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Easter Vigil, also called the Paschal Vigil or the Great Vigil of Easter, is a service held in traditional Christian churches as the first official celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus. Historically, it is during this service that people are baptized and that adult catechumens are received into full communion with the Church. It is held in the hours of darkness between sunset on Holy Saturday and sunrise on Easter Day — most commonly in the evening of Holy Saturday or midnight — and is the first celebration of Easter, days traditionally being considered to begin at sunset.
Among liturgical western churches including the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, and Lutheran churches, the Easter Vigil is the most important service of public worship and Masses of the liturgical year, marked by the first use since the beginning of Lent of the exclamatory "Alleluia", a distinctive feature of the Easter season.
In Eastern Orthodox churches, Oriental Orthodox churches, and other traditions of Eastern Christianity, the extremely festive ceremonies and Divine Liturgy which are celebrated during the Easter Vigil are unique to that night and are the most elaborate and important of the liturgical year.
Roman Catholicism[edit]
Lighting of a pascal candle for Holy Week in Mexico
In the Roman Catholic tradition, the Easter Vigil consists of four parts:
The Service of Light
The Liturgy of the Word
Christian Initiation and the Renewal of Baptismal Vows
Holy Eucharist
Because the new liturgical day begins at sunset, the vigil begins between sunset on Holy Saturday and sunrise on Easter Sunday outside the church, where an Easter fire is kindled and the Paschal candle is blessed and then lit. This Paschal candle will be used throughout the season of Easter, remaining in the sanctuary of the church or near the lectern, and throughout the coming year at baptisms and funerals, reminding all that Christ is "light and life."
Once the candle has been lit there follows the ancient and dramatic rite of the Lucernarium, in which the candle is carried by a deacon through the nave of the church, itself in complete darkness, stopping three times to chant the acclamation 'Light of Christ' (Lumen Christi), to which the assembly responds 'Thanks be to God' or 'Deo Gratias'. As the candle proceeds through the church, all present (i.e. those who have received the "Light of Christ") receive candles which are lit from the Paschal candle. As this symbolic "Light of Christ" spreads throughout those gathered, the darkness is decreased.
The deacon, priest, or a cantor now chants the Exsultet (also called the "Easter Proclamation" or "Paschal Praeconium"), after which the people take their seats as the Liturgy of the Word begins.
Once the candle has been placed on its stand in the sanctuary, the lights in the church are switched on and the assembly extinguish their candles (although in some churches, the custom is to continue the liturgy by candlelight or without any lights until the Gloria).
The Liturgy of the Word consists of seven readings from the Old Testament (i.e., 1. Genesis 1:1-2:2; 2. Genesis 22:1-18; 3. Exodus 14:15-15:1; 4. Isaiah 54:4a.5-14; 5. Isaiah 55:1-11; 6. Baruch 3:9-15.32-4:4; 7. Ezekiel 36:16-17a, 18-28),[2] although it is permitted to reduce this number for pastoral reasons (to at least three, or for very pressing pastoral reasons two, lessons) if reduced, it is customary to use readings 1, 3, 5 and 7). The account of the Israelites' crossing of the Red Sea (which may never be omitted) is given particular attention in the readings since this event is at the centre of the Jewish Passover, which Christians believe Christ's death and resurrection is the fulfillment of. Each reading is followed by a psalm or biblical canticle (i.e., Psalm 10, Exodus 15:1-18, Psalm 30, Isaiah 12:2-6, Psalm 19, Psalm 42 & 43) sung responsorially and a prayer relating what has been read in the Old Testament to the Mystery of Christ. After these readings conclude, the candles are lit on the altar and the Gloria in Excelsis Deo is sung for the first time since before Lent (with the exception of Holy Thursday, as well as any solemnities or feasts that occurred during Lent), and the church bells and the organ, silent since that point on Holy Thursday, are sounded again - although it is customary in some churches to have no organ playing during Lent at all, except when accompanying hymns. (In the pre-Vatican II rite, the statues, which have been covered during Passiontide, are unveiled at this time.) The opening collect is read. The reading from the Epistle to the Romans (i.e., Romans 6:3-11) is proclaimed, followed by the chanting of Psalm 118. The Alleluia is sung for the first time since the beginning of Lent (or, in the pre-Vatican II rite, since Septuagesima) - however, it is a very solemn alleluia at this time. The Gospel of the Resurrection (i.e., Matthew 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-8 or Luke 24:1-12)[3] then follows, along with a homily.
After the conclusion of the Liturgy of the Word, the water of the baptismal font is solemnly blessed and any catechumens and candidates for full communion are initiated into the church, by baptism and/or confirmation, respectively. After the celebration of these sacraments of initiation, the congregation renews their baptismal vows and receive the sprinkling of baptismal water. The prayers of the faithful (of which the newly baptised are now a part) follow.
After the prayers, the Liturgy of the Eucharist continues as usual. This is the first Mass of Easter Day. During the Eucharist, the newly baptized receive Holy Communion for the first time. According to the rubrics of the Missal, the Eucharist should finish before dawn.
In the 20th century, the Easter liturgy have twice undergone major reforms: once with the liturgy reform, and once with the Pian reforms of the Easter week. For that sake, we give here a short summary the different forms. In the form that was in use until into the 1950s and underwent little change during the centuries before, at the Easter fire only that fire itself and the incense were blessed. The light was then brought into the Church in procession (led by the usual processional cross) on a kind of tenebrae-hearse, but with three candles only, one of which each was lighted for each "Lumen Christi" acclamation (followed by a kneefall). The Exsultet then functioned as the blessing prayer for the paschal candle.
The Liturgy of the word consisted of twelve readings, for the most part without responsory chants: the seven mentioned above except the fourth and seventh, plus the reading of the Flood (Gen 5-8) as the second; followed by a different one from Ezekiel (37:1-14), plus Isaiah 4:1-6, Exodus 12:1-11 (the introduction of the Paschal rites, also read then on Good Friday and now on Maundy Thursday), Jonah 3:1-10, Deuteronomy 31:22-30, Daniel 3:1-24. The prayers after the lessons were preceding by a Flectamus genua kneefall, except for the last. The Old Testament readings were then followed by the blessing of the baptismal Font, an eventual baptism of baptizands, and the litany of the Saints, in that order. All this was done in violet paraments with pluvial (though the deacon, or even the celebrant in the absence of a deacon, wore a white dalmatic for the light procession and for the Exsultet). Then followed "Mass", that is, the usual introductory prayers (Judica me and so on) would be begun, the liturgical color changing to white and the celebrant exchanging his pluvial for a chasuble. This particular Mass had no Introit, Agnus Dei, Postcommunio or Last Gospel, though. Its Epistle was Colossians 3:1-4, the Gospel was Matthew 28:1-7. Mass would immediately be followed by abbreviated Vespers.
In the liturgy as reformed by Pope Pius XII., which is still in use in Old-Mass communities, the blessing of the Candle was separated from the Exsultet and moved to the beginning where we have it now; thus, the triangle-candlestick became superfluous, and due to the fact that the Paschal candle was already present, the processional cross and the kneefalls were left away. For the first Lumen Christi, the priest would light his own candle at the Paschal candle; for the second, the rest of the clergy plus altar servers would, and for the third, the entire congregation. The Exsultet's function was turned (without change in the text) into a jubilant praise of the Paschal candle already blessed. From the Old Testament readings, only four were kept, to wit the erstwhile first (Creation - now also first), fourth (Red Sea - now third), eighth (second Isaiah) and eleventh (Deuteronomy). Then followed the litany of the Saints, first part (which is just the names of the saints), blessing of the Font, eventual baptisms, the newly introduced renewal of baptism Blessings, and then the second part of the litany, and then Mass (without the introductory prayers), followed by Easter lauds (no longer Holy Saturday Vespers).
More at
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_Vigil
