Spring cannot be held back. The spirit of life rejuvenates to our wonder and gratitude

Holy Saturday is the day before Easter. Jesus is dead. His family and friends mourn. Having grown up in the Catholic church, I remember that on Holy Saturday the church is stripped bare. The lighting is minimal. There is the sense of a vacuum and that something significant is about to emerge. There is the bittersweet sense of sadness, sorrow, and grief, while there is also the anticipation that something new is about to manifest. Here is part of the Wikipedia article about Holy Saturday:

"In Roman Catholic Churches, the sanctuary is stripped completely bare while the administration of the sacraments is severely limited. Holy Communion is given only as Viaticum. All Masses are strictly prohibited. No Mass at all appears in the liturgy for this day. Many of the churches of the Anglican Communion observe most of the same traditions, however their altars are usually stripped or colored in black. See Liturgical colors.
In some Anglican churches, including the Episcopal Church in the United States, provision is made for a simple liturgy of the word on this day, with readings commemorating the burial of Christ.
Liturgically speaking, Holy Saturday lasts until dusk, after which the Easter Vigil is celebrated, marking the official start of the Easter season. In Roman Catholic observance, during the "Gloria" of the Mass (which is the first Mass since that of Holy Thursday), the church statues and icons, in places where they are covered with purple veils during Passiontide, are dramatically unveiled."

At the beginning of the Easter service the priest sings several times "Lumen Christi!" and the congregation answers, "Deo gratias!"

In the Unitarian Universalist there is no such liturgy but there is a celebration that the Spirit Of Life is rejuvenating and that after the dead of winter the spring cannot be held back. We are overjoyed with the signs of new life. Alleluia!

George Harrison, Here Comes The Sun