Christ is risen, and — let’s be honest — most of us are still catching our breath after the all-night Paschal Vigil! Bright Week picks up that joy, cranks the volume, and wraps the Church in nonstop celebration. Stick around and you’ll learn why every day in this “continuous day” matters, what it means for your fasting calendar, and how different Orthodox churches keep the feast.
Bright Week (sometimes called Renewal Week or White Week) is the first week after Pascha Sunday. From Pascha night until the following Saturday, the Church sings the same triumphant hymns of Christ’s Resurrection that shook the walls at midnight. We greet one another with “Christ is risen!” at every service, the Royal Doors stay wide open, and even the Psalms take a rest while the Paschal Troparion fills the air.
This post will:
- explore the history and biblical roots of the week,
- answer the big questions below,
- compare fasting customs across jurisdictions,
- offer practical tips for living the feast at home.
Grab a left-over red egg and let’s dive in.
1. What Is Bright Week in the Orthodox Church?
Bright Week is the first week after Easter Sunday. It starts the moment the priest cries “Christ is risen!” at the Paschal Divine Liturgy and ends with Great Vespers on Bright Saturday. The Church treats these seven days as one continuous day of celebration, so every service feels like a replay of Pascha night. We keep singing the Paschal Troparion, the Royal Doors stay open to show the empty tomb, and no one kneels or fasts.
Why all the fuss? Because the Church wants us to live the Resurrection, not just remember it. Each day invites you to step into the joy the Apostles felt when they first met the Risen Lord. You greet everyone with “Christ is risen,” you hear the same Gospel readings that speak of the resurrection of our Lord, and you rest from ordinary worries to taste a bit of the Kingdom of Heaven.
In practice, Bright Week is a spiritual cool-down after the marathon of Great Lent. You feast, pray shorter services, and let the light of Christ soak in. If you were baptized or chrismated at the Vigil, you stay in your white robe all week—an outward sign that the Holy Spirit has made you new. Even if you were baptized long ago, Bright Week calls you to wear an inner “white robe” by forgiving grudges, sharing food, and thanking God for every breath.
2. Why Is It Called “Bright” Week?
The name isn’t just about candles and white vestments. “Bright” points to the inner light that bursts from Christ’s Resurrection. In the early Church newly baptized Christians wore gleaming robes for the entire week, so people began calling it White Week or Bright Week. Over time the title stuck, because everything during these days shines—icons, music, even voices.
On a deeper level, Bright Week reminds you that the light of Christ chases away every shadow in the heart. The open Holy Doors say, “The open Door of Christ is never shut.” The constant Alleluias teach you to meet dark thoughts with praise. The absence of fasting shows that, for these days, joy outruns discipline.
So what does that mean for you? Let the light in. Keep a Pascha candle burning during meals. Replace evening doom-scrolling with the hymns of the Resurrection. Mend a strained friendship. Share leftover kulich with a neighbor who stayed home on Pascha. Bright Week is bright because Christ’s light wants to spill from the altar straight into your living room—and then out the front door to the world.
3. How to Celebrate Bright Week?
Now that you know what Bright Week is and why it shines, let’s get practical. Celebration happens in two arenas—your parish and your living room. Join as many services as your schedule allows, then weave the same joy into your daily routine.
Celebrating Bright Week at Church
Throughout the week the parish feels different. The Paschal Troparion replaces most hymns, the clergy wear white or gold, and no one kneels. Each day repeats the triumph of Christ’s Resurrection, yet every service has its own flavor.
Bright Week at a glance:
| Day | What Happens in Church | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Pascha Sunday – Agape Vespers | Clergy read John 20:19-25 in many tongues; red eggs and hugs follow. | The whole parish, including newly baptized catechumens, starts Pascha Week as one family. |
| Bright Monday | Procession with the Sweet-Kissing icon; choir repeats the paschal stichera. | The rescued icon shows Christ keeps every soul afloat, even after storms. |
| Bright Tuesday | Names of Saints Raphael, Nicholas, Irene sung; Athonite Portaitissa icon honored. | Their long-hidden relics prove the Resurrection keeps shaping history. |
| Bright Wednesday | Akathist before the wonder-working Kasperov icon; monks of Sinai remembered. | Mid-week calm says Pascha light must follow you to work and school. |
| Bright Thursday | Readings on Baptism (Acts 2; John 3); some parishes recall the Last Supper. | Thank God for your own rebirth “of water and the Spirit.” |
| Bright Friday | Life-Giving Fountain water-blessing; priest sprinkles everyone. | Take holy water home; let the Mother of God lead you to Christ’s living stream. |
| Bright Saturday | Priest blesses and shares the Artos loaf; “Christ is risen” sung three times. | Eating the Artos seals the octave and points to the never-ending eighth day. |
| Thomas Sunday | Gospel of Thomas touching Christ’s side; hymn “O Christ God” closes the week. | Doubters find faith; Bright Week ends, but Resurrection joy becomes your new normal. |
Try to attend at least one weekday service. Even a quick appearance lets you stand in the bright atmosphere of the church and drink in the joy of the Resurrection.
Celebrating Bright Week at Home
Bright Week doesn’t end at the church door; it follows you down the driveway. Small habits keep the feast alive between services:
- Keep the candle burning. Light your Pascha candle during meals or evening prayers. Its flame reminds everyone that the light shines even in the living room.
- Set a white table. Cover your table with a white cloth, leave Pascha bread and red eggs in view, and greet the family with “Christ is risen!” each time you pass.
- Pray the Paschal Hours. They take five minutes. Read them aloud before breakfast; they carry the church melody into Monday morning.
- Read the Homily of St. John Chrysostom. Share one paragraph a day. It keeps the word of God and the big picture of the entirety of creation front-and-center.
- Play Paschal music. Stream hymns of the Resurrection while doing chores. Kids will pick up the refrain faster than any lesson.
- Share holy water. On Bright Friday pour the blessed water into a clear jar. Let each family member sip a little and trace a cross on the forehead, thanking the Risen Lord for fresh grace.
Bright Week invites us to live as if the Resurrection of Jesus just happened—because for the Church, it always has. Whether you stand under church domes or your own kitchen ceiling, keep the feast, pass the peace, and let the joy of Pascha flood the whole week.
4. Do You Fast During Bright Week?
Canon law calls Bright Week a fast-free period. “Let no one fast or kneel during the week following Pascha,” says the First Council of Nicaea (Canon 20). The Church wants the body to share the soul’s celebration.
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, the Russian and the Orthodox Church of America, and some Byzantine Catholic churches return to usual fasting days (Wednesday and Friday) in the first week after Bright Week.
The Antiochian Orthodox Church does not fast until the Feast of the Ascension, 40 days later (Decision of Antiochian Synod, 1997).
If you’re in doubt, ask your priest. Parish bulletins or diocesan websites usually post services of Bright Week and fasting notes.
Watch This Video
Here is a great video to watch on that topic:
Final Take Away
Bright Week reminds us that Great Lent was never an end in itself. The fast trained our hearts so we could taste the “wedding banquet” of the Kingdom for a whole week, rejoice in the risen Lord, and carry that joy into ordinary Wednesdays and Fridays.
Whether your parish restarts fasting right after Bright Week or keeps the table open until Pentecost, lean into the spirit of celebration:
- Keep shouting the Paschal Greeting every day.
- Let spiritual songs replace scrolling before bed.
- Share the feast—invite a neighbor to enjoy leftover kulich or a bright-week barbecue.
Have questions or Bright Week family traditions to share? Drop a comment below, tag us on Instagram with your Pascha table photos, or explore our newest fast-friendly recipes for when normal fasting resumes. Christ is risen—truly He is risen!
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