New to Holy Week (Pascha)?
Start here.

What makes this week different

• +The entire church shifts its focus for one week. Normal services stop. Everything centers on the Passion of Christ.
• +The services are ancient - many hymns and prayers date back to the earliest centuries of Christianity in Egypt.
• +It is not a spectacle to watch. It is a journey to walk. The faithful fast, pray, and weep alongside Christ.
• +Each day has its own theme, readings, and hymns - building from Palm Sunday's joy to Great Friday's sorrow to the Resurrection's triumph.

Important to know

• +The faithful abstain from all animal products during the entire week - many eat only once per day or fast completely until evening.
• +There is no Divine Liturgy (Eucharist) during Holy Week except on Covenant Thursday, when Christ instituted the sacrament.
• +Services are long. Great Friday can last 6 to 8 hours. Come when you can and stay as long as you are able.
• +The church is stripped bare - black cloths drape the altar and icons, reflecting the mourning of creation.

What to expect

• +Lots of standing. Bring comfortable shoes. There are often no chairs in the nave during Holy Week.
• +Hymns sung in three languages - Coptic, Arabic, and English - preserving the ancient melodies of the Egyptian Church.
• +Readings from the Old Testament prophets, the Psalms, the Epistles, and all four Gospels - telling the full story of salvation from every angle.
• +Processions, candles, incense, and moments of complete silence and darkness - engaging all the senses.

The Journey of the Week