PHOTOS: Christians celebrate Holy Week around the world
From Spain to Jerusalem to Lebanon, see how Christians are commemorating Easter this year.
By ARIEL COHENChristian Maronite worshippers take part in a Palm Sunday procession with their children in Batroun in north Lebanon (photo credit: REUTERS)
During the time between Palm Sunday and Easter, Christians around the world celebrate Holy Week, commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ with celebrations, reenactments and feasts.
A Catholic nun holds an olive branch during a Palm Sunday procession on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem (photo credit: REUTERS)Pope Francis leads the Palm Sunday mass at Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican (photo credit: REUTERS)Christian Maronite worshippers take part in a Palm Sunday procession with their children in Batroun in north Lebanon (photo credit: REUTERS)The 18-month-old fraternal twins, Nacho Guirado (L) and Asier cry as they are carried by their father Ignacio (L) and their uncle Jose Carlos, who are twins, while lifting a float bearing the statue of the Virgin inside a church as they take part as penitents in the "Salud" brotherhood in a Palm Sun (photo credit: REUTERS)Alba Jimenez, 19, wearing a traditional mantilla dress, looks on as she takes part as a penitent in the procession of the "Gitanos" brotherhood during Holy Week in Malaga, southern Spain (photo credit: REUTERS)Christian Maronite worshippers take part in a Palm Sunday procession with their children in Batroun in north Lebanon (photo credit: REUTERS)rison inmates take part in a Passion play in the run-up to Easter at the Corradino Correctional Facility, Malta's main prison, in Paola, outside Valletta (photo credit: REUTERS)Penitents of the Siete Palabras (Seven Words) brotherhood make their penance during a Holy Week procession in the Andalusian capital of Seville, southern Spain (photo credit: REUTERS)Belarussian Catholics re-enact a moment in the life of Jesus Christ near a Catholic church in Minsk (photo credit: REUTERS)Chocolate Easter bunnies of Swiss chocolatier Lindt & Spruengli are displayed during the annual news conference in Kilchberg near Zurich (photo credit: REUTERS)
Holy Week occurs during the last week of lent and includes Palm Sunday, Holy Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. The week commemorates the death of Jesus Christ and his ascension to heaven, which occurs on Easter Sunday.In Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, hundreds of worshipers marched through the Old City holding traditional Palm tree branches. In Vatican city, the Pope spoke of religious persecution as extremism infiltrates the Middle Eastern Christian world. In Lebanon, Christians marched through the streets to commemorate the path of Jesus. Various other celebrations occurred in Spain and Russia, as well as every other corner of the globe where Christians reside.But most importantly, what is Easter without a Swiss chocolate bunny?
