The Harrowing of Hell
Wedged between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, Holy Saturday commemorates the last day that Christ’s body lay in the tomb and his Harrowing of Hell. The mid-point of the Sacred Triduum and the calmest and quietest day of the entire Church year, Holy Saturday is full of anticipation and preparation. Rich with emotion, the day combines one’s sorrow and penitence over Jesus’ death with the building excitement of knowing that we will soon celebrate his resurrection.
Although it is often full of solemn, mournful prayer and strict fasting, Holy Saturday is also characterized by Christians waiting in quiet excitement for Easter Sunday and all the celebration and joy that will ensue during the Paschal season. It is filled with household cleaning and busy tasks that are meant both to get the home ready for the next liturgical season and to keep one’s mind and hands busy while they meditate on the work that the Lord has done.
This work, or the Harrowing of Hell, is confessed in the Apostles’ and Athanasian Creed and took place during the period of time between the crucifixion and resurrection. Christians remember that after his death on the cross, Christ descended into hell, bringing salvation to those who were imprisoned there and touting his victory over sin, death, and the devil.
A Brief History
Because Holy Saturday is the day in which our Lord rested in the tomb, many Christians have historically observed the day with a restful quiet, remaining close to home and meditating on the salvation accomplished for us on Good Friday and our Lord’s rest and descent into hell on Holy Saturday. Of course, this restful quietness does not preclude preparation, and the day has also historically been spent doing whatever needs to be done to prepare the household for the next day’s celebrations!
Holy Saturday traditionally ends at sunset on Saturday evening before the Easter Vigil begins. This is because of the old Jewish tradition that sees sunset as the beginning of the new day. That is why the Church can begin to celebrate Easter on what we often consider Saturday night with the Easter Vigil: according to the ancient reckoning, the Vigil isn’t a part of Holy Saturday, at all, but is rather the beginning of Easter Sunday!
Resources
Issues, Etc. interview with Dr. Curtis Giese on the Descent into Hell
Propers found in Daily Divine Service Book: A Lutheran Daily Missal, edited by the Rev. Heath Curtis
References:
1. Parsch, Pius. The Church’s Year of Grace: Septuagesima to Holy Saturday. The Liturgical Press. 1964.
2. Weiser, Francis X. Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs: The Year of the Lord in Liturgy and Folklore. Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc. 1952.
3. Weiser, Francis X. The Easter Book. St. Augustine Academy Press. 1954.
Images:
1. The Harrowing of Hell-Christ in Limbo, Albrecht Dürer, Germany, 1510.
2. The Descent into Hell, Tintoretto, Italy, 1568.
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