Orthodox Holy Week 2025
Holy Week begins this week for the Christian communities - mostly Orthodox Christian communities - that follow the Julian calendar. It begins on Palm Sunday (13 April) and ends on Easter Sunday, also known as Resurrection Sunday (20 April).
Orthodox Holy Week 2025 is from 13 to 20 April. This means that all Christians will be celebrating Holy Week at the same time.
The Julian calendar, a key tool for understanding the dates of the celebrations
The dates for Orthodox and Catholic Easter do not usually coincide, because the liturgical calendar for orthodox churches follows the Julian calendar. The Julian calendar is the one that was introduced in the year 46 BC by Julius Caesar throughout the Roman Empire, and it is the calendar that was used during the life of Christ and at the time of the early Church. Over time this calendar accrued an error in relation to the astronomical calendar, and it was for this reason that in the year 1582 Pope Gregory XIII announced a change of calendar to provide a correction. Thus the Gregorian calendar was created, the one followed by the Roman Catholic Church; today there is a difference of fourteen days between the two.
The first Ecumenical Council in 325 AD determined how the date for the celebration of Easter, the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, would be chosen each year, fixing it on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the vernal equinox (21 March). It also established that all Christian churches should celebrate Easter on the same date. It was like this for many years; however, after the installation of the Gregorian calendar there began to be differences in the dates of the Easter celebration between the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church.
Barcelona’s Orthodox Christian communities
It should also be noted that certain Catholic churches also follow the Julian calendar. In fact in Barcelona there is an Eastern-rite Catholic community that celebrates Easter on the same day as the Orthodox Christian communities. It belongs to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (Ciutat Vella).
Furthermore, in Barcelona there are orthodox Christian communities of diverse origins. There are currently seven Orthodox churches in the city: the Antiochian Apostolic Orthodox Church of Spain (Eixample), the Spanish Orthodox Church – Patriarchate of Serbia (Eixample), the Greek Orthodox Church – Sant Nectari d’Egina Parish Church – Patriarchate of Constantinople (Eixample), La Mare de Déu Parish Church – Patriarchate of Bulgaria (Les Corts), L’Anunciació a la Mare de Déu Parish Church – Patriarchate of Moscow (Gràcia), Sant Jordi Parish Church – Patriarchate of Romania (Sant Andreu) and Santa Nino Parish Church – Patriarchate of Georgia (Sarrià – Sant Gervasi).
The Orthodox churches are independent of each other, and the head of each is usually given the title of patriarch. The patriarchates are often linked to the various majority Orthodox states, such as Russia and Romania. Furthermore, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople is the ‘primus inter pares’ (the first among equals) of all the Eastern Orthodox bishops, presiding in person – or through a representative – over all the councils of Orthodox primates or bishops in which he takes part, and serves as the principal spokesman for the Orthodox communion, especially in ecumenical contacts with other Christian denominations. However, his authority is largely symbolic, and he has no direct jurisdiction over the other patriarchs, or other autocephalous Orthodox churches. Most of the Orthodox communities present in Barcelona depend on the patriarchates of their countries of origin.
Easter traditions and celebrations
Throughout the Orthodox world, the traditions surrounding Easter are diverse, but in general they all focus on making it a joyous celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the promise of eternal life for Christians, therefore the most significant day is Easter Sunday. The Easter vigil is celebrated hours of darkness between sunset on Easter Saturday and sunrise on Easter Sunday and is a religious service that takes place at night. It is also customary for many Orthodox churches to hold a reading and a candlelight procession outside the church, although this is not generally the case in Barcelona.
Easter is preceded by seven weeks of fasting during Lent, which is also extended during Holy Week. These are days of spiritual preparation for believers, days when people abstain from eating certain foods and devote themselves more intensively to charity and prayer. A table laden with traditional dishes is usually part of the Easter celebrations. In Russia, for example, painted Easter eggs, a traditional sweet bread called kulich and a dessert made with cottage cheese, sultanas and spices, called pasja, are typical. The pyramid shape of this dessert represents the Holy Sepulchre. In fact, one of the most important traditions in the Orthodox world is the celebration of the miracle of the descent of the holy fire on the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
Easter is the most important celebration of the year for the faithful of the various Orthodox Christian churches around the world, as it commemorates the resurrection of Christ. It is a family and community celebration.
During Holy week many Orthodox Christian communities hold their celebrations in their places of worship. This year, there is one community that will be holding part of the celebrations outside in the street.
CIUTAT VELLA DISTRICT:
- Blessing of the Easter Monk: April 20 (Easter Sunday), from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., at the Church of Santa Monica. Organized by: Ukrainian Community of the Greek Catholic Rite.
SANT ANDREU DISTRICT:
- Easter Saturday celebration: evening/ night of 19 April, in the Parish of Sant Jordi – Patriarchate of Romania (opposite the church). Organised by: Sant Jordi Parish Church – Patriarchate of Romania.