Christian Festivals: Easter & Holy Week (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Religious Studies): Revision Note

Palm Sunday

• Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week, the final week of Lent

• It is the Sunday before Easter, when Christians remember Jesus’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem

• The gospels all record this event:

  • Jesus rode a donkey or colt

  • The people were overjoyed to see Jesus

  • They waved palm branches as he passed by to celebrate his entry 

• Many Christian churches celebrate Palm Sunday 

  • There is generally a Sunday morning service or Mass, which features readings from the gospels telling the story of Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem

• Some churches hold a procession to mark these events

  • Candles are lit and the congregation are given palm branches to recreate the celebration of Christ's final arrival in Jerusalem

  • Sometimes, these palms are folded into crosses as a symbol of the events of Holy Week

  • The palm crosses are taken home and kept by believers as a prayer aid for the events of Holy Week

  • The palms may be returned and burned to produce the ashes used at the Ash Wednesday service, which marks the start of Lent, the following year

Maundy Thursday

• On Maundy Thursday during Holy Week, Christians commemorate the Last Supper, which was held the night before Jesus died

• This was the meal at which Jesus took bread and wine and blessed it, telling his disciples about the bread — “Take and eat; this is my body” — and about the wine — “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood”.  (Matthew 26:26–28)

  • Jesus asked them to eat and drink in memory of him

• Many Christians believe that this was the first Eucharist or Holy Communion 

• At the Last Supper, Jesus told his disciples that one of them would betray him

After Jesus and his disciples shared the Last Supper, he washed their feet and stated:

• After these events, Jesus and the disciples went out to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane

• Just as Jesus had predicted, Judas betrayed Jesus, telling the guards where to find him

  • Jesus was arrested and was crucified the next day

• Today, most Christian churches hold Holy Communion services or Mass on Maundy Thursday to remember the events of the Last Supper

• They also have a foot-washing ceremony during the service to imitate Jesus’ actions

  • This is a sign of humility and service to others 

• After the service in some churches, a time of silent prayer and reflection takes place to remember the time Jesus spent in prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane before his arrest

• All of these traditions help Christians reflect on the sacrifice of Jesus and his commandment to love and serve others

Good Friday

• Good Friday remembers the crucifixion and death of Jesus

• On this day, special church services are held, particularly on Friday afternoon and often at 3pm, the time when Jesus is believed to have died 

• Catholic Churches hold a solemn procession called the Stations of the Cross

  • Worshippers process around a series of 14 images showing everything that happened to Jesus on the day of his crucifixion, stopping to pray and reflect at each one

  • Catholic churches also strip their altars and muffle their bells as a sign of mourning

• Other Christian churches might mark Good Friday with a service of ecumenical witness

  • This can involve a public procession where the cross is carried through public places, such as city centres, as a display of faith

• Good Friday is a time of grief and reflection and is the most solemn day of the year for all Christians

• Some Christians fast on this day to show their sorrow

• Others break the fast they have observed during Lent by eating hot cross buns, which are marked with a cross to remember Jesus’ crucifixion

Holy Saturday

• Holy Saturday is a quiet time for Christians

  • It remembers the time when Jesus’s body was in the tomb after his death on Good Friday

• In churches, there is often quiet prayer

  • It is a time for anticipation

• At the end of Holy Saturday, Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday

• Catholics and Anglicans hold an Easter vigil service on Saturday night

  • At this service, a special candle, called the Paschal candle, is lit to symbolise the risen Christ 

Easter Sunday

• Easter Sunday is the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus

• All churches have a service on Sunday morning

  • Some churches hold special services on Saturday night

• Orthodox Christians walk around the church at midnight and then enter the darkened church with lighted candles or lamps

  • This symbolises entering the empty tomb

  • The priest announces “Christ is risen!”

• Catholics and Anglicans also have a Saturday night vigil that begins in darkness, includes the lighting of a large Paschal candle to symbolise the risen Christ (the Light of the World) and ends with Holy Communion

• Other churches may hold sunrise services to greet the dawn, representing the new life brought by Jesus’s resurrection

• Churches are filled with flowers, and special hymns are sung to celebrate the resurrection

• Eggs are associated with Easter as a symbol of new life

• Often, people have special meals to celebrate the end of fasting during Lent