# Holy Saturday

Source: https://coptic-lore-forge.lovable.app/wiki/holy-saturday — Coptic Orthodox Wiki (updated 2026-10-02)

Holy Saturday, also called Great Saturday or the Saturday of Joy, commemorates Christ’s body resting in the tomb and heralds his Resurrection.[^1]

## Meaning and Names

Holy Saturday is the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. It is also known as Great Saturday and the Saturday of Joy: although it commemorates Christ’s body resting in the tomb, it heralds his Resurrection.[^1]

The day’s joy is connected with Christ’s promise to his disciples that they would see him again and that no one would take their joy from them. The day is also joyful for those who died in Christ, with Holy Saturday associated with the descent of Christ’s spirit into Hades, the resting place of the souls of the dead.[^2]

## Biblical Commemoration

The chief priests and Pharisees asked Pilate to secure Jesus’ tomb until the third day, recalling his prediction that he would rise and expressing concern that his disciples might remove the body and claim a resurrection. Pilate granted their request, and the tomb was secured by sealing the stone and posting a guard.[^3]

## Fasting

Holy Saturday is identified as the only Saturday of the year on which total abstention from food is recommended.[^4] The Apostolic Constitutions distinguish the Sabbath of the Lord’s burial from ordinary Saturdays, prescribing a fast rather than a festival. Pope Christodoulus (1046–1077) likewise affirmed in Canon 19 that Great Saturday, described as the end of the fast, was the sole exception to the prohibition against Saturday fasting.[^5]

An early practice was to extend the Good Friday fast through Holy Saturday until dawn on Easter Sunday. Fasting durations differed, and those unable to fast continuously through both days were allowed to observe at least the Sabbath fast.[^6]

## Prayer and Preparation for Easter

As Good Friday draws to a close, the church prepares to celebrate the Resurrection by removing the emblems of mourning used during Holy Week, particularly on Good Friday.[^7]

Prayers said on Holy Saturday include the image of Christ as a lamb brought to slaughter and as a sheep silent before its shearers. This prayer is among Coptic expressions of the theme of Christ as the Lamb of God.[^8]

The Easter Sunday liturgy begins late on Holy Saturday evening and ends in the early hours of Sunday.[^9]

## Sources
[^1]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 4, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 616)
[^2]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 4, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 616)
[^3]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 4, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 616)
[^4]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 4, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 616)
[^5]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 7, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 168)
[^6]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 4, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 364)
[^7]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 4, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 616)
[^8]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 1, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 186)
[^9]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 4, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 245)