Triduum

Definition and Meaning

The Korean term seongsamil means "holy three days." It is the name for the period from the final part of Holy Week through Easter; in English it is called the Triduum. The Catholic Church calls it the Paschal Triduum. Pascha means Passover and refers to the salvation accomplished through the death and resurrection of Christ.

The three days are counted according to Jewish reckoning, in which a day begins at sunset. The first day runs from Thursday evening to Friday evening and commemorates the Supper, the passion, and the death. The second day runs from Friday evening to Saturday evening and commemorates the burial. The third day runs from Saturday evening to Sunday evening and commemorates the resurrection. The Triduum tradition regards these days not as three separate observances but as a single, continuous season.

Biblical and Historical Background

The Triduum is grounded in the Gospel accounts of the last three days of Jesus. These days proceed from the Last Supper (Luke 22:19–20) and the washing of the disciples' feet (John 13) to the crucifixion, the burial, and the resurrection on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:3–4).

In commemorating the resurrection, the early church also remembered the passion and burial that preceded it. Augustine is reported to have used the expression "the most holy three days of the crucified, buried, and risen Lord."

From the Middle Ages onward, these rites in the Western church were gradually moved to earlier hours of the day. When Pope Pius XII reformed the Holy Week liturgy in the mid-twentieth century, the Easter Vigil was restored to the night. The Roman liturgical calendar revised after the Second Vatican Council defines the Triduum as the high point of the liturgical year.

Practice in Korean Churches

The Catholic Church observes the Triduum with the following three rites:

• Holy Thursday: the Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper
• Good Friday: the Celebration of the Passion of the Lord
• Saturday night: the Easter Vigil

Churches with strong liturgical traditions, such as the Anglican Church of Korea and the Lutheran Church in Korea, also often hold a continuous sequence of services: Holy Communion on Maundy Thursday, a passion service on Good Friday, and an Easter Vigil.

In the Korean Methodist Church and many Presbyterian denominations, the term "Triduum" is not widely used. Instead, the following services are commonly held during Holy Week:

• Thursday: Holy Communion or foot washing
• Friday: a service remembering the passion
• Easter Sunday: a dawn service

Special early-morning prayer meetings during Holy Week are also common in Korean churches. In these churches, Saturday is rarely marked by a service of its own. In recent years, however, as interest in the church year has grown, some churches, regardless of denomination, hold Good Friday services or Easter Eve services.