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New York – March 14, 2016: Tens of thousands of Christians are expected to visit Israel to celebrate Holy Week and Easter in March and April to see the places described in the New Testament firsthand.
On Easter and the preceding Holy Week, pilgrims from all over the world gather in Jerusalem. For Orthodox and Catholic Christians, celebrations focus on the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where six historic denominations have marked the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus since the fourth century. Protestants in Jerusalem flock to the Sunrise Service at the Garden Tomb, a religious site believed by many to be the garden of Joseph of Arimathea in which Jesus was buried after his crucifixion.
The Catholic Holy Week officially begins on March 20, 2016 with the celebration of Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. The highlights of the day will be the solemn mass at the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher with the Blessing of the Palms and the traditional palm procession, which begins at 2:30 P.M. and goes from the church of Bethphage down the western slope of the Mount of Olives across the Kidron Valley and into the Old City of Jerusalem. Thousands of Christians from around the world are expected to join the march.
For information about the Christian services taking place during the Holy Week and Easter celebrations in Jerusalem and other cities in Israel, visit the Christian Information Center at www.cicts.org.
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