Ribbons during the Octave of Easter
For eight days the ordinary rules stop applying. Two ribbons do nothing, one does everything, and almost everyone gets it wrong on Easter Monday.
Through the Octave, the Proper of Seasons carries the whole office. The Psalter sits on Week I from Easter Sunday to the Saturday, Night Prayer follows the weekday as usual, and the Proper of Saints and the Commons are simply not used.
The Octave of Easter runs from Easter Sunday through the Second Sunday of Easter, and each of its eight days ranks as a solemnity of the Lord. Nothing outranks it, which is why the sanctoral cycle goes quiet and any memorial falling in that week is omitted entirely rather than reduced to a commemoration.
What to do with each ribbon
| Ribbon | During the Octave |
|---|---|
| Proper of Seasons | Everything. Each day within the Octave has its own full proper: antiphons, readings, intercessions, prayers. Move it forward one day at a time. |
| Psalter | Week I for the first seven days. Easter Sunday restarts the four-week cycle, and it advances to Week II on the Second Sunday of Easter, the eighth day, which closes the Octave. |
| Night Prayer | Follow the weekday as normal. Note that through the Octave Night Prayer takes the Sunday form every night in many usages; check the rubric printed in your volume. |
| Proper of Saints | Unused. Leave it on the calendar date so it is ready the following week. |
| Commons | Unused. |
The Easter Monday problem. Having spent Holy Week turning to a different section every day, many people reach Easter Monday and go looking for something that is not there. There is no memorial, no Common, and no new Psalter week. The Proper of Seasons has it all. If it feels too simple, that is because it is.
The dates
| Year | Easter Sunday | Octave ends |
|---|---|---|
| 2027 | Mar 28, 2027 | Apr 4, 2027 |
| 2028 | Apr 16, 2028 | Apr 23, 2028 |
And then the Second Sunday
The Second Sunday of Easter, also called the Sunday of Divine Mercy, closes the Octave. The Psalter moves to Week II on that Sunday, and from the Monday after it the Proper of Saints comes back into use and the office returns to its normal shape for the rest of the fifty days.
See today’s ribbon placements Free, no account, works offline once you have opened itCommon questions
Which Psalter week is used during the Easter Octave?
Week I from Easter Sunday through the Saturday. Easter Sunday is one of the four annual reset points for the four-week Psalter cycle. The eighth day, the Second Sunday of Easter, is already Week II.
What happens to a saint’s memorial that falls in the Easter Octave?
It is omitted. The days of the Octave rank as solemnities of the Lord, which outrank memorials entirely; unlike Lent, there is not even a commemoration.
Do I move the Proper of Seasons ribbon each day during the Octave?
Yes. Each day of the Octave has its own proper text, so the ribbon advances a day at a time even though nothing else changes.
When does the Easter Octave end?
On the Second Sunday of Easter, the eighth day, counting Easter Sunday itself as the first. That is seven days after Easter Sunday on the calendar.