How would the Holy Week, and then Easter usually be celebrated ?
Easter:
Mass is held on the eve to mark the END of 55 days of fasting during which Copts follow a vegan diet (some may fast more vigorously). Copts spend their Easter going to church, visiting relatives and sometimes having a picnic.
Holy (Paskha) Week:
There are special services throughout the week, especially for Palm Sunday and Good Friday.
The celebration starts seven days prior to Easter but the main service takes place on Saturday evening, and lasts until early hours of the following day. The services consist of psalm reading, hymn singing, and burning of incense. During the ceremony all the lights are switched off, only to be turned on again in the moment symbolizing the Resurrection.
After the service, people go home to break their fast and savor their first meat dishes after almost two month of abstinence.There are about 210 fasting days in Coptic calendar.
November 25th, 2009 at 3:16 pm
They fast for the day and attend mass over the weekend. Then they return home and eat specific Easter dishes. There’s the usual chocolate, gift giving, family gathering etc. There are specific liturgies for Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Obviously the Orthodox services are quite involved, and they are in fact different from the Catholic ones.
References :
November 25th, 2009 at 3:35 pm
Easter:
Mass is held on the eve to mark the END of 55 days of fasting during which Copts follow a vegan diet (some may fast more vigorously). Copts spend their Easter going to church, visiting relatives and sometimes having a picnic.
Holy (Paskha) Week:
There are special services throughout the week, especially for Palm Sunday and Good Friday.
The celebration starts seven days prior to Easter but the main service takes place on Saturday evening, and lasts until early hours of the following day. The services consist of psalm reading, hymn singing, and burning of incense. During the ceremony all the lights are switched off, only to be turned on again in the moment symbolizing the Resurrection.
After the service, people go home to break their fast and savor their first meat dishes after almost two month of abstinence.There are about 210 fasting days in Coptic calendar.
References :
Coptic Christian
November 25th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
last Sunday , there was a celebration of Palm Sunday on which copts went to chruch carrying palms in comemoration of Christ’s entrance into Jerusalem with palm leaves .
next Friday , copts will go to church to pray Good Friday which comemorates the Crusifixion of Christ.
the following day , Saturday, they would go to church to attend mass .they would pray and sing hymn till past midnight .
they would break their fast of 55 days during which they dont eat anything except a veggie diet .
they cook all the kinds of food they abstained from , specially molokhiya , stuffed vine leaves , turkey , leg of lamb , meat pies , etc.
on Monday , they celebrate Sham el Nesseem with the rest of the Egyptians .
they dress in colorful clothes , eat colored eggs , chocolate eggs , salted fish and sardines , drink juices , etc .
it is a festival of nature , so everyone goes outdoors to get in touch with nature .
References :