narrated in the Gospels.
-The images are surrounded by “cartelas”, a kind of electric candelabra or sometimes a sort of upside-down chandeliers, fixed to the float and decorated with colourful and intricate floral arrangements.
-Also unique in Cartagena are the infantry companies (“piquetes”) at the rear of the main processions, escorting the float of St. Mary which, under popular Marian advocations such as Our Lady of Sorrows or Our Lady of Solitude, usually closes the procession.
It must have been this uniqueness which awarded the Holy Week of Cartagena the rank of International Tourist Interest Festival in 2005.
The processions in Cartagena are organized by four brotherhoods:
-The penitential brotherhood of the Most Holy Christ of the Succour leads the prayer of the Stations of the Cross (“via crucis”) around the city on the early hours of Friday of Passion Week (the Friday before Good Friday), when the festivity of the Patron Saint of the city, Our Lady of The Seven Sorrows, takes place. The colour of this brotherhood is black.
-The brotherhood of the Hour of Our Lord Jesus´ Arrest (known as “Californios”) organises the processions that take place on the evening of Friday of Passion Week, on Holy Tuesday and Holy Wednesday and on Maundy Thursday. The colour of this brotherhood is red.
-The brotherhood of Our Lord Jesus of Nazareth (known as “Marrajos”) is in charge of the processions that you can see on Holy Monday, on the early hours of Good Friday, in the evening of Good Friday and on Holy Saturday. The colour of this brotherhood is purple.
-The brotherhood of Our Lord Jesus Resurrected (known as “Resucitados”) organises the procession on the morning of Easter Sunday. The colour of this brotherhood is white.
Other Holy Week Cities in Spain
All of these cities, including those above, have been declared of international tourist interest.
Linares' Holy Week has been declared of National Tourist interest since 1998. Processions start on Palm Sunday and they end at Easter Sunday. The most important procession in Linares is "Procesión del Nazareno" that occurs in the night from Holy Thrursday to Good Friday and crosses our sin city during ten hours with the company of miles of "penitentes"
The greatest "paso" in Holy Week corresponds to procession of "Last Supper of Christ and his 12 Apostles" and commemorates this supper and the institution of the Eucharist. This group of sculptures is considered the masterpiece of a great Spanish sculptor called Victor de los Ríos.
Linares' Holy Week is famous for a type of Holy Week bands, called "Bandas de Cabecera", that are created and put in scene in this city.
"Bandas de Cabecera" are composed for about one hundred of "penitentes" with diverse musical instrument (formed by wind instrument and percussion). They are situated at the beginning of the procession. They performed adapted famous film soundtracks ("Ben-hur", "Exodus", "Gladiator", "The mission", ...) and very famous pieces of classical music ("Aranjuez's Concert" "Aida" "The lake of the swans", ...) and even famous modern song ("Going home" by Dire Strait, "Inch Allat" by Adamo, "The sound of silence" by Simon & Garfunkel, ...).
Andalucia
Holy Week in the Philippines
In this predominantly Roman Catholic nation, Holy Week, known as both Semana Santa or Mahal na Araw, is considered as one of the most important religious festivals of the entire year. Many superstitions abound regarding this holiest of weeks, such as that wounds inflicted or received on Good Friday take long to heal and that amulets acquired on the said day are especially powerful.
Throughout the week, most establishments either shut down operations until Black Saturday or have later opening and earlier closing times, and (mostly local) television stations either stay off the air and those that sign-on air shows with more solemn or serious content, especially films and programmes with a religious theme. An example is the airing of the Seven Last Words on Good Friday live from churches on various local channels and films about the life and death of Jesus. During the Easter Triduum, usually a public holiday, some television stations even interrupt broadcast altogether until Black Saturday in observance of this solemn occasion. In the Ilocos Region, a common practice is the singing of a wailing song called the Leccio. It is done as a reflection of mourning the death of Christ.
Palm Sunday
At Mass on Palm Sunday, Catholics carry palm fronds to be blessed by the priest. Many Filipinos bring them home after the Mass and place them above their front doors or windows, in the belief that doing so can ward off evil spirits and avert lightning. The usual Gospel reading on Palm Sunday features Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem, when he was welcomed by people waving palm fronds and laying their cloaks on the ground for his donkey to walk upon.
Holy Monday marks the beginning of the Pabasa (literally, "reading") or the Pasyon, the marathon chanting of the poetic prayer-story of Jesus' life, Passion, and death, which continues day and night, for as long as two straight days.
Holy Thursday
Come Holy Thursday, a popular tradition is "Church Visit", which involves visiting a church or several churches at which the faithful would pray the devotion known as the Stations of the Cross. Celebrated on this day is the last Mass before Easter, 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. TV and Radio networks in the nation have formally either sign-off until Easter Sunday or started restricting broadcasts related to religion, especially to the Holy Week.
Good Friday
Good Friday, a public holiday in the Philippines, is commemorated with solemn street processions, the Way of the Cross, the commemoration of Jesus' Seven last words and a Passion play called the Senakulo. 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 or in fulfillment of a vow accomplished in thanksgiving or exchange for a granted request or prayer. 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. Towards late afternoon and evening there is the procession of the dead Christ. The figure of the corpse of Jesus is taken in solemn procession and borne on a decorated hearse, after which it is venerated by the faithful. Some even accord the image with the proper funeral rites such as laying the body in state or, in some instances, by smoking the seated corpse of Jesus over a fire in accordance with local, pre-hispanic funerary customs. Such a procession may involve a various number of other saints, and tradition dictates that the last image in the line is the Sorrowful Virgin.
Holy Saturday
Black Saturday, as it is called in the country, is traditionally observed with silence and solemnity. Preparations are made for the Easter Vigil to be celebrated that evening.
Easter Sunday
Easter morning is marked with joyous celebration, the first being the dawn ceremony called the Salubong ("meeting"), wherein statues of the Resurrected Christ and the Virgin Mary, along with other saints such as St. Peter and Mary Magdalene, are brought in procession together to meet, imagining the first reunion of Jesus and his mother Mary after the Resurrection. The statue of the Virgin Mary is veiled in black, showing her state of bereavement. A girl dressed as an angel, positioned on a specially constructed high platform/scaffold or suspended in mid-air, sings the Regina Coeli and then dramatically pulls the veil off of the image, signifying the end of her grieving. This is followed by pealing bells and fireworks, and the joyous Easter Mass.
Hereunder are the cities and locales nationwide with famous Holy Week celebrations and observances:
Other countries
Cities famous for their Holy Week processions include:
Holy Week in Protestant churches
Many Protestant churches do not have the special ceremonies that distinguish Holy Week in Orthodox and Catholic churches. However, most Protestants conduct more informal celebrations of Holy Week, usually including sermons about the last week of Christ's life, and possibly some special services on Palm Sunday, Good Friday and or Easter Sunday. Lutherans, Anglicans and other Protestants in the catholic tradition observe Holy Week much as the Roman Catholic Church does. Of Protestant fellowships, perhaps the Holy Week services [Passion Week] of the Moravian Church are the most elaborate, as the Congregation follows the life of Christ through His final week in a harmony of the Gospel stories, responding to the actions in hymns, prayers and litanies.
See also
External links
- at The Christian Resource Institute
- at the Greek Orthodox Church of America
- Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia
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- Fast Facts from AOL Research & Learn
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