Holy Saturday

Q: What is Holy Saturday?

Holy Saturday is a Christian observance that falls on the day before Easter Sunday. The last day of Holy Week, it commemorates the time Christ lay in the tomb between his death and Resurrection, and typically marks his burial and the triumphant descent into hell (or “to the dead”) mentioned in the Apostles’ Creed. After sundown, many liturgical churches hold the Easter Vigil—the principal Easter service—to celebrate the Resurrection.

Q: What happens on Holy Saturday?

Holy Saturday commemorates Christ’s burial and his triumphant descent into hell or “to the dead.” Typically no services take place during the day. However, many Eastern and Western churches hold the Easter Vigil—the principal Easter service—after sundown on Holy Saturday. The joyous Easter Vigil celebration includes lighting fires and candles, and tolling bells. Many churches also baptize catechumens and confirm (or chrismate) and give first communion to previously baptized converts during this lengthy service. The Easter Vigil is often followed by a late-night feast to welcome new converts and celebrate Easter.

Christianity

Also known as: Easter Saturday, Easter Vigil

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History

What is Holy Saturday?

What happens on Holy Saturday?

Holy Saturday, Christian religious observance that falls on the day before Easter Sunday and commemorates the final day of Christ’s death. The last day of Holy Week, Many Christians traditionally associate Holy Saturday with Christ’s burial and his triumphant descent into hell or “to the dead” (see also Apostles’ Creed). The Easter Vigil, celebrating the Resurrection, is held after sundown on Holy Saturday, sometimes as a late-night service.

Filippino Lippi: Pietà — Filippino Lippi: *PietàPietà* (*The Dead Christ Mourned by Nicodemus and Two Angels*) by Filippino Lippi, c. 1500; in the Samuel H. Kress Collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

The early church celebrated the end of Lent with large baptismal ceremonies, but for many centuries no services were held on Holy Saturday in the Western churches, recalling the suspended state of Christ’s followers in the period between his Crucifixion and Resurrection. Beginning in 1955, the Roman Catholic and some other churches restored the evening Easter Vigil. The Eastern Orthodox churches had never abandoned the ceremony.

The vigil celebration, which may be several hours long, often includes the lighting of fires and candles to symbolize Christ’s passing from death to life and the tolling of bells to signify the joyous Resurrection. Many churches also celebrate the baptism of catechumens (unbaptized converts) and the confirmation or chrismation and first communion of both catechumens and candidates (converts who were previously baptized in a different Christian faith tradition) during the Easter Vigil. A feast often follows the vigil, both to welcome new converts and to joyfully celebrate Easter.