Definition of Easter

Holy Week basically has a religious significance within the framework of the religion Christian, although also a dimensioncultural and vacation.

Holy Week is the holiday that Christians celebrate every year and in which the last days of Jesus' life are commemorated, more specifically his passion, death and resurrection. From a liturgical point of view, it is a period of great intensity and symbolism for believers. The essential idea of ​​Holy Week is to remember that Jesus Christ died for men and it is a way for the human being to identify with him.

Schedule of development of Holy Week

Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday and ends on Easter Sunday. However, in many places it begins the Friday before, known as Friday of Sorrows. There is no specific date for Holy Week, but it is always celebrated in March or April. Prior to this commemoration, Lent is celebrated (which begins on Ash Wednesday by visiting the church to remember that we are mortal and in this liturgical act the 40 days that Jesus spent in the

desert meditating and praying before beginning to preach).

Symbolic elements of Holy Week

On Palm Sunday, in many localities, blessed palm leaves are placed on balconies, symbolizing the protection of the home.

Bread and wine are the symbols of the Eucharist on Holy Thursday and represent the blood and body of Jesus respectively.

The symbol of the cross

The cross on which Jesus was crucified became the symbol of the Christian religion (represents salvation and is the expression of faith). At the moment of his crucifixion, Jesus pronounced some phrases full of meaning ("Father, forgive them because they do not know what they are doing" or the well-known phrase "My God, why have you abandoned me").

Ecce Homo means "here is the man" and it is the expression that Pontius Pilate used to show the Jews the scourged body of Jesus and humiliated with the crown of thorns moments before his crucifixion.

Understanding the Via Crucis

The Via Crucis is the path that Jesus traveled to the cross (the Via Crucis is made up of 14 episodes or stations that symbolize the suffering of Jesus.

On conclusionDuring Holy Week the last week of Jesus is reproduced in a symbolic way. In this sense, the Catholic brotherhoods are the groups of believers that keep this commemoration alive.

Easter themes