The Holy Week

The week before Easter is called the Holy week (we call it literally the sins’ week). Throughout the Holy Week, there is a paschal service called „denii” (from the slave word „denie” which means wakefulness) that is conducted every evening, starting on Sunday night (eve of Monday), until Easter. These paschal services take place in the middle of the church, and not on the altar due to the fact that Jesus suffered and was crucified on Golgatha, which is outside of Jerusalem and it reflect Jesus’s sufferings before being crucified . With this week it also ends the strict fasting which forbids

dairy and meat products and on most days the alcoholic beverages and the oil used in the cooking.

The theme of the religious service is different from one day to another as follows:

On the Holy Monday it is celebrated Joseph the Marvelous, the patriarch of the Old Testament, who is seen as a hypo-stasis of Christ, because he had also been sold by his brothers for 30 pieces of silver and he also succeeded to set himself free and to save the people from famine as he became the ruler of Egypt. Also it is also mentioned the barren fig tree that withered at the curse of God which symbolizes the tree of sin and the extinction of the old law.

On the Holy Tuesday the religious services reminds us of the sermons in which Christ foretold the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem,of his death and resurrection. It puts a particular emphasis on the parable of 10 virgins who linger at the door of the Groom (Christ): 5 wise (waiting with their lamps filled) and 5 foolish (with no oil left in their lamps).

On the Holy Wednesday Denia brings forth two diametrically opposite characters: Judas, the apostle who became a traitor and Maria Magdalena , who washed Jesus' feet with her ​​tears of repentance and who anointed them with valuable chrism. According to John ,the evangelist ,the Maria mentioned was not a harlot, but Maria, the sister of Martha, which accused Judah of wastefulness. On this day nothing should be eaten up to the evening.

On the Holy Thursday it is the Denia of the 12th Gospels.which included the Last Supper, celebrating the Hebrew Easter. With this occasion Jesus established the Eucharist Sacrament (Communion). Those who have fasted, can confess and can receive the eucharist sacrament on this day or within the rest of the days preceding the Easter.

On the Holy Friday also called the Black Friday is the day of the Jesus’crucifixion, death and burial . In the evening denia includes the Jesus’funeral service, The parade of the grieving believers pass and bow down under the Holy Table, as if passing through the tomb of Jesus, then, led by priests, they go three times round the church (once for each day of Jesus staying in the grave).

The Holy Saturday is a day of silence and of "rest" symbolizing the Jesus’ „rest” in the grave. Believers are preparing for Resurrection;at midnight the priest will share the light and will hold the Easter service, sanctifying bread, red eggs and other food, because the 7 weeks fasting ends now, and the sadness turns into joy.

Tradition says that during his staying in the grave , Jesus came down smashing the doors of the hell and saved everybody from Adam and Eve forth ; this resurrection and of all the righteous , is often portrayed in icons dedicated to the celebration of Easter.

Romanian team