Quarter tense

Quarter tense

Quarter tense (called in all other English speaking countries "ember days") is a uniquely Irish name for those days set aside in the western Christian church for prayer and fasting to sanctify the liturgical seasons. They are of very ancient and uncertain origin, though are generally believed to have originated in Rome. The dates of their celebration are now normally determined by national Roman Catholic hierarchies and not by the universal calendar of the church. The Saturdays of Quarter Tense were considered especially appropriate for priestly ordination. The days of Quarter Tense were, until the Second Vatican Council, time of obligatory fasting and abstinence. However, in Ireland, the obligation of abstinence (the complete avoidance of meat) on the Saturdays of Quarter Tense outside Lent was removed by the Vatican in 1912.

*The term "quarter tense" is derived from the official Latin name; "quattuor tempora" ("the four times").

*In the Irish language, Quarter Tense is Cátaoir or Laethanta na gCeithre Thráth (lit. "the days of the four times").

The old dates in the Irish calendar for the observation of Quarter Tense were:

*The Wednesday, Friday and Saturday following Ash Wednesday, (liturgical colour - Purple).

*The Wednesday, Friday and Saturday after Pentecost Sunday, (liturgical colour - Red).

*The Wednesday, Friday and Saturday after September 14- the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, (liturgical colour - Purple).

*The Wednesday, Friday and Saturday following December 13- Feast of Saint Lucy, (liturgical colour - Purple).

"See also:" Liturgical colours


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • quarter-tense — …   Useful english dictionary

  • quarter — I UK [ˈkwɔː(r)tə(r)] / US [ˈkwɔrtər] noun Word forms quarter : singular quarter plural quarters *** 1) [countable] maths one of four equal parts of something quarter of: Over a quarter of our income goes on food. Nearly three quarters of the… …   English dictionary

  • September 14 — Events*81 Domitian becomes Emperor of the Roman Empire upon the death of his brother Titus. * 786 Harun al Rashid becomes the Abbasid caliph upon the death of his brother al Hadi. *1180 Battle of Ishibashiyama in Japan. *1607 Flight of the Earls… …   Wikipedia

  • Ember days — In the liturgical calendar of the Western Christian churches, Ember days are four separate sets of three days within the same week mdash;specifically, the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday mdash;roughly equidistant in the circuit of the year, that… …   Wikipedia

  • United Kingdom — a kingdom in NW Europe, consisting of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: formerly comprising Great Britain and Ireland 1801 1922. 58,610,182; 94,242 sq. mi. (244,100 sq. km). Cap.: London. Abbr.: U.K. Official name, United Kingdom of Great… …   Universalium

  • American and British English differences — For the Wikipedia editing policy on use of regional variants in Wikipedia, see Wikipedia:Manual of style#National varieties of English. This is one of a series of articles about the differences between British English and American English, which …   Wikipedia

  • LINGUISTIC LITERATURE, HEBREW — This article is arranged according to the following outline: introduction foreword the beginning of linguistic literature linguistic literature and its background the development of linguistic literature Foreword: A Well Defined Unit the four… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • United States — a republic in the N Western Hemisphere comprising 48 conterminous states, the District of Columbia, and Alaska in North America, and Hawaii in the N Pacific. 267,954,767; conterminous United States, 3,022,387 sq. mi. (7,827,982 sq. km); with… …   Universalium

  • performing arts — arts or skills that require public performance, as acting, singing, or dancing. [1945 50] * * * ▪ 2009 Introduction Music Classical.       The last vestiges of the Cold War seemed to thaw for a moment on Feb. 26, 2008, when the unfamiliar strains …   Universalium

  • international relations — a branch of political science dealing with the relations between nations. [1970 75] * * * Study of the relations of states with each other and with international organizations and certain subnational entities (e.g., bureaucracies and political… …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”