I have created this chart to help clarify how the Lent and Easter Seasons fit into the year. This period forms a quarter of the year. The forty days of Lent is an approximate tenth or tithe of the year. The fifty days of the Easter Season is approximately a seventh of the year – it forms the great Sunday of the year. It is concluded by the Day of Pentecost – from the Greek word for fifty. Also called Whitsunday – possibly from the French word for eighth Sunday (Whitsunday is the eighth Sunday of the great Season of Easter).
All days in my table are inclusive.
This period effectively of 96 days moves around a certain section of our calendar year by year.
The three days (inclusive) here refers to the “three days” Christ is in the tomb. The Triduum celebration is now more generally a reference to the Maundy Thursday until the Easter Vigil celebration.
The 40 days fast is preparing for the 50 days feast. You can accept the invitation to the 50 days here. Invite others.
Thanks. This is really helpful. I will show it to the 5th grade class tomorrow morning. I am going over the symbols and meanings of what we do in Lent.
Bosco –
I had always understood that Whitsunday was shortened from “White Sunday,” so-called because it was a traditional day for Baptisms in Britain, where the rivers were still too cold for it at Easter.