Religion & Spirituality

Triduum - Definition of Triduum

Definition: A triduum is a three-day period of prayer, usually in preparation for an important feast or in celebration of that feast. Triduums recall the three days that Christ spent in the tomb, from Good Friday until Easter Sunday.

When capitalized, Triduum most often refers to the Paschal Triduum (also known as the Holy Triduum or Easter Triduum), the final three days of Lent and Holy Week and thus the last three days before Easter Sunday. The Paschal Triduum begins with the Mass of the Lord's Supper on the evening of Holy Thursday and continues until the start of the Easter Vigil on the evening of Holy Saturday.

While the discipline of Lent (prayer, fasting and abstinence, and almsgiving) continues during the Paschal Triduum, since 1956 the Paschal Triduum has been regarded as its own liturgical season. (For more details, see When Does Lent End?)