Palm Sunday (or Passion Sunday): On Palm Sunday (last Sunday) Christians celebrate the Triumphal Entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem for the Jewish festival of Passover, the week before his death and resurrection. It falls on the Sunday before Easter and is called Palm Sunday because the crowds waved palm branches as they followed Jesus' procession into the city. The day is also called Fig Sunday, because figs were traditionally eaten that day, memorializing the fig tree cursed by Christ after his entry into Jerusalem .
The Triumphal Entry is mentioned in the four Gospels; Mark 11:1-11, Matthew 21:1-11, Luke 19:28-44, and John 12:12-19. Traditionally, worshippers enact the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem by the waving of palm branches and singing songs of celebration. The date for Palm Sunday in 2009 is 5th April.
Spy Wednesday (or Holy Wednesday): The Wednesday when Judas Iscariot bargained to become the spy of the Jewish Sanhedrin and conspired to betray Jesus for thirty silver coins. The day is also called “Holy Wednesday” and sometimes “Holy and Great Wednesday”. This year's Spy Wednesday falls on 9 April 2009.
Maundy Thursday (or Holy Thursday): Maundy Thursday, the day before Good Friday, is one of the lesser known days of the Christian calendar. This day commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles. The night of Maundy Thursday is the night on which Jesus was betrayed by Judas in the Garden of Gethsemane . The name ‘Maundy' is derived from the Latin word “mandatum”, meaning a commandment. Jesus Christ, at the Last Supper, commanded: “And now I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 15:12). Serving of the Holy Communion on Maundy Thursday is the means by which most Christians observe this day. This year Maundy Thursday falls on 9 April 2009.
Good Friday (Holy Friday, Great Friday or Black Friday): This is the Friday preceding Easter Sunday that commemorates Jesus' arrest (since by Jewish customs of counting days from sundown to sundown it was already Friday), his trial, crucifixion and passion (or suffering and death), and burial. Good Friday is not a day of celebration but of mourning, both for the death of Jesus and for the sins of the world that His death represents. Many Christians spend this day in fasting, prayer, repentance, and meditation on the agony and suffering of Christ on the cross. The biblical account is found in Matthew 27:27-28:8; Mark 15:16-16:19; Luke 23:26-24:35; and John 19:16-20:30.
There is no documented reason why this day is referred to as “Good” Friday. In most of the other languages it is referred to as “Holy” or “Mourning” Friday. It is however assumed that “holy” is good and “great” is usually good. Other opinions theorize that it evolved from “God's Friday”. This year Good Friday falls on 10 April 2009.
Holy Saturday (or Great Sabbath): This is the day after Good Friday and the last day of Holy Week, the final day of the traditional 40 day Lenten Fast. It is the day Jesus rested in the tomb. This day between Good Friday and Easter Day makes present to us the end of one world and the complete newness of the era of salvation inaugurated by the Resurrection of Christ. It is traditionally a day of quiet meditation as Christians contemplate the darkness of a world without a future and without hope apart from God and His grace – time of weeping that lasts for the night while awaiting the joy that comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5).
The date for Holy Saturday in 2009 is 5th April.
Easter Sunday (Resurrection Sunday): Christians celebrate Easter Sunday because Jesus rose from death. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the fundamental principles and beliefs of Christianity and a well documented historical fact. Christians celebrate Easter Sunday because they believe, Jesus died for their sin on the Cross on Good Friday. Jesus was buried on Friday and rose from death on Sunday. Christians believe only Jesus can give eternal life, because He overcame death.
Easter Monday (Bright Monday or Renewal Monday): For many people, Easter Monday is the last day in a four day weekend. When people go on a short vacation to visit families or friends who live some distance away or upcountry, they often travel back on this day. For other people, it is just a welcome day off to enjoy a break from work. Formerly, the post-Easter festivities to celebrate Christ's resurrection involved a week of celebration but this was reduced to one day in the 19th century. So, in essence, Easter Monday is a day of celebration.
