Definition: The Easter Triduum is the proper name for the three days that precede Easter Sunday. Starting with the Mass of the Lord's Supper on the evening of Holy Thursday, continuing through the Good Friday service, and concluding with the start of the Easter Vigil on the evening of Holy Saturday, the Easter Triduum marks the most significant events of Holy Week (also known as Passiontide).
The Easter Triduum is often commonly referred to simply as the Triduum (with a capital T). However, a triduum is simply any three-day period of prayer, recalling the three days that Christ spent in the tomb.
As the final three days of the discipline of Lent, the Easter Triduum has traditionally been observed with even stricter fasting and abstinence, as well as prayer and almsgiving. Since 1956, however, the Paschal Triduum has been regarded as its own liturgical season, and thus liturgically Lent ends before the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday. (For more details, see When Does Lent End?)
The Days of the Easter Triduum:
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Pronunciation: ˈēstər tri-doo-oom
Also Known As: Triduum (when capped), Paschal Triduum, Holy Triduum
Common Misspellings: Easter Tridium, Easter Tridum, Easter Triddum
Examples:
"The three days before Easter 2011 are known as the Easter Triduum."
