Responsories for Holy Week Responsories for Holy Week Responsories for Holy Week (Latin: Responsoria pro hebdomada sancta) are three sets of nine responsories, for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday respectively, the three days of the Holy Week preceding Easter Sunday. They are also known as the Tenebrae responsories, and were set to music for instance by Carlo Gesualdo ("Responsoria et alia ad Officium Hebdomadae Sanctae spectantia", 1611) and by Jan Dismas Zelenka (ZWV 55). The Night Hours ("preceding" the Little Hours) of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday consist of matins (each with three nocturns) and lauds. The lessons of these
Holy Week in Braga flames. Some “farricocos” accompany nearby the “fogaréus” with baskets of pine cones to go renewing the fire. As a whole, they are exotic and impressive figures, which became, for many people, a species of ex-libris of the Holy Week of Braga. See its brief description before. It is a very rooted custom in the North of Portugal, on Easter Sunday. A group of people (“Compasso”), whenever possible chaired by a priest, with festive costumes, departing from their parish church with a decked cross go to visit Christian families to announce the Christ resurrection and to bless their homes. Ring the