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Holy Week Definition and Summary
Holy Week includes the final week of Lent and part of the Paschal Triduum. Holy Week runs from Palm Sunday through Holy Saturday, and also includes Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. It falls in late March, or April. In 2010, Holy Week runs from March 28 - April 3 (dates in other years).
Basic Facts About Holy Week
Liturgical Color(s): Violet (Purple); various
Type of Holiday: Fast
Time of Year: The Last Week of Lent Before Easter Sunday
Duration: Palm Sunday to Holy Saturday
Celebrates/Symbolizes: Various Final Events of Jesus' Life
Alternate Names: hebdomada major
Scriptural References: Matthew 21, 26-27; Mark 11, 14-15; Luke 19, 22-23; John 13, 16-19
Introduction
Holy Week is the last week of Lent before Easter, beginning on Palm Sunday and ending on Holy Saturday. In an older nomenclature, Holy Week is the second Sunday of Passiontide (Passiontide begins on the fifth Sunday of Lent). Holy Week is the part of the Church Year where Jesus' final moments are commemorated. The final three days of Holy week are part of the Paschal Triduum. Holy Week consists of the following events, which have their own pages on ChurchYear.Net. To get more details, click on the specific links:
Palm Sunday:
On the sixth Sunday of Lent we commemorate Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Worship services include blessing of the palms and a procession. The liturgical color is red. Also known as "Fig Sunday."
Spy Wednesday:
This is an old and uncommon name for the Wednesday of Holy Week, which commemorates Judas' agreement to betray Jesus (see Matthew 26:3-5, 14-16).
Holy Thursday (Maundy Thursday):
The name "Maundy Thursday" is derived from Jesus "mandate" to love one another as he loves us. This day celebrates Jesus' institution of the sacraments of Holy Eucharist and Ordination. Also known as "Shear Thursday."
Good Friday of the Lord's Passion:
A Fast day of the Church commemorating Jesus' crucifixion and death. Worship customs include Veneration of the Cross, communion from the reserved Maundy Thursday host, and the singing or preaching of the Passion (reading or singing excerpts of the Passion story from John's gospel). In the Catholic Church, the liturgical color was formerly black, but is now red.
Holy Saturday:
This is the final day of both Holy Week and the Triduum. There are few specific customs associated with Holy Saturday, except that it is the final night before the Feast of the Resurrection, which begins at the Great Easter Vigil.
Other customs and events, including Tenebrae, have developed as Holy Week customs. Generally Holy Week is a busy time for Catholic and Orthodox Christians, as we build up to the Queen of all Church Feasts, Easter (Pascha).
History
Holy Week, i.e. the series of pre-Easter festivities commemorating various events of the final days of Christ's life, probably developed in 4th century Jerusalem, possibly beginning with St. Cyril of Jerusalem. Christians from all over the world would take pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and the Church of Jerusalem provided rites and worship dedicated to reenacting the final events of Christ's life. The first account we have of such rites is the diary of the pilgrimage of Egeria to Jerusalem around AD 381. Gradually many of these customs and holy days spread to the wider Christian world. For more history, please see our more detailed individual pages linked above.
Worship And Prayer Resources
Prayers for Lent (Lenten Prayers)
The Great Litany
The Decalogue
Seven Penitential Psalms (in English)
Seven Penitential Psalms (in Latin)
Lenten Canticles
Stations of the Cross
Passion Sermon III by Pope St. Leo
Holy Week Art, Photos, and Images
Order Prints/Download High Resolution Images (Some Not Available)
More Liturgical Artwork
Traditions and Symbols
Traditions
See Links to Individual Sites
Symbols
See Links to Individual Sites
Holy Week Games and Educational Materials
Lent Crossword Puzzle (html)
Lent Crossword Puzzle (pdf)
Interactive Lent Crossword Puzzle
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Why is Holy Week So Important?
Holy Week is important because it commemorates the events of Christ's final days and passion. This includes the institution of the Eucharist and the crucifixion. Obviously, Christ's institution of the Eucharist and his passion and death are important in many ways, especially in terms of their importance in the reconciliation of God and humanity (the atonement). Holy Week commemorates these important events, and is therefore a very busy time in the life of the Church. For an article explaining why Catholics spend so much time at church during Holy Week, check out You're at Church A Lot During Holy Week...How Strange.
2. Why Doesn't My Church Observe Holy Week?
There are various possibilities. Perhaps your particular church considers Holy Week to be unbiblical (although the whole week is based explicitly on Scripture). Some denominations that came out of the "Radical Reformation" got rid of the Church Year, believing it to be a manmade tradition. Another possibility is that your church believes Holy Week is outdated and places too much emphasis on sin and guilt. A final reason may be that your pastor is not familiar with the rich meaning behind Holy Week, which means you should send him to this site.
3. What are the Western Catholic Fast Guidelines for Good Friday?
Fasting means eating only one full meatless (no animal flesh) meal on this day. However, one may still eat a breakfast and even a lunch in addition to a full meal if the two additional small meals do not add up to a second full meal. Snacking is not allowed. Drinking coffee, tea, juices, etc, between meals is permitted on fast days. The requirements are slightly different for those of certain ages. Fasting is only required of those from ages 18-59, although parents are expected to teach their children the reasons behind their fasting, etc. Those with health conditions are excluded. Note that some Western Bishop Conferences, Eastern Catholic Rites, and Orthodox Christians have different fasting guidelines, so it is wise to check with your local parish about expectations. These are simply the minimum expectations. Additional forms of self-denial, within reason, can also be spiritually beneficial.
4. What is the Paschal Triduum?
The Paschal Triduum, often called the Easter Triduum or simply the Triduum, consists of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday. This includes the Great Easter Vigil, the high point of the Triduum. The word Triduum comes from the Latin word meaning "three days." It begins the evening of Maundy Thursday and ends at Evening Prayer on Easter Sunday. Thus the Triduum consists of three full days which begin and end in the evening. The Triduum is not part of Lent (at least liturgically), but Holy Thursday and Good Friday are still reckoned as part of the traditional forty days of Lent. The Triduum celebrates the heart of our faith and salvation: the death and resurrection of Christ, and is thus the high point of the liturgical year.
Holy Week, Lent, and Church Year Books
A Day in your Presence: 40 Days With St. Francis
Imitation of Christ (a Kempis)
Catechism of the Catholic Church
Holy Bible: New Jerusalem Bible
Christian Prayer: Liturgy of the Hours
The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (Cross and Livingstone, eds.)
New St. Joseph People's Prayer Book
The Study of Liturgy (Jones, ed.)
Spirit of the Liturgy (Ratzinger)
Lent Reading List
More Christian & Church Year Books
General Links
"Holy Week" from the Catholic Encyclopedia
"Palm Sunday" from the Catholic Encyclopedia
"Tenebrae" from the Catholic Encyclopedia
"Maundy Thursday" from the Catholic Encyclopedia
"Good Friday" from the Catholic Encyclopedia
"Holy Saturday" from the Catholic Encyclopedia
You're at Church A Lot During Holy Week...How Strange
All About Lent
All About Ash Wednesday
All About Easter
Table of Movable Major Catholic Seasons and Holidays
About ChurchYear.Net
In the course of a year, the Church celebrates the unfolding of the mystery of Christ, beginning with Advent, anticipating his first coming, and reaching a high point at Easter, the feast of feasts, celebrating Christ's resurrection. Through the Church Year, which includes the seasonal, daily, and yearly cycles of Christian time, we commemorate, and participate in, events in the lives of Jesus and his followers, through sanctified time. Thus, we experience in symbol what Jesus and his followers did in reality. We do this through daily prayer (The Liturgy of the Hours), worship, the Eucharist, the sacraments, art, changing colors, canticles, psalms, antiphons, symbols, and other means.
The Church Year, including all liturgical celebrations and times of prayer, is one of the most meaningful dimensions of the Catholic faith. Many Christians of all traditions feel drawn to this system of holy time, and prefer to orient their lives around the Christian calendar instead of the secular calendar. Postmodern men and women feel especially drawn to many elements of Sanctified Time: mystery, connection to the past, and a multitude of religious symbols and experiential elements. Thus the Church Year is a postmodern Catholic evangelism tool, and a means of spiritual growth for all who use it.
We now have All About...! pages for every season of the Church Year, and have many All About...! pages for various feasts, fasts, and holy days of the Church Year. Each All About...! page has a history, general facts, scriptural references, traditions, symbols, links, worship resources, sermons, an FAQ, and more material related to the particular season or holy day. We also have a helpful Church Year and Liturgy Dictionary, to define certain unfamiliar terms and practices. We are expanding our resources to include general prayers, language resources, and other tools peripherally related to celebrating the Church Year, but still important to its celebration. Enjoy!
If you have any suggestions or information you would like to add to our Church Year. Net pages, please contact us.
This page written by David Bennett. Last updated 04-01-2007.
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