The date of Lent and Easter are not fixed, which means that Holy Week dates also change each year. Holy Week typically falls sometime around the third and fourth week of March up to the first and second week of April.

In 2014, Holy Week will begin on Palm Sunday, April 13 and end on Holy Saturday, April 19.

Catholic Holy Week

Good Friday procession in the Philippines

The Roman Catholic Church begins Holy Week on Palm Sunday. Catholics attend mass on this day carrying palm leaves to be blessed. This practice echoes the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem, where he was met with people waving palm leaves in welcome.

Holy Monday, Holy Tuesday and Holy Wednesday do not seem to have any particular events associated with them. On Holy Thursday, private celebrations of the Mass are forbidden, and the only mass celebrated on this day is the one that marks the Easter Triduum, or the three days before Easter. This mass is known as the Mass of the Lord’s Supper and represents the Last Supper in the Bible.

Good Friday is traditionally celebrated by Catholics as a day of fast. One full meal is allowed, and only dishes made with fish or vegetables are allowed. On this day, merrymaking and doing leisurely things are also discouraged, as this day marks Jesus’ crucifixion and death. Holy Saturday commemorates the day when Jesus’ body was laid to rest in the tomb. This day is separate from Easter Saturday, which is the Saturday after Easter Sunday.

Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday marks the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, and is the main day of joyous celebration for Christians. It also marks the start of Eastertide, or the Great Fifty Days, which is from Easter Sunday to Pentecost Sunday.

Holy Week in Southeast Asia

Despite being predominantly of the Buddhist, Hindu and Muslim faith, Southeast Asia has its share of Catholic and Christian holidays, particularly in the countries that experienced a lengthy occupation of European colonizers. Many countries observe the celebration of the Holy Week but in small concentrations, and not all places recognize it as a public holiday.

In Malaysia, the observance of Holy Week is strong in Malaka, while Good Friday is a state holiday in the Sabah and Sarawak states.

Singapore’s Christian population is somewhat bigger, and the government recognizes Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday as national holidays (link to Singapore holiday calendar article, if it’s up). It is business as usual for most establishments, but services and some traditional celebrations occur in Christian communities across Singapore.

Thailand and Vietnam both have a small population of Christians, so the holidays pass by relatively unnoticed by the general population. However, Catholics in the capital city Ho Chi Minh celebrate Lent with traditional processions and church services.

Holy Week in the Philippines

Holy week in the Philippines is a major event and begins on Palm Sunday. People flock to the churches in droves to have palm fronds blessed, a symbol to ward off evil and protect homes from lightning strikes. While Holy Monday, Holy Tuesday and Holy Wednesday pass quietly, the country marks Holy Thursday and Good Friday as national holidays. Government offices and most private businesses are closed on these days. Many people travel back to their hometowns during this long weekend. To many Filipino families, Holy Week is a time for vacation and reunions.

Various activities are held throughout the Holy Week, among of which are street processions that stop at pre-arranged homes representing a Station of the Cross. Some hold a live performance of the Passion of Christ, known locally as Sinakulo. Many people perform sacrifices, such as giving up eating meat or certain favorite foods, for the Holy Week. Many devotees, mostly male, perform self-flagellation or crucifixion as their pilgrimage.

Sacrifices

The Holy Week culminates the events around the adult life of Jesus Christ, particularly from his arrival in Jerusalem up to his death and resurrection. To the faithful, it is about his sacrifices and his troubles, and his death that atones for the sins of man. Devotees emulate this life during this time, abstaining from eating meat, merrymaking or giving up one thing that they enjoy doing.

Photo by kamerakamote

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Good Friday is the Friday before Easter Sunday. In other parts of the world it is referred to as Easter Friday, Great Friday, Holy Friday or Black Friday. It is the day that commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and His death on the cross.

Among Christians, Good Friday is the first day of the Paschal Triduum, or the three days that commemorate the passion, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The first two days (that is, Good Friday and Black Saturday) are meant to be days of fasting. Abstinence from eating meat and indulging in worldly pleasures should be faithfully exercised on Good Friday.

In the Julian calendar used by Eastern Orthodox churches, Easter Sunday traditionally coincided with the first Sunday that follows the vernal equinox, or the first Sunday that happens after the Paschal Full moon. Western Christianity uses the Gregorian calendar, whose March 21 (the calendar date of the vernal equinox) equivalent is April 3.

Good Friday procession in the Philippines

In 2013, Good Friday falls on March 29.

How Is Good Friday Observed in Southeast Asia?

Brunei

Shari’a Law in Brunei forbids any form of religion apart from Islam. Christians, who make up about 10% of the population, can celebrate their personal religious beliefs but only in private. That said, Good Friday in Brunei is not celebrated (at least publicly) as any outward expression of non-Islamic faith can be meted with harsh punishment – arrest, detention or deportation.

Cambodia

In Cambodia, where the population is mostly Buddhist, Good Friday is not a public holiday or even a special holiday. Catholics represent only 0.15% of the population, and there are no dioceses in the country. Other Christian religions, despite reports of growth in recent years, are still in the minority. Interfaith Good Friday service is nonetheless celebrated so any Christian can contemplate on the spiritual context of the occasion in a conducive setting.

Indonesia

Good Friday in Indonesia is a regular public holiday despite the predominance of Islam. Good Friday is most colorfully celebrated in Larantuka in East Nusa Tenggara. This subdristrict of Flores Island has strong colonial Portuguese roots. More than 83% of the population is Roman Catholic, so “Semana Sancta” is more in keeping with the Vatican.

Larantuka Catholics take their 16th century statue of Jesus Christ out for a 7-kilometer procession by land and sea. The Passion of the Christ is recited at each of the 8 stops that represent the major clans of Larantuka. In each stop, the Passion of the Christ is recited and short prayers are offered. The statue of the Virgin Mary, also from the 16th century, is enshrined in the church so the faithful can worship and kiss the feet of her statue as it awaits the arrival of the statue of Christ. When the two figures are united, Good Friday service starts and lasts all night.

Laos

Laotians are 67% Buddhist, 2% Christian, and 0.7% Catholic. Laos politics also make it next to impossible for Laotian Christians to celebrate Good Friday in their usual places of worship. Reports have surfaced that the communist government banned the celebrations of the previous Holy Week. There were even reports of persecution among Christians. Despite all these challenges, Christian followers celebrated Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter outside their churches in an open challenge against the government’s stand on religious freedom.

Malaysia

In Muslim-predominant Malaysia, “Datuk Mati” (Death of Christ) is devoutly celebrated in Melaka. There, the 1710 Catholic Church was established by Portuguese missionaries and remains the site of pilgrimage (and tourist attraction) for thousands of Catholics and non-Catholics alike. The life-sized alabaster statue of Jesus Christ is taken out for procession and veneration. The faithful light candles as they join the procession, and kiss the feet of the statue of the dead Christ before going home with scented flowers.

Next year, the Passion Play, a dramatization of the crucifixion and death of Christ, will be staged after a successful debut last year.

Good Friday in Malaysia is a state holiday in Sabah and Sarawak.

Myanmar

A predominantly Buddhist country, Myanmar does not celebrate Good Friday as a national holiday as only 4% of the population is Christian (3% Baptist, 1% Catholic). But there are Catholic missionaries in Myanmar, and a dozen or so dioceses, so Good Friday service and rituals are observed even when the rest of the country consider Good Friday like any other day.

Philippines

The only predominantly Catholic country in Southeast Asia, the Philippines regard Good Friday as a national holiday and a major religious festivity. Dramatizations of the Passion of the Christ, or Passion Play, are staged nationwide. Several forms of penance, from public self-flagellation to actual crucifixion, are offered to atone for sins and to beseech for miracles and healing. Candlelight processions to commemorate the Burial of Christ take place all over the country, and long lines can be seen outside Catholics Churches as the devout await their turn to kiss the feet of the dead Christ.

Transportation can be scarce on this day, all government offices and most businesses are closed, and traffic can be a problem as the whole country contemplates the significance of the occasion in their places of worship.

Singapore

Christians, after Buddhists, comprise 18% of Singapore’s population. As such, Good Friday is a public holiday in this tiny, culturally diverse country. Commerce goes on as usual, but crowds are weekend thick. Non-Christians often spend the day outdoors.

Good Friday is celebrated with services in the afternoon to commemorate the death of Christ. Fasting is observed, and candlelight processions are also held albeit in limited areas. Kampong Bahru Road and Victoria Street come alive at dusk as hundreds of Christians (Catholics) light candles and join the procession for the Burial of Christ.

Thailand

The majority of Thais are Buddhists. Understandably, Good Friday is not a public holiday nor an observance in a country with only less than 1% Christian. In Chonburi, Bangkok and Pattaya, however, there are murals and stained glass art that depict the 14 Stations of the Cross. Among Catholics, there is Good Friday service and the staging of rituals led by Roman Catholic orders.

Vietnam

Christians only comprise 8% of the Vietnam population while the majority are Buddhists. Like Thailand, Vietnam does not consider Good Friday a national holiday nor is it observed. Nonetheless, Catholics across Ho Chi Minh City, the country’s capital, celebrate Lent according to traditional rites. On top of liturgical celebrations, burial procession of the statue of Christ and its veneration, Vietnam Catholics meditate, make donations and raise funds during the 40 days of Lent to help the needy.

Photo by madz pacpaco

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