If you are finding our content useful, you feel it is worthy enough not to be used for free, and are able to, please consider supporting our project; we are sincerely grateful for your contribution. Please e-mail us at hello@drawneardesigns.com with any questions. Please note: We have had questions by some of our readers about using Sister Vassas videos in some of our pages. You can see my blog post on How to Prepare a Traditional Pascha Basket along with recipes HERE. Great Lents focus on repentance, prayer and anticipation of the Resurrection is reflected in the Scripture readings, special prayers and hymnology of the Church. Jesus died to save our souls Image: Orthodox Pebbles instructions on how to make your own perfume (Instructions HERE). The whole of the Triodion period with its special services, readings and hymnology, is offered to us as an opportunity to re-focus and reflect on our spiritual and physical condition, acknowledge and repent for our wrong-doings and passions, confess and change our mindset, and show Christian love, care and compassion to our fellowmen especially those with whom we keep a certain distance. You can find the DIY templates (only) kit available through Draw Near Designs. Have an egg hunt for the kids and enjoy the day! My First Coloring Books : Great Lent for the Youngest (Only $1.95, geared for toddlers - See the whole collection HERE), Orthodox Coloring Book - March Synaxarion (or see the whole collection HERE), Beautiful Things: An Orthodox Coloring Book for Children (Download free coloring pages HERE). Here are a few other notables: Pascha at the Duckpond by Mother Melania - geared towards ages 4-9, you can join the animals at the Duckpond as they journey through Great Lent towards Pascha. In his book Holy Fools in Byzantium and Beyond, the historian Sergey A. Ivanov writes that in the Orthodox tradition the term designates a person who feigns insanity, pretends to be silly, or who provokes shock or outrage by his deliberate unruliness. In other words, the holy fool is a person who flouts social conventions to demonstrate allegiance to God. Prepare your Pascha basket! We are all, in the end, not winners or losers, successes or failures, pure heroes or villains, but people who long to be known, loved and delighted in. The Gospel according to John 20:19-25 is read in as many languages as possible, proclaiming the Good News of Resurrection! Orthodox Pebbles Great Lent & Holy Week Crafts Published by myOCN on March 15, 2023 Presenting tons of resources for Great Lent from Orthodox Pebbles! Fasting Meal Planner for Great Lent- take some of the mental load of deciding what to cook and ultimately save you some precious time, money and energy. All sermons are posted on the DRE website:religioused.goarch.org. When you become our patron, and depending on your pledge tier, we will send you a little gift as a token of our appreciation. Hosanna to God in the highest. - Divine Liturgy. I share weekly reminders, stories of the saints, new resources, and how others are celebrating throughout the world! You can also access all of the tutorials HERE. Her repentance and love of Christ is the theme of the wonderful "Hymn of Kassiane" which is chanted on this night, reminding us one more time, before "it is too late," that we too may be forgiven if we repent. The Sacrament of Holy Unction is offered for the healing of soul and body and for the forgiveness of sins. If you are interested in creating a specific teaching activity with our material, please contact us we may be able to create it instead, for the benefit of the whole Orthodox community. Teach the Bible story of Palm Sunday based on all 4 of the gospels with this fun and educational printable pack! Let no one be fearful of death, for the death of the Savior has set us free . They may look at you funny, but Im sure they wont mind you cleaning up for them a bit! Holy Week Craft Kit The evening service, therefore, is actually the service of the next morning, while the morning services of Holy Thursday and Holy Saturday are actually the services of the coming evening. Background information to help teach about Holy Week. A Doxology is offered followed by a large procession (litany) of the Holy Icons around the church. Saint Mary received Holy Communion for the first time in her life by Saint Zosimas the monastic; she slept in the Lord shortly after that. Palm Sunday Activity Pack Printables - by Joy in Play. We prepare for 40 days Heaven Meets Earth: Celebrating Pascha and the Twelve Great Feasts by Ancient Faith Publishing, The Great Feasts by Exaltation Press (page 20). In the morning we celebrate a Vesperal Divine Liturgy which commemorates Christ's victory over death. Each day during Holy Week has a special meaning, and understanding what each day represents can help making attending . Beginning March 6th, join Fr. So Why Pussy Willow Branches? The theme of Holy Wednesday is repentance and forgiveness. The Church readings and hymnology are about the Passion and Crucifixion of our Lord, and give us strength to continue our spiritual and physical struggle. Click HERE for a Tsoureki recipe by Hey Foodie Girl, an Orthodox Food Blogger, which will make a bunch of loaves to share! . It is particularly helpful to prepare or teach children about repentance and the Sacrament of Confession. The people greet one another joyously, saying: "Christ is Risen", the Paschal salutation which is answered, "Truly He is Risen! or Indeed He is Risen! depending on the Parish. Currently 50% off all our meal plans using code GOODSTRENGTH, Fasting Resources - Parousia Press created a fasting resource guide with recommended cookbooks and bloggers: Check out their post HERE. Plus, its best to make ahead of time before Pascha! Sing This Prayer Together While Waiving your Palm Branches : Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord Sabaoth, heaven and earth are filled with Your glory,Hosanna in the highest. He disarms people. We need to emphasize that the advice from our spiritual father and our health condition should be our guide to the appropriate fasting discipline. Be sure to follow along with me on Instagram for more Liturgical and feast day resources and monthly guides in the coming year! ET. Templates and instructions for one craft each day. (prostration)Amen. Two of our favorite childrens Bibles are The Childrens Reader Bible (this story is on page 227) and The Picture Bible (page 626) which is illustrated much like a comic book. We are offering our material to the public to be used as a whole, and only for classroom and personal use. Everyone who is able should make an effort to receive Holy Communion at this service as it was at the Mystical Supper that our Lord instituted the Holy Eucharist. Its clear that hes a sort of clown, with this scene even hinting at a clown car shtick. We are also offering additional resources to help organize enriching religious education sessions. The kit contains templates for making ten creative projects, one each day from Lazarus Saturday to Pascha Sunday. Crush everything with the back of a wooden spoon, then filled a small jar with lukewarm tap water. *Includes 2 crafts for Palm Sunday, including the above palm branch, and an additional craft for Sunday evenings lesson about the Fig Tree. It is also available for purchase as a fabric learning set HERE (pictured below)!! In the Orthodox Christian Church, Great Lent and Holy Week are two separate things. Laurel leaves are strewn throughout the church during the service, because in the ancient world laurel leaves were a sign of victory. You can find the DIY templates (only) kit available through Draw Near Designs. After the reading of the fifth Gospel, the Holy Cross is carried around the church in procession, and Christ's body is nailed to the cross in the center of the church. It can be an engaging teaching tool, helping the children grasp the rather abstract meaning of this very important period. On the eve of the feast, lazarines (girls) went out into the fields outside the villages to collect flowers that would be used to decorate their basket. HOLY WEEK: Creative projects Free resource: A collection of creative activities to help teach about Holy Week. This Youtube video explains how to play! We invite you to prayerfully consider sharing the resources given to you by God with a donation to the Archdiocese. Ill also include simple activities and book recommendations. Markers Lasso, an American football coach hired to coach soccer a sport he knows little about for the English football club AFC Richmond is often derided by the public and the press. A colorful wall hanging calendar made out of soft fleece fabric, to count down the weeks of Great Lent. Get yours for FREE here. Each group gets to make one craft while discussing the theme of the day. He replies, flummoxed, You actually mean that, dont you?. The people say, "It is the Day of Resurrection, let us be glorious, let us embrace one another and speak to those that hate us; let us forgive all things and so let us cry, Christ has arisen from the dead". As previously mentioned, this is actually Holy Thursday evening's service which is celebrated in the morning in anticipation. However, from the very beginning the Orthodox Church has been teaching that limitation on food is an important tool to control our impulses and intensify our spiritual struggle. Judas Silver Coins Craft - Teach your children about the betrayal of Christ in this simple craft by Orthodox Pebbles HERE. Christ loves them and theyre beloved by all. Saint Marys life is an example that there is no sin great enough to keep us from finding God and live forever in His Resurrection. We usually separate them as follows: Lady Lent is a well-known, beloved Greek tradition which works like an Advent calendar. This act confirmed the universal resurrection from the dead that all of us will experience at our Lord's Second Coming. They have been planned as teaching tools, to provoke insightful conversations and further exploration. Special thanks to Christina for allowing us to copy it on our webpage. Each craft coordinates with the main theme celebrated on the corresponding day of the Holy Week. Please see below for an overview of the resources included . Additionally, we love to see photos on social media of our material being used. . If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. At the end of the service, the priest anoints the people with Holy Oil, the visible carrier of the Grace of God. You can find the recipes HERE. Additionally, her eyes are closed because she avoids seeing anything bad. Finally, we kindly ask that you do not directly share the material you download from our website with others. In addition to the material found in this page, we have also created resources for teaching the meaning and details of Orthodox fasting. Youll need the papery skin of about 10-12 brown/yellow onions to make this happen. You can find the recipe to make them HERE thanks to Charlotte Riggles blog, or you can also find a how-to video on YouTube HERE. Perfect for Sunday School classrooms in particular! Heexplained the doctrines of Orthodoxy and established the discipline of hesychasm, according to which man tries to get closer to God by praying unceasingly, especially the Jesus Prayer: Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. Knitting yarn When his not-exactly-love-interest Sassy rejects him as a mess, he embraces it (he calls himself, in a delightfully terrible pun, a work in prog-mess). It tells the story of the five virgins who filled their lamps in preparation for receiving the bridegroom while the other five allowed their lamps to go out, and hence were shut out of the marriage feast. The carols were exclusively almost female and were sung by girls of different ages, even married girls called Lazarines. Many churches will provide candles for the candle lit procession on Pascha, but if you prefer to bring your own, here are some ideas: Prepare food for your Paschal Breakfast! Dye Red Eggs - In the Greek tradition, Holy Thursday is the day designated to dye red eggs. The Orthodox Christian Network is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and all donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. You can find step by step instructions HERE. How to Create a Traditional Pascha Basket guide including recipes and shop links HERE. There are parts I love (like Jamie Tartts and Roy Kents brewing bromance) and parts I dont (like how the writers insist, even in our post-MeToo era, on romantically pairing employers with employees with vast power disparities). A collection of creative projects for every day of the Holy Week. But Ted seems to really mean it. It encourages them to put into practice everything they have been learning about Great Lent. Christ is Risen! If you have the Orthodox Pebbles Holy Week Kit - Be sure to make your crafts using the templates and instructions provided in the kit. This beautiful prayer is read on the weekdays of Great Lent.