While little is recorded of the development of the celebrations of the Holy Week during the early years of the Church, it apparently had very early origins. By the fourth century the celebration of the week appears well founded and to be similar to our celebrations today. The pilgrim Aetheria to Jerusalem in the latter part of the fourth century described the events of the week after the services of Saturday of Lazarus, "...began the week of the Pasch, which they called here the '''Great Week'''", noting the procession commemorating Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem on the first day of the week. It is during this week that we remember Christ's Passion and Crucifixion.

[[Image:raisingoflazarus.jpg|right|frame|The Raising of Lazarus]]

==The Holy Week==

As leave is taken from Great Lent with the celebration of the Saturday of Lazarus, which remembers Christ's raising of Lazarus from the dead and the promise of universal resurrection for all, a week is entered during which the church services remember Christ's last week, the Holy Week, before his crucifixion and resurrection, During this week the [[Matins]] Services for the upcoming day is celebrated the evening before, in accordance with the ancient definition that the day is from sunset to sunset. [[Image:Palm_Sunday.jpg|left|thumb|Icon of Christ's entry into Jerusalem]][[Image:extremehumility.jpg|right|thumb|Christ the Bridegroom]]

[[Image:pascha.jpg|right|frame|The Resurrection of Christ]]

'''Easter''' or '''[[Pascha]]''', the '''Feast of Feasts''', celebrations begins just before midnight with the singing of the Odes of Lamentation as the Resurrection Vespers begins with the church in complete darkness. As midnight approaches the priest taking a light from a vigil light within the altar passes the flame to the faithful for their candles while singing "Come ye and receive light from the unwaning life, and, glorify Christ, who arose from the dead." Then, the priest leads the faithful out of the church in procession. After circling the church either one or three times, as the procession nears the entrance door of the church, the priest leads in the singing of the hymn of Resurrection. "Christ has Risen from the dead, by death trampling upon Death, and has bestowed life upon those in the tombs" At this point the priest and faithful enter the well-lighted church for the remaining part of Vespers and the breaking of the [[fast]] with the [[Divine Liturgy]].

After conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, in many communities, the faithful retire to an ''agape'' meal to break the Fast together, and then return home as dawn arrives. Later in the day of Pascha the faithful again gather for prayer with lighted candles in a vespers service, singing the hymn "Christ is Risen from the Dead," and greeting each other joyously "[[Paschal greeting|Christ is Risen]]" and responding with "Truly He is Risen."