TheOctave of Easter is the eight-day period, oroctave, that begins onEaster Sunday and ends withSecond Sunday of Easter.[1] It marks the beginning ofEastertide. The first seven of these eight days are also collectively known asEaster Week.
In theOrdinary Form of the Roman Rite, Easter is one of twosolemnities withoctaves; the other isChristmas. The days of the octave are given the second-highest rank in the calendar (second only to thePaschal Triduum and Easter itself), ranking even above normalsolemnities.[2] The paschalsequenceVictimae paschali laudes may be sung before the gospel reading on each of these days.
The Gospel readings for each of middle days within the octave are taken from the various Scriptural accounts of theResurrection of Jesus.
The Octave of Easter is celebrated with dailyMass.TheLutheran Missal states:[3]
The Octave of Easter forms a cohesive thematic unit with the two following weeks. The Gospel forQuasimodogeniti, the First Sunday after Easter, recounts the appearance of Our Lord to the apostles in the locked upper room, together withThomas’ confession.[3]
