The Holy Week for Christian believers is a special period, not only the hardest for the body, but also the lightest for the soul. Translated from the Church Slavonic language, “passions” means “trials and sufferings”. The Holy Week is dedicated to the events of the dying days of Christ's earthly life: the Last Supper, betrayal, suffering, crucifixion, burial and resurrection. Even Holy Week before Easter is popularly called Red and Pure Week.
Holy Week Days
Each day of Holy Week begins with the name "Great", has its greatness and significance.
Great Monday reminds us of the Old Testament Patriarch Joseph, sold by the brothers as slaves, as a type of the suffering of Jesus Christ. I also recall the curse of a barren fig tree symbolically showing the soul of a person without the fruits of faith, repentance, and works of mercy.
On Great Tuesday, the revelation of the Pharisees and scribes, pronounced by Jesus in the Jerusalem temple of the parable, is read.
On Great Wednesday, the church recalls the betrayal of Jesus by his disciple Judas for 30 pieces of silver. Even on this day, a story is being read about a sinner who prepared Jesus for burial, washing him with her tears and precious world.
On Maundy Thursday, temples read a passage from the Bible about the Last Supper as the Savior washed the feet of the apostles.
Good Friday speaks of the torment and death of Christ on the Cross.
On Great Saturday, the service speaks of the presence of Christ in the sepulcher, and the consecration of the Passover meal is underway. On Saturday in Jerusalem, an amazing and inexplicable occurrence - the convergence of the blessed fire.
The benefits of fasting
Observance of the Orthodox Lent gives a very great benefit to the human body. Some perceive it as a diet and suggest that it is only useful for people with excess weight. This is not true. The post is useful to everyone. Lean foods are mainly made up of cereals, fruits, and vegetables that are high in fiber. Such food, like a universal cleaner, rid the body of toxins and toxins, normalizes weight and makes the body more healthy. And one-day fasting strengthens the body well. Reducing the volume of the stomach during fasting reduces the need for food, especially since lean food is very healthy and nutritious. Fasting is useful for the sick and healthy, thin and full. It is believed that Orthodox posts are difficult to observe, many expect hunger pangs. This is not true. Those who try to fast are often surprised by the feeling of satiety without meat products. No pills can help cleanse and heal the body like fasting. Nowadays, you can easily make a variety of lean foods thanks to many recipes. Therefore, the question of what is in Holy Week does not cause a problem.
Features of fasting days on Holy Week
Particularly strict fasting days pass before Easter. After a long forty-day fast, they are a great test. But the sweeter the feast is for those who were able to curb their womb. Holy Week before Easter calls on us to fast for the second degree - dry eating. At the same time, the usual rules include: refusal of meat and milk, fish and vegetable oil, cooking is added without any heat treatment (cooking or frying), and on Friday and Saturday a complete abstinence from any food is prescribed. However, this is a strict monastic order. Orthodox Christians take a blessing from the priest. Lenten days should be spent according to strength and health. This process can be of various degrees:
- refusal of meat;
- plus the rejection of dairy products, including cheese and butter;
- plus rejection of eggs and all dishes with their participation;
- plus rejection of fish, etc.
In addition, during fasting, it is necessary to reduce the volume of dishes, and especially during Holy Week.
Passion week menu
The modern church charter for fasting days is based on the rules for monks. For the fasting laity there is a charter - the Old Russian Typic, used since the XII century. It spells out what is in Holy Week, because the laity need to act “according to their strength” - in accordance with different life situations. There are concessions for the elderly, sick, pregnant and lactating, children, etc.
One must strive to take food once a day. Food should consist of raw vegetables with bread and water. Even with such strict rules under which Holy Week passes, the menu can be quite varied.
On Great Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, dry-eating is prescribed - holonic food without vegetable oil, unheated drink.
Breakfast: vegetable or fruit salads, for example, cabbage-prune or apple-cabbage with orange sauce, or sprinkled with coconut-orange ragweed.
Lunch: beetroot or carrot salad, potatoes with mushrooms or grated carrots with oranges.
Dinner: spicy carrots, pickles, carrot-nut salad.
If you cook the dishes offered, or cook something of your own, keep in mind that if there is oil in the recipe, just exclude it.
On Maundy Thursday, you can take boiled vegetables with butter and a little wine.
Breakfast: apple soup with apricot, lean buns with apple or jam.
Lunch: “Variegated salad”, soups from vegetables or dried fruits, sweet pie with berries.
Dinner: vegetable salted or chowder with vegetables and rice, mushroom soup.
On Friday, we try to refrain from food in general. Only at three in the morning is allowed to take some bread with water.
On Saturday, if possible, you should also refrain from eating. If this is difficult for you, you can create a menu like this:
- Breakfast: oatmeal soup with quince or cold soups with dried fruits, bread.
- Lunch: potato soup, cabbage rolls with prunes and rice.
- Dinner: bean soup with sweet pepper or mushroom hodgepodge.
When considering recipes for soups, vegetable oil is easily excluded if you do not fry the recommended products on it, but put it out in water or immediately add to the soup without additional heat treatment.
What can not be done on Holy Week
According to the traditions of the Orthodox Church, Christians spent this week in prayers, observed the most strict fasting, sought to attend church daily. There was a ban even on loud conversations, laughter, singing songs and fun. Nowadays, Lent, and especially the strict rules of Holy Week, are few who observe, even less attend church. The Church teaches that refusing to eat certain foods means little without fasting. It consists in prayers, doing good deeds, good thoughts, etc. If you want to fast, and you are thinking about what is in Holy Week, remember the words of Theophan the Recluse: “Fasting seems gloomy until they enter into his career ...”.
A spiritual fast has its own “menu”: with it, a person “... shies away from anger, rage, anger and vengeance, shy away from idleness, profanity, idle talk, slander, condemnation, flattery, lies and all slander ... a real fasting is one who flees from all evil ... "- commands the Holy Church.
During Lent, and especially during Holy Week, sexual activity is also prohibited. Kisses of husband and wife are allowed only in the dark. What you can’t do during Holy Week is singing, having fun, dancing, laughing, attending any entertainment and entertainment events, holidays, birthdays and weddings, and giving up extraneous thoughts. It is forbidden to sit down at the table according to the monastery charter more than once a day, this is permitted only after sunset. On Good Friday, it is also not recommended to do household chores and wash.
Therefore, taking part in preparing for the most important Christian holiday, think not only about what is in Holy Week, but also how to fast spiritually.
Easter Week Traditions
This week is full of traditions and ceremonies for every day, it is customary to take care of putting order not only in the soul, but also in the house. During Holy Week, a thorough general cleaning of the house was carried out - ceilings were whitewashed, walls were painted, rugs were washed, curtains were starchy. The most beautiful tablecloths and napkins came from chests and chests of drawers.
There is a beautiful tradition at the Annunciation to let loose the birds. In 2015, this holiday fell on Great Tuesday. Nowadays, the clergy symbolically releases tame pigeons. Zoodefenders recommend not buying wild birds from hunters and poachers, who thus try to profit from the suffering and death of birds, since birds often die after the stress of bondage.