December 30th - VI day within the Octave of the Nativity

The sixth day within the Octave of the Nativity is of semi-double rite and its liturgical colour is white.

At Mattins all is sung as on the feast of the Nativity except the lessons. The lessons of the first and second nocturn, and their responsories, are anticipated from the Sunday within the Octave of the Nativity. In the first nocturn the Incipit of the Epistle to the Romans is read. The first lesson is identical to that found in later editions (in the post-1914 Breviary Corinthians begins on the 29th December not the 30th). The second lesson is longer and continues with about half of the verses from the modern third lesson, Nolo autem vos ignorare fratres (...) qui Romae estis, evangelizare. The third lesson begins Non enim erubesco... and continues until ...se esse sapientes, stulti facti sunt, i.e. until v. 22. The responsories of the Octave are sung. In the second nocturn the lessons are from St. Leo on the Nativity. These are longer than those found in the post-Clement editions so the fourth and fifth lessons contain the text of the later fourth, fifth and sixth. The sixth lesson is absent from the later editions. In the third nocturn the lessons are proper to the sixth day within the Octavethe homily is taken from St. Augustine's writings on the second chapter of St. Luke's Gospel. These are longer than those found in the post-Clementine editions. The Te Deum is sung.

At Lauds the antiphons from the Nativity, Quem vidistis etc., are sung, without doubling, with psalms 92, 99, 62-66, Benedicite & 148-149-150. The Office hymn is A solis ortus cardine. After the collect of the Octave commemorations are sung of the Octave of St. Stephen, the Octave of St. John and the Octave of the Holy Innocents.

At the Hours the antiphons from Lauds are sung in the usual order. The hymns of the Hours are sung with the Doxology of the Incarnation. At Prime (Pss. 53, 118i, & 118ii) the lectio brevis is of the Octave, Ipsi peribunt.

Mass is sung after Terce. The Mass formulary isPuer natus estetc. The Gloria is sung, the second collect is of the Octave of St. Stephen, the third collect is of the Octave of St. John and the fourth collect is of the Octave of the Holy Innocents. The Creed is sung and the preface and communicantes are of the Nativity.

Vespers of the Nativity are sung (with antiphons doubled), from the chapter of St. Sylvester. After the collect of the feast commemorations are sung of the Sunday, the Octave of the Nativity, the Octave of St. Stephen, the Octave of St. John and the Octave of the Holy Innocents. At Compline the Dominical preces are omitted.