Holy Week - the last week before Easter, which has a unique spiritual potential, capable of changing any Orthodox person. Church traditions, worship in these great days accustom a Christian to the Eternal Life and the mystery of Salvation. Holy Week Lent - time is both difficult and joyful, because at the end of the holy week of the faithful the Bright Sunday of Christ awaits.
The Great Lent: Holy Week in 2016
The Holy Week of Lent is a precious time, and the services of Holy Week are the best services from the church year. Preparing the laity for the cross sufferings of God, the Church attaches to the service of the first three days of Holy Week the character of contrition for sinfulness. On Wednesday the Lenten ministry ends, the sounds of mourning and weeping cease in the temples, heartfelt and touching services begin: on Thursday the Liturgy of Basil the Great is served and 12 Gospel texts are read, on Friday they take out the Shroud and the burial order. All these liturgies help the orthodox to concentrate on the events of Holy Week, to live them together with the Savior.
In 2016, the Holy Week will last from April 25 to 30 before Easter.
The Great Lent: Holy Week and Traditional Rites
Great Monday
Believers remember Patriarch Joseph and the Gospel narrative about the curse of God by a barren fig tree, whose image symbolizes a soul that does not bear the fruits of spiritual things - good works, faith, repentance, prayer.
Great Tuesday before Easter
Christians praise the Savior's conviction of the scribes and Pharisees, repeat the parables he uttered in Jerusalem.
Great Wednesday
With sorrow in the heart of the Orthodox remember the betrayal of Christ by Judas and the sinner who prepared the Son of God for burial and washed his feet with his tears.
Holy Thursday (pure)
The day is filled with memories of important evangelical events - the betrayal of Judas, the secret evening, the prayer of God in the Garden of Gethsemane. On a clean Thursday it is customary to knead a dough for Easter cakes and paint eggs.
Great Friday before Easter
On Holy Friday before Easter, Christians commemorate the death of Jesus on the cross, in the churches there are three services: the royal clock, Vespers (taking out the Shroud), matins with burial. In many churches after Vespers the "Lament of the Virgin" is sung.
Great Saturday before Easter
The terrible Sabbath before Easter marks the descent into hell and the victory of Christ over him. The nature of this day is expressed by the words: "Let the flesh of man be silent, nothing fussing without imagining in oneself." On Saturday, Easter eggs are consecrated in Orthodox churches, and the greatest miracle in Jerusalem is the convergence of the blessed fire.
Bright Sunday in Christ
The most significant religious holiday, symbolizing the resurrection of the Savior. The main attributes of Easter are colored eggs, Easter cakes and fire. In the temples there are solemn services, a special liturgy is served - the Bright Easter Matins.
How to fast in the Holy Week of Lent
Abstinence in food sharpens spiritual feelings and refines flesh. The church calls for the strictest fasting for the first three days, a little consolation is allowed on Thursday, on Friday a complete refusal of food in memory of the crucifixion and death of Jesus is prescribed. During the Holy Week it is forbidden to eat fish, dairy, meat products and eggs, heat-treated cereals, vegetables, fruits, fried vegetables and boiled porridges.
Sample menu for the Holy Week
Fasting on Monday
- breakfast: black bread, lean salad , ginger tea;
- lunch: spicy walnut soup, beet salad, sandwich with tomatoes;
- dinner: oat flakes with honey and dried fruits, almond milk;
Fasting on Tuesday (Annunciation)
- breakfast: a sandwich with cucumbers and shrimps, tea;
- lunch: lean soup with mushrooms , stuffed eggplants, baked apples with honey and cranberries;
- dinner: green salad, potato meatballs, a glass of red wine, grilled cheese.
Fasting on Wednesday
- breakfast: boiled buckwheat porridge, avocado puree, herbal tea;
- dinner: fresh beet salad with honey and pine nuts, lean soup, herbal tea;
- dinner: lean bread, milk from pumpkin seeds.
Fasting on Thursday
- breakfast: coffee with milk (soy), a sandwich with bananas;
- dinner: salad of cucumbers and radishes, dumplings with mushrooms, dressed with soy cream;
- dinner: cranberry juice, lazy cabbage rolls.
Fasting on Friday
On this day, it is necessary to refrain from food until Friday's vespers, light lenten salads are allowed for dinner.
Fasting on Saturday
- breakfast: cucumber, black bread, herbal tea;
- dinner: stewed zucchini, lean soup without butter, glass of wine;
- dinner: boiled rice with garlic, basil, tomato sauce; glass of wine.
In the Great Lent, Holy Week is a holy day, which should cut off the believer from everyday life and plunge him into the trembling expectation of the Easter celebration. Passionate Seven is the time of temptations, therefore the Fathers of the Church advise parishioners to take special care of their souls, so as not to destroy the labor of fasting. Do not let quarrels, anger, despondency and God's help safely live until Easter.
On Friday, Easter, the Church recalls the most tragic event in human history