Jerusalem Dinner and Other Holy Week Traditions — Helping of Happiness (2024)

The week before Easter, our family has a tradition of taking a little time each night (when we usually do family scripture study) to talk about what would have been happening almost 2,000 years ago when Jesus Christ was on the earth. We go through the final week of His life (below) and talk about what happened on each day. Sometimes we read in the scriptures about each day, and other times we watch these amazing short videos.

One activity that I really like doing is putting on a Jerusalem Dinner. Ideally, this would be on Thursday when we talk about the Last Supper. Some years I even do this on Easter Sunday, but my husband really likes it on Easter when we do a traditional ham dinner with lots of tasty side dishes.

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At our Jerusalem Dinner we eat foods that would be common in Israel such as pitas, dates, figs, cucumbers, tomatoes, grapes, olives, etc. (we even included our homemade hummus, and tzatziki sauce this year). When I'm really on the ball we include matzos crackers, grape juice and lamb, but this year we had to settle for chicken and milk (because I forgot to get those at the store!!). It would also be fun to dress up in robes and eat low to the ground. Some years are simpler than others.

Palm Sunday: We act out Christ's Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem. One of the children acts as the donkey and another rides on the donkey's back while the rest of us pretend to wave palms and throw clothes and blankets as a path for the donkey to walk on. (Matthew 21:6–11)

Monday: We talk about Jesus cleansing of the temple, and why it was appropriate for him to show anger in this one instance. We talk about how we should act in sacred places and why the temple is so special. We also ask the kids how they would feel if someone did the same thing in our house, just like the money changers did in Jesus’ house. (Matthew 21:12–16)

Tuesday: We read about some of Jesus Christ’s teachings. We talk about the parable of the fig tree and the signs of His Second Coming. We also tell the parable of the Ten Virgins. (Matthew 24–25)

Wednesday: We read about even more of His teachings such as the parable of the talents, the sheep and the goats, and the widow’s mite. (Matthew 24–25) (Mark 12)

Thursday: (This is the ideal night for the Jerusalem Dinner- but we often fit it where we need to) This is the night we read about the Last Supper (which is the Passover dinner) and Christ’s suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew26)

Friday: We learn about the trial, Crucifixion, and burial (Matthew 27:1–61)

Saturday: We read about how Christ’s body lies in the tomb (Matthew 27:62–66) while His spirit ministers in the spirit world (D&C138)

This is also the day our family generally does more of the commercial Easter activities such as egg hunts and parties with friends.

Easter Sunday: When our Easter bunny leaves treats for the kids in their baskets, he also leaved pictures of the life of Christ all over the house for the kids to see. We read about the appearance of the resurrected Christ (Matthew 28:1–10)

I also love this video about how we can hear the voice of the Lord in our own lives- right here, right now.