Easter in Latvia Easter in Latvia The Christian festival of Easter is celebrated in Latvia as Lieldienas (). Lieldienas enters Holy Week with Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday, but Sunday will mark first Lieldienas. Second Lieldienas is on Monday of the following week. Each day has a special significance. Also, many pagan elements of celebrating Lieldienas have become a tradition. Nowadays, the common date of Lieldienas is the first Sunday after the first full moon, after or during the vernal equinox. Thus, the Western Christian Church Lieldienas falls on a date between 22 March and 25 April. In Eastern
Maundy Thursday and healing. In addition, the Bishop and clergy in attendance will reaffirm their Ordination Vows. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, the liturgical colours are brighter, white being common. On this day alone during Holy Week, the fast is relaxed to permit consumption of wine and oil. The primary service of this day is Vespers combined with the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great at which is read the first Passion Gospel (), known as the "Gospel of the Testament", and many of the normal hymns of the Divine Liturgy are substituted with the following troparion: "Of Thy Mystical Supper, O