Holy Monday - The Barren Fig Tree

Holy  Tuesday -The Parable of the Ten Virgins

Holy Wednesday - The Forgiveness of the Fallen Woman

On Holy Thursday, we commemorate the washing of the disciple's feet, the beginnings of the Holy Eucharist (the Last Supper), the agony in the Garden of Gethsemane and the betrayal of Christ by Judas.  In certain places, there is also the service of Holy Unction - prayers for and an anointing of the Faithful for healing of soul and body, in preparation for Holy Pascha.

Holy Friday is a day when Orthodox Christians worldwide commemorate Christ's suffering and death. At the Matins Service, the moving Twelve Passion Gospels are read. Royal Hours are also Read in the morning hours, and at Vespers, sung in the afternoon, the Burial Shroud (Plashchanitsa; Russian or Epitaphion; Greek) is brought out in solemn procession.

Holy Pascha!

At Midnight, the Clergy come out of the Holy Altar, and from the Priest's candles all of the candles of the faithful are then lit, beginning a joyous and festive procession which encircles the Church three times - The Choir and all of the Faithful singing the Resurrection Hymn, "Thy Resurrection, O Christ our Savior, the angels in heaven sing, Enable us on earth, to glorify Thee in purity of heart."  Then, before the closed Church doors, the Priest exclaims the Paschal verses, "Let God Arise…" while the Choir and Faithful sing the triumphant Paschal song, "Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life."

The Church is then re-entered - each of the Faithful holding a lighted candle - and the Paschal Matins Service begin.  Throughout the service, the Clergy exclaim triumphantly and in many languages, "Christ is Risen!" and the Faithful joyfully respond, "Indeed, He is Risen!"  At the conclusion of Matins, the Catechetical Sermon of St. John Chrysostom is read, summoning all to the great Paschal Feast!  Matins is then followed by the Paschal Divine Liturgy.

Holy Saturday often begins with the Baptism and/or Chrismation of new Converts to the Orthodox Christian faith, intertwined with commemoration of the burial of Christ and His descent into Hades.  During the day's services, the Clergy's Vestments and the Church's liturgical cloth coverings are changed from Lenten colored purples to white, symbolizing our Baptism in Christ. The Matins' Lamentations Service, where the Praises are sung before the Holy Shroud, is followed by the reading of the fifteen Old Testament lessons which refer to "prefigurations" of the Passover, Resurrection and Baptism.  Later in the evening, the Acts of the Apostles are read, before the beginning the Resurrection Nocturnes, which is sung shortly before Midnight, with all lights in the Church being extinguished.  The Faithful wait in silence until the Priest comes out of the Alter, with lit candles, symbolizing the Light of the Risen Christ and the beginning of Holy Pascha - the Feast of Feasts!

Part of the Afternoon Pascha Services is the reading of a selection of Gospel in various languages. Mimi reads in Ethiopian, while Lily reads in Spanish. Other languages this year included French, Chinese, Greek, Russian, Italian, and Romanian.

The Faithful crack their blood-red Paschal Eggs together, while exclaiming, "Christ Is Risen!" Responding,"Indeed He Is Risen!

It is Girl versus Piñata, as the Matushka pulls the rope!

Gathering the Spoils of Victory, after the Victory over the Piñata

Group Photo of the Participants of the Paschal Piñata Celebration

Lenten Resources

Monachos Web Site

Antiochan Web Site

The Rules reckoning the date of Easter/Pascha are determined by the Council of Nicea of  325-326 AD Þ

 http://www.oca.org/pages/orth_chri/calendar/paschaarticle.htm 

 http://www.al-bushra.org/prayer/easter.htm 

The actual calculation of Easter/PaschaÞ

  http://www.smart.net/~mmontes/ec-cal.html

Sources: All icons were taken form the OCA Website http://oca.org , except for the Lord's Supper, which came from the Diamantes Cassis Collection. Photographs were provided by the OCA Monastic Community of St. Michael the Archangel Skete of Cañones, New Mexico, Matushka Elizabeth, and Webmaster Constantine. This page was meant to be an illustrated version of  These Truths We Hold, pages 137-150, which describes the Orthodox Observance of Easter.