Passion Sunday is the fifth Sunday of Lent, marking the beginning of Passiontide.
Passiontide (in the Christian liturgical year) is a name for the last two weeks of Lent, beginning on the Fifth Sunday of Lent, long celebrated as Passion Sunday, and continuing through Lazarus Saturday. It commemorates the suffering of Christ (Latin passio = “suffering”). The second week of Passiontide is Holy Week, ending on Holy Saturday.
In certain countries, such as Brazil and Italy, it is seen as the beginning of the Holy Week observances. The Viernes de Dolores (Friday of Sorrows) is a solemn, pious remembrance of the sorrowful Blessed Virgin Mary on the Friday before Palm Sunday, held in the fifth week of Lent.