Evening Orthodox service. About the services performed in the temple

Public worship, or, as people say, church services, is the main thing for which our churches are intended. Every day the Orthodox Church holds evening, morning and afternoon services in churches. Each of these services consists in turn of three types of services, collectively combined into a daily cycle of services:

vespers - from the 9th hour, vespers and compline;

morning - from midnight office, matins and 1st hour;

daytime - from the 3rd hour, 6th hour and Divine Liturgy.

Thus, the entire daily circle consists of nine services.

In Orthodox worship, much is borrowed from the worship of Old Testament times. For example, the beginning of a new day is considered not midnight, but six o’clock in the evening. That is why the first service of the daily cycle is Vespers.

At Vespers, the Church remembers the main events of the sacred history of the Old Testament: the creation of the world by God, the fall of the first parents, the Mosaic legislation and the ministry of the prophets. Christians give thanks to the Lord for the day they have lived.

After Vespers, according to the Church Rules, Compline is supposed to be served. In a certain sense, these are public prayers for the sleep of the future, in which the descent of Christ into hell and the liberation of the righteous from the power of the devil are remembered.

At midnight, the third service of the daily cycle is supposed to be performed - the Midnight Office. This service was established to remind Christians of the Second Coming of the Savior and the Last Judgment.

Before sunrise, Matins is served - one of the longest services. It is dedicated to the events of the earthly life of the Savior and contains many prayers of both repentance and gratitude.

At about seven o'clock in the morning they perform the 1st hour. This is the name of the short service at which the Orthodox Church remembers the presence of Jesus Christ at the trial of the high priest Caiaphas.

The 3rd hour (nine o’clock in the morning) is served in remembrance of the events that took place in the Upper Room of Zion, where the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles, and in Pilate’s Praetorium, where the Savior was sentenced to death.

The 6th hour (noon) is the time of the Lord’s crucifixion, and the 9th hour (three o’clock in the afternoon) is the time of His death on the cross. The above-mentioned services are dedicated to these events.

The main divine service of the Orthodox Church, a kind of center of the daily circle, is the Divine Liturgy. Unlike other services, the liturgy provides an opportunity not only to remember God and the entire earthly life of the Savior, but also to actually unite with Him in the sacrament of Communion, established by the Lord Himself during the Last Supper. According to the time, the liturgy should be performed between the 6th and 9th hour, before noon, in the pre-dinner time, which is why it is also called mass.

Modern liturgical practice has brought its own changes to the regulations of the Charter. Thus, in parish churches, Compline is celebrated only during Lent, and the Midnight Office is celebrated once a year, on the eve of Easter. The 9th hour is extremely rarely served. The remaining six services of the daily circle are combined into two groups of three services.

In the evening, Vespers, Matins and the 1st hour are performed in succession. On the eve of Sundays and holidays, these services are combined into one service called the all-night vigil. In ancient times, Christians actually often prayed until dawn, that is, they stayed awake throughout the night. Modern all-night vigils last two to four hours in parishes and three to six hours in monasteries.

In the morning, the 3rd hour, the 6th hour and the Divine Liturgy are served successively. In churches with large congregations, there are two liturgies on Sundays and holidays - early and late. Both are preceded by reading the hours.

On those days when there is no liturgy (for example, on Friday of Holy Week), a short sequence of pictorial ones is performed. This service consists of some chants of the liturgy and, as it were, “depicts” it. But visual arts do not have the status of an independent service.

Divine services also include the performance of all sacraments, rituals, reading of akathists in church, community readings of morning and evening prayers, rules for Holy Communion.

CATECHISTIC

(Brief teaching on the Orthodox faith),

carried out with blessing
ARCHBISHOP ATHANASY
in the Cathedral of Perm

ORDER and EXPLANATION
CHURCH SERVICES

Perm Diocesan Administration

A church service is the combination, according to a special plan, into one composition of prayers, sections from the Holy Scriptures, chants and sacred actions to clarify a specific idea or thought.

Due to the fact that in each service of Orthodox worship a certain thought is consistently developed, each church service represents a harmonious, complete, artistic sacred work, designed to, through verbal, song (vocal) and contemplative impressions, create a pious mood in the souls of those praying, strengthen living faith in God and prepare the Orthodox Christian to receive Divine grace.

Finding the guiding thought (idea) of each service and establishing a connection with its component parts is one of the moments in studying the service. The order in which this or that service is presented is called in liturgical books the “order” or “addition” of the service.

Origin of daily services

The names of the daily services indicate at what hour of the day each of them should be performed. For example, Vespers indicates the evening hour, Compline indicates the hour following the “supper” (that is, the evening meal), sex at night prayer - for midnight, matins - for the morning hour, mass - for lunch, that is, midday, the first hour - in our opinion it means 7 o’clock in the morning, the third hour - our 9th hour in the morning, the sixth hour is our 12th hour, the ninth is our third hour in the afternoon.

The custom of prayerful consecration of these particular hours in the Christian Church is of very ancient origin and was established under the influence of the Old Testament rule of praying in the temple three times during the day to make sacrifices - morning, afternoon and evening, as well as the words of the Psalmist about glorifying God “in the evening, morning and noon "

The discrepancy in the count (the difference is about 6 hours) is explained by the fact that the eastern count is adopted, and in the East, sunrise and sunset differ by 6 hours compared to our countries. Therefore, the 1st o'clock in the morning of the East corresponds to our 7 o'clock and so on.

SACRED EVENTS GLORIFIED
IN EVERYDAY SERVICES

Vespers comes first among the daily services because, according to the Church, the day begins in the evening, since the first day of the world and the beginning of human existence was preceded by darkness, evening, and twilight.

At “vespers,” both in Jewish and Christian worship, the image of the creation of the world and man stands out clearly. In addition, in the Orthodox Church, Vespers is given remembrance of the fall of people and the expected salvation through Jesus Christ...

The “evening” hour coincides with the time of going to bed, and sleep reminds of death, followed by resurrection. Therefore, in Orthodox During the Compline service, those praying are reminded of their awakening from eternal sleep, that is, of the resurrection.

The “midnight” hour has long been sanctified by prayer: for Christians it is memorable because at this hour the prayer of Jesus Christ was fulfilled in the Garden of Gethsemane, and also because “at half at“at the hour of the night” in the parable of the ten virgins, the Lord timed His second coming. Therefore, for the floor at the nightstand recalls the prayer of Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, His second coming and His Last Judgment.

The morning hour, bringing with it light, vigor and life, always arouses a feeling of gratitude towards God, Giver of life. Therefore, this hour was sanctified by prayer among the Jews. In the Orthodox morning service, the coming of the Savior into the world is glorified, bringing with Him new life to people.

The “clock” recalls the following exclusively Christian events: at 1 o’clock - the trial of Jesus Christ by the high priests, which actually took place around this time, that is, around 7 o’clock in the morning; at the 3rd hour - the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles, which took place at approximately 9 o'clock in the morning; on the 6th - the suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross, coinciding with 12-2 hours. day; finally, at the 9th hour there is a memory of the death of Jesus Christ on the Cross, which occurred at about 3 o’clock in the afternoon.

These are the sacred events that gave rise to the establishment of the first eight daily services. As for mass, then it contains a memory of the entire earthly life of Jesus Christ and His establishment of the Sacrament of Holy Communion.

Mass or Liturgy in the proper sense is a Christian service that appeared earlier than others and from the very beginning acquired the character of a service that united the Christian community through the sacrament of Holy Communion.

At first, all these services were performed separately from each other, especially in monasteries. Over time, they began to be grouped into more rare periods of performance, until the modern order was developed - to perform three services in three periods, namely: In the evening the ninth hour, vespers and compline are celebrated, in the morning- floor at Night Office, Matins and 1st hour, in the afternoon - hours: third, sixth and Liturgy.

Other Sacred Memories of Church Services

Wanting to make my children as pure, pious and focused as possible. The Holy Church gradually attached prayerful remembrance not only to every hour of the day, but also to every day of the week. Thus, from the very beginning of the existence of the Church of Christ, the “first day of the week” was dedicated to the memory of resurrection Jesus Christ and became a solemn joyful day, i.e. a holiday. (1 Cor. XVI. 1, 2; Acts XX, 7-8).

Friday reminded of the day of the Savior’s suffering and His death; Wednesday became a reminder of the betrayal of Jesus Christ to death, which took place on this day.

Little by little, the remaining days of the week were dedicated to the prayerful remembrance of the following persons closer in time to others who stand close to Christ: St. John the Baptist (constantly remembered during divine services Tuesdays), St. Apostles (according to Thursdays). In addition, on Thursdays St. Nicholas the Wonderworker is also remembered. By Saturdays - the Mother of God, and Mondays dedicated to the memories of the honest heavenly ethereal angelic forces that greeted the birth of the Savior, resurrection, and also His ascension.

As the faith of Christ spread, the number of Holy Persons increased: martyrs and saints. The greatness of their exploits provided an inexhaustible source for pious Christian songwriters and artists to compose various prayers and hymns, as well as artistic images, in memory of them.

The Holy Church included these emerging spiritual works in the church service, timing the reading and singing of the latter to the days of remembrance of the saints designated in them. The range of these prayers and chants is extensive and varied;

it unfolds for the whole year, and every day there is not one, but several glorified saints.

The manifestation of God's mercy to a well-known people, locality or city, for example, deliverance from a flood, an earthquake, from an attack by enemies, etc., provided an indelible reason to prayerfully commemorate these incidents.

Since every day is a day of the week and at the same time a day of the year, then for every day there are three kinds of memories: 1) memories of “daytime” or sentries connected to a known hour of the day; 2) “weekly” or weekly memories, connected to individual days of the week; 3) “annual” or numerical memories connected to certain numbers of the year.

The concept of circles of worship

Thanks to the above circumstance, every day there are three kinds of memories: daily, weekly and annual Every person praying can clarify for himself the question of why church services speak not only about those events that took place at certain hours and days, but also about other events and even about many sacred persons.

Thanks to the same knowledge of the threefold kind of sacred memories that occur every day, the worshiper can explain to himself the following other observation.

If you attend every church service for several weeks, at least two, and carefully monitor the content of the prayers sung and read, you will notice that some prayers, for example, “Our Father,” the prayer to the Holy Trinity, litanies, are read at every service. : Other prayers, and these are the majority, are heard only during one service, and are not used during another.

Consequently, it turns out that some prayers are used without fail at every service and do not change, while others change and alternate with each other. The change and alternation of church prayers occurs in the following order: some prayers performed during one service are not performed during another. For example, the prayer “The Lord has cried...” is performed only at Vespers, and the prayers “The Only Begotten Son...” or “We have seen the true light...” are sung only at Mass. These prayers are then not repeated in church until the next day.

The next day we hear these prayers during the same service in which we heard the day before, for example, “The Lord cried...” at Vespers and “The Only Begotten Son...” at Mass; therefore, these prayers, although repeated every day, are always confined to one specific service.

There are prayers that are repeated every week on a certain day. For example, “Having seen the Resurrection of Christ...” we hear only on Sunday after the all-night vigil; Prayer of the Heavenly Hosts. Archistratizi...” - only on Mondays. Consequently, the “turn” of these prayers comes after a week.

Finally, there is a third series of prayers that are performed only on certain dates of the year. For example, “Your Nativity, Christ our God” is heard on December 25, in “Your Nativity, Virgin Mary” - on September 8 (or in the days immediately after these dates) on December 25. Art. Art. - Jan 7 n. art., 8 sect. Art. Art. - 21 sects. n. Art.

If we compare the threefold change and alternation of church prayers, it turns out that every day prayers relating to sacred memories and “hourly” prayers are repeated, after a week - relating to sacred “weekly” memories, and after a year - relating to sacred “annual” memories "

Since all our prayers alternate with each other, repeat themselves (as if they are “circling”), some with the speed of the day, others - of the week, and others - of the year, then these prayers are given the name of the divine service “everyday circle”, “weekly circle” and “annual circle”.

Every day in church the prayers of all three “circles” are heard, and not just one, and, moreover, the main “circle” is the “everyday circle”, and the other two are additional.

Composition of church services

The alternating prayer books of the daily, weekly and annual circles are called “changing” prayer books. Occurring prayers behind every service are called “unchanging”. Each church service consists of a combination of unchanging and changing prayers.

Unchanging Prayers

In order to understand the order and meaning of our church services, it is more convenient to first understand the meaning of “unchanging” prayers. The unchanging prayers that are read and sung at every service are the following: 1) opening prayers, that is, prayers with which all services begin and which, therefore, in liturgical practice are called the “Ordinary Beginning”; 2) Litany; 3) Shouts and 4) Vacations or holidays.

Normal start

Each service begins with the priest's call to glorify and give praise to God. There are three such inviting invitations or exclamations:

1) “Blessed be our God always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages” (before the start of most services);

2) “Glory to the Holy, Consubstantial, Life-Giving, and Indivisible Trinity always, now and ever and unto ages of ages” (before the beginning of the All-Night Vigil);

3) “Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages” (before the beginning of the Liturgy).

After the exclamation, the Reader, on behalf of all those present, expresses agreement with this praise with the word “Amen” (truly) and immediately begins to praise God: “Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.”

Then, to prepare ourselves for worthy prayer, we, following the reader, turn with prayer to the Holy Spirit (“Heavenly King”), Who alone can give us the gift of true prayer, so that He moved into us, cleansed us from all filth and saved us. (Rom. VIII, 26).

With a prayer for cleansing we turn to all three Persons of the Holy Trinity, reading: a) “Holy God”, b) “Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”, c) “Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us” and d) “Lord have mercy ”, e) “Glory... even now.” Finally, we read the Lord’s Prayer, i.e. “Our Father” as a sign that this is the best example of our prayers. In conclusion, we read three times: “Come, let us worship and fall before Christ,” and move on to reading other prayers that are part of the service. The normal starting order is:

1) The exclamation of the priest.

2) Reading “Glory to Thee, our God.”

3) “King of Heaven.”

4) “Holy God” (three times).

5) “Glory to the Father and the Son” (small doxology).

6) “Holy Trinity.”

7) “Lord have mercy” (Three times) Glory even now.

8) Our Father.

9) Come, let’s worship.

Litany comes from the Greek adverb Ektenos - “diligently.”

At each service, a prayer is heard, which, being lengthy in itself, is divided into several smaller parts or passages, each of which ends with the words of response from the persons singing or reading; “Lord have mercy”, “Lord grant”.

Litanys are divided into several types: 1) Great Litany, 2) Special Litany, 3) Litany of Petition, 4) Small Litany and 5) Litany for the Dead or Funeral Litany.

Great Litany

The Great Litany consists of 10 petitions or sections.

1) Let us pray to the Lord in peace.

This means; Let us call upon our prayer meeting the peace of God, or the blessing of God, and under the shadow of the face of God, addressed to us with peace and love, let us begin to pray for our needs. In the same way, let us pray in peace, having forgiven mutual offenses (Matthew V, 23-24).

2) About heavenly peace and the salvation of our souls. Let's pray to the Lord.

“Peace from above” is the peace of earth with heaven, the reconciliation of man with God, or receiving forgiveness of sins from God through our Lord Jesus Christ. The fruit of forgiveness of sins or reconciliation with God is salvation of our souls, which we also pray for in the second petition of the Great Litany.

3) About the peace of the whole world, the welfare of God's holy churches and the unity of all. Let's pray to the Lord.

In the third petition, we pray not only for a harmonious and friendly life between people on earth, not only for peace in the entire universe, but also for a wider and deeper peace, this is: peace and harmony (harmony) in all over the world, in the fullness of all God’s creations (heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them,” angels and people, living and dead).

Second subject of the petition; well-being, that is, the peace and well-being of God's holy churches or individual Orthodox societies.

The fruit and consequence of the prosperity and well-being of Orthodox societies on earth will be extensive moral unity: agreement, a friendly proclamation of the glory of God from everyone elements of the world, from all animate beings, there will be such a penetration of “everything” with the highest religious content, when God will be “perfectly in everything” (1 Cor. XV, 28).

4) About this holy temple, and those who enter it with faith, reverence and fear of God. Let's pray to the Lord.

(Reverence and fear of God are expressed in a prayerful mood, in putting aside worldly cares, in cleansing the heart from enmity and envy. - On the outside, reverence is expressed in bodily cleanliness, in decent clothing and in abstaining from talking and looking around).

To pray for the Holy Temple means to ask God so that He never departs from the temple with His grace; but he preserved it from desecration by enemies of the faith, from fires, earthquakes, and robbers, so that the temple did not lack funds to maintain it in a flourishing state.

The temple is called holy by the holiness of the sacred actions performed in it and by the gracious presence of God in it, from the time of consecration. But the grace that abides in the temple is not available to everyone, but only to those who enter it with faith, reverence and fear of God.

5) About this city, (or about this village) every city, country, and those who live in them by faith. Let's pray to the Lord.

We pray not only for our city, but for every other city and country, and for their inhabitants (because according to Christian brotherly love, we must pray not only for ourselves, but also for all people).

6) About the goodness of the air, about the abundance of earthly fruits and peaceful times. Let's pray to the Lord.

In this petition, we ask the Lord to give us our daily bread, that is, everything necessary for our earthly life. We ask for favorable weather for the growth of grain, as well as peacetime.

7) About those floating, traveling, the sick, the suffering, the captives, and about their salvation. Let's pray to the Lord.

In this petition, the Holy Church invites us to pray not only for those present, but also for those absent: 1) those on the road (swimming, traveling), 2) the sick, the ailing (that is, the sick and weak in body in general) and the suffering (that is confined to their beds by a dangerous illness) and 3) about those in captivity.

8) May we be delivered from all sorrow, anger and need. Let's pray to the Lord.

In this petition we ask the Lord to deliver us from all sorrow, anger and need, that is, from grief, disaster and unbearable oppression.

9) Intercede, save, have mercy, and preserve us, O God, with Your grace.

In this petition, we pray to the Lord to protect us, preserve us and have mercy through His mercy and grace.

10) Let us commemorate ourselves, and each other, and our whole life to Christ our God.

We constantly call upon the Mother of God in litanies because She serves as our Intercessor and Intercessor before the Lord. After turning to the Mother of God for help, the Holy Church advises us to entrust ourselves, each other and our whole life to the Lord.

The Great Litany is otherwise called “peaceful” (because in it peace is often asked for people).

In ancient times, litanies were continuous prayers in form and general prayers everyone those present in the church, evidence of which is, by the way, the words “Lord have mercy,” following the deacon’s exclamations.

The Great Litany

The second litany is called “augmented,” that is, intensified, because to each petition pronounced by the deacon, the singers respond with the triple “Lord have mercy.” The special litany consists of the following petitions:

1) We say everything with all our hearts, and we say everything with all our thoughts.

Let us say to the Lord with all our souls and with all our thoughts: (then it will be explained exactly what we will say).

2) Lord Almighty, God of our fathers, we pray to You, hear and have mercy.

Lord Almighty, God of our fathers, we pray to You, hear and have mercy.

3) Have mercy on us. God, according to Your great mercy, we pray to You, hear and have mercy.

Have mercy on us, Lord, according to Your great goodness. We pray to You, hear and have mercy.

4) We also pray for all the Christ-loving army.

We also pray for all the soldiers, as defenders of the Faith and the Fatherland.

5) We also pray for our brothers, priests, priests, and all our brotherhood in Christ.

We also pray for our brothers in service and in Christ.

6) We also pray for the blessed and ever-memorable most holy Orthodox Patriarchs, and the pious kings, and the pious queens, and the creators of this holy temple, and for all the Orthodox fathers and brethren who lie before us, who lie here and everywhere.

We also pray for St. Orthodox Patriarchs, about the faithful Orthodox kings and queens; - about the always memorable creators of the Holy Temple; about all our deceased parents and brothers buried here and in other places.

7) We also pray for mercy, life, peace, health, salvation, visitation, forgiveness and forgiveness of sins of the servants of God to the brethren of this Holy Temple.

In this petition, we ask the Lord for bodily and spiritual benefits to the parishioners of the church where the service is being performed.

8) We also pray for those who are fruitful and virtuous in this holy and all-honorable temple, for those who work, sing and stand before us, expecting great and rich mercy from You.

We also pray for people: “fruit-bearing” (i.e., those who bring material and monetary donations for the liturgical needs in the temple: wine, oil, incense, candles) and “virtuous” (i.e., those who make decorations in the temple or donate to maintain the splendor in the temple), as well as about those doing some work in the temple, for example, reading, singing, and about all the people who are in the temple in anticipation of great and rich mercy.

Litany of Petition

The litany of petition consists of a series of petitions ending with the words “we ask the Lord,” to which the singers respond with the words: “Lord grant.” The litany of petition is read as follows:

1) Let us fulfill our (evening or morning) prayer to the Lord.

Let us complete (or supplement) our prayer to the Lord.

Save us, have mercy and protect us, O God, by Your grace.

3) Day (or evening) perfection of everything, holy, peaceful and sinless, we ask the Lord.

Let us ask the Lord to help us spend this day (or evening) expediently, holy, peacefully and sinlessly.

4) Angela is a peaceful, faithful mentor, guardian of our souls and bodies, we ask the Lord.

Let us ask the Lord for the Holy Angel, who is the faithful mentor and guardian of our soul and body.

5) We ask the Lord for forgiveness and forgiveness of our sins and transgressions.

Let us ask the Lord for forgiveness and forgiveness of our sins (heavy) and sins (light).

6) We ask the Lord for kindness and benefit to our souls and for peace.

Let us ask the Lord for everything that is useful and good for our souls, for peace for all people and the whole world.

7) End the rest of your life in peace and repentance, we ask the Lord.

Let us ask the Lord that we may live the remaining time of our lives in peace and a calm conscience.

8) The Christian death of our belly, painless, shameless, peaceful, and a good answer at the terrible judgment of Christ, we ask.

Let us ask the Lord that our death be Christian, that is, with confession and Communion of the Holy Mysteries, painless, shameless and peaceful, that is, that before our death we make peace with our loved ones. Let us ask for a kind and fearless answer at the Last Judgment.

9) Our Most Holy, Most Pure, Most Blessed, Glorious Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, having remembered with all the saints, let us commend ourselves and each other and our entire life to Christ our God.

Small Litany

The Small Litany is a shortening of the Great Litany and contains only the following petitions:

1. Again and again (again and again) let us pray to the Lord in peace.

2. Intercede, save, have mercy and preserve us. God, by Your grace.

3. Having remembered our Most Holy, Most Pure, Most Blessed, Glorious Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary with all the saints, let us commend ourselves and each other, and our whole life to Christ our God.

Sometimes these great, special, small and petitionary litanies are joined by others, compiled for a special occasion, for example, on the occasion of burial or commemoration of the dead, on the occasion of the consecration of water, the beginning of teaching, or the onset of the New Year.

These litanies with additional “changing petitions” are contained in a special book for prayer singing.

Funeral Litany

a) Great:

1. Let us pray to the Lord in peace.

2. Let us pray to the Lord for peace from above and for the salvation of our souls.

3. Let us pray to the Lord for the remission of sins, in the blessed memory of those who have died.

4. For the ever-memorable servants of God (name of the rivers), peace, silence, blessed memory of them, let us pray to the Lord.

5. To forgive them every sin, voluntary or involuntary. Let's pray to the Lord.

6. Let us pray to the Lord for those uncondemned to appear at the terrible throne of the Lord of glory.

7. For those who cry and are sick, looking forward to Christ’s consolation, let us pray to the Lord.

8. Let them be freed from all illness and sorrow and sighing, and let them dwell where the light of the face of God shines. Let's pray to the Lord.

9. Oh, that the Lord our God will restore their souls to a place of light, to a place of greenness, to a place of peace, where all the righteous abide, let us pray to the Lord.

10. Let us pray to the Lord for their reckoning in the bosoms of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.

11.0 Let us pray to the Lord that we may be delivered from all sorrow, anger and need.

12. Intercede, save, have mercy and preserve us, O God, by Your grace.

13. Having asked for the mercy of God, the kingdom of heaven, and the remission of sins for ourselves, we will hand over each other and our entire life to Christ our God.

b) Small and

c) The triple funeral litany consists of three petitions, in which the thoughts of the great litany are repeated.

Exclamations

While the deacon on the solea recites the litany, the priest in the altar reads prayers to himself (secretly) (there are especially many secret prayers in the liturgy), and the end pronounces them loudly. These ends of the prayers, spoken by the priest, are called “exclamations.” They usually express base, why we, praying to the Lord, can hope for the fulfillment of our prayers, and why we have the boldness to turn to the Lord with petitions and thanksgivings.

According to immediate impression, all exclamations of the priest are divided into initial, liturgical and litany. In order to clearly distinguish between the two, you need to carefully understand the exclamations of the litanies. The most common exclamations are:

1. After the Great Litany: Yako (i.e. because) All glory, honor and worship is due to You, Father and Son and Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.

2. After the special litany: For God is merciful and a lover of mankind, and to You we send up glory, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.

3. After the petitionary litanies: For God is good and a lover of mankind, and to You we send up glory, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.

4. After the small litany:

a] For Thine is the dominion, and Thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory, of the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit, always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.

b] For You are the God of mercy and generosity and love for mankind, and to You we send glory, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.

c] For Thy Name be blessed, and Thy kingdom be glorified, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.

G] For You are our God, and we send up glory to You, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.

e] For You are the King of the world and the Savior of our souls, and we send up glory to You, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.

However, in addition to the above, there are several more exclamations that contain the same thoughts as the eight exclamations noted. For example, during the all-night vigil and prayer service the following exclamations are also uttered:

a] Hear us, O God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and those who are in the sea far away: and be merciful, merciful, O Master, for our sins and have mercy on us. For You are merciful and lover of mankind, and we send up glory to You, Father and Son and Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.

Hear us. God our Savior, You, in Whom they hope in all the ends of the earth and in the distant sea, and being merciful, be merciful to our sins and have mercy on us, because You are a merciful God who loves mankind and we send up Glory to You...

b] By the mercy, and bounty, and love for mankind of Thy Only Begotten Son, with whom art Thou blessed, with Thy most holy, and good, and life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.

By the mercy, generosity and love for mankind of Your Only Begotten Son, with whom You are blessed (God the Father) with Your Most Holy, Good and Life-giving Spirit.

c] For you are holy, our God, and you rest among the saints, and we send up glory to you, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.

Because You are Holy, our God, and you dwell in the saints (by Your grace) and we send up glory to You.

Funeral cry:

For You are the resurrection and the life and rest of your fallen servants (name of the rivers), Christ our God, and we send up glory to You, with Your beginningless Father, and Your all-holy and good and life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages.

Each church service ends with special prayer chants, which together constitute the “dismissal” or “vacation”. The order of dismissal is this: the Priest says: “Wisdom,” that is, let us be attentive. Then, turning to the Mother of God, he says: “Most Holy Theotokos, save us.”

The singers respond with the words: “The most honorable Cherub and the most glorious without comparison, the Seraphim”... Further thanking the Lord for the perfect service, the priest says out loud: “Glory to Thee, Christ God, our Hope, Glory to Thee,” after which the singers sing: “Glory to Thee even now.” ”, “Lord have mercy” (three times), “Bless”.

The priest, turning his face to the people, lists all the Saints, through whose prayers we turned to God for help, namely - 1) the Mother of God, 2) the Saint of the Week, 3) the Saint of the Day, 4) the Holy Temple, 5) the Saint of the local region, and finally, 6) Godfather of Joachim and Anna. Then the priest says that through the prayers of these saints the Lord will have mercy and save us.

Upon release, believers receive permission to leave the temple.

Changing Prayers

As already mentioned, in the Church selected passages from the Holy Scriptures and prayers written by pious Christian poets are read and sung. Both are included in church services to depict and glorify the sacred event of the three circles of worship: daily, weekly and annual.

Readings and chants from St. books are named after the book from which they are borrowed. For example, psalms from the book of Psalms, prophecies from books written by prophets, the Gospel from the Gospel. The changing prayers that make up sacred Christian poetry are found in church liturgical books and bear different names.

The most important of them are the following:

1)Troparion- a song that briefly depicts the life of a Saint or the history of the holiday, for example, the well-known troparia: “Thy Nativity, O Christ our God,” “Thou art transfigured on the mountain, O Christ our God...”, “The rule of faith and the image of meekness.”

The origin and meaning of the name “troparion” is explained differently: 1) some derive this word from the Greek “tropos” - character, image, because the troparion depicts the lifestyle of a saint or contains a description of a holiday; 2) others from “trepeon” - a trophy or a sign of victory, which indicates that the troparion is a song proclaiming the victory of a saint or the triumph of a holiday; 3) others derive from the word “tropos” - trope, that is, the use of a word not in its own meaning, but in the meaning of another object due to the similarity between them; this kind of word use is indeed often found in troparia; saints, for example, are likened to the sun, moon, stars, etc.; 4) finally, the word troparion is also derived from “tropome” - they changed, since the troparia are sung alternately in one or the other choir, and “trepo” - I turn it, since “they turn to other prayers and relate to them.”

2)Kontakion(from the word “kontos” - short) - a short song depicting some individual feature of the celebrated event or Saint. All kontakia differ from troparia not so much in content as in the time at which they are sung during the service. An example of a kontakion would be “Virgin today...”, “To the elected Voivode...”

Kontakion - derived from the Greek word “kontos” - small, short, which means a short prayer in which the life of a saint is briefly glorified or the memory of some event in brief main features. Others - the name kontakion is derived from the word that names the material on which they were previously written. Indeed, originally “kontakia” was the name given to rolls of parchment written on both sides.

3)Greatness- a song containing the glorification of a Saint or a holiday. The Greatness is sung during the all-night vigil before the holiday icon, first by the clergy in the middle of the temple, and then repeated several times in the choir by the singers.

4)Stichera(from the Greek “stichera” - multi-verse) - a chant consisting of many verses written in the same meter of versification, most of them preceded by verses of the Holy Scriptures. Each stichera contains the main idea, which is revealed in various ways in all stichera. For example, the glorification of the Resurrection of Christ, the Entry into the Temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Apostle. Peter and Paul, John the Evangelist, etc.

There are many stichera, but they all have different names, depending on the time of their performance during the service. If the stichera is sung after the prayer “I cried to the Lord,” then it is called “the stichera to the Lord I cried”; if the stichera is sung after verses that contain the glorification of the Lord (for example, “Let every breath praise the Lord”), then the stichera is called the stichera “on praising.”

There are also stichera “on the verse”, and the stichera of the Theotokos are stichera in honor of the Mother of God. The number of stichera of each category and the verses preceding them varies - depending on the solemnity of the holiday - then 10, 8, 6 and 4. Therefore, the liturgical books say - “stichera for 10, for 8, for 6, etc. These numbers indicate the number of verses of the psalm that should be sung with stichera. Moreover, the stichera themselves, if they are is not enough, can be repeated several times.

5)Dogmatist. Dogmatists are special stichera that contain the teaching (dogma) about the incarnation of Jesus Christ from the Mother of God. And prayers that primarily speak about the Most Holy Theotokos are called by the general name “Theotokos.”

6)Akathist- “nesedalen”, prayer service, especially singing of praise in honor of the Lord, the Mother of God or the Saint.

7)Antiphons- (alternate singing, countervoice) prayers that are supposed to be sung alternately on two choirs.

8)Prokeimenon- (lying in front) - there is a verse that precedes the reading of the Apostle, Gospel and proverbs. The prokeimenon serves as a preface to the reading and expresses the essence of the person being remembered. There are many prokeimenes: they are daytime, holiday, etc.

9)Involved a verse sung during clergy communion.

10)Canon- this is a series of sacred chants in honor of a Saint or a holiday, which are read or sung during the All-Night Vigil at the time when those praying kiss (attach) the Holy Gospel or the icon of the holiday. The word “canon” is Greek, in Russian it means rule. The canon consists of nine or sometimes fewer parts called “cantos.”

Each song in turn is divided into several sections, (or stanzas), of which the first is called “irmos”. Irmosy are sung and serve as a connection for all the following sections, which are read and called the troparia of the canon.

Every canon has a specific subject. For example, in one canon the Resurrection of Christ is glorified, and in another - the Cross of the Lord, the Mother of God or some Saint. Therefore, the canons have special names, for example, “Resurrection Canon”, canon “To the Life-Giving Cross”, canon “To the Mother of God”, canon “to the Saint”.

In accordance with the main subject of the canon, special refrains are read before each verse. For example, during the Sunday canon the chorus is: “Glory to Thee, Our God, glory to Thee...”, during the canon of the Theotokos the chorus is: “Most Holy Theotokos, save us.”

The concept of liturgical books

Books necessary for worship are divided into sacred liturgical and church liturgical. The first contains readings from the Bible (Holy Scripture): these are the Gospel, the Apostle, the Prophetic books and the Psalter; secondly, it contains changing prayers for the daily, weekly and annual circle.

Circle Prayers daytime, that is, the order and text of daily church services: midnight office, matins, vespers, etc. are contained in a book called the Book of Hours.

Circle Prayers weekday contents:

a) in a book called “Octoichus” or Osmoglasnik, which is divided into 8 parts, corresponding to eight church chants, and is used at all times, except for the period of Lent and ending with the feast of the Holy Trinity;

b) in the book - “Triodion”, (of two types: “Lenten Triodion” and “Colored”), used during Great Lent and up to and including the Feast of the Holy Trinity.

Finally, the prayer circle yearly contained in the “Menaia” or “Month”, divided into 12 parts according to the number of 12 months. All prayers and hymns in honor of the Saints in the Menaion are arranged by number, and those in the “Octoechos” by day.

In addition, both departments are divided into services: evenings, mornings and liturgy. For convenience, prayers and hymns for the great holidays are contained in a special book called the Holiday Menaion.

However, familiarization with liturgical books would be insufficient if we did not mention the next book, called the “Charter” or Typikon.

This voluminous book contains a detailed procedure for performing services at various times and days of the year, and also indicates the state and behavior of worshipers in the temple, during services and outside the temple, during the day.

He is everywhere and you can offer prayers to Him anywhere. Temples, cathedrals, churches are heaven on earth, where the Lord dwells in a special way, bestows His gracious help in various matters, comforts the grieving, and receives gratitude from people. Divine services are performed strictly according to the rules. To find out what time the church service starts, you need to call or go to the temple of interest.

As a rule, general prayers are performed in the morning, evening, and sometimes during the day. On fasting, holidays or ordinary days, the schedule of services changes. In monasteries they live under a special regime, they work for God more often and longer. During special periods, such as Easter and Christmas, the liturgy takes place at night. All services are divided into:

• daily allowance;
• weekly;
• annual

All services are held in full in monasteries. In the city's cathedrals and large churches, services are held daily. Small urban and rural parishes schedule services based on the existing demands of the laity and the capabilities of the clergy.

The liturgical church year starts on September 1 according to the old style, and all services of the year are built depending on the main holiday of Easter. The daily service begins in the evening, based on the biblical creation of the Universe: first there was evening, and then morning. Vespers is celebrated in honor of a holiday or saint remembered on the next day according to the calendar. Every day the church commemorates some event from the earthly life of the Lord, the Queen of Heaven or the Saints.

Each day of the liturgical week is dedicated to an important event:

• Sunday is a special day, little Easter, the remembrance of the resurrection of Christ;
• Monday they pray to the Angels;
• Tuesday - to the Holy Prophet John the Baptist;
• Wednesday - the betrayal of the Lord by Judas and the memory of the Cross are remembered, the day of fasting;
• Thursday is the day of the Apostles and St. Nicholas;
• Friday - service in honor of the sufferings of the Lord and the Life-Giving Cross, a day of fasting;
• Saturday - the Mother of God, the memory of saints and all deceased Orthodox Christians are venerated.

Modern evening worship consists of:

• vespers;
• matins;
• 1st hour.

The evening service is dedicated to the memory of events from the Old Testament: God’s creation of the world, the fall of the first people, the law of Moses, and the activities of the prophets. Orthodox Christians thank God for the sorrows and joys of the day and ask for blessings for the coming night and morning.

Many people are interested in the question: what time does the evening service in church begin? Different parish churches have their own tradition of holding common prayers, but on average the beginning of Vespers usually falls between 15:00 and 18:00 local time. If you want to take part in a service, it would be a good idea to inquire in advance about the exact time in a particular church.

How long does a church service last and what does its duration depend on?

Worship has the goal of tearing a person away from earthly vanity and touching eternity. It instructs in faith and prayer, and encourages repentance and thanksgiving. Believers communicate with the Lord through common prayer and sacraments. In church services there is not a single action or word spoken for beauty or inappropriately; everything has deep meaning and symbolism. How long the service lasts in the church will depend on such parameters as:

• parish church or monastery;
• type of service (holiday, regular Lenten, all-night vigil, liturgy, etc.);
• choir singing;
• speed of service by the clergy;
• number of confessors and communicants;
• duration of the sermon.

In parish churches, services are greatly reduced due to the numerous earthly concerns of lay believers; in monasteries they are held in full. During Lent, especially during Great Lent, services are long, with the reading of the Psalter and prayers of repentance. Church holidays are celebrated with special grandeur and solemnity, with numerous clergy and people. The greater the number of confessors and communicants, the longer the conciliar prayer. The style of conducting the service also matters: in some churches the choir sings more protractedly and the prayers are pronounced slowly and clearly, but in others, on the contrary, the tempo is faster. After the liturgy, the priest, for the edification of the believers, delivers a sermon on important events of the day or on the topic of a passage from the Gospel being read. One priest speaks at length, instructively, with examples from life, the other briefly, to the point.

Taking into account all these points, a church service can last from 1.5 to 8 hours. On average, in parish churches on ordinary days, prayer lasts 1.5–3 hours, and on Holy Mount Athos and in other monasteries it reaches 6–8 hours. Before major holidays and Sundays, an all-night vigil is always held, combining Vespers, Matins and the 1st hour. In ordinary parish churches it lasts about 2–4 hours, in monasteries - 3–6.

What time does morning service start in church?

In modern church practice, the morning service consists of:

• 3rd hour (memory of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles);
• 6th hour (in memory of the crucifixion of the Lord);
• Divine Liturgy (proskomedia, liturgy of the catechumens and the faithful).

Liturgy or Eucharist (Thanksgiving) is the central service in the church, at which the main Sacrament takes place - the Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. This sacred rite was approved by the Lord Himself at the Last Supper, on the eve of the suffering of the Cross, and He commanded this to be done in His memory.

In the 4th century, St. Basil the Great compiled and recorded the rite of the Liturgy, and later St. John Chrysostom proposed a shortened version of the service. These two rites are still used in the modern church. The Liturgy of St. Basil the Great is served 10 times a year: on Sundays of Great Lent, except Palm, on Maundy Thursday and Saturday of Holy Week, January 14 (on the day of remembrance of St. Basil) and on the holidays of the Nativity of Christ and the Epiphany.

During Great Lent, the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is served on Wednesdays and Fridays. The remaining days of the year the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is celebrated.

At the Liturgy, the earthly life and teaching of the Savior from birth to ascension are remembered. In ancient times, such a service was called the breaking of bread. In the Holy Scriptures it is called the Lord's meal or supper (1 Cor. 10:21; 11:20).

The answer to the question “What time does the morning service in the church begin?” will depend on the tradition that has developed in a particular parish, the number of communicants and altars in the church, but we can definitely say that the liturgy is always celebrated before noon. In large churches with a large parish there may be three services, starting at 6 a.m. Small churches with one altar cannot celebrate more than one liturgy per day. On average, the beginning of morning worship ranges from 06:00 to 10:00. The specific time can always be found in the temple itself.

You can pray to God everywhere, but the temple is a special place of God’s presence. Any person, even those far from the church, entering the house of the Lord, will feel the special grace that dwells there. As in any public place, there are important rules of behavior in the temple.

Approaching the house of God, you need to cross yourself three times with a short prayer: “Lord, have mercy,” or learn a special one, which is read at the entrance to the church. It is better for women to wear a skirt or dress below the knees and scarves, and their shoulders should be covered. Men are supposed to enter the temple without a headdress and in decent clothing. It is not allowed to talk, much less laugh, especially during the service.

It is better to come to the service in advance in order to:

• buy and put candles;
• write notes for peace and health;
• order a prayer service, magpie, memorial service (optional);
• venerate icons, relics, crucifixes.

It is imperative to place a candle for the holiday on the central lectern with the icon of the day or saint, opposite the iconostasis. The repose is placed in a separate place (kanun), usually near the crucifix. The remaining candlesticks are all for health, as a rule, near the icon of the Most Pure Mother of God, saints or church holidays. There is no hard and fast rule about where and how many candles should be placed or donations should be placed: it all depends on the desire and capabilities of the person.

When the service begins, you need to stand in an empty seat, listen carefully to the readings and chants, try to delve into it and pray along with everyone. Everything will be incomprehensible the first time, but if you wish, you can read special educational literature and gradually study the liturgical structure in the Orthodox Church. A good rule would be to monitor the actions of the clergy and laity, cross yourself and bow together with everyone. Only seriously ill people are allowed to sit during the service. They listen to the Gospel with their heads bowed, with special reverence. At the Divine Liturgy, the prayers “Creed” and “Our Father” are read aloud by all those present; they must be learned by heart.

It is impossible to cover the topic “How the service is held” within the framework of one article, because many different services take place throughout the year, and they all differ from each other in chants and prayers. There are also special services in the form of prayers and memorial services, which follow a special rite. Lenten services are very heartfelt, long, with many kneeling prayers: at this time they read a lot and sing a little. Festive services are held under the bright lighting of the temple, the Lord, the Mother of God, and the Saints are glorified majestically and magnificently, and a person receives consolation, joy, and is sanctified by grace.

Schedule of public services in churches.

What time does the early and late morning service in church begin and end?

Important: each temple creates its own schedule of public services! There is no general schedule for all temples!

Two liturgies, early and late, are served on major Christian holidays and Sundays in churches with large parishes.

The early service is held at 6-7 am, the late service at 9-10 am. In some churches, the time is shifted to 7-8 a.m. for early services and 10-11 a.m. for late ones.

The duration of public worship is 1.5-2 hours. In some cases, the duration of the morning liturgy can be 3 hours.

What time does the evening and night service in the church begin and end?

Evening public worship is served no earlier than 16:00 and no later than 18:00. Each temple has its own schedule.

The duration of the service is 2-4 hours and depends on the significance of the upcoming holiday. According to the Rule, Vespers can be daily, small and great.

Every day is performed on weekdays, unless a holiday with a polyeleos or vigil falls on them.

Malaya is part of the All-Night Vigil. The Great Service is served on major holidays and can be performed separately or combined with Matins.

The world is changing, and these changes affect, among other things, the Church Charter. Night or all-night vigils rarely last from three to six hours (for monasteries). In ordinary churches, the duration of the night service is 2-4 hours.

The night service begins at 17:00-18:00 depending on the parish Charter.

What time does church service begin and end today: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday?

The daily cycle of church services consists of nine different services. This includes:

• Vespers - from 18:00 - the beginning of the circle,
• Compline,
• Midnight Office - from 00:00,
• Matins,
• 1st hour - from 7:00,
• 3rd hour - from 9:00,
• 6th hour - from 12:00,
• 9th hour - from 15:00,
• Divine Liturgy - from 6:00-9:00 until 12:00 - is not included in the daily cycle of services.

Ideally, in every functioning church these services should be held daily, however, in practice, the daily cycle is performed only in large churches, cathedrals or monasteries. In small parishes it is impossible to ensure constant worship in such a rhythm. Therefore, each parish determines its own pace, coordinating it with its real capabilities.

It follows from this that you need to find out the exact schedule of services in the temple you are going to visit.

Approximate times for morning and evening services are given at the beginning of the article.

What time does Saturday church service begin and end?

Having carefully read the previous part of the article, you most likely noticed the fact that the beginning of the liturgical day corresponds not to 00:00 (as is customary in secular life), but to 18:00 (the previous calendar day).

What does it mean?

This means that the first Saturday service begins on Friday after 18:00, and the last one ends on Saturday before 18:00. The most important Saturday service is the full Divine Liturgy.

As a rule, Saturday services are dedicated to the venerable fathers and mothers, as well as to all the saints, to whom they turn with appropriate prayers. On the same day, the commemoration of all the dead takes place.

What time does church service start and end on Sunday?

The first Sunday service begins on Saturday after 18:00, and the last service ends on Sunday before 18:00. Sunday services are filled with the theme of the Resurrection of the Lord. That is why Sunday services, especially the Divine Liturgy, are the most significant in the weekly cycle of services.

Check with the temple you are planning to visit for the exact schedule of services.

What time does the festive service in the church begin and end: schedule

You can find approximate times for morning and evening services at the beginning of the article.

Each temple draws up its own schedule of public services, including holiday ones. There is no general schedule for all temples!

As a rule, the Charter prescribes the so-called “all-night vigil” to be served on holidays - a particularly solemn service, which in modern interpretation has retained the division into Vespers and Matins.

In addition, on the days of the twelfths and other major holidays, the Liturgy necessarily takes place, during which believers receive communion.

At the same time, each holiday service has accompanying texts and rituals unique to it, which cannot but affect the duration of the service.

What time does the Christmas service in church begin and end?

• 1st hour service. Time - from 7:00. Stichera are read about the fulfillment of the prophecy about the birth of the Messiah.
• 3rd hour service. Time - from 9:00. The stichera about the Incarnation are read.
• 6th hour service. Time - from 12:00. The stichera with the call to meet Christ are read, and the Gospel is read.
• 9 o'clock service. Time - from 15:00. Stichera are read. At the end they read figuratively.

• Depending on the day on which Christmas Eve falls, one of the evening Liturgies is celebrated: St. Basil the Great or St. John Chrysostom. Time: depending on the temple from 17:00.
• Celebration of the Great Vespers of the Nativity of Christ.
• Celebration of the All-Night Vigil of the Nativity of Christ. Time: depending on the temple - from 17:00 to 23:00.

There is no strict sequence in conducting the festive service. In large churches and monasteries, Christmas services (evening, the most solemn part) last 6-8 hours, in small ones - 1.5-2 hours.

Find out about the exact time of the service at the temple you are going to visit.

You can read about the folk traditions of celebrating Christmas.

What time does the service in the church on Epiphany Eve begin and end?

Services on Epiphany Eve are very similar to Christmas services.

On this day, the hours are read in the morning, and in the evening the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great is celebrated. After the Liturgy, as a rule, the first blessing of water occurs.

Depending on the day on which Epiphany falls, the order of services may differ.

On January 19, morning and evening services are held with the obligatory subsequent blessing of water.

The exact time of the services will be told to you directly in the temple.

What time does the festive service in the church for Candlemas begin and end?

Meeting completes the Christmas circle of Orthodox holidays. The date of celebration is February 15.

After the solemn morning liturgy, the rite of consecration of water and candles is performed.

Be sure to check the time of the liturgy in the church.

What time does the festive service in the church for the Annunciation begin and end?

The Annunciation is celebrated on April 7. However, believers should attend the evening service on April 6. In some churches, all-night vigils are held from April 6 to 7.

On April 7, early and/or late liturgies are served with mandatory confession and communion for the laity.

What time does the festive service in church on Palm Sunday begin and end?

The date of Palm Sunday celebration depends on the date of Easter celebration and is determined according to the lunisolar calendar.

Festive services begin with the evening service and subsequent all-night vigils on Lazarus Saturday. Lazarus Saturday is the day before Palm Sunday. During the evening service, palm branches are necessarily blessed.

On Palm Sunday, early and/or late liturgies are performed, followed by the consecration of the willow tree.

The time of services depends on the internal regulations of the temple.

What time does the festive service in church on Easter begin and end?

Everything depends on the internal regulations of the temple. Be sure to check the time of services!

As a rule, holiday services begin on Saturday with an evening service (16:00-18:00). In some churches, after the evening service, a blessing of Easter cakes is held.

Then all-night vigils begin with a mandatory religious procession at 24:00.

After vigils and matins, the Divine Liturgy is served, followed by the blessing of Easter cakes. As a rule, the blessing occurs at the first rays of the sun.

In the evening of the Bright Resurrection of Christ, an evening service is celebrated. However, Easter cakes are no longer blessed.

Beautiful Easter greetings can be found.

What time does the festive service in the church on Radonitsa begin and end?

Radonitsa is a special holiday that connects the past and the future. On this day it is customary to remember deceased relatives and friends.

Radonitsa is celebrated on the ninth day after Easter Sunday.

The evening before, an evening service is held, and in the morning there is an early and/or late liturgy. A full memorial service is served either after the evening service or after the morning services - it all depends on the internal rules of the temple.

In addition, the charters of many churches require that Easter funeral services be held in city cemeteries.

More information about Radonitsa.

What time does the festive service in the church for Trinity begin and end?

The date of the celebration of Trinity or Pentecost depends on the date of Bright Resurrection.

Important: on the eve of the holiday of Trinity, Trinity Parents' Saturday is always held, the peculiarity of which is a special funeral service. This is a special Funeral Liturgy, after which you can and should visit the cemetery and remember the dead.

The evening of Parents' Saturday is marked by a festive All-Night Vigil.

On Sunday, early and/or late holiday liturgies are celebrated. In many temples, bouquets of twigs and medicinal herbs are blessed.

Be sure to check the time of services directly with the temple you want to visit!

Tips on how to talk to children about the Trinity.

Goda will help you not to miss significant services.

Video: How to behave in the Temple?

All church services are divided into three circles: daily, weekly and annual.
DAILY CIRCLE OF SERVICES
1. Daily cycle of services are those Divine services that are performed by St. Orthodox Church throughout the day. There should be nine daily services: Vespers, Compline, Midnight Office, Matins, the first hour, the third hour, the sixth hour, the ninth hour and the Divine Liturgy.

Following the example of Moses, who, describing God’s creation of the world, begins the “day” in the evening, so in the Orthodox Church the day begins in the evening - vespers.

Vespers- a service performed at the end of the day, in the evening. With this service we thank God for the passing day.

Compline- a service consisting of reading a series of prayers in which we ask the Lord God for forgiveness of sins and that He would give us, as we go to sleep, peace of body and soul and save us from the wiles of the devil during sleep.

Midnight Office The service is intended to take place at midnight, in remembrance of the Savior’s night prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. This service calls on believers to always be prepared for the Day of Judgment, which will come suddenly, like the “bridegroom at midnight” according to the parable of the ten virgins.

Matins- a service performed in the morning, before sunrise. With this service we thank God for the past night and ask Him for mercy for the coming day.

First hour, corresponding to our seventh hour of the morning, sanctifies the day that has already come with prayer.
On three o'clock, corresponding to our ninth hour in the morning, we remember the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles.
On six o'clock, corresponding to our twelfth hour of the day, the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ is remembered.
On nine o'clock, corresponding to our third in the afternoon, we remember the death on the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Divine Liturgy there is the most important service. On it the entire earthly life of the Savior is remembered and sacrament of St. Communions, established by the Savior Himself at the Last Supper. Liturgy is served in the morning, before lunch.

All these services in ancient times in monasteries and hermits were performed separately, at the appointed time for each of them. But then, for the convenience of believers, they were combined into three services: evening, morning and afternoon.

The evening service consists of the ninth hour, vespers and compline.

Morning- from Midnight Office, Matins and the first hour.

Daytime- from the third and sixth hours and the Liturgy.

On the eve of major holidays and Sundays, an evening service is performed, which combines: Vespers, Matins and the first hour. This kind of worship is called all-night vigil(all-night vigil), because among the ancient Christians it lasted all night. The word "vigil" means: being awake.

Visual diagram of the daily cycle of worship

Evening.
1. Ninth hour. - (3 p.m)
2. Vespers.
3. Compline.
Morning.
1. Midnight Office. – (12 o’clock at night)
2. Matins.
3. First hour. – (7 a.m.)
Day.
1. Third hour. – (9 a.m.)
2. Sixth hour. – (12 noon)
3. Liturgy.

WEEKLY CIRCLE OF SERVICES

2. Weekly, or seven-day, circle of services This is the order of services for seven days of the week. Each day of the week is dedicated to some important event or a particularly revered saint.

On Sunday– The Church remembers and glorifies Resurrection of Christ;

IN Monday(the first day after Sunday) ethereal forces are glorified - Angels, created before man, the closest servants of God;

In Tuesday- glorified Saint John the Baptist, as the greatest of all prophets and righteous;

IN Wednesday the betrayal of the Lord by Judas is remembered and, in connection with this, a service is performed in memory of Holy Cross(fast day).

IN Thursday glorified St. Apostles and St. Nicholas the Wonderworker;

IN Friday the sufferings on the cross and the death of the Savior are remembered and a service is performed in honor of Holy Cross(fast day).

IN Saturday is a day of rest,- glorify the Mother of God, who is blessed daily, forefathers, prophets, apostles, martyrs, saints, righteous and all saints, attained rest in the Lord. All those who have died in true faith and hope for resurrection and eternal life are also remembered.

ANNUAL CIRCLE OF SERVICES

3. Annual circle of services called the order of services throughout the year.

Every day of the year is dedicated to the memory of certain saints, as well as special sacred events - holidays and fasts.

Of all the holidays in the year is the biggest Feast of the Holy Resurrection of Christ (Easter). This is a holiday, a holiday and a triumph of celebrations. Easter occurs no earlier than March 22 (April 4, New Art.) and no later than April 25 (May 8, New Art.), on the first Sunday after the spring full moon.

Then there are twelve great holidays in the year established in honor of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Mother of God, which are called twelfths.

There are holidays in honor great saints and in honor of the ethereal Heavenly Forces - angels.

Therefore, all the holidays of the year, according to their content, are divided into: Lord's, Mother of God and saints.

According to the time of celebration, holidays are divided into: motionless, which occur every year on the same dates of the month, and movable, which, although they occur on the same days of the week, fall on different days of the month in accordance with the time of Easter celebration.

According to the solemnity of the church service, holidays are divided into great, medium and small.

Great holidays always have all-night vigil; Average holidays are not always the case.

The liturgical church year begins on September 1 of the old style, and the entire annual circle of services is built in relation to the Easter holiday.

Archpriest Seraphim Slobodskoy. God's Law