Holy Week in 2025: dates, a biblical description of each day
Holy Week for Orthodox Christians in 2025 begins on April 14. Every day of this week carries a certain meaning, while believers observe strict fasting for six days. Holy Week ends with Easter, or Christ's Sunday. Orthodox Christians remember the sufferings and the last days of the earthly life of Jesus Christ. The biblical description and way of life of each day of Holy Week is in the material of Izvestia.
Holy Week: History and Biblical meaning
Holy Week is the last week of Great Lent in the Christian calendar, it precedes Easter. This time has a special significance, as it recalls the last days of the earthly life of Jesus Christ, his sufferings, death and resurrection. In 2025, Holy Week falls on the period from April 14 to April 19.
The week has two naming options: Great and Passionate. The concept of "Great Week" dates back to the Greek Christian tradition. Due to this, Russian-speaking believers have established the custom of calling certain days of Holy Week great, for example, Great Monday, Great Tuesday, and so on.
"Great Week is called not because its days or hours are longer (than others), but because great and supernatural miracles and extraordinary deeds of our Savior took place during this week," says the synaxara (a collection of historical information about a particular holiday).
However, in church writings and everyday life, the second name was fixed — Holy Week, or the week of the Passion of Christ. Every day of this week has its own special meaning: Holy Monday, Holy Tuesday, Holy Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday.
The word "passion" in Church Slavonic means "suffering", and it is this meaning that is put into the name of the last week before Easter. The very expression "Holy Week" is found in the church's Typicon only once, in chapter 17, which deals with the order of reading a certain fragment from the Psalter.
During this week, the church refuses everything that can distract from prayerful concentration and repentance. Baptisms, weddings, funeral services, and commemorations of saints are not performed.
As with any holiday, the days of Holy Week are associated with many signs and superstitions that have been preserved since ancient times. The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) does not support following pagan signs and superstitions, as they contradict the essence of faith. According to the church's teaching, omens are a form of idolatry because they distract a person from the true God.
April 14 is Great Monday in 2025: the meaning of the day
In Holy Week, every day has its own special meaning, and each of them symbolizes important events related to the last days of the life of Jesus Christ.
During Holy Monday, Jesus' curse on the barren fig tree is remembered. The Gospel describes a case when Jesus, seeing a fig tree that did not bear fruit on harvest days, cursed it, and it withered immediately. This action has become a symbol of condemnation of those who outwardly show their religiosity, but do not commit spiritual deeds.
Holy Monday is also associated with the cleansing of the temple in Jerusalem, when Jesus drove away the merchants and currency changers, thus embodying the purification of faith from hypocrisy and greed.
On Monday, it was customary to start the general cleaning — it was believed that the cleaner the house, the brighter life would be after Easter. Also on this day, they tried not to swear, quarrel or discuss others — they believed that any unkind word said at the beginning of the week would "stick" for the whole year.
April 15 is Great Tuesday in 2025: What happened that day
On the second day of Holy Week, according to the Gospel narrative, Jesus addressed his disciples with speeches about the future — about his second coming and the coming Last Judgment.
On this day, he told two parables, each of which carried a deep spiritual meaning. The first parable, about talent, revealed the idea that each person is given certain abilities that need to be developed and used for good.
Initially, the word "talent" meant a monetary unit common in the ancient world — in the countries of the Mediterranean and North Africa. But in the Christian interpretation, this image has acquired a spiritual meaning, becoming a symbol of all the gifts that a person receives from God.
The second parable, about the ten virgins, draws attention to the need for spiritual readiness for the coming of the Savior. The image of the groom walking to the bride, surrounded by virgins with lamps, became a metaphor for man's meeting with God. The five wise maidens brought with them a supply of oil, but the five foolish ones did not.
The oil in this story symbolizes faith, good deeds, and inner spiritual life. The parable emphasizes that when the time comes to meet the Lord, everyone will be face to face with it, and only those who were really ready will be able to enter the hall.
On the same day, the Pharisees approached Jesus, trying to catch him in his words and frame him before the Roman authorities. They asked a tricky question: is it acceptable to pay tribute to Caesar? The answer to this question could be used against Christ: the recognition of the need to pay taxes could disappoint the people, and the refusal could be interpreted as rebellion.
However, Christ, pointing to the image of Caesar on the coin, uttered the famous words: "Therefore, give what is Caesar's to Caesar, and what is God's to God," thereby separating the earthly from the spiritual and avoiding the trap set by the enemies.
April 16 is Great Wednesday in 2025: What happened that day
On the third day, the church remembers two evangelical events at once. The first is related to the anointing of Christ with myrrh, the second is related to the betrayal of Judas. According to the Scriptures, one of the 12 apostles, Judas Iscariot, went to the high priests to denounce his teacher. Judah was offered 30 pieces of silver, for which it was possible to purchase a plot of land in Jerusalem.
On this day, the last liturgy of the presanctified gifts is celebrated and a prayer with three prostrations is said. In addition, at the Wednesday evening service, believers take part in the sacrament of confession.
On Wednesday, folk signs take on a particularly gloomy tone. It was believed that on this day one should be especially careful in words and deeds, avoid transactions, large purchases and disputes. They especially warned against any monetary transactions — they said that "money taken on Great Wednesday will not bring good." Also, a vow of silence was often observed on this day, at least for a few hours, in order not to let the spirit of betrayal and fuss into the house.
April 17 — Maundy Thursday in 2025: the meaning of the day
Maundy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper, when Jesus Christ gathered his disciples before his sufferings and instituted the sacrament of the Eucharist. According to the Gospel of Matthew, the Savior took bread, broke it with a blessing and distributed it to the disciples, saying that it was his body. After that, he gave them a cup of wine, which represented the blood of Christ. Consequently, by receiving Holy Communion, believers were united with Christ and accepted a part of him. The sacrament, which takes place on Holy Thursday, has a special meaning for Christians.
Foot washing is performed in cathedrals on Holy Thursday. The ritual takes place in memory of the humility shown by the Son of God, washing the feet of his disciples before the Last Supper.
Maundy Thursday is one of the most omen—filled days. According to popular belief, if on this day before sunrise you wash yourself and wash "up to the waist" in running water or rub yourself with snow (if it is still lying), then you can wash off all diseases and troubles for a whole year. It was also necessary to wash children, especially infants, so that they would grow up healthy.
April 18 is Good Friday in 2025: What happened
Good Friday is the day of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It is the culmination of Holy Week and commemorates his suffering on the cross. Jesus was condemned to death and crucified to atone for the sins of all mankind.
On this day, a special divine service is held in Orthodox churches, during which believers stop in front of the Shroud, an image of the body of Christ taken from the cross. It is a day of sorrow and repentance when Christians reflect on Jesus' sacrifice and his love for people.
The signs of this day forbade any work, especially related to earth and fire. It was believed that if you dig, saw, cut or hammer nails on this day, you can disturb the very earth in which Christ was laid.
April 19 is Holy Saturday in 2025: a Biblical description
Holy Saturday is the last and quietest day of Holy Week, filled with special silence, reverence and expectation. This day in the Orthodox tradition is dedicated to the memories of the body of Jesus Christ in the tomb and his descent into hell for the liberation of the souls of the righteous.
The biblical and theological content of Great Saturday is deeply symbolic: it unites the tragedy of death and the triumph of the future resurrection, sorrow and hope, and readiness for eternal life.
On Holy Saturday, the signs had a brighter, preparatory character. It was believed that if on this day the house was shining with cleanliness, and all business was completed before noon, Easter would go well in such a house. The candles that were brought from the church were especially closely watched: if the candle did not go out on the way home, it promised health and peace in the family.
They tried to carry the consecrated water and food from the temple in silence, so as not to "shake the grace." On this day, it was also customary to bake the last cakes and complete the preparation of the Easter table. It was believed that every grain left over after cooking had a special protective power — it was sometimes stored until the summer and added to the cattle feed against diseases.
Of particular importance in the Easter celebration is the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. This event takes place on Holy Saturday and symbolizes the divine light brought by Christ into the world. It is believed that fire descends in a supernatural way, and believers around the world revere it as a sacred sign of the living presence of God.
In the evening, Orthodox Christians gather for an all-night service. On this night, traditional festive treats are consecrated — Easter, cakes and eggs.
April 20 — Bright Easter in 2025: meaning for the Orthodox
In the Orthodox tradition, Easter occupies a central place among all church holidays, symbolizing the final victory of life over death. After the ancestors of mankind, Adam and Eve, were banished from paradise, the possibility of eternal life was lost, because man was cut off from God.
However, through the humility of the Most Holy Theotokos, who agreed to accept God's will, and through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who voluntarily accepted suffering for the salvation of the world, the path to eternal life was reopened.
The Gospel narrative tells us that on the third day after Jesus' execution, the myrrh-bearing women — those who accompanied him all the way to Golgotha —came to the tomb to perform the rite of anointing the body. When they reached the burial site, they found that the stone covering the entrance had been removed, and the coffin itself was empty. The angel announced to them: "He is not here, He has risen," and thus announced the beginning of a new era to the world.
From a theological point of view, Easter marks not only the resurrection event, but also the transition from the law of the Old Testament to the grace of the New. Earlier, in the days of the exodus from Egypt, the Jews sacrificed lambs to save themselves from death. In the Christian interpretation, Christ becomes the new Lamb of God, sacrificing himself for the deliverance of all mankind from the power of sin and death.
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