<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holy Wednesday</span>

Holy Wednesday

<p>In <a href="/en/Christianity" title="Christianity" class="wl">Christianity</a>, <b>Holy Wednesday</b>  commemorates the <a href="/en/Bargain_of_Judas" title="Bargain of Judas" class="wl">Bargain of Judas</a> as a clandestine spy among the disciples.<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-1"><a href="#cite_note-1" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 1;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[1]</span></a></span> It is also called <b>Spy Wednesday</b>,<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-McKim1996_2-0"><a href="#cite_note-McKim1996-2" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 2;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[2]</span></a></span> or <b>Good Wednesday</b> (in <a href="/en/Western_Christianity" title="Western Christianity" class="wl">Western Christianity</a>),<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-Halsey1981_3-0"><a href="#cite_note-Halsey1981-3" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 3;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[3]</span></a></span> and <b>Great and Holy Wednesday</b> (in <a href="/en/Eastern_Christianity" title="Eastern Christianity" class="wl">Eastern Christianity</a>).</p>

<div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none" about="#mwt1">Christian commemoration</div>
<style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1066479718" typeof="mw:Extension/templatestyles mw:Transclusion">.mw-parser-output .infobox-subbox{padding:0;border:none;margin:-3px;width:auto;min-width:100%;font-size:100%;clear:none;float:none;background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .infobox-3cols-child{margin:auto}.mw-parser-output .infobox .navbar{font-size:100%}body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-header,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-subheader,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-above,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-title,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-image,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-below{text-align:center}</style><div class='mobile-collapse'><header class="mobile-collapse-header mobile-collapse-btn"><b>Quick facts: Holy Wednesday, Also called, Observed&nbsp;by...</b> <span class='arrow'>▼</span></header> <table class="infobox vevent mobile-collapse-element"><tbody><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-above hd">Holy Wednesday</th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-image"><span class="mw-default-size"><a href="/en/File:Holy_Wednesday_procession_in_Vila-real_2015_09.jpg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Holy_Wednesday_procession_in_Vila-real_2015_09.jpg"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f7/Holy_Wednesday_procession_in_Vila-real_2015_09.jpg/240px-Holy_Wednesday_procession_in_Vila-real_2015_09.jpg" decoding="async" data-file-width="2448" data-file-height="3264" data-file-type="bitmap" height="320" width="240" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f7/Holy_Wednesday_procession_in_Vila-real_2015_09.jpg/360px-Holy_Wednesday_procession_in_Vila-real_2015_09.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f7/Holy_Wednesday_procession_in_Vila-real_2015_09.jpg/480px-Holy_Wednesday_procession_in_Vila-real_2015_09.jpg 2x" alt="Holy_Wednesday_procession_in_Vila-real_2015_09.jpg"></a></span><div class="infobox-caption" style="caption">A <a href="/en/Confraternity_of_penitents" title="Confraternity of penitents" class="wl">confraternity of penitents</a> leads a Holy Wednesday procession in <a href="/en/Villarreal" title="Villarreal" class="wl">Villarreal</a>, Spain (2015)</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Also called</th><td class="infobox-data">Spy Wednesday<br>Good Wednesday<br>Holy and Great Wednesday</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Observed<span>&nbsp;</span>by</th><td class="infobox-data">Christians</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Type</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/en/Christianity" title="Christianity" class="wl">Christian</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Significance</th><td class="infobox-data summary">commemorates the <a href="/en/Bargain_of_Judas" title="Bargain of Judas" class="wl">Bargain of Judas</a> and the <a href="/en/Parable_of_the_Two_Debtors" title="Parable of the Two Debtors" class="wl">Parable of the Two Debtors</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Observances</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/en/Mass_(liturgy)" title="Mass (liturgy)" class="wl">Mass</a>; <a href="/en/Tenebrae" title="Tenebrae" class="wl">Tenebrae</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Date</th><td class="infobox-data">Wednesday before Easter</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">2022<span>&nbsp;</span>date</th><td class="infobox-data"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1126788409" typeof="mw:Extension/templatestyles">.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul{line-height:inherit;list-style:none;margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol li,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul li{margin-bottom:0}</style><div class="plainlist"><ul><li>April 13 (Western)</li><li>April 20 (Eastern)</li></ul></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">2023<span>&nbsp;</span>date</th><td class="infobox-data"><div class="plainlist"><ul><li>April 5 (Western)</li><li>April 12 (Eastern)</li></ul></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">2024<span>&nbsp;</span>date</th><td class="infobox-data"><div class="plainlist"><ul><li>March 27 (Western)</li><li>May 1 (Eastern)</li></ul></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">2025<span>&nbsp;</span>date</th><td class="infobox-data"><div class="plainlist"><ul><li>April 16 (Western)</li><li>April 16 (Eastern)</li></ul></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Frequency</th><td class="infobox-data">annual</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Related<span>&nbsp;</span>to</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/en/Holy_Week" title="Holy Week" class="wl">Holy Week</a></td></tr></tbody></table> <footer class='mobile-collapse-footer mobile-collapse-btn'><b>Close</b> <span class='arrow'>▲</span></footer></div>
<figure class="wiki-thumb"><span><a href="/en/File:Paso_de_misterio_de_El_Olivo,_Miércoles_Santo,_El_Puerto.ogv" class="app_media media-thumb" data-hash="File:Paso_de_misterio_de_El_Olivo,_Miércoles_Santo,_El_Puerto.ogv"><video poster="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ee/Paso_de_misterio_de_El_Olivo%2C_Mi%C3%A9rcoles_Santo%2C_El_Puerto.ogv/300px--Paso_de_misterio_de_El_Olivo%2C_Mi%C3%A9rcoles_Santo%2C_El_Puerto.ogv.jpg" preload="none" height="225" width="300" resource="./File:Paso_de_misterio_de_El_Olivo,_Miércoles_Santo,_El_Puerto.ogv"><source src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/Paso_de_misterio_de_El_Olivo%2C_Mi%C3%A9rcoles_Santo%2C_El_Puerto.ogv" type="video/ogg; codecs=&quot;theora, vorbis&quot;" data-file-width="320" data-file-height="240" data-title="Original Ogg file, 320 × 240 (1.05 Mbps)" data-shorttitle="Ogg source"><source src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/ee/Paso_de_misterio_de_El_Olivo%2C_Mi%C3%A9rcoles_Santo%2C_El_Puerto.ogv/Paso_de_misterio_de_El_Olivo%2C_Mi%C3%A9rcoles_Santo%2C_El_Puerto.ogv.120p.vp9.webm" type="video/webm; codecs=&quot;vp9, opus&quot;" data-width="160" data-height="120" data-title="Lowest bandwidth VP9 (120P)" data-shorttitle="VP9 120P"><source src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/ee/Paso_de_misterio_de_El_Olivo%2C_Mi%C3%A9rcoles_Santo%2C_El_Puerto.ogv/Paso_de_misterio_de_El_Olivo%2C_Mi%C3%A9rcoles_Santo%2C_El_Puerto.ogv.160p.webm" type="video/webm; codecs=&quot;vp8, vorbis&quot;" data-width="214" data-height="160" data-title="Low bandwidth WebM (160P)" data-shorttitle="WebM 160P"><source src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/ee/Paso_de_misterio_de_El_Olivo%2C_Mi%C3%A9rcoles_Santo%2C_El_Puerto.ogv/Paso_de_misterio_de_El_Olivo%2C_Mi%C3%A9rcoles_Santo%2C_El_Puerto.ogv.180p.vp9.webm" type="video/webm; codecs=&quot;vp9, opus&quot;" data-width="240" data-height="180" data-title="Low bandwidth VP9 (180P)" data-shorttitle="VP9 180P"><source src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/ee/Paso_de_misterio_de_El_Olivo%2C_Mi%C3%A9rcoles_Santo%2C_El_Puerto.ogv/Paso_de_misterio_de_El_Olivo%2C_Mi%C3%A9rcoles_Santo%2C_El_Puerto.ogv.240p.vp9.webm" type="video/webm; codecs=&quot;vp9, opus&quot;" data-width="320" data-height="240" data-title="Small VP9 (240P)" data-shorttitle="VP9 240P"><source src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/ee/Paso_de_misterio_de_El_Olivo%2C_Mi%C3%A9rcoles_Santo%2C_El_Puerto.ogv/Paso_de_misterio_de_El_Olivo%2C_Mi%C3%A9rcoles_Santo%2C_El_Puerto.ogv.240p.webm" type="video/webm; codecs=&quot;vp8, vorbis&quot;" data-width="320" data-height="240" data-title="Small WebM (240P)" data-shorttitle="WebM 240P"></video></a></span><figcaption><i>Miércoles Santo</i> (Holy Wednesday) in <a href="/en/Cádiz" title="Cádiz" class="wl">Cádiz</a>, <a href="/en/Spain" title="Spain" class="wl">Spain</a></figcaption></figure>
<p>In <a href="/en/Western_Christianity" title="Western Christianity" class="wl">Western Christianity</a> many churches of various denominations observe the <a href="/en/Tenebrae" title="Tenebrae" class="wl">tenebrae</a> service on Holy Wednesday.<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-Black2004_4-0"><a href="#cite_note-Black2004-4" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 4;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[4]</span></a></span><span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-PECUSA2018_5-0"><a href="#cite_note-PECUSA2018-5" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 5;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[5]</span></a></span><span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-Kosloski2018_6-0"><a href="#cite_note-Kosloski2018-6" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 6;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[6]</span></a></span></p>



In Christianity, Holy Wednesday  commemorates the Bargain of Judas as a clandestine spy among the disciples. and Great and Holy Wednesday . In Western Christianity many churches of various denominations observe the tenebrae service on Holy Wednesday. 