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TITLE VII.-OCTAVES.
Etymology and nature. The word "octave" is from the Latin octavus
(eighth) because, in the early ages of Christianity, the Church
celebrated the eighth day only after the celebration of the feast
itself; not until the twelfth century was the custom of a commemoration
on each of the eight days introduced. We have, probably, an example of
this still in our Breviaries. The feast of St. Agnes is celebrated on
21st January and on 28th it is mentioned at Vespers and Lauds only, and
the name in old Roman service books is Octavo, S. Agnetis.
The origin of the octave is Jewish. We read in the Old Testament that
God ordered that the Feasts of Pasch and Pentecost should be celebrated
for eight days. So, too, the Feast of Tabernacles lasted for eight
days, the first and eighth days being days of special celebration and
devotion. The Christian Church adopted the method of showing great
honour and glory to the principal festivals of the Christian year, to
the great saints, the patrons of countries, dioceses, etc. But just as
the calendar became overcrowded with saints' offices, which excluded
almost entirely the Sunday and ferial offices, so, too, the additions
of octaves created confusion and further tended to the exclusion of the
old liturgical use of the Psalter and the supplanting of the Sunday and
ferial offices. Hence, in the Motu Proprio Abhinc duos annos,
the octaves of the calendar are divided into three great classes,
privileged, common and simple. Privileged octaves are further divided
into three orders. Those of the first order are the octaves
of Easter and Pentecost; the octaves of Epiphany and Corpus Christi
belong to the second order, and the octaves of the Nativity and
Ascension belong to the third. The Christmas octave admits feasts of
saints, but the octaves of Epiphany, Easter and Pentecost do not admit
any feasts (Tit. V., sec, 3). A day within an octave has a right to
first Vespers, and the antiphon and response should be from first
Vespers (S.C.R., June, 1905). But the feast of the day falling within
octave has a right to first and second Vespers. The exceptions are,
when at second Vespers of St. Thomas, the office of the octave of the
Nativity to be observed on 30th December has to be commemorated again,
in octaves like octaves of Epiphany when each day has its proper
antiphon at the Magnificat, and again on and July in second
Vespers of Visitation the office of St. Peter and Paul is to be
commemorated. In octaves the suffrages of saints and the Athanasian
Creed are not said. When feasts of the Universal Church, which are
celebrated with an octave are perpetually transferred to the next day,
because of a perpetual impediment, according to the rubrics, the octave
day is not therefore perpetually transferred but ought to be kept as in
the Universal Church on its own day.
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SECTION: Title VIII.—Office of the Blessed … 
Title VI.—The Office of Vigils.
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