Easter service is one of the most beautiful and solemn. The clergy, dressed in bright holiday clothes, the singing of the church choir, the ringing of bells in the air ... All this creates a unique atmosphere and penetrates the soul with majestic and important words for every believer: "Christ is Risen!".
Beginning of the Easter service
The service starts shortly before midnight. Its first part is called "Midnight Office" with the canon of Holy Saturday. During it, the Acts of the Apostles are read. After that, the ministers of the church transfer from the middle of the church to the altar and lay the shroud on the throne - the image of Christ in the tomb.
At the same time, the choir and priests sing: “For I will rise and be glorified.” The Shroud will remain on the Great Throne until the moment of the Giving of Pascha, that is, until the feast of the Ascension of the Lord.
Just before midnight, the bell ringing is born and gains power - Blagovest. He announces that the bright holiday has begun.
The priests thrice, at first very quietly, and then louder and louder, sing: “Thy Resurrection, Christ the Savior, the angels sing in heaven, and vouchsafe us on earth to glorify Thee with a pure heart.”
For the first time they sing with the Royal Doors closed and the veil drawn (katapetasma); the second time - louder, with the Gates closed, but with the veil open; the third - with the Royal Doors open and only half of the text. The choir sings the second half.
Matins and Procession
Exactly at midnight, Matins begins. To the sounds of the Blagovest, the clergy with a cross, banners, icons, incense and Easter lamps leave the altar and march through the entire church to the exit. This is a procession.
A lantern is carried in front, followed by a large altar cross, the image of the Virgin, and then they already go in pairs: banner-bearers, singers, priest-bearers with large candles, deacons with censers and smaller candles, priests.
The last pair of priests carries the Gospel and the icon of the Resurrection. The primate of the temple closes the procession with three crossed and connected candles (trisveshnik) and another cross.
Three times the priests and parishioners go around the church counterclockwise. The laity have lit candles in their hands. The stichera sounds again, verse six: “Thy Resurrection, Christ the Savior, the angels sing in heaven, and make us on earth glorify Thee with a pure heart.” And above the church, the jubilant Easter chime, which replaced the Blagovest, soars up, symbolizing the joy of the news that Christ has risen.
During the procession, the priests repeatedly greet the parishioners with the words: “Christ is Risen!”, each time repeating them three times in a row. And the laity respond in a well-coordinated chorus: “Truly, He is Risen!”.
How is the Easter service in the church
After going around the church three times, the procession enters the porch and stops in front of behind closed doors temple. The bell ringing ceases, and the priest, having accepted the censer from the deacon, sprinkles the icons and parishioners with holy water. The rest of the ministers sing: “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death and bestowing life on those in the tombs.” The primate reads verses from the prophetic psalm: “Let God rise again,” to which the parishioners answer: “Christ is risen.”
After that, the stichera sounds, and again: “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death and bestowing life on those in the tombs.” The priest depicts the sign of the life-giving cross on the gate with a censer, and the gate opens.
Continuation of Matins
The Easter procession enters the church, festively decorated with flowers and numerous lit candles. The Easter service continues with the second part of Matins. During it, the Easter canon is sung and the "Word of St. John Chrysostom" is read, reminding the faithful about the meaning of Easter . Completing the Matins is the singing of the Pascha stichera: “Let us embrace each other, brethren! and we will forgive those who hate us all by the resurrection.”
Then the parishioners approach the priest, kiss the cross and christen ( approx. ed. - kiss three times) with the father. Many churches give out consecrated eggs (approx. red - colored eggs).
The service in the church on Easter is especially solemn, as it marks the main event of the year for Christians. On the saving night of the Bright Resurrection of Christ, it is customary to stay awake. From the evening on Great Saturday, the Acts of the Holy Apostles are read in the church, containing evidence in the Resurrection of Christ, after which the Paschal Midnight Office follows with the canon of Great Saturday.
The beginning of the festive service
Let's start with the question, what time does the service in the church begin on Easter. So, if you plan to stay awake on Easter night, you should know that the beginning of the service in the church on Easter starts shortly before midnight, when the Midnight Office is served in all churches.
At this time, the priest and the deacon go to the Shroud, around it they perform censing. At the same time they sing “I will rise and be glorified”, after which they raise the Shroud and take it to the altar.
How is the service in the Church on Easter? There are a number of important points. The Shroud is placed on the Holy Throne, where it must remain until the Giving of Pascha. At these moments, all the clergy in full vestments line up in order at the Throne. Candles are lit in the temple.
Exactly at midnight with the Royal Doors closed (double doors opposite the Throne in the altar, the main gates of the iconostasis in Orthodox church) the priests quietly sing the stichera (text dedicated to the verses of the psalm) about the resurrection of the Savior of the world.
“Your Resurrection, Christ the Savior, the angels sing in heaven, and make us on earth glorify You with a pure heart.”
The veil is opened and again the same stichera is sung louder. The Royal Doors open. The hymn about the resurrection of the Savior is sung in full voice.
Procession
Another important part of the Easter night is the procession of the Church towards the risen Savior. The procession is carried out around the building of the temple, accompanied by an incessant chime.
At the very beginning of the procession, a lantern is carried, behind it is an altar cross, an altarpiece Mother of God. Behind them, arranged in two rows, are the banner-bearers, singers, priests with candles in their hands, deacons with their candles and censers, and behind them the priests.
The last pair of priests (the one on the right) carries the Gospel, in the hands of the priest next to the left is the icon of the Resurrection. The procession closes - the primate of the temple with the trisveshnik and the Cross in his left hand.
The procession stops in front of the closed gates of the western entrance to the temple. At this point, the ringing stops. The rector of the temple, having accepted the censer from the deacon, performs incense. At the same time, the clergy sing three times: “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death and bestowing life on those in the tombs.”
Then they sing a series of verses, for each they sing the troparion "Christ is risen." After that, all the clergy sing: "Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death," ending with the words: "And to those in the tombs, bestowing life." The doors to the temple are opened and the participants of the procession go inside the temple.
How long is the service in the church on Easter? Festive night worship lasts until 2-3 am. Consider this moment if you plan to come to the temple with children. After the Procession, Matins begins, which continues with the Divine Liturgy.
At this time, believers partake of the Body and Blood of Christ. If you plan to partake of communion, you should go to confession in advance and receive a blessing. This is necessary because before communion one must be clean both in body and in spirit.
End of Matins
At the end of Matins, you will see how the clergy begin to christen among themselves in the altar while singing the stichera. After that, they christen with each of the worshipers, if the temple is small and the number of believers allows this.
Usually in large churches, where many believers come to the Easter service, the priest pronounces a short greeting from himself and ends it with a triple “Christ is Risen!”, while overshadowing the Cross on three sides, after which he returns to the altar. In the short phrase "Christ is Risen!" is the whole essence of faith.
Easter Hours and Liturgy
In many churches, the end of Matins is followed by the Paschal Hours and the Liturgy. Easter hours are read not only in the temple. The whole Easter week they are usually read instead of morning and evening prayers. During the singing of the Hours before the Liturgy, the deacon performs the usual incense of the altar and the entire church.
If several priests conduct worship in the temple, then the Gospel is read on different languages: in Slavic, Russian, Greek, Latin, and in the languages of the peoples most famous in the area. During the reading of the Gospel, “bust” is heard from the bell tower, when all the bells are struck once, starting from small ones.
How to behave in the temple
Entering the church, it is necessary to cross yourself three times with waist bows: with three fingers only right hand. Be sure to remove your gloves when doing this. Men must take off their hats.
If you want to turn to a priest, you first need to say: “Batiushka, bless!”. After that, you can ask a question. When accepting the blessing, fold your palms crosswise - palms up right to left and kiss the right, blessing you, hand of the clergyman.
The temple, especially on Easter night, is a special place that a spiritual sacrament takes place. Therefore, you should behave accordingly. Remember what's going on church service, it is not recommended to turn your back to the altar.
If you come with a child, explain to him in advance that you need to be quiet here, you can’t talk loudly, laugh. Do not use mobile phone in the temple and don't let a child do it. Switch the device to silent mode. While the Easter service is going on, you should be focused solely on this.
While you are standing among other believers during the service, and the priest, while reading, overshadows you with the cross, the Gospel and the image, at this moment you need to bow slightly. It is customary to overshadow yourself with the banner of the Cross at the moment when you hear the words: “Lord, have mercy”, “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”, “Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”.
Leaving the temple, cross yourself three times, make three waist bows when leaving the temple and when leaving the church gate, turning to face the temple.
Associate Professor of the Moscow Theological Academy A. Georgievsky
Alexey Ivanovich Georgievsky († December 4, 1984) - Honored Professor of the Moscow Theological Academy, all his working life- more than fifty years - devoted to scientific and pedagogical activity.
A. I. Georgievsky was born on January 14 (27), 1904 in the family of a clergyman of the Ilyinsky Church, in the village of Cherkizovo near Moscow. After graduating from the Perervinsk Theological School and the unified labor school in Moscow, in 1922 he entered State Institute the words. After graduating from the institute, he was approved as a candidate of verbal sciences and taught Russian language and literature in higher educational institutions Moscow.
In 1943, when the Moscow Patriarchate began work on the revival of the Theological Schools, A. I. Georgievsky was one of the first to join the Commission for the preparation for the opening of the Moscow Theological Schools. In 1944 he was appointed associate professor of the department of liturgy and scientific secretary of the Theological Institute, which in 1946 was reorganized into the Moscow Theological Academy. Member of the Council and Board of the Institute, and then the Academy from the day of their organization.
In 1958, the Council of the MTA awarded A. I. Georgievsky the title of professor, and in 1974, for great services to the Theological Schools and in connection with the 70th anniversary, the title of Honored Professor in the departments of liturgy and stylistics of the Russian language.
AI Georgievsky combined his teaching work at the academy with work in other institutions of the Moscow Patriarchate. From 1950 to 1953, he served as executive secretary of the editorial board of the Journal of the Moscow Patriarchy, edited the Orthodox church calendar, a collection of "liturgical instructions". From 1954 to 1959 he was a member of the Department for External Church Relations.
From the Moscow Theological Schools he was elected a member of the Local Councils of the Russian Orthodox Church 1945 and 1971.
The works of A. I. Georgievsky, published by the Moscow Patriarchate, are widely known. In 1951 he published his book Divine Liturgy”, which was highly appreciated in the church world and translated into foreign languages. Many of his articles, mostly of liturgical content, were published in the Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate, in the collection Theological Works, and in foreign church periodicals.
Among the solemn services of the Orthodox Church, the most majestic and joyful is the service of Holy Pascha. The very name of the holiday - "Easter" (from the Hebrew - the transition to eternal life), in accordance with the memory of the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead, causes a sacred joyful awe in a Christian. "Easter! Lord's Easter! From death to life and from earth to heaven, Christ God has led us…”, the divinely inspired poet sang the saint.
Solemn Divine Liturgy Happy Holiday rich in highly artistic chants and heartfelt sacred rites and customs, in which the deep truths of the Christian faith are clearly expressed in connection with the greatest event Resurrection of Christ.
Let us turn to the sequence of the Paschal service and outline it and symbolic meaning sacred rites and customs of the Easter service.
The service on the eve of the holiday - Great Saturday, along with the remembrance of the Lord's stay in the Sepulcher and His descent into hell, contains thoughts about His Resurrection and therefore is, as it were, a pre-feast of Christ's Bright Resurrection.
On this Sabbath day, at Vespers, connected with the liturgy of the saint, after entering with the Gospel and singing “Quiet Light ...”, fifteen parimias are read before the Shroud. After the 6th parimiia, at the open royal doors, the verse “Gloriously be glorified” is sung, and at the end of the reading of parimiias - “Sing to the Lord and exalt Him forever.” These parimias contain the most important Old Testament types and prophecies about the eternal salvation of people through the sufferings of the Cross of the Lord Jesus Christ and about His glorious Resurrection that followed the humiliation of the Lord.
Singing at the liturgy instead of the “Trisagion” “You have been baptized into Christ, you have clothed yourself in Christ” reminds the prayers of the time on the eve of the Feast of Easter, when the baptism of the catechumens was performed in the Ancient Church. With words about Baptism into Christ, the reading of the Apostle () begins in these pre-holiday hours, which tells about the Christian life, that those who believe in Christ must become like Him in life, dying to sin once and for all, just as Jesus Christ Himself died for the sins of people and rose again to live forever and reign over death.
Before reading the Gospel, during singing, instead of "Alleluia", the verse of the 81st psalm: "Rise, God, judge the earth, as you inherit in all the nations ...", containing a prophecy about the power of the Risen Lord, and the singing of other verses of this psalm by the clergy they change from dark vestments to light (white) ones in order to receive into their hearts and the hearts of those praying the joyful gospel tidings of the Resurrection of Christ () in light vestments, like the first witnesses and heralds of the Resurrection of Christ - the holy angels who appeared in the Tomb of the Lord, whose appearance "was like lightning, and clothes as white as snow." Dark clothes are also removed from the throne, the altar and lecterns, so that by the time the Gospel is read, everything will be dressed in bright robes.
Instead of the “Cherubic” song, the touching song “Let all human flesh be silent…” is sung, which reveals the mysterious meaning of the great entrance near the Shroud. The Saint inspires believers to close their sinful lips, put aside everything earthly and think about the "King of kings and the Lord of lords", who gave Himself "as food for the faithful." He himself, after voluntary suffering on the Cross for the sake of the eternal salvation of people, now “sabbaths in the flesh.”
The meritorious “Rejoices in You…” is replaced by the singing of the irmos of the 9th song of the canon: “Do not weep for Me, Mati, seeing in the tomb, Him in the womb without a seed you conceived a Son; I will rise, and I will be glorified, and I will exalt with glory unceasingly, like God, by faith and love, magnifying You. In this chant, as well as in the words involved: "Get up, as if sleeping, the Lord and rise up saving us," the transition from the state of humiliation of the Lord to the joy of His Rise from the Tomb is visible.
According to ancient custom, in order to strengthen the strength of those praying for the dismissal of the liturgy (as according to the Charter), it is supposed to consecrate bread and wine and distribute bread to those remaining in the church until the Easter celebration.
Further sacred preparation for the meeting bright day Pascha is a reverent hearing before midnight prefeast of reading the book of the Acts of the Apostles, in which the truth of the Resurrection of Christ is testified.
The Liturgy of the Bright Holiday begins with the Midnight Office, at which the canon of Great Saturday is sung "By the wave of the sea ...". However, the grief from experiencing the Passion of Christ while singing this canon on Saturday at Matins here gradually weakens and turns into a joyful expectation of the Resurrection of Christ.
During the singing of “Do not weep for Me, Mati…”, the royal gates open, through which the clergy come from the altar to the Shroud, burn it incense, and while singing the words: “I will rise and be glorified…”, they bring the Shroud on their heads into the altar through the royal gates , which immediately close and place it on the throne, where the Shroud remains until the giving of Holy Pascha as a sign of the forty-day stay of the Lord on earth after the Resurrection.
At midnight, in anticipation of the onset of the sacred minute of the Resurrection of Christ, the clergy in the altar in full festive light vestments, with the Gospel, the icon of the Resurrection and with lighted candles, stand in prayerful concentration. The rector, holding in his left hand an Easter trisvetnik with the Cross, and in his right hand a censer filled with incense (fragrance), performs with a deacon holding an Easter candle incense of the Throne. At this time, all the worshipers light candles and listen with reverence to the singing of the clergy, coming from the closed altar, which marks Heaven: “Thy Resurrection, Christ the Savior, the angels sing in heaven, and us, on earth, make us, on earth, glorify Thee with a pure heart.” The clergy sing these words for the second time also in the altar, but with the veil of the royal doors drawn back - as a sign that the great destinies of mankind are revealed in Heaven before they appear on earth.
The royal doors open, and the clergy come out of the altar singing for the third time: “Thy Resurrection, Christ the Savior, the angels sing in heaven,” and the choir continues on behalf of the worshipers: “And make us on earth to glorify Thee with a pure heart.” The chime starts.
The procession leaves the church through the western doors and, like the holy myrrh-bearing women who walked with aromas “very early to the Sepulcher”, goes around the temple singing “Thy Resurrection, Christ the Savior ...” and stops in front of the closed western doors of the temple, as if at the doors of the tomb, where the holy myrrh-bearing women received the first news of the Resurrection of Christ. The ringing stops at this time. The rector, after shaking the icons, co-officers and all those praying, stands facing east, holding in his left hand the Cross with the trisvetnik, three times traces the sign of the Cross with a censer in front of the closed church doors and begins Bright Matins with the exclamation: “Glory to the Saints, and to the Consubstantial! ..” - and , like an angel who announced to the holy myrrh-bearing women about the Resurrection of Christ, together with the clergy, the all-joyful troparion of Holy Pascha sings three times: “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death and bestowing life on those in the tombs.”
This troparion contains the main idea of the Feast, that Christ is resurrected, trampled down death by His death and thus laid the foundation for a new, eternal life.
Following the rector, the choir repeats three times: “Christ is Risen…”
By singing the verses of the psalm of the prophet David: “May God arise, and scatter him…” - touchingly express the strong faith of the Old Testament righteous in the Resurrection of the coming Savior and their hope that the Resurrection will be a victory over hell and lead them to eternal joyful life. The choir, on behalf of the believers, responds to each verse of the clergy by singing “Christ is Risen…”, as if answering the Old Testament righteous that the prophecies were fulfilled, Christ is risen, death is destroyed and eternal life is given to the righteous.
Further, it can be said that the Old Testament righteous confess the fulfillment of their expectations through the singing of the clergy “Christ is Risen from the dead, trampling down death by death”, to which the singers and believers answer with even greater enthusiasm: “And to those in the tombs bestowing life.” The doors of the temple are opened, which is resounded with the singing of "Christ is Risen ...". The clergy enter the altar through the open royal doors, which are not closed on all days bright week- as a sign that with the Resurrection of the Lord, the Kingdom of Heaven is open to all believers.
The deacon from the pulpit pronounces the great litany, holding a lighted candle, as during all other litanies. Prayers also stand with candles - as a sign of flaming love for the Risen Lord.
After the great litany, the Paschal canon is sung directly, with the refrain to each troparion "Christ is Risen ...". This majestic and solemn hymn in honor of the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead and His Divine majesty belongs to the saint and, in accordance with the lofty thoughts about Pascha of the holy fathers and teachers of the Church, serves as the source of all our bright spiritual joys about the Risen Lord, boundless devotion and love for Him .
The clergy in the altar begin to sing each song of the canon. During the singing of each song of the canon, the priest with the trisvetnik and the Cross, as a sign of Christ's victory over death, preceded by the deacon with a candle, incenses the holy icons and those praying, greeting them with the Paschal exclamation: "Christ is risen!", so that on this saving and luminous night no one remained in doubt when from the Tomb the beginningless Light shone for all. To the greeting of the priest, the worshipers answer: “Truly He is risen!”
There is a custom according to which the clergy before going out to burn incense change their clothes as a sign of joy about the Risen Lord.
The incense and greetings performed by the clergy remind of the repeated appearances of the Risen Lord to His disciples and of their joy at the sight of the Savior.
In hypaco chant and: “Having anticipated the morning even about Mary and found the stone rolled away from the Sepulcher, I hear from an angel ...” - it tells how the myrrh-bearing women learned about the Resurrection of the Lord.
In the kontakion of the feast: “And thou hast descended into the grave, Immortal ...” - the event of the Resurrection of Christ is briefly stated, and in the ikos: “Before the sun ...” - testifies to the experiences of the holy myrrh-bearing women on the Holy Night.
After the 8th ode of the canon, ending with the glorification of the Holy Trinity, the deacon, holding a candle and a censer, proclaims on the salt before the icon of the Mother of God the refrain of the 9th ode: “My soul magnifies the Risen One three days from the tomb of Christ the Life-Giver” - and performs, in the form of an angel, censing, greeting those who pray: "Christ is Risen!" And the choir at this time sings the irmos and the most angelic Easter song to the Mother of God: “The angel cries out for the Gracious: Pure Virgin, rejoice! And pack the river: rejoice! Your Son is risen three days from the tomb and raised up the dead. Folks, have fun!"
Exapostilary of Pascha: “Sleeping in the flesh, as if dead…” explains that the Lord Jesus Christ abolished death with His three-day Resurrection. This is why Christians call death sleep or repose.
During the singing of the Easter stichera: “Resurrection day! And we will be enlightened with triumph ... "- at the words:" ... and we will embrace each other! Rtsem: brothers! .. ”- the clergy, in imitation of the disciples of Christ (), joyfully greet each other. "Christ is Risen!" - exclaims one, turning to the other, confessing the truth of the Resurrection of Christ, and the other, affirming faith in the Risen Lord, answers: “Truly He is risen!” - and thus expresses hope for our future resurrection from the dead.
After the christening of the clergy, Easter greetings become universal. They are accompanied by mutual kissing each other three times in the spirit of Christ's love as an expression of reconciliation, love and true joy about eternal salvation. In addition, when greeting as a sign of the Resurrection of the Lord from the Tomb, it is customary to give each other red eggs, for the egg serves as a symbol of resurrection for Christians: life is born from under the dead shell of the egg, which was hidden, as in a coffin. The red color of the egg reminds believers that the new, eternal Christian life was acquired by the priceless Most Pure Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The beginning of giving red eggs, like Easter greetings, dates back to apostolic times.
Church Tradition tells that Saint Mary Magdalene, having appeared after the Ascension of the Lord in Rome to the emperor Tiberius, handed him a red egg with the words: “Christ is Risen!” - and thus began the sermon about Christ Crucified and Risen.
Following the example of Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene, the first Christians at Easter greeting, confessing the life-giving death and Resurrection of the Savior, also gave each other red eggs. This custom is sacredly observed in the Orthodox Church.
At the end of Bright Matins, the Saint, with the words of the Announcement Word, remarkable in depth of thought and strength of feeling, for Holy Pascha, the saint calls on everyone to enjoy the real bright triumph of faith and enter into the joy of the Risen Lord.
To the Announcement the Holy Church adds the singing of the troparion to the great ecumenical teacher, Saint U, in thanksgiving glorification of his memory for his hierarchal labors.
In the final part of Bright Matins, in the festive leave: "Christ, risen from the dead ...", which the priest pronounces with the Cross in his hands, overshadowing them on three sides of the worshipers, and in greeting: "Christ is Risen!" - The Holy Church once again briefly but solemnly glorifies Christ the Life-giver, three days from the tomb.
According to perennials, the first hour is sung, which, like other Easter hours, consists of hymns glorifying Holy Pascha.
Immediately after Bright Matins, the Easter Hours and Liturgy are celebrated according to the order of the saint.
According to the initial liturgical exclamation: "Blessed is the Kingdom..." - the clergy sing: "Christ is risen..." - and the verses: "May God rise again..." death on the cross and the Resurrection of Christ the Savior from the dead, now especially glorifies the very event of the Resurrection of Christ.
While censing while singing these verses, the priest, with the Cross and the three-little candlestick in his left hand and the censer in his right hand, greets the worshipers: “Christ is Risen!”
Singing Easter antiphons: “Shout to the Lord, all the earth! ..” (), “God, have mercy on us and bless us ...” (), as well as in the pronunciation of the entrance verse: “In the churches, bless God ...” - the Holy Church calls on the whole universe give glory to the Risen Lord.
Behind the singing of “You were baptized into Christ, put on Christ…” the Apostle is read from the book of Acts (1, 1-8), which contains a clear testimony of the repeated appearances of the Risen Lord to His disciples.
Then comes the solemn reading of the Gospel, announcing the sublime teaching of the Evangelist John the Theologian about the Face of our Lord Jesus Christ, about His Divinity (): “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God ...” The Gospel is read in various languages: Jewish, Greek and Roman, on which the inscription was made on the Cross of Christ, as well as in the new languages of the world, proclaiming the truth of the faith of Christ as a token of joy about the Divine glory of the Resurrected from the dead Christ the Life-Giver.
According to the ancient practice of the Russian Church, the Gospel at the liturgy of the first Easter Day is read in different languages - as a sign that the Resurrection of Christ is preached to all peoples of the world.
The reading of the Gospel is accompanied by the ringing of a bell and ends with a brief peal, as if proclaiming to the whole world the glory of God the Word Incarnate.
The entire service of the Divine Liturgy takes place under the sign of high, bright Paschal joy.
The features of the service include the singing of the irmos of the 9th song of the canon: “Shine, shine, New Jerusalem ...” - with the refrain: “An angel crying out of Grace ...” - and the repeated joyful repetition during the Easter troparion service: “Christ is risen from the dead”, which is sung instead of “Blessed is He who comes…”, “Videhom the true Light…”, “May our lips be fulfilled…”, “Be the Name of the Lord…”, “I will bless the Lord…” and during communion of the laity.
According to the prayer behind the ambo on the analogion, in front of the image of the Resurrection of Christ, specially prepared bread, called in Greek artos, is placed, censing is performed, the artos is consecrated with prayer and sprinkled with holy water “in honor, and glory, and in remembrance of the Resurrection” of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The custom of consecrating the artos is preserved in the Church from the holy apostles, who, after the Ascension of the Lord from earth to Heaven, each time gathering for common meal, in remembrance of the appearances and actions of the Resurrected Teacher, they left the first place unoccupied and put bread in front of him - in commemoration of the fact that the Lord Himself is invisibly present and blesses their meal.
In the prayer at the consecration of the artos, the priest, invoking God's blessing on the artos, asks the Lord to heal the disease and illness, to grant health to those who eat the holy artos.
Artos remains in the temple on the lectern during the entire Bright Week in remembrance of those miraculous appearances of the Risen Lord, witnesses and eyewitnesses of which the apostles were, and also as a sign of the invisible presence among the believers of the Risen Lord.
At the conclusion of the Paschal liturgy, instead of “Glory to Thee, Christ God…”, the priest sings the first half of the troparion “Christ is Risen…”, and the choir ends: “And to those in the tombs…”
Further, the priest pronounces the holiday dismissal with the Cross in his hands, as at Paschal Matins: "Christ, risen from the dead ...", and ends the liturgy with the overshadowing of the Cross by those praying with the exclamation (thrice): "Christ is risen!" The believers answer: “Truly He is risen!”
The choir sings (three times): “Christ is Risen…” (in a quick chant) - and ends: “And we have been given an eternal life; We worship His three-day Resurrection."
To the solemn ringing of bells, the faithful, full of bright Paschal joys, approach the Holy Cross and greet each other in spiritual delight: “Christ is Risen!” - "Truly risen!"
On Great Saturday, at Matins and Vespers with the liturgy of the saint, litanies are said before the Holy Shroud, the entrance prayers for the liturgy, parimia, the Apostle and the Gospel are read, the small entrance with the Gospel and the great entrance with the Gifts are read, the prayer behind the ambo is read. Only the communion of the people happens, as usual, on the salt of honor for the sake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. On the salt, the consecration of bread and wine is also performed.
Latin.
On Saturday of Bright Week, the artos is broken up and distributed to believers for eating. Believers, having received artos, keep it and eat it with the greatest reverence.
Journal of the Moscow Patriarchy, No 4-5, 1996.
Easter. Christians especially honor this holiday - the main Sunday of the year when Jesus resurrected from. Easter is the personification of the victory of Love and Life. Church on this day is joyful and radiant, as well as the mood of all the parishioners who attend it. The main part of the service lasts from half past twelve to four in the morning. Temples on this solemn night, as a rule, are overcrowded. Parishioners wishing to attend worship should leave their homes early so that there is enough space. The temple is decorated with white flowers, the priests are dressed in solemn robes, the rest of the ministers churches also smartly dressed. Singing this night is joyful and light, churches there are many candles and in their light the icon frames are mysteriously gilded. Service accompanied by Blagovest - a special bell ringing. It is better to consecrate Easter cakes and other food in advance, on Saturday. During the Easter service, with a large crowd of people, it will be difficult to do this. Half an hour before midnight, a priest and a deacon on their heads bring a canvas with the image of Christ into the shroud into the altar through the Royal Doors. The ministers put her on the throne. Here the shroud is located until the giving of Holy Pascha as a sign that Jesus spent forty days on earth before the ascension. With the onset of midnight in the altar, which marks the sky, the clergy begin to sing the stechira. It sounds like this: “Thy Resurrection, Christ the Savior, Angels sing in heaven, and make us on earth glorify You with a pure heart.” The chanting of the stechira takes place three times. The second time it is also sung in the altar, a tone higher and with the veil pulled back. This is a sign that the destinies of mankind are revealed earlier in heaven than on earth. The third chant, in even higher voices, begins at the exit of the priests from the altar and lasts until the middle. The choir in the middle of the temple and all the worshipers finish singing. After this, the ringing begins. From churches come out the Procession and go around the temple with the singing of "Thy Resurrection, Christ the Savior ...". The move represents the myrrh-bearing women who walked with fragrances "very early to the Sepulcher." The participants of the Hod stop at the western temple, as if at the door of the coffin, where the Myronites received the news of the resurrection. At this moment, the ringing subsides. churches takes and envelops with the aroma of the icon and all those who pray. Then he takes in free hand a cross with a trisveshnik and becomes a face on. With a censer, the priest traces the sign of the Cross in front of the closed gates and begins Bright Matins. Following this, the doors of the temple open and the gaze of the worshipers sees the inner chambers, decorated with candles and flowers. Next up is Easter Sunday. It consists of singing the canon. Then the stechirs sing and solemnly read the Gospel. The next step is the prayer behind the ambo, after which, on the lectern, in front of the icon with the Resurrected Christ, bread prepared according to a special recipe is laid. This bread, called in Greek, is consecrated by prayer and sprinkled with holy water. During the entire Bright Week, bread remains in the temple. At the end of the Paschal Liturgy, joyful singing is heard, and all the faithful approach the Cross of the Lord to the sound of bells. Here they exchange festive greetings: "Christ is risen!" - "Truly risen!"
