Holy Saturday
1
4.2
- noun
:
Sábado Santo
- It's Holy Saturday for you, RCIA-wise, so you might want to read the Ancient Homily of Melito of Sardis, especially if you haven't read it before.
- Good Friday and Holy Saturday
- Friday and Holy Saturday
Examples
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Completed on Good Friday and Holy Saturday in 1492, the monument was, in that year and thereafter, a focal point for Holy Week observances.
Academic text (1993) -
On Holy Saturday, many families prepare for Easter by decorating eggs and planning festive meals.
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Of course, as characters in a larger Christian story, our experience now can never be the same as the first disciples' experience of Holy Saturday.
Academic text (2009) -
One Holy Saturday, Jerusalemites gathered at the Church.
Academic text (2011) -
Holy Saturday, as I woke up long after the torrent had passed.
Fiction book (1990) -
It was only Holy Saturday morning, and somehow I was unwilling to offer up my service for an hour and a half.
Blog text (8) -
Our church will hold a special service on Holy Saturday to commemorate the final day of Lent.
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Holy Saturday is a time of reflection as Christians await the joy of Easter Sunday.
Surface Forms
Morphology
A B1 learner who knows 'holy' (sacred) and 'Saturday' (the day) can infer that this refers to a sacred or religious Saturday, so the core concept is compositional. However, the specific calendrical role as the day before Easter / last day of Lent is cultural and not deducible from the words alone without prior religious knowledge, so full understanding requires exposure or background.
Etymology
Holy Saturday comes from the simple image of a quiet, special Holy Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, when Christians remember Jesus in the tomb. That's why the day is seen as a time of 'waiting' and 'preparing' for Easter.