It’s Easter! Yes, really, it is STILL Easter.
The Church, in her great joy and celebration of Easter, celebrates eight full days of solemnities in honor of the Resurrection of Christ called the Easter Octave.
The most obvious signs of this celebration are found in the liturgy. The Gloria is said each day at Mass, and some extra alleluias are added as we are sent forth from Mass during the Concluding Rites.
“Go forth, the Mass is ended. Alleluia, alleluia.”
“Thanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia.”
If the Church takes care to celebrate these days in a special way, shouldn’t we?
Here are a few ideas on how to live out the Octave in the joy of the Resurrection.
3 Ways To Celebrate The Easter Octave
Feast!
During Lent, we fasted. During Easter, we feast! Plan a special meal during the week (like you did to celebrate Easter Sunday) to continue the celebration of the Resurrection.
God has blessed us with delicious food, and this is a time to enjoy that blessing and recall His goodness.
Say Some Extra Alleluias.
Just like the in the Mass, we too can add some extra alleluias in our prayers to proclaim our joy. We see the Church do this in her communal prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours throughout the week.
For example, when you finish your prayer before meals, add “Alleluia, alleluia!”
Flower It Up.
During Holy Week churches cover all statues with purple fabric, but during Easter, the sanctuary is typically full of flowers, such as lilies.
If you have holy images at your home, place some flowers before them, or create a home altar with an image of the Risen Christ. When you come home from work or school you will be reminded of Christ’s victory over death. Plus, flowers smell good.
All of these ideas can be carried into the Easter season, even after the octave draws to a close.
Have any more ideas?
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
More Easter Resources
7 Easter Traditions To Celebrate All Seven Weeks Of Easter
7 Ways To Remind Yourself We’re Still Celebrating Easter
6 Worship Songs That You’ll Want To Add To Your Post-Easter Playlist
