The church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem (Ansa)
If in the Holy Thursday predominates the solemnity of the institution of the Eucharist and on Good Friday the sadness, the pain and penance for the passion and death of Jesus, with his burial; On Holy Saturday, however, silence, recollection, meditation predominates, for Jesus who lies in the sepulcher before the joy of Easter Sunday with the announcement of the resurrection.
Starting from the fourth century in some places, on this day the candidates for baptism (catechumens), they made their public profession of faith, before being admitted to the church, a ritual that then took place in the Easter vigil.
Around the 16th century, It began with an anticipation of the eve at the morning of Holy Saturdayperhaps because it was not advisable to stay outside the home at night, in any case this anticipation on Saturday morning, lasted until the last years fifty of the twentieth century: around 10-11 on Saturday morning they “melted” the bell from the bonds put on the evening of Holy Thursday for the announcement of the resurrection
Then with the liturgical reform, Everything returned to the origins and on Saturdays resumed the meaning of the day of meditation and penance; The darkness in the churches is total, there are no liturgical celebrations, nor holy masses; It is the only day of the year that communion cannot be received, except in the case of viaticum for serious sick people.
Everything is silence while waiting for the resurrection event. How long did it remain buried in the sepulcher Jesus? It was three non -whole days, from the Friday evening until the dawn of the day after the Jewish Saturday party, which today is Easter Sunday, but which for the Jews was the first day of the week; In all, it lasted about 40 hours.
It must be said that with today’s liturgy, the “Easter Vigil” is scheduled for most of our churches and cathedrals, starting around 10 pm on Saturday; But the Easter vigil, the mother of all the vigils celebrated by the Christian liturgy, while starting in the last hour of Saturday, in fact belongs to the solemn liturgy of Easter.
During the “vigil” the fire is blessed, the “Easter candle”, the baptismal water; Trying to make the song of the “glory” coincide, with the sound of the festive bells, around midnight. In other areas the “vigil” begins around midnight and therefore the Eucharistic liturgy continues in the early night hours
