Easter week in 2023 begins after Easter, which this year falls on April 13th. This is a time of joy, celebration of the Bright Resurrection of Christ. In the people, this period is considered the beginning of a new life and spring rebirth.
Divine services during the period of Bright Paschal Week are held at the open Royal Doors, hiding the altar for the rest of the time. This is a unique opportunity for all believers to observe what is happening in the altar, thereby being closer to the sacred rites.
A distinctive feature of the week is the ringing of bells. During this period, in all temples, all believers are allowed to ring the bells at any time. Of course, except for the time of worship, so as not to interfere with people’s prayers. In general, the entire Easter week for believers is the brightest and most joyful of the year. Everyone greets each other with the words of the Easter greeting: “Christ is Risen!” – “Truly Risen!”
When is Easter week in 2023
Easter week in 2023 will start on April 13 – on Easter – and end on April 23 – on Krasnaya Gorka.
Easter week days
Bright Easter week in Our Country in different places had many popular names – Red, Gremyatskaya, Great, Glorious, Holy. Every day in folk traditions also had (and in some areas still retained) its own names and rules.
Bright Monday. “Water” (“Wet”) Monday
On the first day of the Easter week, it is customary to meet with relatives and friends, exchanging Easter cakes and colored eggs, and receive guests. According to tradition, it was men who went to visit relatives on this day and took with them Easter cakes baked by their wives. Women at this time laid the festive table.
The name “wet” Monday was not given by chance. On this day, the girls gave their beloved eggs-crayons, and they, in turn, took them to the water and doused them so that their beloved was beautiful and healthy. In general, on this day, everyone was doused with cold water to wash away the ailment and strengthen the body and spirit for the whole next year.
Bright Tuesday. “Bathing”
On this day, all those who were late for the morning prayer were doused with ice water, because the absence of the morning service could attract troubles to the family. It is believed that only women should attend services in the temple on Bright Tuesday, while men at this time help with the housework and take care of the children. The evening is best spent in a quiet, family circle.
Light environment. “Round dance”
This day is called a round dance because of the custom of leading round dances. The girls gathered in groups and danced round dances, sang songs, arranged various fun and games. The bright environment was also called Gradovaya. If seedlings are planted on this day, the crop may be damaged by hail and die. The Wednesday of Easter week is especially important for unmarried girls. From the very morning they praise the Almighty and ask to grant them a good husband and family happiness.
If a young man chose a bride for himself, it was on Thursday that the bride was held. In addition, on Bright Thursday they remembered the dead, but in no case was it possible to mourn. Their memory should be bright. Doors were left open for them, towels were hung on the windows so that the deceased could visit their loved ones. That is why the day is called “Navsky”, i.e. associated with the underworld.
Bright Friday. forgiveness day
On Bright Wednesday and Friday they do not fast. On Friday, they remember and honor the icon of the Mother of God “Life-Giving Spring”, bless the water with which believers can sprinkle vegetable gardens in order to reap a good harvest in the future. In addition, on Bright Friday it was customary to put up and forgive, not to hold evil on people and let go of resentment.
bright saturday
On Saturday, a special bread, artos, is distributed in all churches. It is prepared on sourdough and, according to custom, a cross is depicted on it. It is illuminated on the first day of Easter and stands in the altar all week, and on Saturday, after a special prayer for breaking bread, it is distributed to everyone. This piece is kept at home near the icons all year round and is given little by little to a sick person. On Saturday, at nine o’clock in the evening, the Royal Doors are closed, thus marking the end of the Easter week.
Second week after Easter. Antipascha. Fomino Sunday. “Red hill”
Fomin’s week begins from this day, but Easter days do not end. Hence the name “Antipaskha”, i.e. not “against Easter”, but like Easter, a joyful, festive, inspiring day. It was at this time that spring fully comes in the whole Land.
Another name – St. Thomas’s Resurrection – came from the Apostle Thomas, often referred to as “unbeliever” – one of the disciples of Christ, who until the last did not believe that the Lord had risen and wanted to verify this personally.
Many sought to get married on Krasnaya Gorka, since, according to church rules, this is the first day since the beginning of Maslenitsa and Great Lent when you can get married. There is a sign: if you marry Krasnaya Gorka, the marriage will be happy and long.
Popular questions and answers
Questions on the folk Easter calendar, as well as church rules related to Bright Week, were answered by Healthy Food Near Me religious and political publicist, head of the ideology department of the First TV channel Tsargrad, member of the Information Commission of the Moscow Diocese of the Orthodox Church Mikhail Tyurenkov.
What can and can not be done during the Easter week?
The only thing that is not encouraged, although, contrary to popular belief, is not prohibited is visiting cemeteries. But only because Easter days are the joy of the Bright Resurrection and Eternal Life, and this joy is not combined with grief for the departed relatives and friends.
For an Orthodox Christian, dual faith, the intrusion of pagan motives into the Christian essence of the Feast of Feasts and the Celebration of Feasts, is categorically unacceptable. You can respect folk traditions. But it is much better and more correct not to pay attention to them and spend Bright Week as close to the temple as possible.
And of course, it can be added that on any church holidays it is undesirable to do hard work. But there is no strict ban on this either, so you can’t say that going to work these days is a sin. Although in some countries there are special Easter holidays, and the first days of Bright Week are days off.
Is it possible to baptize children on Easter week?
Is fasting observed during Bright Week?
Where did the name “Red Hill” come from?
But I repeat again and again, the main joy of these days should not be obscured by anything: Christ is Risen from the dead, trampling down death by death and bestowing life on those in the tombs!