The main Orthodox holidays of April: what and when to celebrate on the eve of Easter
In spring, believers celebrate several church holidays preceding Easter, the oldest Christian celebration established in honor of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. These include the Annunciation and Palm Sunday, followed by Holy Week. Each of these holidays is associated with the most important events in the life of Jesus and his mother, the Virgin Mary. Izvestia reports on how and when to celebrate the main Orthodox spring holidays in 2025.
March and April 2025: what are the Orthodox holidays?
In 2025, Lent falls for the whole of March and part of April — the main of the four in Christianity, established in memory of the 40-day fast of Jesus Christ in the desert before the start of his preaching activities. Believers observe it this year from March 3 to April 19. The main purpose of Lent is to prepare for the celebration of Easter, or the Resurrection of Christ from the dead to eternal life.
The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) identifies several important holidays related to the life of the Savior and the Mother of God. One of them is the feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, dedicated to the announcement by Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary of the future birth of Jesus Christ from her. It was at the Annunciation that believers received the hope of salvation.
It is followed by Palm Sunday. The holiday is associated with the solemn entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem. The day after Palm Sunday comes Holy Week, the week preceding Easter, during which Orthodox Christians remember the last days of Jesus' earthly life, including the Last Supper, Christ's surrender to judgment, crucifixion and burial. After that, Easter is celebrated, which is celebrated throughout Easter, or Bright Week, on each of which special traditions of celebration have been established.
When is the Annunciation celebrated in 2025
The Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos belongs to the great twelve-day feasts of the annual liturgical cycle. The celebration is celebrated on April 7, exactly nine months before the birth of Christ. The date of the holiday is permanent. According to the New Testament, on this day, the archangel Gabriel announced to the Virgin Mary the good news of Her conception of the Son of God.
The twelve Great feasts are the twelve most important solemn days in Orthodoxy after Easter. The word originated from the Slavic "dvounadesyat", which means "twelve". These holidays are dedicated to commemorating events related to the earthly life of Jesus Christ and the Virgin. Most twelve-day feasts have a fixed date in the Orthodox calendar, but there are also transitional feasts that are determined separately for each church year and depend on the day of Easter (the Resurrection of Christ). During the twelve feasts, divine services are held especially solemnly. The clergy dress in robes of certain colors, and special prayers are read and sung.
At the same time, church holidays follow in a certain order. The first feast of the church year, beginning on September 14, is the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (September 21 according to the new style), the last is the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary (August 28).
When is Palm Sunday in 2025
Palm Sunday is a holiday approved by the church in honor of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem. It is transitional and is celebrated a week before Easter, or on the sixth Sunday of Great Lent. In 2025, Orthodox Palm Sunday will fall on April 13.
According to the Gospel, on the Saturday before the Jewish Passover, Jesus performed a miracle and resurrected Lazarus, a resident of Bethany, who had died four days earlier. In the Orthodox calendar, this day is called Lazarus Saturday.
After the miraculous resurrection, many believed in Christ and the next day greeted him noisily at the entrance to Jerusalem with praiseworthy cries of "Hosanna", throwing palm branches on the road. This is where the Western tradition of consecrating palm branches, which in Russia were replaced by willow branches, one of the first plants to bloom in spring, takes root.
Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and other Holy Week days in 2025
Holy Week is the seventh and strictest week preceding Easter. At this time, believers remember the last days of the earthly life of Jesus Christ, his sufferings, crucifixion, death and burial. In 2025, Holy Week will run from Holy Monday, April 14, to Holy Saturday, April 19.
Every day of Holy Week is called Great or Holy Week and is of great importance to Orthodox believers. Special services are held in churches — the most mournful and solemn in the entire church year. At the same time, Holy days are not celebrated on Holy Week, the dead are not commemorated, weddings and baptisms are not held — all services are dedicated to the last earthly days of the Savior: the betrayal of Judas, the captivity of Jesus, His trial, suffering, crucifixion and crucifixion of the Savior, and lead believers to the great feast of the Resurrection of Christ, Easter.
Great Monday, April 14, 2025: on this day, they remember the story from the Old Testament about Joseph, who was sold into slavery by his own brothers, as well as about the curse of a barren fig tree by Christ, which symbolizes an unrepentant soul.
Great Tuesday, April 15, 2025: the Gospel is read, telling how Christ spoke to people in the Jerusalem temple, about his parables to his disciples: about the talents, the resurrection of the dead and the Last Judgment.
Holy Wednesday, April 16, 2025: Judas Iscariot betrayed Christ on this day for 30 pieces of silver. On this day, they also remember the sinner who washed Jesus' feet with tears, wiped them with her hair and anointed them with myrrh.
Maundy Thursday, April 17, 2025: this day commemorates the Last Supper, at which the Lord established the sacrament of the Eucharist (thanksgiving). All Christians gather for the Liturgy and receive communion of the Holy Mysteries. In the evening, Good Friday Matins are served with the reading of 12 Evangelies, passages that tell of the betrayal, trial, suffering, and crucifixion of the Savior. Also on this day, they begin to actively clean the house and prepare for Easter — they paint eggs, bake cakes, tidy up and wash clothes.
Good Friday, April 18, 2025 is a day of mourning for Orthodox believers. It was on Friday that Christ was crucified and died on the cross.
Great Saturday, April 19, 2025: the main Saturday of the entire liturgical year. Christ is in the tomb, hell has been defeated, the work of saving people has been completed, and there are only a few hours left before the Resurrection. At the liturgy, 15 paremias are read — excerpts from the Old Testament, telling about the coming of the Savior into the world. At the end of the service, the clergy are dressed in white robes, in which the Easter Midnight Service will begin. In Jerusalem, the Holy Fire descends in the Church of the Resurrection of Christ.
Easter, April 20, 2025: at night, after midnight, the faithful go out for a procession, during which the clergy, the choir and the faithful sing the stichera "Thy Resurrection, O Christ the Savior, the angels sing in heaven ...", and at the door of the temple the main troparion of the feast "Christ is risen from the dead, death is death" sounds for the first time. by correcting and giving life to those who are in the grave." Everyone enters the church, where the Easter festive service is celebrated — Light Matins and Divine Liturgy.
Orthodox Easter and Antipascha in 2025
Easter is the oldest and most important Christian celebration, the feast of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, approved in honor of the event, which is the semantic center of the entire Christian religion. According to VTsIOM, in 2023, more than half of Russians (54% of respondents) were going to cook Easter cakes, Easter eggs and paint eggs, and 19% planned to consecrate treats in the church.
After Easter, believers also celebrate Holy Week, a seven—day period that includes Easter Sunday and the six following days before St. Thomas Sunday (Antipascha). Throughout Holy Week, the Royal gates of Orthodox churches are open until Holy Saturday. Religious processions are held daily this week, at which believers sing festive hymns, and priests sprinkle parishioners with holy water. During the procession, festive bells are rung. Everyone greets each other with the words "Christ is Risen!" — "Truly He is risen!"
The first day of Easter week is called Bright Monday. In the old days, it was customary to meet with relatives and friends on this day, exchanging cakes and colored eggs, and receiving guests. According to folk tradition, believers poured cold water on Bright Monday to wash away the disease and strengthen their body and spirit for the whole coming year. Therefore, it got a second name — "Wet" Monday.
Tuesday is called "Bathing" — all those who were late for morning prayer were doused with ice water to avoid trouble coming to the family. It was believed that only women should come to church on Bright Tuesday, and men at that time had to do the housework and take care of the children.
Wednesday is a "Round dance". On this day, they performed round dances, sang funny songs, and arranged various amusements and games. Unmarried girls prayed to the Lord from the very morning that he would bring them together with a good man and grant them happiness in marriage.
On Bright Thursday, screenings were held — the acquaintance of the groom and his relatives with the bride. Also on this day, the dead were remembered with kind words, it was impossible to grieve for the deceased. The doors of the house were left open so that the souls of the dead could visit their loved ones.
On Friday, according to tradition, it was customary to reconcile and forgive each other. In addition, believers consecrated water in temples to sprinkle it on vegetable gardens. It was believed that the land watered with holy water would surely yield a rich harvest.
On Saturday, a special bread, artos, was distributed in all churches. It was prepared with leaven and, according to custom, a cross was depicted on it. Easter bread was consecrated on the first day of Easter and stood in the altar all week. The treats were distributed to the parishioners on Saturday, after a special prayer. It was customary to keep a piece of Easter bread at home near the icons all year round. When someone in the family got sick, they always gave him some of this consecrated bread. By nine o'clock on Saturday evening, the Royal gates in the temples were closed, marking the end of Easter week.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
