Holy Week (redirected from Holy Tuesday)

Holy Week, week before Easter. Its chief days are named Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. In Christian life it is a week of devout observance, commemorating the Passion and Jesus' death on the cross. The liturgies have special features and services, e.g., Tenebrae. In the Roman Catholic Church these rise to a climax with the vigil of the Resurrection on the evening of Holy Saturday. At this time the paschal candle is blessed with the hymn Exsultet, and Lent, with its fast, ends at midnight.

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Holy Week

the week preceding Easter Sunday

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Holy Week

Between March 15 and April 18 in the West and between March 28 and May 1 in the East; the week preceding Easter

Holy Week, the seven days beginning with Palm Sunday that precede Easter, is the most solemn week in the Christian year. It includes Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. The Germans call Holy Week Still Week or Silent Week, and some Americans call it Passion Week, although the season known as Passiontide actually refers to the preceding week.
Passion Sunday or Carling Sunday is the fifth Sunday in Lent (the Sunday before Palm Sunday), but since Holy Week was also referred to as Passion Week, this apparently led to the identification of Palm Sunday with Passion Sunday. Since 1970 the Roman Catholic Church has considered the two names to be synonymous, although in 1956 the two Sundays were designated the First Sunday and Second Sunday of the Passion. Another name for the fifth Sunday in Lent is Judica Sunday, from the Introit for the day.
See also Prisoners, Feast of the; Semana Santa in Guatemala

CONTACTS:
Orthodox Church in America
P.O. Box 675
Syosset, NY 11791
516-922-0550; fax: 516-922-0954
www.oca.org

SOURCES:
BkFest-1937, pp. 69, 274
BkFestHolWrld-1970, pp. 51, 53, 54
DaysCustFaith-1957, pp. 103, 106
DictFolkMyth-1984, pp. 1063, 1171
EncyEaster-2002, p. 294
EncyRel-1987, vol. 3, p. 439
FestSaintDays-1915, p. 67
FestWestEur-1958, pp. 164, 192
FolkWrldHol-1999, p. 224
GdWrldFest-1985, p. 65
IntlThFolk-1979, p. 276
OxYear-1999, p. 615

Celebrated in: Czech Republic, Haiti, Mexico, Panama, Philippines, Portugal

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Holy Week (Czech Republic)

Between March 15 and April 18; the week preceding Easter

In the Czech Republic, each day of Holy Week is associated with traditional customs that combine pagan rituals with those commemorating the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The first day of the week, Palm Sunday, also known as Flower Sunday, commemorates the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem. On this day priests bless branches, flowers, and wood that have been brought to church by the congregation. Czech farmers make crosses from the blessed materials and place the crosses in their fields in hopes of a bountiful harvest.
During Holy Week, Czechs undertake spring-cleaning of their homes and may even paint them in an effort to refresh their surroundings after the winter. Chimneys are swept and furniture and bedding aired outside. S karedá streda (Ugly Wednesday) is also known as Spy Wednesday in reference to the tradition that it was the day on which Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus to the Roman authorities. Thursday of Holy Week, known as Holy Thursday or Maundy Thursday in the English-speaking world, is called Zelený ctvrtek (Green Thursday) in the Czech Republic. On this day Czechs traditionally eat a meal featuring green herbs and vegetables. In the past, children would be sent outside in the morning to bathe in a stream or river, then return home to eat jidasky, a pastry shaped into a rope. The braided form of this cake refers to the noose and symbolizes the hanging death of Judas. Spreading jidasky or another bread with honey was believed to offer protection from snakebites throughout the year, and bread with honey was also tossed into wells to assure that they would not run dry during the coming year. Church bells are silenced on Green Thursday and replaced in villages by noisemakers such as wooden rattles. On Good Friday Czech custom calls for wading across a stream barelegged in order to assure good health. In addition, the weather on this day is believed to portend the weather for the rest of the year.
Saturday of Holy Week is known as White Saturday in the Czech Republic and is considered a lucky day to sow seeds. The day concludes with an Easter Vigil religious service and the return of church bells. Preparations for Easter include decorating eggs ( kraslice ) using a variety of methods to create intricate, colorful designs. Typically, the egg white and yolk are removed before the egg is colored. Techniques for applying color include wax-resistance, painting, and scratching the designs onto dyed shells. Boys and young men weave wands from willow branches and decorate them with ribbons. On Easter Monday they use the whips to symbolically spank girls to promote their good health. In return the girls give them a decorated or chocolate egg.

CONTACTS:
Embassy of the Czech Republic
3900 Spring of Freedom St. N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20008
202-274-9100; fax: 202-966-8540
www.mzv.cz/wwwo/?zu=washington

SOURCES:
EncyEaster-2002, p. 73

Celebrated in: Czech Republic

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Holy Week (Haiti)

Between March 15 and April 18; the week preceding Easter

Holy Week in Haiti is signaled by the appearance of "Monsieur Judas" effigies made out of sawdust and rags. Early in the week these symbolic figures are honored as Jesus' apostles and treasured guests. When Jesus' death is affirmed on Good Friday, however, the effigies disappear—usually hidden by someone in a ravine or cane field just outside town.
On Saturday morning everyone starts hunting for Judas, swinging machetes, knives, and clubs as they shout, "Qui bo' li?" (Where is he?). The search often becomes quite frenzied and every time a Judas is found, the attackers slice him to bits. By midday the remains of these effigies litter the ground. This ritual reenactment of Jesus' betrayal by Judas involves Haitians of all ages and reflects the overall tone of Holy Week celebrations, which are more secular than spiritual.

CONTACTS:
Embassy of the Republic of Haiti
2311 Massachusetts Ave. N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20008
202-332-4090; fax: 202-745-7215
www.haiti.org

SOURCES:
FiestaTime-1965, p. 79

Celebrated in: Haiti

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Holy Week (Mexico)

Between March 15 and April 18; the week preceding Easter

Although many dramatizations of the events of Holy Week, or Semana Santa, take place throughout Mexico, the Passion plays performed in the towns of Taxco, Malinalco, Tzintzuntzan, and Iztapalapa are among the most elaborate. In Malinalco, everyone in town participates in the drama, with the wealthier men taking the parts of Roman soldiers (because they own horses) and less wealthy members of the community representing the Christians, who have no horses but wear brightly colored satin costumes. The young girls are dressed as angels, complete with wings that sparkle in the sunlight.
In Tzintzuntzan, the Passion play starts at 12:00 p.m. on Maundy Thursday and doesn't end until midnight on Good Friday. The play takes place outdoors, in a grove of olive trees near the church, and is known for the professionalism of its actors. The Iztapalapa pageant takes place during Holy Week, and there are several locations throughout the town where scenes are presented. It is best known for its elaborate costumes.
Mexicans are also known for the effigies of Judas that are displayed in the streets on Holy Saturday. Although some of these papier-mâchÉ effigies represent clowns, cowboys, devils, and pirates, the majority portray unpopular politicians or other citizens who have fallen out of public favor.

CONTACTS:
Mexico Tourism Board
21 E. 63rd St., Fl. 3
New York, NY 10021
800-446-3942 or 212-821-0314; fax: 212-821-0367
www.visitmexico.com

SOURCES:
EncyEaster-2002, p. 406
FiestaTime-1965, pp. 77, 79

Celebrated in: Mexico

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Holy Week (Panama)

Between March 15 and April 18; the week preceding Easter

In Panama, Holy Week is marked by the appearance of devil dancers who wear headdresses that resemble animals' heads and tails made from bells. They visit small villages on Holy Saturday to get rid of evil spirits for the coming year. In larger towns, they participate in public, staged combat with festival participants in angel costumes. Although the devil can be seen as a biblical character, the purifying rites performed by the devil dancers in rural areas probably originate in indigenous traditions.

CONTACTS:
Embassy of Panama
2862 McGill Terr. N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20008
202-483-1407; fax: 202-483-8413
www.embassyofpanama.org

SOURCES:
FiestaTime-1965, p. 82
(c)

Celebrated in: Panama

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Holy Week (Philippines)

Between March 15 and April 18; the week preceding Easter

Colorful Passion plays take place throughout Lent in the Philippines ( see Moriones Festival). Palm Sunday religious services focus on the joy of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, and include the blessing of palm branches. Some people visit as many churches as possible on Maundy Thursday, in a custom known as visita iglesia (visit church). Retelling or singing the Passion story is also popular on this day. On Good Friday devout Filipinos watch Passion plays, take part in a devotional meditation known as the Stations of the Cross, or participate in public processions of penitents. In some of these, people whip themselves; in others a few people each year will have themselves crucified.
A custom known as Salubong, the meeting of the resurrected Jesus and his mother, takes place on Easter Sunday morning. A religious statue representing Jesus and another representing the Blessed Virgin Mary are taken to the opposite ends of town. People line up behind one or the other image and begin a procession towards a centrally located church. When the two images meet, a children's choir begin to sing, the veil covering Mary's eyes falls away, and a flock of doves is released. Afterwards the images are returned to the church and people attend Easter Sunday mass.

CONTACTS:
Philippine Tourism Center
556 Fifth Ave.
New York, NY 10036
212-575-7915; fax: 212-302-6759
www.wowphilippines.com.ph

SOURCES:
EncyEaster-2002, p. 491
FestWrld: Phil-1999, p. 12

Celebrated in: Philippines

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Holy Week (Portugal) (Semana Santa)

Between March 15 and April 18; the week preceding Easter

There are exhibits in the churches and street processions illustrating scenes from the Passion of Christ throughout Holy Week in Portugal. In the city of Guimarães, the church of Senhor dos Passos shows a different Passion tableau each day of Holy Week. The processions are usually attended by bands of anjinhos, or children dressed as angels, with crowns on their heads and fluffy wings attached to their shoulders. The figures of Jesus, which have real hair, eyelashes, and crystal tears, are elaborately dressed in purple velvet robes. The clergy's vestments are also purple, and worshippers watching the procession throw violets at the image of the suffering Jesus.

CONTACTS:
Portuguese National Tourist Office
590 Fifth Ave., 4th Fl.
New York, NY 10036
800-767-8842 or 212-354-4403; fax: 212-764-6137
www.visitportugal.com

SOURCES:
FestWestEur-1958, p. 164
(c)

Celebrated in: Portugal