When does Holy Week begin?

When does Holy Week start? This is usually one of the most recurrent questions for the planning of each year. Not only are these dates of the utmost importance for Catholics, but students, workers and businessmen see their routine altered thanks to the presence of several holidays – Thursday and Good Friday – and the practice of many of them to take the whole week off.

| You may be interested in: Up to 36,000 workers will benefit from the employability roundtable in La Guajira, government announces

If a company needs to guarantee a minimum productivity during holidays, it will have to budget how much it will increase its costs with holiday overtime. Something similar happens with workers who may be planning a religious tourism tour, a trip to the beach during their children’s school breaks, or simply getting out of the routine with the firm purpose of resting.

Holy Week, also known as Semana Mayor, does not occur on the same dates every year, as it responds to a religious calendar marked by Ash Wednesday and the lunar and solar calendars. For this reason, and from now on, we tell you when Holy Week 2024 begins.

Take note: we tell you when Holy Week 2024 begins

Holy Week is a Christian religious holiday that commemorates the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus. It is one of the most important celebrations for the Catholic Church and some Christian denominations.

This holiday is celebrated in the last week of Lent, and runs from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday.

In 2024, Holy Week will be in March, as follows:

Palm Sunday: March 24 Easter Monday: March 25 Holy Tuesday: March 26 Holy Wednesday: March 27 Maundy Thursday: March 28 Good Friday: March 29 Holy Saturday: March 30 Easter Sunday: March 31.

| You may also be interested in: Protests by Casanare rice growers spread to other departments: What are they demanding?

Unlike other religious holidays that are celebrated on specific dates, such as Christmas (December 25) or the day of the Immaculate Conception (December 8), to know when Holy Week begins, one must take into account the lunar calendar and the solar calendar, as well as Ash Wednesday.

It is for this reason that Holy Week can be between March 22 and April 25, depending on the year. In 2023, the religious celebration was from April 2 to May 8.

How to calculate when Holy Week begins?

The calculation to determine when Holy Week begins is based on the lunar calendar and the solar calendar, since Palm Sunday is the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox, around March 21.

The vernal equinox marks the beginning of spring and is the time when day and night are approximately equal in length. The date of Easter, or Resurrection Sunday, was established at the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. (considered the first council of the Catholic Church), and set the rule explained above by which the date of Easter is determined.

Another important date to calculate when Holy Week begins is Ash Wednesday. This day marks the beginning of Lent, a period in which the Catholic community prepares to live the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus.

Thus, Lent begins with Ash Wednesday and ends forty days later, on the morning of Holy Thursday.

When does Holy Week 2025 begin?

In 2025 Holy Week will occur in April, as follows:

April 13: Palm Sunday April 14th: Easter Monday April 15: Holy Tuesday April 16: Holy Wednesday April 17: Maundy Thursday April 18: Good Friday April 19: Holy Saturday April 20: Easter Sunday.

| Continue reading: Job offers in Bogota: The District Employment Agency announced new job offers