| Holy Wednesday | |
|---|---|
 A confraternity of penitents leads a Holy Wednesday procession in Villarreal, Spain (2015) | |
| Also called | Spy Wednesday Good Wednesday Holy and Great Wednesday |
| Observed by | Christians |
| Type | Christian |
| Significance | commemorates the Bargain of Judas and the Parable of the Two Debtors |
| Observances | Mass; Tenebrae |
| Date | Wednesday before Easter |
| 2023 date |
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| 2024 date |
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| 2025 date |
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| 2026 date |
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| Frequency | annual |
| Related to | Holy Week |
In Christianity, Holy Wednesday commemorates the Bargain of Judas as a clandestine spy among the disciples.[1] It is also called Spy Wednesday,[2] or Good Wednesday (in Western Christianity),[3] and Great and Holy Wednesday (in Eastern Christianity).
In Western Christianity many churches of various denominations observe the tenebrae service on Holy Wednesday.[4][5][6]
- ^ Sacred Space: The Prayer Book 2020. Loyola Press. 2019. ISBN 978-0-8294-4897-9.
- ^ McKim, Donald K. (1996). Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms. Westminster John Knox Press. p. 269. ISBN 9780664255114.
Spy Wednesday: The Wednesday of Holy Week, so named from its being the day on which Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus Christ (Matt. 26:14–16).
- ^ Halsey, William Darrach (1981). Collier's Encyclopedia with Bibliography and Index. Macmillan Educational Corporation.
Among English-speaking peoples the Wednesday of Holy Week is called variously Good Wednesday, Holy Wednesday, Spy Wednesday (referring to the activities of Judas Iscariot), and Wednesday before Easter.
- ^ Black, Vicki K. (October 2004). Welcome to the Church Year. Church Publishing. p. 78. ISBN 978-0-8192-1966-4.
Also, in many places you will find the service of Tenebrae offered on one of these early weekdays of Holy Week, most often on Wednesday evening.
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