Passion Week: from April 29 to May 4, Orthodox believers remember the suffering of Christ | 04/24/2024

This year, the main holiday of Orthodox Christians, Easter, falls on May 5th.

The week preceding it is called the Great or Holy Week (the word “passion” here means “suffering”). Formally, Lent – Lent (that is, what lasts forty days) – has already ended. But this adjacent pre-Easter week is the strictest and most important for believers. Each of its days has a symbolic meaning and is dedicated to the events of the last days of Jesus’ earthly life, described in the Gospels. Remembering them, believers seem to be immersed in the distant past and walk this entire path together with Christ. It is believed that sincere empathy allows you to look at your life differently, overcome weaknesses and bad habits. Each day of Holy Week is called Great, emphasizing its significance in comparison with all other Mondays, Tuesdays and other days.

Maundy Monday

The week begins with the Old Testament story about Joseph the Beautiful, whose life was full of suffering and therefore resembled the path of Christ. Out of envy, Joseph’s siblings sold Joseph into slavery, but he did not become embittered with them and was even able to help his relatives when the hungry years came.

The second story of this day is an episode from the Gospel telling how Christ dried up the fig tree, which was covered with rich foliage, but did not bear fruit, that is, it lived in vain. They say this is a metaphor for the struggle with external, formal religiosity, which does not bear fruit in the form of good deeds, sincere faith and prayer.

From this day until Thursday, believers observe dry eating – that is, they are allowed only bread, raw vegetables and fruits, or cooled dishes without vegetable oil.

Maundy Tuesday

On the second day of Holy Week, Christ’s sermons in the Jerusalem Temple are remembered. As it is written in the Gospels, he told his disciples about his second coming and told them two parables: about the ten virgins and about the talents. Both stories call for sincere faith and doing good deeds.

For example, the parable of the talents (the currency of that time) tells about servants who were given these talents for savings. And some of them buried the money, others spent it, and only the most faithful servant put it into circulation and then returned it to the owner with a profit. Of course, in the text sacred to Christians, what is meant is not money, but the abilities, time and other resources given to man. After all, many of us simply kill our time or spend it in search of pleasure. Christ called to let your abilities “grow” – to develop spiritually and increase your baggage of good deeds.

According to the Gospel, even then the Jewish high priests wanted to seize and kill Jesus, but did not dare, because the people perceived him as a prophet and could openly come to their defense.

Great Wednesday

Wednesday is traditionally a fast day for Orthodox Christians. All because it was on this day of the week that one of Jesus’ closest disciples, Judas Iscariot, betrayed his teacher. He knew that the top of Jewish society in Jerusalem wanted, to put it mildly, to punish Christ for his provocative sermons. After all, he called himself the king of the Jews and even called for breaking ancient customs (for example, the custom of not working on Saturdays).

Judas asked how much they were willing to pay him for giving them a teacher at a time when there was no fanatical crowd nearby. The traitor was offered a good sum – thirty pieces of silver. With this money it was possible to buy a plot of land in the capital of the Kingdom of Judah, Jerusalem (which was very good at that time). The price suited Judas, and he began to look for an opportunity to fulfill his part of the deal.

At the evening service on this day, it is customary to confess (tell the priest about your misdeeds), and this is done in especially detail.

Maundy Thursday

The events of this day two thousand years ago are depicted in the famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci. Every year on the fourth day of Holy Week, Christians remember the most important event – the Last Supper. As it is written in the Gospel of Matthew, while having dinner with his closest disciples (the twelve apostles), Christ took bread, broke it and distributed it to those sitting at the table, saying that this was his body. Then he gave them a cup of wine, calling it his blood.

This event is considered the establishment of the main sacrament of Christians – Holy Communion. They believe that by receiving communion (taking a piece of consecrated bread in wine from the hands of the priest), the believer, as it were, takes part of Christ into himself and unites with him. Coming to communion on Maundy Thursday is considered especially auspicious, because it is as if you find yourself at the moment when this sacrament was performed for the first time in history.

People usually call the fourth day of the week “clean”. On this day, preparations for Easter begin – believers wash and clean their houses, go to the bathhouse, paint eggs and bake Easter cakes, because on the eve of the holiday there will be no time for this at all.

On Thursday there is also a relaxation in the diet – those fasting can afford hot food with vegetable oil.

Good Friday

This is the darkest and most mournful day of Holy Week. Believers remember how Jesus walked to Mount Golgotha, where his execution was to take place. The soldiers accompanying him beat the condemned man and mocked him. They put a crown of thorns on Jesus’ head – very prickly, piercing deep into the skin – so blood flowed down his face. He had to carry the execution instrument – a large and very heavy wooden cross – himself.

But the most difficult hours of Christ’s earthly life began from the moment of the crucifixion. This was considered the most cruel and shameful execution. For example, half a century earlier, slaves who participated in the Spartacus uprising were crucified on crosses installed along the road from Capua to Rome.

It was a long and painful wait for the end on the cross. According to legend, Christ suffered from noon to three o’clock in the afternoon. The body was then given to loved ones, who wrapped it in a shroud (funeral cloth) and placed it in a cave.

On Friday, the church charter prescribes completely abstaining from food. Or at least wait until the “removal of the shroud” is completed in the temples, symbolizing the end of the torment of Jesus.

Holy Saturday

On the eve of Easter, believers remember the burial of Christ and the events that followed. According to legend, his body lay in a cave, the entrance of which was blocked with a large stone, and a guard was placed nearby (the authorities were afraid that the followers of Jesus would steal the body and begin to worship him). At the same time, the soul of Christ, the Gospels say, descended into hell in order to save the righteous people who were trapped there from the torment (after all, they were not Christians, therefore they could not receive any heaven, even if they lived ideally). By this, believers believe, Christ proclaimed the victory of life over death. They even sing in the Easter troparion: “Trample upon death death.”

On Saturday, hot food without oil is allowed. Christians are waiting for the beginning of the all-night service, when the main event of the year will happen – Christ will rise again.

For the soul, not the body

Orthodox priests say that the last week of fasting for believers is a time not only for food restrictions, but also for a review of one’s own life and deep repentance. The most important rule of these days is not to succumb to envy, resentment and irritation, but to pay attention to prayer, helping other people, leaving entertainment and everyday vanity.

And, of course, all dietary restrictions must be within one’s control and accepted sincerely. For those who have health problems, it is advisable to consult with your doctor and tell the priest about your condition.

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