January 4th - Octave Day of the Holy Innocents

Today, the second, 'vacant' Sunday after the Nativity, is the Octave Day of the Holy Innocents. The Octave Day is of double rite. The liturgical colour of the Octave Day is always red.

At Mattins the invitatory Regem Martyrum Dominum, Venite adoremus and hymn Audit tyrannus anxius are sung as on the feast. The antiphons and psalms at the nocturns are taken from the Common of Several Martyrs. In the first nocturn the lessons are taken from the Epistle to the Romans. In the second nocturn a sermon of St. Augustine is read and in the third nocturn a homily of St. Chrysostom. At Lauds the anitphons from the feast, Herodes iratus are sung with the feastal psalms (92, 99, 62-66, Benedicite, 148-149-150).

The antiphons of Lauds are used in sequence at the Little Hours. At Prime the festal psalms (53, 118i, 118ii) are sung. At the Hours the Doxology in honour of the Incarnation is sung at the hymns Gloria tibi Domine etc.

Mass is sung after Terce, preceded by the blessing of water and Asperges. The Mass is as on the feast the Gloria is sung. The Alleluia and its verse are always sung on the Octave Day in place of the Tract. The Creed is sung as it is a Sunday. The preface is that of the Nativity.

At Vespers a commemoration is made of the following Vigil of Epiphany.