The Christian Liturgical Calendar
Until
the 4th century CE, Easter and Pentecost were the only two holy days
that Christians observed. Easter Sunday was the main day of celebration,
formally recognized by the Council of Nicea in 325 CE.
Pentecost Sunday was also observed as a less important holy day, 7
weeks/49 days after Easter. Other occasions related to Jesus' execution
were gradually added to the church calendar:
Lent: This was a period of spiritual preparation for Easter which typically involves fasting, penance and prayer. It was originally established by various Christian groups as an interval ranging from a few days to several weeks. It was eventually fixed in the 8th century CE at 40 days. (The number 40 is one of many magical numbers with religious significance in the Bible. 40 days recalls the interval that Jesus, Moses and Elias spent in the desert. Other magical numbers were 3, 7, 12, and 70). Among Roman Catholics, Lent lasts for six and a half weeks before Easter, excluding Sundays. Among the Eastern Orthodox churches, it is a full eight weeks, because Saturdays and Sundays are not included.
Ash Wednesday: This is held on the first day of Lent, a Wednesday.
Holy Week: the week before Easter Sunday:
Palm Sunday: This is held on the Sunday before Easter Sunday. It recalls Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem one week before his execution.
Holy Monday commemorates Jesus' cleansing of the temple, when he assaulted money changers and overturned their tables. Some believe that this triggered his arrest and crucifixion.
Holy Tuesday recalls Jesus' description to his disciples on the Mount of Olives of the destruction of Jerusalem.
Holy Wednesday
(once called Spy Wednesday) recalls Judas' decision to betray Jesus in
exchange for 30 pieces of silver.
Maundy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper, Jesus agony in the garden and his arrest. "Maundy" is derived from the Latin "mandatum" (commandment of God in John 13:34-35) For centuries, people in authority have washed the feet of their followers on this day.
Good Friday recalls
Jesus' death on the cross. The origin of the word "good" has
been lost. Some claim that it is a corruption of "God" and
that the early Christians called this day "God's Friday."
Others claim that "good" refers to the blessings of humanity
that Christians believe arose as a result of Jesus' execution.
Holy Saturday (a.k.a. Easter Eve) is the final day of Holy Week and of Lent.
Easter Sunday commemorates Jesus' resurrection. In the early church, converts were baptized into church membership on this day after a lengthy period of instruction. This tradition continues today in some churches.
Feast of the
Ascension (a.k.a Ascension Day) is a celebration of Jesus'
ascension up to heaven. This is described in:
-
the gospel of John as happening immediately after Jesus' resurrection
-
the gospel of Luke at an undefined number of days after the resurrection
-
the book of Acts at 40 days after the resurrection.
The church has accepted the account in Acts; the feast is celebrated on a Thursday, 39 days after Easter Sunday. Although tradition states that it was first celebrated in 68 CE, it did not become formally recognized by the church until the late 3rd century.
Pentecost
(a.k.a. Whit Sunday) is now celebrated 7
weeks/49 days after Easter Sunday. It recalls the visitation of the Holy
Spirit to 120 Christians, both apostles and followers. They spoke in
tongues (in foreign languages that they
had not previously known) to the
assembled crowd. Three thousand were baptized. The day was originally a
Jewish festival which was called "Pentecost," because
it was observed 50 days after Passover. (The Greek word for 50'th day is
"pentecoste"). This is usually regarded as the date
of the birth of the Christian church. The feast was mentioned in a 2nd
century book, and was formally recognized in the 3rd century CE.
