Holy Saturday[ቅዱስ ቀዳም] (ቀዳም ስዑር) Kedam Su’ur
The Saturday of Passion Week is called as k∂dame S∂‘ur meaning the unobserved. Unlike other Saturdays of the year, we fast all day abstaining from any food, thinking of the Lord’s passion for delivering us from hell. The Lord created the 22 creation of the world and rested on the Seventh-day [Saturday]. Likewise, the Lord came into the world, taught us the good deed, saved us on the Cross through His death, went down to Hades and led the host of the captives. He gave gifts to men - liberated the holy men and sent them to Paradise, and then on this day the Lord rested. There is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silent because the King is asleep. As the three young men were condemned to death by throwing them into the furnace, humanity was condemned to death, but the Lord granted it life through His death. The salvation of the three young men from the fiance is a symbol of salvation from eternal life.
Early in the morning of Holy Saturday, about 5:30 A.M, priests and deacons put on their best garments carry their colorful umbrellas as if in procession, and pass through the streets with parade cross, bell, giving green palm strips, and singing out the following:
ገብረ ስላም በመስቀሉ
ትንሣኤሁ አግሃደ
He Made peace with the Cross
And revealed His resurrection
The green palm strips are given to everyone as a sign of good news. The good news is based on the story of Noah and his dove that sent to see if the flood had subsided. The dove returned with an olive leaf indicating that the water had abated. Accordingly, since the leaf of the olive tree served as a sign of good news during Noah’s time, the Church also presents green palm to the laity to preach the good news that the waters of destructive sin and the punishment of soul are removed from humankind through the death of Christ. On this day, the clergy read the book of Song of Songs saying that our soul has completely satisfied with the divine love and does not need anything besides Him. The soul has entered the bosom of the Lord. In the book of Song of Songs, we journey into eternity and practice the language of heavenly love. We find a dialogue between the Messiah, the Bridegroom and His Bride, the catholic {Universal], and the apostolic Church or every soul united with Him as a living member in this Church.
taken from book: Orthodox Spiritual Journey through Great Lent
deacon Medhanie