Holy Saturday around the world in 2024

When is Holy Saturday?

Holy Saturday is the day after Good Friday and may also be known as Black Saturday, White Saturday, Easter Eve, Vigil of Easter.

Note that it may also be called Easter Sunday, though from a religious perspective Easter Saturday is the Saturday after Easter Sunday.

Holy Saturday is the last day of Holy Week and in the Western church, it can fall between March 21st and April 24th.

History of Holy Saturday

This day, sometimes known as the Eve of Easter, marks the full day when Jesus' body lay in the tomb after his crucifixion on Good Friday and before his resurrection on Easter Sunday.

Dating back to the early days of the Christian Church, this day was a popular day for baptisms. Because of the solemnity of the day, few services are held on this day. However, rituals that can help with salvation for the dying such as baptism were allowed. Some parts of the church such as the Anglicans still hold baptismal services on Holy Saturday.

A less common name for this day is the Descent into Hell, as in some Christian traditions it commemorates Jesus' descent into and victory over hell.

An Easter Vigil often takes place in the evening of Holy Saturday recalling the vigil that Jesus' followers observed after his crucifixion on Good Friday. Sometimes known as Paschal Vigil, this service is held as a celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The Vigil often begins with the church into darkness; all candles are put out on Maundy Thursday. 

The minister enters the church, bearing a Paschal candle (a special candle that symbolizes the body of Jesus), accompanied by the chant "The light of Christ" to which the assembly responds "Thanks be to God". After blessing the Paschal candle, the rest of the candles in the church are then lit from the Paschal candle, and the church is illuminated by light.