Christians around the world to celebrate their holy week online

Due to coronavirus (COVID-19) Holy week to celebrated Online 

Coronavirus: Pope’s Holy Week celebrations in St. Peter’s Basilica

The Office of the Liturgical Celebration of the Supreme Pontiff notifies that the liturgical celebrations of Pope Francis from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday will take place in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, without the presence of the faithful. 

Holy Week, Christians remember the last week of Jesus' life. Which includes several events:

• Palm Sunday

This is the Sunday before Easter Sunday. It is the first day of Holy Week and celebrates Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem riding on a colt, often referred to as a donkey. Crowds of people greeted him, throwing palm branches on the road.

Anglican and Roman Catholic churches give out small crosses made from palm leaves, as a reminder of Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem and his death on the cross. Some Christians keep these in their homes all year as a symbol of their faith.

• Maundy Thursday

This is the Thursday before Easter Day. On Maundy Thursday, Christians remember when Jesus shared the Passover meal with his disciples, breaking bread and drinking wine, now known as the Last Supper.
Many Christians remember this event by sharing bread and wine in a service called Holy Communion, Eucharist or Mass. It is a reminder that Jesus sacrificed his life for mankind.

The word Maundy comes from the command given by Jesus at the Last Supper, that we should love one another. At Roman Catholic Church services the priest washes the feet of 12 people to commemorate Jesus' washing the feet of his disciples at the Last Supper.

• Good Friday

Good Friday is the Friday before Easter Sunday when Christians remember Jesus' crucifixion. During Good Friday services, they reflect on the meaning of the crucifixion and the central message of Christianity. This message is that through his death on the cross, Jesus atoned for the sin of mankind which came into the world when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, and through Jesus' sacrifice mankind is reconciled with God.

The main service on Good Friday takes place between midday and 3 pm. In many churches it takes the form of a meditation based on seven sayings, or last words, of Jesus on the cross, with hymns, prayers, and short sermons. Roman Catholics start their service at 3 pm, the time that Jesus is thought to have died.

• Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday marks Jesus' resurrection. The gospels record that after Jesus was crucified, his body was taken down from the cross, and placed in a cave. The cave was guarded by Roman soldiers and an enormous stone was put over the entrance, so that no one could steal the body.

On Sunday, three days after the crucfixion, Mary Magdalene followed by some of Jesus' disciples visited the tomb to find that the stone had been moved and Jesus' body had gone. According to the Gospels, Jesus was seen that day by Mary Magdalene, and was seen for 40 days afterwards by the disciples.
Christians call this the Resurrection and they believe that God raised Jesus from the dead as a sign that He accepted Jesus' sacrifice for the redemption of sin and that mankind is forgiven and will have eternal life in Heaven.

What Holy Week means for Christians today
Holy Week is important as it reminds Christians of God's sacrifice of his son, and also God's love for his people. Christians can learn much about Jesus through the last week of his life.

Easter is the most important festival in the Christian calendar. It celebrates God raising his son Jesus from the dead as well as the destruction of the power of sin and death forever. It symbolises the opening of Heaven with the gift of eternal life to everyone.