Holy Week on the Holy Mountain is not kept by the clock of the world, but by the Byzantine — the day begins at sunset. The services begin at night and end at dawn.,On Great Monday the Bridegroom service is chanted. On Great Wednesday, at the Holy Unction, is heard “Lord, the woman who had fallen into many sins…” — one of the most moving hymns of the year.,On Great Friday, after the Deposition from the Cross, we chant the Lamentations (Enkomia) in the catholicon. The Epitaphios is borne within the church — it does not go out into the courtyard.,And when at the midnight of Saturday the Abbot opens the door of the Church and chants “Christ is risen,” all Athos resounds in answer — all the monasteries celebrate at once.
