Easter Vigil
The nightly liturgical service on Easter eve. Easter Vigil is the most important religious ceremony. It is the feast of light, the feast of water and the feast of joy for Jesus’s resurrection. During this ceremony the new Easter Candle is blessed.
Assumption of Mary
This feast – on August 15 – plays an important role in the veneration of Mary as the Mother of God. As the most important saint, it is obvious to Christians that upon her death she was immediately received into the heavenly paradise. In the Eastern Churches, this is called the feast of “the Falling […]
Maundy Thursday
The Thursday before Easter. On this day, the Last Supper of Jesus is commemorated, upon which He instituted the Eucharist. During solemn celebrations on Maundy Thursday, the washing of feet (or pedilavium) is also commemorated. Just as Jesus washed the feet of His disciples on that last Thursday, as a sign of supreme readiness to […]
Lent
This is the period of preparation for Easter. It begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on the Saturday before Easter. Without the six Sundays of Lent, there are 40 days in which Christians are expected to live more austerely. The last week of Lent is called Holy Week.
Pentecost
The feast, 50 days after Easter, which celebrates the descent of the Holy Spirit. This refers to the story from the Acts of the Apostles in which, after the death of Jesus, the disciples experience how the Holy Spirit shows itself in the form of flaming tongues. As a result, they come out of their […]
Easter
The feast that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus on the 3rd day after his death on the cross. This means that Jesus lives on despite his death. This feast is celebrated on the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon of spring.
Palm Sunday
The Sunday before Easter. On this day, the joyful entry of Jesus into Jerusalem is commemorated. During the liturgical celebrations of Palm Sunday, the Passion of Jesus is read in its entirety.
Silent Saturday
The Saturday before Easter. This is a day of vigil and prayer, so that in the evening during the Easter Vigil the resurrection of Jesus can be celebrated. This Saturday is called ‘silent’ because on that day the church bells do not chime. Only during the Easter Vigil are they tolled again. Synonym Holy Saturday.
Candlemas
On February 2nd – i.e. on the fortieth day starting with Christmas – it is commemorated that Joseph and Mary, Jesus’s parents – dedicated their first born son to God in the Temple of Jerusalem – the so-called Presentation. This also went with a purification rite for the mother (Mary). Traditionally candles are consecrated and […]
Christmas
The feast commemorating the birth of Jesus. It is always celebrated on December 25th.
