Octave Day of the Holy Innocents

The Octave Day of the Holy Innocents is of simple rite. The liturgical colour, unlike the feast itself, is red.

At Mattins the invitatory and hymn are as on the feast but the psalmody is ferial. In the nocturn the first and second lessons are from the Epistle to the Romans, the third lesson is proper to the feast and is followed by the Te Deum. At Lauds the psalmody is ferial but the chapter, hymn, antiphon on the Benedictus and collect are as on the feast.

At the Little Hours the psalmody is again ferial, the hymns have the Doxology and melody in honour of the Incarnation. At Prime the lectio brevis is Hi empti sunt.

Mass is sung after Sext. The Mass is as on the feast but the Gloria is sung, the second collect is Deus, qui salutis the third collect Ecclesiae. Unlike the feast the Alleluia and its verse are sung in place of the Tract. The preface is that of the Nativity. Although a simple ranking Octave Day private Votive Masses are not allowed this day.

Vespers are of the Vigil of Epiphany. The antiphons O admirabile commercium etc are sung with the psalms of Vespers for feasts of the BVM. A commemoration is sung of St. Telesphorus.

In the 'liturgical books of 1962' the day is a ferial day of Christmastide. The Holy Innocents have lost their Octave. Although of Christmastide the hymns of the Hours do not have the Doxology or melody of the Incarnation. The Mass is as on January 1st with one collect. Vespers are of the feria - the Vigil of the Epiphany has been abolished too. In the 'Ordinary Form' of the 1962 books again there are ferial days of Christmastide unless the Epiphany has been anticipated when they become days of Epiphanytide!