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Holy Week is coming: the hidden meaning of every day, which not everyone knows about
Holy Week is a special time in the Orthodox calendar when believers immerse themselves in spiritual concentration and remember the last earthly sufferings of Jesus Christ. Special divine services, confessions and communions are held for six days, and folk rituals and traditions are observed at home. For parishioners, this is the period of preparation for the main Christian holiday, Easter, when the Bright Resurrection of Christ comes. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.
When is Holy Week in 2026
In 2026, Holy Week will begin on Monday, April 6, and last until the 11th inclusive. For six days, believers will remember the last earthly sufferings of Jesus Christ, including his crucifixion and burial. On the seventh day, April 12, Orthodox Christians will celebrate Easter, the Bright Resurrection of Christ.
What is Holy Week?
Holy Week is the period during which Orthodox Christians remember the last earthly sufferings of Jesus Christ, including his crucifixion on the cross on Calvary and burial. The word "passion" in Church Slavonic means "suffering".
During this period, believers tend to attend church more often, confess and receive communion. It is assumed that it is at this time that Christians, participating in divine services, together with the Savior go through his last journey on Earth. The most significant days are considered to be Great Thursday, Great Friday and Great Saturday. On these dates, the Last Supper, the sufferings of the cross and the burial of the Savior are remembered.
The meaning of the name of the Great Week
The week has two naming options: Great and Passionate. The concept of "Great Week" dates back to the Greek Christian tradition, which is why among Russian-speaking believers it is customary to call certain days of Holy Week great, for example, Great Monday, Great Tuesday, and so on.
According to the synaxary, a collection of historical information about church holidays, the celebration got its name because of the "great and supernatural miracles and extraordinary works of the Savior."
Another name has been fixed in church writings and traditions — Holy Week, or the week of the Passion of Christ. During this period, believers abstain from anything that may distract from prayer and repentance. Baptisms, weddings, funeral services and commemorations of saints are also not held during Holy Week.
Church traditions of Holy Week
The Church regards Holy Week as a time of spiritual concentration. Special services are held in churches on these days. On the first three days of Holy Week - Holy Monday, Holy Tuesday, and Holy Wednesday - Christians remember the last parables and teachings uttered by the Savior during his earthly life.
During this period, the Psalter and the Gospel are read in churches, with the exception of the passion passages, which are read on the eve of Good Friday, Thursday evening. In addition, the Liturgy of the presanctified Gifts is celebrated three times on the first three days of Holy Week. This is a special divine service during which the faithful partake of the Holy Gifts, consecrated before that at the full liturgy according to the order of Basil the Great or John Chrysostom.
On Holy Thursday, 12 Gospels about the sufferings of Christ are read in churches. They describe from beginning to end all the difficulties that the Son of God faced before the end of his human life. During the divine service, parishioners stand in churches with lighted candles.
On Good Friday, the reading of the Royal Hours takes place, during which hymns from the Apostolic and Evangelical readings are heard every hour. The service in honor of Holy Saturday begins at night. At this time, the church remembers the burial of Christ and his stay in the tomb. The liturgy of St. Basil the Great is also celebrated in churches, which begins with Vespers and ends with the removal of the Shroud, a large cloth with an image of the deceased Son of God embroidered on it.
The Biblical description of each day of Holy Week
Every day of Great Week has its own special significance and symbolizes important events related to the last days of the life of Jesus Christ.
Great Monday
In 2026, Great Monday falls on April 6th. On this day, Jesus' curse of the barren fig tree is remembered. According to the Gospel, after the solemn entry into Jerusalem on the same day, the Savior went to the Mount of Olives. On his way back in the morning, Christ experienced hunger and approached a fig tree. However, when he found no fruit on her, he cursed her, saying, "May there be no fruit from you forever." As a result, the tree dried up quickly.
Theologians emphasize that this act was largely symbolic. John Chrysostom, who lived in the fourth and fifth centuries, explains that during his entire stay on earth, the Son of God never punished anyone, but he needed to demonstrate an example of divine justice. And although the Savior could destroy any of his persecutors, he preferred to show his anger on an inanimate tree.
Holy Monday is also associated with the cleansing of the temple in Jerusalem, as a result of which Jesus drove away the merchants. Then he entered into a dialogue with the Pharisees and scribes, reading them two parables. When he finished, the Son of God turned to them and said, "The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people bearing its fruits." These words demonstrate the condemnation of those who outwardly show their religiosity, but do not commit spiritual deeds.
Great Tuesday
On the second day of Holy Week, according to the Gospel, Jesus Christ addressed the disciples with sermons about the future, including his second coming and the Last Judgment. He told two parables with deep spiritual meaning.
The first one, about talent— taught that each person is given abilities that should be developed and used for good.
The second one, about ten virgins— tells about the girls who came out to meet the groom with lamps and oil. Five of them were wise and took a supply of oil with them, but the five foolish ones were not prepared. As a result, the wise entered the wedding feast with the groom, but the foolish were not allowed in. Christ emphasized, "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."
The parable symbolizes a person's readiness to meet God: the oil here represents faith, good deeds and inner spiritual life. Those who are prepared to meet Christ will be able to enter the Kingdom of God.
Great Wednesday
On the third day, the church remembers two evangelical events at once. The first is related to the anointing of Christ with myrrh, the second is related to the betrayal of Judas. According to the Scriptures, one of the 12 apostles, Judas Iscariot, went to the high priests to denounce his teacher. For this, Judas was offered 30 pieces of silver, which could be used to purchase a plot of land in Jerusalem.
In addition, on this day, the last Liturgy of the presanctified Gifts is celebrated and a prayer with three prostrations is said. At the Wednesday evening service, believers take part in the sacrament of confession.
Great Thursday
On Holy Thursday, which is popularly called Pure, Orthodox Christians remember the Last Supper, when Jesus Christ gathered the disciples on the eve of the crucifixion and established the sacrament of the Eucharist. According to the Gospel of Matthew, the Savior took bread, broke it with a blessing and distributed it to the disciples, saying that it was his body. After that, he gave them a cup of wine, which represented the blood of Christ. The sacrament, which takes place on Holy Thursday, has a special meaning for the Orthodox.
Good Friday
On Good Friday, believers remember the day of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. This day is the culmination of Holy Week and recalls the suffering of the Savior on the cross. In Orthodox churches, a special divine service is held, during which believers stop in front of the Shroud.
Holy Saturday
Holy Saturday is the last day of Holy Week. During the celebration, Orthodox Christians remember the presence of the body of Jesus Christ in the tomb and his descent into hell for the liberation of the souls of the righteous.
According to popular belief, if the house is clean on Holy Saturday and all business is completed before noon, then Easter will go well in such a house. The candles that were brought from the church were especially closely watched: if the candle did not go out on the way home, it promised health and peace in the family.
They tried to carry the consecrated water and food from the temple in silence, so as not to "shake the grace." On this day, it was also customary to bake the last cakes and complete the preparation of the Easter table. It was believed that every grain left over after cooking had a special protective power — it was sometimes stored until the summer and added to the cattle feed against diseases.
In addition, the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem is of particular importance on this day. This event symbolizes the divine light that Christ brought into the world. It is assumed that fire descends in a supernatural way, and believers around the world revere it as a sacred sign of the living presence of God.
Folk traditions of Holy Week
In Russia, on Holy Monday, it was customary to start preparing for the imminent arrival of Easter. People started general cleaning, because they believed that the cleaner the house would be, the brighter life would be after the Bright Resurrection of Christ. In addition, on Holy Monday they tried not to swear, not to quarrel and not to discuss others. It was believed that any unkind word spoken at the beginning of the week would "stick" for the whole year.
In Russia, there were superstitions associated with the Great Environment. People thought that on this day it was necessary to be careful in words and deeds, to avoid transactions, large purchases and disputes. They were especially afraid of any monetary transactions — they said that "money taken on Great Wednesday would not do any good."
According to another belief, a vow of silence was often observed on this day, at least for a few hours. This was done in order to keep the spirit of betrayal and fuss out of the house.
There are many folk traditions associated with Maundy Thursday. According to legend, the house should be put in order on this day. People believe that adversities and sorrows leave the house along with the dust. According to another belief, on this day all the water has a special grace, and the work that has been started will be successful. However, it is important to remember that external cleanliness must also be accompanied by internal work on oneself. In addition, Orthodox Christians are recommended to paint eggs and bake Easter cakes on Thursday.
It was believed that on Good Friday, people should refrain from active work or heavy physical labor. It was also not recommended to engage in needlework and sewing. Any sharp and piercing objects on this day are associated with the crucifixion of Christ.
People also believed that on this day it was better to postpone all important decisions, transactions and large purchases to another day. It was believed that there could be problems with any endeavors on Good Friday.
There are also many superstitions associated with Holy Saturday. People believed that on this day one should do light household chores, such as cleaning or cooking. According to another belief, on Holy Saturday it was customary to carry out light work in the garden — preparing beds, fertilizing plants or light loosening of the soil. In addition, Christians consecrated cakes and colored eggs. It was not recommended to try the treats until after the Easter service.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
