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Bible Dictionaries
Saturday, Black
1910 New Catholic Dictionary
or
In Latin, Sabbatum Sanctum; also known as Easter Eve; Easter Even; Low Saturday; Black Saturday; White Saturday; Sabado de Gloria; Holy and Great Saturday, or Great Sabbath. Eve of Easter Sunday, closing of the season of Lent and penance, and the beginning of paschal time. In the early Church no Mass was said, services starting about three o'clock in the afternoon and ending with the Mass of the Resurrection on Easter morning, but the services have been gradually anticipated so that the Mass now celebrated on Saturday morning is by origin the first Mass of Easter Sunday, and Lent is over at noon. The present ceremonies consist of the blessing of the new fire, the lighting of lamps and candles and the paschal candle, the recitation of the twelve prophecies, the blessing of the baptismal font or water, and the recitation of the Litany of the Saints. After this the altar is decked with lights and flowers and the Mass is celebrated in white, as a symbol of joy. It contains no Offertory, and the Communion and Postcommunion are replaced with Vespers. At the Gloria the bells, which have been silent since Maundy Thursday, are rung.
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Entry for 'Saturday, Black'. 1910 New Catholic Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/ncd/s/saturday-black.html. 1910.
