Passion Week for believing Christians is a special period, not only the most difficult for the body, but also the brightest for the soul. Translated from the Church Slavonic language, "passions" mean "trials and sufferings." Passion Week is dedicated to events in the dying days of Christ's earthly life: the Last Supper, betrayal, suffering, crucifixion, burial and resurrection. The 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 own greatness and meaning.
Good Monday reminds us of the Old Testament Patriarch Joseph, sold into slavery by his brothers, as a prototype of the suffering of Jesus Christ. The curse of a barren fig tree is also recalled, symbolically showing the soul of a person without the fruits of faith, repentance and works of mercy.
On Maundy Tuesday read about the denunciation of the Pharisees and scribes, uttered by Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem parables.
On Great Wednesday, the church remembers the betrayal of Jesus by his disciple Judas for 30 pieces of silver. Even on this day, the story of a sinner who prepared Jesus for burial is read, washing him with her tears and precious peace.
On Maundy Thursday in churches they read a passage from the Bible about the Last Supper, how 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 Christ's presence in the tomb, the consecration of Easter food is underway. On Saturday, an amazing and inexplicable phenomenon takes place in Jerusalem - the convergence of the Holy Fire.
Benefits of fasting
Compliance with Orthodox fasting is very beneficial for the human body. Some perceive it as a diet and suggest that it is only useful for people who are overweight. This is not true. This post is helpful for everyone. Lean food mainly consists of cereals, fruits and vegetables that contain a lot of fiber. Such food, like a universal cleaner, rids the body of toxins and toxins, normalizes weight and makes the body he althier. And one-day fasting is good for strengthening the body. Reducing the volume of the stomach during fasting reduces the need for food, especially since fasting food is very he althy and nutritious. Fasting is good for the sick and the he althy, the thin and the fat. There is an opinion that Orthodox fasts are difficult to observe, many expect hunger pangs. This is not true. Those who try to fast are often surprised by the feeling of fullness without meat products. No pills will help cleanse and heal the body like fasting. Nowadays, it is easy to diversify fast food with a variety of recipes. Therefore, the question of what to eat on Holy Week does not cause a problem.
Features of fasting days in Holy Week
Especially strict fast days pass before Easter. After a long forty day fast, they are a great test. But the sweeter the holiday for those who were able to curb their womb. The Holy Week before Easter urges us to adhere to the fast of the second degree - dry eating. At the same time, the usual rules include: the rejection of meat and milk, fish and vegetable oil, cooking is added without any heat treatment (boiling or frying), and on Friday and Saturday, complete abstinence from any food is prescribed. However, this is a prescription of a strict monastic order. Orthodox Christians take a blessing for this from a priest. Fasting days should be spent according to strength and he alth. This process can be of different degrees:
- no meat;
- plus avoiding dairy products, including cheeses and butter;
- plus the rejection of eggs and all dishes with their participation;
- plus no fish etc.
In addition, during fasting, it is necessary to reduce the volume of dishes, and especially during Holy Week.
Menu for Holy Week
Modern church charterfast days is based on the rules for monks. For the fasting laity, there is a charter - the ancient Russian Typicus, which has been used since the 12th century. It spells out what is on Holy Week, because the laity need to act "within their power" - in accordance with different life situations. There are exemptions for the elderly, sick, pregnant and lactating, children, etc.
You should strive to eat once a day. Food should consist of raw vegetables with bread and water. Even with the strict rules of Holy Week, the menu can be quite varied.
On Holy Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, dry eating is prescribed - cold food without vegetable oil, unheated drink.
Breakfast: vegetable or fruit salads, such as cabbage-prune or apple-cabbage with orange sauce, or sprinkled with coconut-orange ragweed.
Lunch: beet or carrot salad, potatoes with mushrooms or grated carrots with oranges.
Dinner: spiced carrots, pickles, carrot-nut salad.
If you cook the suggested dishes, or cook something of your own, keep in mind that if there is oil in the recipe, just exclude it.
On Maundy Thursday, it is allowed to take boiled vegetables with butter and a little wine.
Breakfast: apple soup with apricot, lean buns with apple or jam.
Lunch: Colorful salad, vegetable or dried fruit soups, sweet pie with berries.
Dinner: vegetable s alt or stew with vegetables and rice, mushroom soup.
BOn Friday we try to abstain from food in general. Only at three o'clock in the morning is it allowed to take some bread and water.
On Saturday, if possible, you should also abstain from food. If this is difficult for you, you can make 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 peppers or mushroom soup.
When considering soup recipes, vegetable oil is easily excluded if the recommended products are not fried on it, but stewed in water or immediately added to the soup without additional heat treatment.
What not to do during Holy Week
According to the traditions of the Orthodox Church, Christians spent this week in prayer, kept the strictest fast, and tried to attend church every day. There was even a ban on loud conversations, laughter, singing songs and fun. Today, Great Lent, and especially the strict rules of Holy Week, are observed by a few, and even fewer attend church. The Church teaches that refusing to eat certain foods means little without spiritual fasting. It consists of prayers, doing good deeds, good thoughts, and so on. If there is a desire to fast, and you are thinking about what is on Holy Week, remember the words of Theophan the Recluse: “Fasting seems gloomy until they enter its field…”.
Spiritual fasting has its own “menu”: with it, a person “… evades anger, rage, malice and revenge, evades idle talk,foul language, idle talk, slander, condemnation, flattery, lies and all kinds of slander… a real faster is one who flees from all evil… , the Holy Church commands.
During Great Lent, and especially on Holy Week, sexual life is also prohibited. Kisses of husband and wife are allowed only in the dark. What is not allowed during Holy Week is to sing, have fun, dance, laugh, attend any entertainment and entertainment events, holidays, birthdays and weddings, and give up extraneous thoughts. According to the monastery charter, it is forbidden to sit down at the table more than once a day, this is allowed only after sunset. On Good Friday, it is also not recommended to do housework and wash.
Therefore, while participating in the preparations for the most important Christian holiday, think not only about what to eat on Holy Week, but also how to fast spiritually.
Easter Week Traditions
This week is full of traditions and rituals for every day, it is customary to put things in 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 starched. The most beautiful tablecloths and napkins came from chests and chests of drawers.
There is a beautiful tradition to release birds on the Annunciation. In 2015, this holiday fell on Maundy Tuesday. Today, the clergy symbolically release tame pigeons into the wild. Animal rights activists advise against buyinghunters and poachers who try to profit from the suffering and death of birds in this way, since birds often die after the stress of captivity.
