Today begins Holy Week

* a few days, the most important of the Easter Lent, separate us from the greatest celebration in the Orthodox Calendar, that of the Resurrection of the Lord * in this truly special week, the faith and customs of Christians meet

Today begins Holy Week or the week of the Passion of Jesus Christ. It is also called Passion Week by some priests, in which the Christian “mimics”, according to church canons, the sufferings endured by Christ. These consist of restrictions, such as the Easter fast, the most severe of the year, which involves abstaining from food of animal origin, but also from bad deeds, thoughts and words. The Christian confesses, repents, purifying himself to meet the Lord’s Resurrection and receive Holy Communion. It is a mystical week, of introspection, of special spiritual preparation of Christians for the Resurrection.
The services specific to Holy Week are the Denies, true fruits of repentance for Christians. However, these church ordinances are also an opportunity to manifest, in parallel, some local customs more or less related to the true faith. They are not sacrileges, but they depart from the spirit of orthodoxy, having no religious value, as the priests say. They are simple customs perpetuated as local traditions.

Denia of the 12 Gospels
On Maundy Thursday the Denia of the 12 Gospels is celebrated. During this service, some women make 12 knots on the string or thread, one after each Gospel, making wishes. In some places, the respective knot is untied after the wish has been fulfilled, and in others, it is untied at the time of trial, saying a prayer to solve the respective problem. Unmarried girls also use to put their knotted string under the pillow to dream of their teddy bear.
In Denia of the 12 Gospels, it is customary, in some places, to put the 12 candles lit during the service, one for each Gospel, at the “Vii”, linked together. And this custom is tolerated by the Church.
Also, new dishes, bread, candles and wine are taken to the church and left there until Easter.

The alms given over the grave and the fire through which the spirits pass
Maundy Thursday is also a special day for commemorating the sleeping ones. It is the last day of commemoration of the dead during Lent. It is very important to share cups – tradition speaks of the “Cănile din Joia Mare” – cakes and water. It is said that it is good to give all these over the grave to the one who receives them. It is also customary to light fires on graves or in the courtyard of the house, because it is believed that on this day the dead return home and come to the fire to warm themselves. Also, the burning fire has a purifying role, it is said that it chooses the good spirits that will guard the house, from the bad ones, which it chases away.
It is said that the servants of Caiaphas lit a fire in the bishop’s court on the Thursday when Judas sold Christ, because they were cold. Another interpretation of the fire on Maundy Thursday is that according to which Saint Peter would have been stopped by such a fire when he denied Christ.

Eggs are not dyed on Good Friday
They say that eggs fried on Maundy Thursday do not spoil all year. Housewives who did not fry eggs on Maundy Thursday must do this ritual on Saturday, before Easter and in no case on Good Friday. On this day it is said that nothing is done for growth, because it does not bear fruit, because Christ died. However, the egg is a symbol of perpetual fruitfulness and the almost perfect round shape.
It is good that the eggs are dyed only in red, because this color symbolizes the blood of the Savior. Tradition says that this comes from the fact that drops of the blood of Christ crucified on the Cross fell on the eggs brought by Myronositė. It is also said that Mary Magdalene, who was carrying a basket of eggs, told some unbelievers she met on the way that Christ had risen. They laughed at her, telling her that they would think it was so if the eggs in her basket turned red…and they did.

The ritual bathBC
It is another symbol of the purification, of the physical and soul cleansing that takes place on Good Friday. The tradition says that it is done in running water, so that all the bad things go away. Christians who do not have such a source at hand are satisfied with the water from the shower, because it is also “flowing”. It is good to do this ritual just before sunrise or as early as possible in the morning.
On Easter Sunday, Christians wash themselves with water in which an Easter egg and a silver penny have been placed, in order to be healthy all year and not lack anything.
The Light of the Resurrection
In the night from Saturday to Sunday is the Resurrection. At midnight, the Christians sing together with the priests “Christ is Risen!”. The Resurrection service ends in the morning, but most of the Christians leave after receiving the Light.
From the service, Christians must leave with the lit candle and walk with it until home, where, after making the sign of the Cross, they extinguish it on the upper threshold of the door at the entrance to the house. The gesture symbolizes the light that illuminates us and the space in which we live.
The Resurrection candle is kept in the house and lit when needed, when the Christian prays for something special, for different needs.

Maura ANGEL