As Catholics enter Holy Week, Orthodox begin Great Lent in Holy Land (2024)

On Sunday, March 17, the eve of Lent, the Syriac Orthodox Church celebrated a special rite dedicated to forgiveness (a similar ceremony takes place in the Greek Orthodox tradition on the same day, called “Forgiveness Sunday”).

“During the evening prayer, there is a moment when those present exchange forgiveness with each other. It is a moment of purification before starting Lent,” Dayroyo (Father) Boulus Khano, a monk and priest of the Syriac Orthodox Monastery of St. Mark in Jerusalem, explained to CNA. Syriac Orthodox believers observe total fasting from midnight to noon and follow a mostly vegan diet (although fish is allowed).

In all Christian traditions, Lent follows a specific prayer itinerary, emphasizing certain episodes or figures from the Gospels and intensively praying the Psalms. In the Syriac Catholic tradition, Lent is particularly guided by the words of the prophets and those of the Church Fathers. Every day at noon — the moment when the absolute fast is broken — a special prayer is held in the church during which the participants bow down 40 times.

On Sunday, March 24, in Jerusalem, the Latin Church celebrated Palm Sunday at the Holy Sepulcher. This year, after the palm procession, the Eucharistic celebration took place at a side altar dedicated to Mary Magdalene instead of in front of the edicule containing Christ’s tomb. This was done to make room for the celebration of the first Sunday of Lent in the Orthodox churches, creating a mosaic of chants, languages, fragrances, and liturgies.

The Greek Orthodox, in particular, celebrated the “Sunday (of the triumph) of Orthodoxy.” The theme of the day is victory of the true faith and, in particular, the victory over iconoclasm by the decision of the Seventh Ecumenical Council. The service commemorates the restoration of icons for use in services and private devotional life of Christians.

Also for the Greek Orthodox tradition, observance of Great Lent is characterized by abstaining from many foods — especially meat and dairy products, fish, wine, and oil, intensified private and public prayer, and almsgiving. Strict fasting is forbidden on Saturday and Sunday. Fasting is closely linked to prayer, so much so that the fathers of the Orthodox church have referred to fasting without prayer as “the fast of the demons” since they do not eat, but neither do they pray.

The Great Lent and the Holy Week culminate in the ceremony of the Holy Light (also known as the Holy Fire), which is celebrated in the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. The Holy Fire is a ceremony usually attended by all Christians in Jerusalem, regardless of denomination, and is one of the most characteristic and famous events in the Holy City.

According to the Greek Orthodox tradition, the Holy Fire is a miracle that occurs every year, the day preceding Pascha, dating back to the fourth century. Every year, at noon, the patriarch of Jerusalem stands alone and in the darkness inside the tomb of Christ, reciting a specific prayer, until the Holy Fire descends and spontaneously lights a lamp of olive oil held by the patriarch. Before entering, he is inspected by Israeli authorities to prove that he does not carry the technical means to light the fire.

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In a moment the light spreads throughout the basilica, with the faithful passing the fire over their faces because they say the Holy Fire does not burn hair or faces in the first 33 minutes after it is ignited.