What Is Holy Week?
Christians around the world will begin observance of the holiest of weeks in the Christian calendar - Holy Week . Like many of our feasts, some of the history of Holy Week has been forgotten, as have the rites and rituals observed. Why do people get palms on Palm Sunday? What is Maundy Thursday all about? Why do the symbols of lambs, eggs and flowers surround Easter? Historically, Holy Week or Easter Week as some call it, is the remembrance of the time that Jesus of Nazareth joined with his disciples to celebrate the Jewish feast of Passover, was arrested, tried and executed. This week culminates in the holiest of holy days, Easter - the day of the resurrection of Jesus. Symbolically, Holy Week is filled with imagery, the meaning of which has been forgotten by many. Palms have long been a symbol of life, rebirth or resurrection. They are used on Palm Sunday as foreshadowing for Easter Sunday. Maundy Thursday gets its name from the new comma...