Holy Saturday

What it is

Holy Saturday closes Holy Week. It comes after Good Friday, when Christians recall the crucifixion, and before Easter Sunday, the feast of the resurrection. The churches remember that the body of Jesus lay in the tomb that day, and that in spirit he went down among the dead and brought them out, an event usually called the Harrowing of Hell. Nothing is announced as finished yet. The resurrection has not been proclaimed, so the day stays quiet, a pause of watching rather than an ending, and it belongs with the three days that run from Maundy Thursday evening to Easter night.

Names in different churches

The usual English name is Holy Saturday, and Latin texts call it Sabbatum Sanctum. Many other names are in use. Eastern Orthodox Christians speak of Holy and Great Saturday, or the Great Sabbath, because they hold that Christ rested in the tomb that day. Arabic-speaking Christians in Palestine and the Levant call it the Saturday of Light. Coptic, Ethiopian and Eritrean churches call it Joyous Saturday, and the Syriac Orthodox tradition calls it the Saturday of Good Tidings or Gospel Saturday, a day when the departed are remembered. In the Moravian Church it is the Great Sabbath; the Anglican Book of Common Prayer names it Easter Even. In the Philippines it is widely known as Black Saturday. Slovak and Czech speakers say White Saturday.

In the Eastern churches

On Good Friday evening or on Saturday morning, Orthodox parishes hold a funeral service for Christ. Worshippers gather round the Epitaphios, a cloth icon showing his body made ready for burial, and Psalm 118 is chanted with lamentations between the verses. The cloth is lifted and taken around the outside of the building while the Trisagion hymn is sung. A vesperal Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil follows, with fifteen readings from the Old Testament. In Greek and Arabic practice the clergy scatter laurel leaves and petals through the church; in Cypriot custom the congregation makes a loud din with feet, pews, sticks and pots, a sign that the gates of hell are broken. Only after midnight does the greeting of the resurrection pass between worshippers.

In the Western churches

After the evening Mass on Maundy Thursday, Catholic churches leave the altar bare. On Holy Saturday itself, Communion is given only to those near death, while confession, anointing and baptism may still be celebrated, since they too are meant for the dying. The Paschal fast runs across two days, and this is the later of them. In Poland a custom called Święconka sees baskets of food carried to church for a blessing: eggs, ham, bread, sweet breads, horseradish, and small lambs made of butter or cake. Slovak and Czech speakers call the day White Saturday, after the white garments worn by people baptised at the Easter Vigil. Filipino practice calls it Black Saturday; many businesses reopen, and broadcasting runs short or stops.

Today and change

Protestant churches keep many of the same customs, though their altars may be draped in black rather than left bare. Some Anglican churches, among them the Episcopal Church in the United States, provide a short liturgy of the word with readings about the burial of Christ, and the daily offices continue. In Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and Methodist churches the day runs until nightfall, when the Easter Vigil opens the Easter season. Moravians decorate graves in God's Acre with flowers, and their first service of Eastertide begins before sunrise on Easter Sunday. Reformed and Methodist congregations may hold either the vigil or a sunrise service.

How Holy Saturday is kept

The day is kept by Christians across many churches. In Orthodox parishes a funeral service for Christ is held around the Epitaphios, followed by a vesperal liturgy with Old Testament readings; the cloth may be carried outside, and new converts can be baptised during the readings. Catholics leave the altar bare and restrict the sacraments to the dying. Poles bring baskets of food to church for a blessing. Moravians place flowers on graves. Later, in the dark, the Easter Vigil begins, and only after midnight is the resurrection greeted.

When and where

Holy Saturday comes the day after Good Friday and the day before Easter Sunday, so it moves with Easter each year. Western and Eastern churches use different calculations, and so their Holy Saturdays rarely fall on the same date.

The day belongs to Christian communities worldwide. Its customs are strongest in Orthodox countries and in Catholic ones such as Poland and the Philippines. The Holy Fire ceremony draws Orthodox Christians in Palestine and the Levant; it takes place at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and Syriac, Coptic, Ethiopian and Eritrean churches keep their own forms.

What Holy Saturday means

For those who keep it, Holy Saturday is a day of held breath. The tomb is sealed, the resurrection has not yet been announced, and churches wait. Orthodox teaching holds that Christ was at work among the dead, freeing those held captive, so the day is sorrowful and hopeful at once. Catholics honour Mary under the title Our Lady of Solitude, naming her grief. The mood turns to joy when the vigil begins.

Days Holy Saturday is marked

Questions people ask about Holy Saturday

See also

Yom KippurThe holiest day in Judaism, dedicated to fasting, prayer and atonementSukkotA seven-day autumn Jewish festival of temporary booths, harvest prayers and hospitalityKaddishA Jewish hymn of sanctification recited during prayer services and mourning rituals.Kol NidreAn Aramaic declaration of vow annulment that opens the Yom Kippur evening service in Jewish synagogues.

Good reading and sources

• Encyclopaedia BritannicaArticle

• Holy Saturday on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-05.