Easter falls on April 12 in 2020, but the entire week preceding the religious holiday is considered holy by some Christian denominations.
Holy Week, which makes up the last week of Lent, runs from Palm Sunday through Saturday. Many assume a somber attitude to mourn the anniversary of the time leading to Jesus’ death. Observers take part in various liturgies and traditions throughout the week.
This year will be different, though, as church leaders navigate how to observe the season among empty church pews.
»MORE: Virus alters Holy Week celebration worldwide, not the spirit
While the methods of celebration may change amid the coronavirus pandemic, churchgoers can still celebrate by reflecting on the reason for each day.
Here is a list of significant days that make up Holy Week and why they’re celebrated.
Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday is the sixth Sunday of Lent, commemorating Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem for Passover. According to biblical records, Jesus traveled by donkey and was hailed with crowds waving palm branches.
On Palm Sunday, many churches distribute palm branches to their congregations.
This year, The Associated Press reported priests in Jerusalem threw palm fronds to Christians who watched from balconies. In Argentina, they had a virtual blessing, forgoing palm branches for whatever plants observers had in their home.
Maundy Thursday
Tradition says the Thursday of Holy Week is celebrated as "Maundy Thursday," which comes from the Latin "mandatum" for the word commandment. According to HuffPost, it refers to when Jesus gave his disciples a new commandment during the Last Supper.
"A new commandment I give you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another." (John 13:34, Revised Standard Version).
At the Last Supper, Jesus and his disciples were said to have celebrated their last meal together in which Jesus predicted his imminent betrayal and death. Many communion liturgies are based on this day.
Many local churches are holding virtual communion services.
»EVENTS: Maundy Thursday Virtual Communion Service with Unity Atlanta
Maundy Thursday Livestream Service at First Presbyterian Church of Marietta
Good Friday
Good Friday is the Friday before Easter, commemorating the day that Jesus was crucified.
Celebrations are often solemn. For example, the Stations of the Cross is an exercise practiced in some denominations in which faithful follow a trail of 14 images depicting Jesus’ tortuous death. There is traditionally time to reflect and pray at each station.
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Many local churches are expected to stream online services on Good Friday.
For others at home, the Stations of the Cross can be practiced remotely, according to catholicculture.org.
Credit: Christian Philipp
Credit: Christian Philipp
Another social-distancing-friendly way to celebrate Good Friday could be through individual practices such as prayer and fasting.
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Holy Saturday
Christian tradition marks Holy Saturday as the day between Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Some traditions do not hold church services on Holy Saturday and instead wait until midnight to begin celebrating Easter.
"On Holy Saturday the Church waits at the Lord's tomb in prayer and fasting, meditating on his Passion and Death and on his Descent into Hell, and awaiting his Resurrection," says the Roman Catholic Missal. "The Church abstains from the Sacrifice of the Mass, with the sacred table left bare, until after the solemn Vigil, that is, the anticipation by night of the Resurrection, when the time comes for paschal joys, the abundance of which overflows to occupy fifty days."
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Easter Sunday is not generally accepted as a part of Holy Week or the Lenten season. Instead, Easter starts the roughly 50-day religious season of “Eastertide” and is considered a festal time in some churches.
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