Beginning on Ash Wednesday, Lent is a season of reflection and

preparation before the celebrations of Easter. By observing the 40 days

of Lent, Christians replicate Jesus Christ's sacrifice and withdrawal into
the desert for 40 days. Lent is marked by fasting, both from food and
festivities. Lent recalls the events leading up to and including Jesus'
crucifixion by Rome. This is believed to have taken place in Roman
occupied Jerusalem. The Christian churches that observe Lent in the
21st century (and not all do significantly) use it as a time for prayer and
penance. Only a small number of people today fast for the whole of
Lent, although some maintain the practice on Ash Wednesday and
Good Friday. It is more common these days for believers to surrender a
particular vice such as favorite foods or smoking. Whatever the sacrifice
it reflects Jesus' deprivation in the wilderness and a test of self-
discipline.
Ash Wednesday is important because it marks the start of the Lenten
period leading up to Easter, when Christians believe Jesus was
resurrected. The ashes symbolize both death and repentance. During
this period, Christians show repentance and mourning for their sins,
because they believe Christ died for them. Also, on Ash Wednesday,
Good Friday and all Fridays during Lent, adult Catholics over the age of
14 abstain from eating meat. During these days, it is not acceptable to
eat lamb, chicken, beef, pork, ham, deer and most other meats.
However, eggs, milk, fish, grains, and fruits and vegetables are all
allowed.
Maundy Thursday (also known as Holy Thursday, Covenant Thursday,
Great and Holy Thursday (also Holy and Great Thursday), Sheer
Thursday, and Thursday of Mysteries, among other names) is the
Christian holy day falling on the Thursday before Easter. It
commemorates the Washing of the Feet (Maundy) and Last Supper of
Jesus Christ with the Apostles, as described in the canonical gospels.
It is the fifth day of Holy Week, preceded by Holy Wednesday (Spy
Wednesday) and followed by Good Friday. "Maundy" comes from the
Latin word mandatum, or commandment, reflecting Jesus' words "I give
you a new commandment." The day comes always between March 19
and April 22, inclusive, and will vary according to whether the
Gregorian calendar or the Julian calendar is used. Eastern churches use
the Julian system.
Maundy Thursday initiates the Easter Triduum, the period which
commemorates the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus; this
period includes Good Friday and Holy Saturday, and ends on the
evening of Easter. The Mass of the Lord's Supper or service of worship
is normally celebrated in the evening, when Friday begins according to
Jewish tradition, as the Last Supper was held on the feast of Passover,
according to the three Synoptic Gospels.
Easter or Resurrection Sunday is a festival and holiday commemorating
the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in the New
Testament as having occurred on the third day after his burial following
his crucifixion by the Romans at Calvary c. 30 AD. It is the culmination
of the Passion of Jesus, preceded by Lent 12 (or Great Lent), a 40-day
period of fasting, prayer, and penance.
Most Christians refer to the week before Easter as "Holy Week", which
contains the days of the Easter Triduum, including Maundy Thursday,
commemorating the Maundy and Last Supper, as well as Good Friday,
commemorating the crucifixion and death of Jesus. In Western
Christianity, Eastertide, or the Easter Season, begins on Easter Sunday
and lasts seven weeks, ending with the coming of the 50th day,
Pentecost Sunday. In Eastern Christianity, the season of Pascha begins
on Pascha and ends with the coming of the 40th day, the Feast of the
Ascension.
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This Friday is Good Friday, the day on which Christians commemorate
the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. The name may seem
counterintuitive to many Christians and nonbelievers, since the day is
typically viewed as a solemn one, often observed with fasting and
somber processions. Why is Good Friday called Good Friday?
Probably because good used to mean holy. There are a few theories
about why Good Friday is called Good Friday, but only one seems to be
supported by linguists and by historical evidence.
The first of these theories is that Good Friday is called Good Friday
because, Christians believe, there is something very good about it: It is
the anniversary, they say, of Jesus suffering and dying for their sins.
“That terrible Friday has been called Good Friday because it led to the
Resurrection of Jesus and his victory over death and sin and the
celebration of Easter, the very pinnacle of Christian celebrations,” the
Huffington Post suggests. This logic has helped the name stick—it is
certainly how many Christians today understand the name—but it is
not where the name originally comes from.
Holy Week is the last week of Lent, the week immediately preceding
Easter or Resurrection Sunday. It is observed in many Christian
churches as a time to commemorate and enact the suffering (Passion)
and death of Jesus through various observances and services of
worship. While some church traditions focus specifically on the events
of the last week of Jesus’ life, many of the liturgies symbolize larger
themes that marked Jesus’ entire ministry. Observances during this
week range from daily liturgical services in churches to informal
meetings in homes to participate in a Christian version of the Passover
Seder.
In Catholic tradition, the conclusion to the week is called the Easter
Triduum (a triduum is a space of three days usually accompanying a
church festival or holy days that are devoted to special prayer and
observance)? Some liturgical traditions, such as Lutherans, simply refer
to "The Three Days." The Easter Triduum begins Thursday evening of
Holy Week with Eucharist and concludes with evening prayers Easter
Sunday.
Increasingly, evangelical churches that have tended to look with
suspicion on traditional "High-Church" observances of Holy Week are
now realizing the value of Holy Week services, especially on Good
Friday (see Low Church and High Church). This has a solid theological
basis both in Scripture and in the traditions of the Faith.
Exodus twelve has ten plagues in there.
The plagues are water turns into wine, frogs, lice, disease on livestock,
unhealable burns, hail and fire, locusts, darkness, and death of the first
born.
2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Chronicles are the books in the bible King Solomon
is in.
King Solomon take seven years to build the temple.