Holy Week

Holy Week (Latin: Hebdomas Sancta or Hebdomas Maior, "Greater Week"; Greek: Μεγάλη Ἑβδομάς, Megale Hebdomas) 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 as recorded in the Canonical gospels.

History

Holy Week in the Christian year is the week immediately before Easter. The earliest catholic 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 flesh is commanded for all the days, while for the Friday and Sunday an absolute fast is commanded. Dionysius Alexandrinus in his canonical epistle (AD 260), refers to the 91 fasting days implying that the observance of them had already become an established usage in his time. ^[1]
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 15 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 Scriptures 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.

Songs of Praise - Palm Sunday

Diane Louise Jordan discovers modern day echoes of the events of Holy Week, and introduces hymns and songs for Easter with worship leader Stuart Townend.

The group from Holy Trinity Church in Folkestone met Diane to discuss their trip to the Holy Land and the impact it had on their faith. They reminisced over their photographs at the Grand Hotel, Folkestone.
The Grand Hotel, The Leas, Folkestone, Kent, CT20 2XL
The Grand Hotel is over 100 years old, built when Folkestone was a prosperous holiday resort. Edward VII was a frequent visitor to the hotel and it is believed that Agatha Christie stayed in the hotel during the time she wrote Murder on the Orient Express.
Persecuted Christian
‘John’ met Diane to discuss his experience of being persecuted for his Christian faith whilst working in India. He now uses his experiences to help others around the world who are suffering for their faith with his work for Open Doors.
Shirley Montgomery
Shirley was diagnosed with cancer 8 years ago. She explains how she and her family have learnt to live with the disease. She discusses her thoughts of Holy Week and the impact of her illness on her faith.
St. Luke's Hospice, Grosvenor House, Queensway, Winsford, Cheshire CW7 1BH.

There were some guides in the congregation.

Working Out the Date of Easter Day

Because the Church calendar follows the moon, Easter Day can be on any Sunday from March 22nd to April 25th!
Easter is the Christian celebration of the anniversary of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. This happened on a date representing the first Full Moon of Spring on the Jewish Calendar. Because of that, Easter Day is always the first Sunday after the first calculated Full Moon on or after March 21st. If the Full Moon is on a Sunday, Easter Day is on the next Sunday.

For the past 1500 years, March 21st has been used to represent the date of the March equinox (the real equinox might be a day or two different). There are two equinoxes a year, one in March and one in September. Equinox means 'equal night' and on the Equinoxes the day and night are of the same length. The March Equinox is also known as the Vernal Equinox.

Several methods have been used since early Christian times to work out the date of Easter Day. It was made more complicated in 1582 when Pope Gregory XIII replaced the old Roman 'Julian' calendar (started by Julius Caesar) with a new more accurate 'Gregorian' calendar, which most people still use today. In the UK, Easter was first calculated using the Gregorian calendar in 1753 when the country had changed calendars.
Catholic and western Christians now use the Gregorian calendar to find the date of Easter. However, some Orthodox churches celebrate Easter Day on a different day because they still use the old Julian Calendar (which is now 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar) and also a different moon to calculate from.
In the Gregorian Calendar, Easter can be on the dates from March 22nd to April 25th.

In 2008, Easter was on March 23rd, about as early as it can be. This is probably the earliest Easter anyone reading this page will see in the rest of their lives! You'll have only had an earlier Easter if you're over 95 years old (it happened in 1913)! And no one has ever, or will, see it any earlier!
The next time Easter will be as early as in 2008 will be in the year 2160!
The next time it will be on March 22nd (as early as it can be), will be in the year 2285. Easter last occurred on March 22nd in 1818! (However, in Orthodox churches in 2010 Easter will be on March 22nd. It will be on April 4th in the Gregorian calendar.)

Working out the date of Easter Day is extremely tricky and you need to be pretty good at Maths to do it! There are still several version of how to calculate the date. Below is a version with all the complicated maths already done (it works for the Gregorian calendar for the years 1900 to 2199), so all you have to do is:

1. Divide the year number by 19:
   2009/19=105.73
2. Multiple the number before the decimal point by 19 (105 for 2009):
   105x19=1995
3. Then subtract the result from Step 2 from the year number:
   2009-1995=14
4. Add 1: 14+1=15
5. Look up the 'Golden Number' in the following table (15 for 2009!).
   Easter is on the first Sunday after the date in the table.
   In 2009 Easter is on April 12th, so it works!

Golden Number	Date	Golden Number	Date	Golden Number	Date
0	March 27	7	April 8	14	March 22
1	April 14	8	March 28	15	April 10
2	April 3	9	April 16	16	March 30
3	March 23	10	April 5	17	April 17
4	April 11	11	March 25	18	April 7
5	March 31	12	April 13	19	March 27
6	April 18	13	April 2

The number 19 is used to find the 'Golden Number' because the dates of Full Moons repeat, almost exactly, every 19 years. The dates in the table are the dates of the 'Paschal Full Moon' (a 'representative' Full Moon used in the calculations!), which represents the real Full Moon quite closely.
If you'd like to know more about working out the date of Easter and things like Equninoxes, here are a some sites:

Easter

What is Easter?
Easter is the time for holidays, festivals and a time for giving chocolate Easter eggs. But Easter means much more....
Easter is the oldest and the most important Christian Festival, the celebration of the death and coming to life again of Jesus Christ. For Christians, the dawn of Easter Sunday with its message of new life is the high point of the Christian year.
What is the Easter story ?
Easter is the story of Jesus' last days in Jerusalem before his death.The Easter story includes Maundy Thursday (the Last supper leading to the Eucharist), Good Friday (the day on which Jesus was crucified) and Easter Day (the day on which Jesus came back to life).
It is a sad story because Jesus was killed. But the story has a very happy ending, because Jesus came back to life and visited his friends and followers once more. He did not die at all, but went back up to Heaven to be with God, his father.
Where does the name 'Easter' come from?
Pagan traditions give us the English word "Easter" which comes from the word "Eostre". The Anglo-Saxon word for April was "Eostre-monath" (the month of openings). However, it should be remembered that Christians celebrated the resurrection of Christ long before the word "Easter" was used, and the word they used for the celebration was "Pascha", which is derived from and linked to the Jewish festival of Passover.
According to Bede, the English monastic historian, the English word Easter comes from the Anglo-Saxon name for the month of April, which was known as "Eostremonath" in the AngloSaxon tongue and since Pascha was most often celebrated in Eostremonath, the English Christians began calling it "Easter". Bede also notes that the month was named after the Anglo-Saxon goddess Esostre.
Rituals related to the goddess Eostre focus on new beginnings, symbolized by the Easter egg, and fertility, which is symbolized by the hare (or Easter bunny).

Palm Cross

Straw Cross

The Palm Cross is so called because it is made from the fronds of a palm leaf. Simple versions are traditionally made by children just before Easter..
The Palm Cross may be confused with the cross held in the palm of the hand, and there is more than just an etymological connection between the palm leaves and the palm of the hand.

The Palm Cross is used for Palm Sunday celebrations before Easter to remember Jesus' entry into Jerusalem just a few days before His crucifixion

How to make Paper Palm Tree

Need: newspaper ( 2 double pieces), tape, scissors
Open and lay the 2 pieces of newspaper out flat. Take sheet 1 and begin rolling it into a tube.

When you reach the center of sheet 1, add sheet 2. Continue rolling until both are rolled into a tube.
Secure the loose ends with tape. Starting at the top of the tube, cut through all surfaces to halfway down the tube. Make 3 to 4 additional cuts.
Starting from the center, gently pull up on the paper. The leaves of the tree will begin to grow.

How to make Palm Crosses

To Make the Knot in the middle

1.     Hold the palm horizontally.

2.     At about the half waypoint fold the palm up towards the ceiling to create a ninety-degree angle.

3.     Take this piece and fold it tightly down towards the floor. (Do not try to make the cross. At this point you are making the square in the middle).

4.     Still using the same piece of palm, fold it back up toward the ceiling.

5.     Take the other piece of the palm and fold it across the square you have been creating.

6.     You will now take this same piece of palm and thread it through the small square you have created. This square is at the back of the cross and you will see the right angle you originally created in this square – thread the palm under this right angle piece.

7.     Pull tightly and you should have a completed knot that does not need to be held.

To Form the Cross

1.     Take the palm that points towards the ceiling and fold it down toward the floor and thread it through the square you have created at the front of the cross. This will be the top of your cross.

         

2.     Still using the same piece of palm thread up back up through the same square you used in the previous step to create the bottom of the cross.

3.     Turn the half made cross around so that the remaining horizontal piece of palm is to the right. You should have a vertical square in front of you and a horizontal piece of palm to your right. Take the unwoven piece of palm and thread it through this square to create one side of the cross.

                     

4.     Take the same piece of palm and thread it through the same square you used in the previous step making certain to thread it behind where you had previous threaded. You should have a cross that still has some palm pieces hanging out either on top and sometimes in the sides of the cross.

5.     Cut the strands that do not belong in your cross.

Palm Sunday

What is Palm Sunday?
The Sunday before Easter is known as Palm Sunday. It celebrates Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem for the Jewish festival of Passover. Great crowds of people lined the streets waving palm branches to welcome him. The people were very excited. They spread branches on the road – and even laid down their clothes. They shouted 'Hosanna!' which means 'Save us Now!'
We wave our UK flags at parades. They waved palm branches.
Why is it called Palm Sunday?
The Sunday before Easter is called Palm Sunday because the crowds waved palm branches as they followed Jesus' procession into Jerusalem.
Why did Jesus go to Jerusalem?
It was the time of the Jewish feast of Passover. Many Jews travelled to Jerusalem to celebrate this feast together.
What happens on Palm Sunday in England?
On Palm Sunday, children are given crosses made from single palm leaves. Traditionally, many churches will have a procession in or around the church while people sing songs of praise and wave palm leaves. This is to help them imagine what Jesus' entry into Jerusalem might have been like.
Pax Cakes
In some English churches small buns called pax cakes (symbolic of peace and goodwill) are given to the congregation as they leave after a Palm Sunday service.

Palm Sunday also has the nick name 'Fig Sunday' because Christ had wanted to eat some when travelling to Jerusalem (Mark 11: 12-14). Figs were once traditionally eaten on this day.

What happens to any Palm crosses left over?
Any left over Palm Crosses are kept and burned to make ashes for next years Ash Wednesday services.

Lent

What is Lent?
Lent is a Christian Festival. In the past it was a long, strict religious fast when people gave up all rich food. The day before Lent starts is known as Shrove Tuesday.

Lent is the time when Christians prepare for the greatest of the Christian festivals known as Easter, by thinking of things they have done wrong.

It was a time for spring-cleaning lives, as well as homes.

What happens during Lent today?

The Christian church no longer imposes a strict fast. Lent is a time when some Christians try to overcome their own faults because they believe that it was man's sin which led Jesus to be crucified.

Some Christians try to follow the example of Jesus in the desert by giving up luxuries and practising self-discipline. And they try to put aside more time to prayer and religious acts so that they can really let God into their lives.

Bible Study
Many churches hold special Lent services. In some towns the churches of different denominations join together in groups to discuss and share their Christian faith.

When does Lent begin?

Lent begins with Ash Wednesday and lasts for six and a half weeks.

Lent is a moveable feast which means the date changes from year to year. We explain more on our Easter main page.

In 2011 Ash Wednesday is on 9 March.

2009 — 25 February 2010 — 17 February 2011 — 9 March 2012 — 22 February 2013 — 13 February 2014 — 5 March 2015 — 18 February

2016 — 10 February 2017 — 01 March 2018 — 14 February 2019 — 06 March 2020 — 26 February 2021 — 17 February 2022 — 02 March

When does Lent end? When is Lent over?

Lent ends at Easter when Christians remember the execution of Jesus and then celebrate his rising from death.
The last week of Lent begins with Palm Sunday, which celebrates the day Jesus entered Jerusalem and the people lay down palms at his feet. The last day of Lent is Holy Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday (Easter Day)copyright of projectbritain.com
In the Roman Catholic Church, Lent officially ends at sundown on Holy Thursday (Maundy Thursday), with the beginning of the mass of the Lord's Supper.

The period of forty fast days and Sundays before Easter are known as Lent.

Calendar 2010

Why are Sundays not counted in the 40 days?

Sundays are always a day of celebration in the Christian church and so they cannot be included in the 40 fast days of Lent. Sundays commemorate the Resurrection. c

Why does Lent last for 40 days?

Lent is a time when Christians remember the 40 days and nights Jesus spent alone in the desert without food being tempted by the Devil. Jesus used this time to prepare for His work by fasting and praying.

Luke's Gospel says:

'Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.'

So, as in the Bible, Christians spend forty days in preparing themselves to rejoice at the resurrection of Jesus Christ at Easter.

Interesting fact The number 40 is a special number in the Bible. It signifies preparation for something special: The rain lasted for 40 days in the mighty flood - Noah Moses stayed on the Mount Sinai forty days (Ex 24:18) Jonah gave the people of Ninevah forty days to repent (Jon 3:4) Jesus, before starting his ministry, spent forty days in the desert in prayer and fasting (Matt 4:2)

opyright of projectbritain.com

Fasting in different Religions Different religions fast for different reasons. Sometimes people fast because they believe that suffering makes them closer to God. Fasting is believed to concentrate the mind on holy thoughts. There are some religions such as Buddhism and Sikhism, that don't encourage fasting because they don't believe it helps deepen religious strength. Jews Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement when Jews believe they are punished for past sins and can pray for the future. It is a solemn time when Jews feel they have to show they want forgiveness for their sins by practising self-discipline. They do this by fasting and praying. Muslims Ramadan is the month when Muslims fast from before sunrise to sunset. It remembers the time when the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) received the first revelation of the Qur'an, the Muslim holy book, from the Angel Jibril. Hindus Hindus fast at festivals and at other times to show devotion to the Hindu deities (gods). They fast on certain days of the month such as Purnima (full moon) and Ekadasi (the 11th day of the fortnight) and also on certain days of the week depending on their favourite God and its special day. Click here to visit our Multifaith Calendar

There are many special days in Lent leading up to Easter, the most important of all Christian festivals.

Ash Wednesday

What is Ash Wednesday?
Ash Wednesday is a Christian festival. It marks the beginning of six and a half weeks of repentance, fasting and abstinence in preparation for the most important Christian festival of Easter.
When is Ash Wednesday?

In 2011 Ash Wednesday will be on 9 March .

2009 — 25 February 2010 — 17 February 2011 — 9 March 2012 — 22 February 2013 — 13 February

2014 — 5 March 2015 — 18 February 2016 — 10 February 2017 — 1 March 2018 — 14 February

Why is it called Ash Wednesday?
Ashes are something that are left when something is burned.
For Christians, ashes are a symbol of being sorry for things they have done wrong and want to get rid of forever. It is also a reminder to them that we all come from ashes, and to ashes we all will return.

Why are ashes marked on the forehead?

For Christians, the marking on the forehead with ash marks the commitment to Jesus Christ and God. They wanted to show God that they were sorry for the wrong things they had done in the past year.
Using a mark on the forehead as a sign of commitment is also used in many Middle Eastern cultures where a round, coloured circle is marked on the forehead.
What happens on Ash Wednesday today?
Many Christians will attend a religious service where the ashes are blessed by the church leader, and placed on their forehead.

Christians believe this marks the physical and spiritual beginning of a personal Lent season in which 40 days of repentance will begin leading up to the celebration of Easter Sunday.

The actual moment when the forehead is marked initiates the beginning of lent for each individual person.

What are the ashes made from?
In churches the priest first burns the palm
that have been kept from last year's Palm Sunday and then mixes the ashes of these crosses with holy water (which has been blessed) to make a greyish paste. When people go to church on Ash Wednesday, the priest dips his thumb in the paste and uses it to make the sign of the cross on each person's forehead. copyright of projectbritain.com
Why are last years Palm Crosses recycled?
Palm Sunday celebrates Jesus's triumphant entry into Jerusalem, so when the crosses used in the last years Palm Sunday service are converted to ashes, worshippers are reminded that defeat and crucifixion swiftly followed triumph.
What do the ashes symbolise?
Using ashes to mark the cross on the believer's forehead symbolises that through Christ's death and resurrection, all Christians can be free from sin.
An Ash Wednesday Tradition
Childhood Memory in England
I remember putting an ash twig down my sock on Ash Wednesday. This was to keep me safe, as anyone who did not have an ash twig could have their foot stamped on.