Easter: A Day, an Octave, or a Season?
- Logan Fude
- Apr 27, 2023
- 2 min read
Like many other cycles and seasons, there tends to be a little bit of confusion when the church continues to celebrate something long after grocery stories have clearanced their décor and special treats. This begs the question: are we still supposed to be celebrating Easter or not? If you ask other Catholics this question, you may hear terms such as "the Octave of Easter" and "the Season of Easter" in response. Is there a difference? If so, why is it important? I am so glad you asked!
Easter Day
Most are familiar with Easter Day; even secular calendars have it printed on there as a holiday. In addition, most people who have been Catholic for a little while (or families and friends) know that there is a REALLY long Easter Vigil mass after sundown. Regardless of which mass you attend, we sing the Alleluia for the first time since Ash Wednesday, and the gospel reading is of the resurrection. This is the first day of the Easter season and Easter octave.
Octave of Easter
The Octave of Easter refers to the the eight days after Easter. These are days of feasting and are considered to be all one celebration. It begins on Easter Day and lasts the entire week until the Second Sunday of Easter (also known as Divine Mercy Sunday). In the early days of the church, the new entrants to the Catholic Church would wear their white baptismal garments all week! (source) In addition, once Christians were no longer being persecuted, the Octave of Easter became a week-long public holiday in the Roman Empire. As is also true of the Octave of Christmas, meat can be eaten on the Friday following Easter.
Season of Easter
The Season of Easter is 50 days long. It begins on Easter Day, runs concurrently with the Octave of Easter, and continues through all seven Sundays of Easter to Pentecost. Why 50 days? The answer requires a little math. The Season of Easter is a week of weeks (7 x 7 = 49) plus one day. If you have spent time reading the Old Testament, you may have noticed an emphasis or importance on some numbers, seven being one of them. Seven is associated with perfection, charity, and the Holy Spirit. (Source) Ergo, 7 x 7 would be the epitome of perfection.
What about the extra day? This day is referred to as the "eighth day" (instead of being "day one" of another week). The number eight draws its importance from the fact that Christ rose from the dead eight days after his entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.
(Hint: there are a lot of other places where seven and eight show up! Watch for them next time you are reading the Bible!)
Let's revisit our initial question: Should I still be celebrating Easter? Yes! While the Octave of Easter has passed, we are still in the Season of Easter celebrating our Lord's Resurrection! While Walmart might be over Easter, our churches will remain beautifully decorated and liturgically celebratory until Pentecost.
Looking for some ways to celebrate the entire season? Check out this post from Catholic Icing! (#notsponsored)
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