Bright Easter Week - seven days of Easter celebration. About the service on the day of Christ's bright resurrection

Lay services

Service for Holy Easter

Description of the Easter service

Troparion, tone 5
Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death and giving life to those in the tombs.

Kontakion, tone 8
And you also descended into the grave, Immortal, but you destroyed the power of hell, and you rose again as the Conqueror, Christ God, saying to the myrrh-bearing women: Rejoice and grant peace to your apostles, grant resurrection to the fallen.

Bright Resurrection of Christ.
EASTER.

Mchch. Mark, ep. Arethusian, Cyril the Deacon and many others (c. 364). St. John the Hermit (IV). St. Eustathia isp., ep. Bithynia (IX). Prpp. Mark (XV) and Jonah (1480) of Pskov-Pechersk.

The service is preceded by the reading of the Acts of the Holy Apostles, followed by the Midnight Office with the canon of Holy Saturday. When singing the katavasia irmos of the 9th song of the canon the Shroud is brought into the altar. Dismissal of the Midnight Office: Christ, our True God... At 12 o'clock at night local time, with the singing of the stichera, Thy Resurrection, O Christ the Savior... is accomplished procession around the temple. In the vestibule, with the doors of the church closed, Easter Matins begins with the cry of Glory to the Saints... and the singing of Christ is Risen with verses according to the Easter rite. (Such an Easter beginning occurs throughout Bright Week at Vespers, Matins and Liturgy.) During the singing after Slava, and now the second half of the troparion of Easter (And giving life to those in the tombs), the church doors open, the clergy and worshipers enter the temple. Great Litany and Easter Canon. Catavasia and censing on every song of the canon. For each song there is a small litany. After singing the stichera of praise and the stichera of Pascha, May God Rise... the primate reads the Catechetical Word of St. John Chrysostom on Holy Easter (when reading the full title of the Word is required): If anyone is pious..., after which the troparion of St. To John Chrysostom: Your lips are like the lordship of fire... At the liturgy of the Easter antiphon; entrance verse: In the churches bless God, the Lord from the fountain of Israel. Instead of the Trisagion Elitsa, you are baptized into Christ... Instead of the Worthy Angel crying... Shining... Receive the Communion of the Body of Christ... Instead of Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord..., Receive the Body of Christ... (during communion) , We see the True Light..., May our lips be filled..., Be the name of the Lord and the 33rd Psalm is sung, Christ is Risen. (So ​​throughout Bright Week.) According to the prayer behind the pulpit, the artos is consecrated. Paschal dismissal: Christ, risen from the dead... (at Vespers, Matins and Liturgy), the royal doors of the main altar and all chapels are open throughout Bright Week. Vespers is celebrated in the evening. Entrance with the Gospel, the great prokeimenon and the reading of the Gospel by the priest at the royal doors facing the people. The Primate performs Vespers and Matins in full vestments.

In connection with Easter, the entire structure of worship services changes. Bowing is cancelled, reading is not used in the service, but everything is sung, all services are performed in red vestments. On Easter, prayers and memorial services, as well as funeral services, are performed differently. Even dying on Easter is considered a sign of God's special mercy.

The name of the holiday "Bright Resurrection of Christ" denotes the main event of the Gospel - the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. The second and most common name Easter has ancient history. Passover is a Hebrew word translated as transition. The Christian Church, seeing in the Jewish Passover a prototype of its own, Christian Passover, that is, the transition from death to life and from earth to heaven, accepted from the Jews the very name of the holiday.

The holiday of Easter was established and celebrated already in the Apostolic Church. The apostles commanded all believers to celebrate it. In the first centuries of Christianity, Easter was not celebrated everywhere at the same time. At the First Ecumenical Council (325 AD), a rule was adopted to streamline its celebration. The IV Ecumenical Council determined to stop fasting and begin the celebration of Christ's Resurrection immediately after midnight.

1 Cor.5:
8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, not with the leaven of vice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of purity and truth.

The services of the pre-Easter evening, when the Shroud of the Savior still stands in the church, begin according to tradition with the reading of the Acts of the Holy Apostles; this reading can be performed in Russian.

At half past eleven at night the Easter Midnight Office begins. During this short service, the priests take the shroud to the altar. By midnight, everything in the temple freezes. Exactly at midnight, the quiet singing of the clergy can be heard from the altar; it intensifies and becomes full voice when the Royal Doors open. From this moment on, the Royal Doors are not closed throughout Easter week. The clergy leaves the altar for the procession of the cross into the temple and then into the churchyard singing “Thy Resurrection, O Christ the Savior, the angels sing in heaven, and vouchsafe us on earth.” with a pure heart Glory to you."

With the singing of this stichera, the procession of the cross goes around the entire temple and stops at the entrance, where closed door(as at the Holy Sepulcher closed with stone) Easter Matins begins. Here the troparion of the holiday sounds for the first time: " Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and giving life to those in the tombs.".

At the first Easter service, the priest’s joyful exclamation is often heard: “ Christ is Risen!". In this case, everyone must answer: " Truly risen!" and be baptized.

Easter Matins continues in the church with full illumination. Everything is sung, only the Apostle and the Gospel are read. Immediately after the end of Matins, the first Easter liturgy begins. Only after it comes the breaking of the fast - the Easter feast.

Before the liturgy (Easter mass), during the singing of the hours, it is customary to christen, that is, kiss each other three times and give each other colored eggs. At the same time they say: " Christ is Risen!" and answer: " Truly risen!". This joyful greeting does not cease for 40 days, while Easter is celebrated.

Every day during Bright, Easter week, after the liturgy in the morning, a procession of the cross takes place around the temple.

The Royal Doors are closed only on Saturday evening, before the start of the Sunday all-night vigil.

From Easter to the Ascension, instead of the prayer “To the Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Soul of Truth...” the troparion is read: “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death and giving life to those in the tombs” and instead of the prayer “It is worthy to eat, for truly you bless the Mother of God... " read the chorus and irmos of the 9th song of the Easter canon: "The angel cried out with grace: pure Virgin, rejoice, and again the river, rejoice: Your Son is risen three days from the grave, and raised up the dead, people, rejoice, shine, new Jerusalem: For the glory of the Lord has risen upon you, rejoice now and rejoice in Zion! You, the Pure Mother of God, rejoice in the rise of Your Nativity."

Since apostolic times, the holiday of Christian Easter lasts seven days, that is, the entire week, which is called Bright Easter Week. The days of Bright Week have special names: Bright Monday, Bright Tuesday, etc., and the last day is Bright Saturday.

On Easter Week, church services are held daily according to the Easter rite. Morning and evening prayers are replaced by the singing of the Easter Hours.

After each Divine Liturgy A festive procession of the cross takes place, symbolizing the procession of the myrrh-bearing women to the tomb of Christ. During the Procession of the Cross, worshipers walk with lit candles.

The Royal Doors (the central gates of the altar) remain open throughout the Week as a sign that on these days the invisible, spiritual, Heavenly world seems to be opening up before the believers. The open Royal Doors are an image of the Holy Sepulcher, from which an Angel rolled away the stone. They do not close throughout Bright Week until the ninth hour of Saturday.

On Saturday afternoon, before the closing of the Royal Doors, a large candlestick, on which believers light candles with prayer.

During the entire Week, all bells are rung every day. According to tradition, any lay person, with the blessing of the abbot, can climb the bell tower and ring the bells. In our cathedral, the largest bell is located at the entrance to the cathedral territory, and you are invited to ring it.

On Bright Week, one-day fasts (Wednesday and Friday) are canceled.

Starting from the day of Holy Easter, believers greet each other with words of Easter joy: “Christ is risen! “Truly he is risen!”

Before the Feast of the Holy Trinity (on the fiftieth day after Easter) they are not performed. prostrations. There are no weddings or funeral prayers on Bright Week. Funeral services for the dead are performed, but more than half of them consist of Easter hymns.

On Tuesday of Bright Week a special celebration is held in honor of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God.

On Friday of Bright Week, the memory of the icon of the Mother of God “Life-Giving Spring” is celebrated (according to tradition, on this day after the Divine Liturgy, the consecration of water is carried out, and if local circumstances allow, a religious procession to reservoirs or water sources).

Throughout Bright Week, there is a special bread called artos near the open Royal Doors. This custom has been established since apostolic times. It is known that after His resurrection the Lord repeatedly appeared to His disciples. At the same time, He either ate the food Himself or blessed the meal. In anticipation of these blessed visits, and later in memory of them, the holy apostles left the middle place at the table unoccupied and placed part of the bread in front of this place, as if the Lord Himself was invisibly present here. In continuation of this tradition, the Fathers of the Church established the placing of bread (artos) in the temple on the feast of the Resurrection of the Lord.

The priest pronounces a prayer for the consecration of the artos at a service, on the very day of Holy Easter. Throughout Bright Week, the artos is taken out to the religious procession.

On Saturday of Bright Week after the Divine Liturgy, the artos is solemnly blessed and a special prayer is read for the fragmentation of the artos. And then pieces of the sacred bread are distributed to the believers. Particles of artos received in the temple are reverently kept by believers as a spiritual cure for illnesses and infirmities. Artos is used in special cases, for example, in illness, and always with the words “Christ is risen!”

Before Vespers - the 9th hour according to the Paschal rite.

At the end of the 9th hour, the priest, dressed in all priestly clothes (in cathedral services - the primate) 161, stood before the throne with a censer in right hand, with a Cross and a three-candlestick in his left, creates a cross with a censer and proclaims: “Blessed is our God...”. Singers: "Amen." Priest: “Christ is risen from the dead...” (three times), singers - the same troparion (three times). Priest – verses: “May God rise again, and His enemies will be scattered…” and so on Easter start(as at the beginning of the Liturgy). Great Litany.

On “Lord, I cried” 162 Sunday stichera (see in the Colored Triodion), voice 2 – 6. “Glory” – Triodion, the same voice: “Singing the song of salvation...”, “And now” - dogmatist, that voice same: “Pass away the lawful shadow...”.

Entrance with the Gospel. "Quiet Light" The Great Prokeimenon, tone 7: “Who is the great God, even as our God...”, with verses. After completing the prokeemna, the priest, according to custom, standing in the royal doors facing the people, reads the Gospel. The reading is preceded by the exclamation: “And may we be honored...”, and so on. Gospel – John, 65 credits. (XX, 19–25): “I am present later in that day...”

Note. According to the Charter, “the rector reads the Gospel in the altar” (cf.: Typikon, chapter 50, “On the Holy and Great Week of Easter in the evening”).

After reading the Gospel, the litany is intense: “We all recite...”. “Vouchsafe, Lord.” Litany of supplication: “Let us fulfill the evening service...”, and prayer of adoration.

One Sunday stichera is sung on the stichera (see in the Colored Triodion), tone 2: “Thy Resurrection, O Christ the Savior...”, then the stichera of Easter, tone 5, with the verses: “May God rise again...”. “Glory, even now” - Easter, the same voice: “Resurrection day...” - “Christ is risen from the dead...” (once, as the end of the stichera). And then “Christ is risen from the dead...” (three times), as a troparion at the end of Vespers.

According to the performance of the stichera and troparion - “Wisdom”. Singers: “Bless.” Priest: “He who is blessed...” Singers: “Confirm, O God...” The priest sings: “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death.” Singers: “And to those in the tombs he gave life.” The priest with the Cross in his hand and, according to custom, with the tricandle, pronounces the dismissal: “Christ, risen from the dead...”, and so on, as at the end of Matins.

The sequence of Easter hours takes place in Small Compline.

148 There is a custom to carry icons in such a way that those who look at the approaching religious procession see them arranged in the same way as in the altar (the altarpiece is on the right, the image of the Mother of God is on the left).

149 “The abbot also speaks verses...” (cf.: Typikon, chapter 50, “On the Holy and Great Week of Easter”).

150 “And again follow the face of Irmos. Lastly, at the gathering there was a catavasia and an irmos: Resurrection day... And according to it: Christ is Risen: three times" (cf.: Typikon, chapter 50, "On the Holy and Great Week of Easter").

151 This order is indicated in the Tsvetnaya Triodion (M., 1914) and in the book. “Followment on the Holy and Great Week of Easter” (M., 2003). Wed: Handbook of a clergyman. M., 2001r.

152 According to M. N. Skaballanovich (see. his"Explanatory Typikon". Vol. 2. Ch. 2. P. 326), the name of the Catechetical Word (with the name of the author) is not pronounced.

153 Predvedevy.

154 For more information about vacations, see the appendix of the “Liturgical Instructions” for the current year, as well as: Vanyukov S. A. Liturgical holidays // Liturgical instructions for 2005. M., 2004. P. 646.

155 See note below.

156 See note below.

157 Wed: Irmologii, service for Holy Easter; Triode Tsvetnaya, “On the Holy and Great Week of Easter”; Typikon, ch. 50, “On the Holy and Great Sunday of Easter.”

158 “And the first hour. The Sitse sings: Christ is Risen..., three times... And dismissal of the 1st hour. The 3rd hour, the 6th, and the 9th are sung in Sitsa, except for dismissal, and it happens together. We also sing for Compline and the Midnight Office. According to The most honest... and by Through the prayers of the saints, father... for every vacation with the verb: Christ is Risen..., three times" (Irmology, service for Holy Easter).

159 The Holy and Great Sunday of Easter opens a series of evangelical liturgical beginnings from John, extending to the Sunday of Pentecost.

160 See in the Trebnik or in the book: Follow-up on the Holy and Great Week of Easter and throughout Bright Week. M., 2003. pp. 54–55.

161 “At the 9th hour of the lamp, the abbot will put on all the sacred clothing. And standing before the holy table with a censer, he makes the sign of the cross and proclaims the verb: Blessed be our God..."(cf.: Typikon, chapter 50, “On the Holy and Great Week of Easter in the evening”).

162 During the singing of “Lord, I have cried,” the usual censing of the entire temple is performed. Deacons perform censing with a candle in their left hand.

From "The Clergyman's Handbook"

Midnight Office, Matins, Hours, Liturgy and Vespers.

The Midnight Office must begin no later than 11:20 - 30 minutes in order to complete it slowly. Since the Liturgy is celebrated immediately after Matins, the entrance prayers are read before the Midnight Office according to the usual rite, beginning with the Trisagion.

The rite of the midnight office.

With the royal doors and the curtain closed, the priest on the salt creates the beginning “Blessed is our God”, “To the King of Heaven” is not read, but after the exclamation “Amen” the Trisagion and so on are immediately read. Psalm 50. Canon "By the Wave of the Sea". Irmos twice, troparia for 12 and katavasia - the same irmos. The Canon should be read to one of the clergy before the Shroud. According to the 3rd song of the sedalene and the 6th kontakion and ikos of Great Saturday. At the beginning of the 9th canto the royal gates open. The priest performing the Midnight Office and the deacon go to the Shroud and, having censed around it, while singing the words of the katavasia of the 9th song, “I will arise and be glorified,” they lift the Shroud and take it to the altar. Following this, the royal doors are closed. The Shroud is placed on the Holy Altar, where it must remain until Easter. Since the Shrouds are usually arranged convex and it is impossible to place a paten and a chalice on them during the liturgy, the Shroud that was worn on Good Friday is placed in its usual place, and on the throne lies another, smooth, not embroidered, but written. According to the canon - the Trisagion after "Our Father", the singers - "When You Descended." A short, intense litany, as at the beginning of Matins, and dismissal.

Matins.

We usually begin Easter Matins at 12 o'clock at night. Canonical rules do not recommend starting the Easter celebration before midnight. But these rules do not indicate when exactly after midnight “at what hour, or at what half an hour or quarter of an hour should the celebration of the resurrection of our Lord from the dead begin,” due to the fact that in the Gospel itself there is no exact indication of the hour of the resurrection (Dionysius Alexandrian, 1st rule). Therefore, one should not be surprised that the Typikon does not speak quite clearly about the beginning of Easter Matins: “about the hour of the morning.” In the Russian Church, over the last hundred years or so, the custom has been established to begin the Easter celebration at exactly midnight. Therefore, as midnight approaches, all the clergy, in full vestments, stand in order at the throne. The primate distributes candles to concelebrants. At the same time, all those praying light candles. The Primate receives left hand A cross with an Easter tricandle and a censer on the right. Exactly at 12 o'clock local time, with the royal doors closed, the clergy in a quiet voice sing the stichera "Thy Resurrection, O Christ the Savior, the angels sing in heaven, and grant us on earth with a pure heart to glorify Thee." After this, the curtain is opened and the clergy sing the same stichera a second time in a loud voice. The royal doors open, and the stichera no longer in a high voice sung by the clergy for the third time until halfway through, “Thy Resurrection, O Christ the Savior, the Angels sing in heaven.” The singers standing in the middle of the temple finish: “make us worthy on earth too.” The religious procession begins, during which the singers continuously sing the same stichera. In the procession of the cross, a lantern is carried in front, followed by an altar cross, an altarpiece of the Mother of God, then in two rows, in pairs, banner bearers, singers, candle bearers with candles, deacons with their candles and censers, and behind them the priests, the younger ones in front. In the last pair of priests, the one walking on the right carries the Gospel, and the one walking on the left carries the icon of the Resurrection. The procession is completed by the primate with a tricandle and a Cross in his left hand. Where there is only one priest, laymen are allowed to carry icons of the Resurrection of Christ and the Gospel on shrouds. Artos is not worn at this religious procession, since it has not yet been consecrated.

The religious procession goes around the temple in the usual manner with continuous ringing. Having entered the narthex, the procession stops in front of the closed western doors of the temple. Those carrying shrines stop near the doors facing west in the following order (from south to north): lantern, altar cross. The Gospel, the icon of the Resurrection, the altarpiece of the Mother of God, banner bearers and candle bearers stand on the sides. The primate and concelebrating priests stand before the shrines according to order. The ringing stops. The rector, having accepted the censer from the deacon, censers the holy objects, the clergy, the singers and those standing by and, having marked the closed church doors with the censer three times in the shape of a cross, secretly proclaims “Glory to the Holy, and Consubstantial, and Life-Giving, and Undivided Trinity, always, now and ever, and unto the ages centuries." Singers - "Amen". The clergy sing: “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death and giving life to those in the tombs” (three times). The singers repeat the same. The clergy sing verses:

1. “Let God rise again, and let His enemies be scattered, and let those who hate Him flee from His Face.”

2. “Like smoke disappears, let them disappear like wax melts before the fire.”

3. “So let sinners perish at the face of God, and let righteous women rejoice.”

4. “This day which the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

5. "Glory"

6. "And now."

For each verse, the singers sing the troparion “Christ is Risen” (once).

Then the primate or all the clergy sing “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death.” The singers end with “And to those in the tombs he gave life.” The church doors are opened, and the procession of the cross marches into the temple while repeatedly singing “Christ is Risen” until the clergy enter the altar.

Great Litany.

The exclamation “As it befits” and the Easter canon are the creation of St. John of Damascus, tone 1 "Resurrection Day". According to the Charter, “it is always the primate who creates... the beginning of the canon for each hymn,” but usually all the clergy begin the first words of the irmos of each hymn. Irmos are sung in 4, troparia in 12, with the refrain for each of them “Christ is risen from the dead.” Katavasia - the same irmos and, in conclusion, the troparion “Christ is risen from the dead” (three times). For each song of the canon, censing is performed. According to the Typikon, the rector “censes the holy icons and both faces and the brethren according to rank at the beginning of the canon.” This expression means the complete censing of the entire temple, which should be performed only once - on the 1st song of the canon. But according to a firmly established custom, incense is performed at every song (small). During a conciliar service, censing is performed by all the priests in turn (and during more priests - in pairs). This order is indicated in the latest edition of the Penticostarion (M., 1914), where it is said “In the same way, other priests also burn incense for each song.”

After each song there is a small litany, which the deacon pronounces “outside the altar.” If the service is performed by one priest, then he pronounces all the litanies at the altar. To pronounce litanies and perform incense, the deacon in all cases proceeds from the altar through the royal doors.

According to the 1st song, the exclamation “For Thine is the power, and Thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.”

According to the 3rd song, the exclamation “For You are our God, and to You we send glory, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.”

Also ipakoy, voice 4:

“Having foreshadowed the morning of Mary, and having found the stone rolled away from the tomb, I hear from the angel: in the ever-present light of Him who is with the dead, that you are seeking as if you were a man; you see the linens of the grave, and preach to the world that the Lord has arisen, the one who put death to death: for he is the Son of God who saves the human race."

According to the 4th canto, the exclamation: “For God is Good and Lover of 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.”

According to the 5th song, the exclamation “How holy and glorified is the most honorable and magnificent Your name, Father and Son and Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages."

According to the 6th song, the exclamation “For You are the King of the world and the Savior of our souls, and to You we send glory, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages.”

Kontakion, tone 8:

“Even though you descended into the grave, Immortal, you destroyed the power of hell, and you rose again as the Conqueror, Christ God, saying to the myrrh-bearing women: Rejoice, and grant peace to your apostles, grant resurrection to the fallen.” And ikos "Even before the sun."

We also say:

“Having seen the Resurrection of Christ, let us worship the holy Lord Jesus, the only Sinless One. We worship Your Cross, O Christ, and we sing and glorify Your holy Resurrection: For You are our God, do we know no other to You: We call Your name. Come, all you faithful, let us worship the Holy One To the Resurrection of Christ: behold, through the Cross joy has come to the whole world, always blessing the Lord, we sing His Resurrection: having endured the crucifixion, destroy death by death” (three times).

Stichera, tone 6:

“Jesus has risen from the grave, as He prophesied, to give us eternal life and great mercy (three times).

According to the 7th song, the exclamation is: “Blessed and glorified be the power of Your Kingdom, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.”

On the 8th canto there is the Trinity. It is sung four times with the chorus " Holy Trinity"Our God, glory to Thee."

According to the 8th song, the exclamation is: “For Thy Name is blessed, and Thy Kingdom is glorified, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.”

On the 9th canto the chorus “Christ is risen from the dead” is not sung, but there are special choruses for the Iirmos and the troparions.

The 9th hymn on the 1st day of Easter should be sung in this order:

1st face - “My soul magnifies the Risen One.” "Glow, glow."
The 2nd face repeats the same.
1st face - “My soul is magnified by its will.” "Glow, glow."
2nd face - the same.
1st face - "Christ the new Easter". "O Divine One."
2nd face - the same.
1st face - “The angel is crying.” "O Divine One."
2nd face - the same.
1st face - “Thou hast aroused.” "O Divine One."
2nd face - "Mary Magdalene". "O Divine One."
1st face - "Angel, lick your lips." "Oh Easter greatness."
2nd face - “Christ is risen.” "Oh Easter greatness."
1st face - “Today is every creature.” "Oh Easter greatness."
2nd face - “Today is the Lord of Captivity.” "Oh Easter greatness."
1st face - “My soul magnifies the Trinitarian Self.” "Oh Easter greatness."
2nd face - "Rejoice, Virgin." "Oh Easter greatness."
1st face - “My soul magnifies the Risen One.” "Glow, glow."
2nd face - “My soul is magnified by its will.” "Glow, glow."

Also, both faces together sing the irmos “Shine, shine” and the troparion “Christ is Risen” (three times).

On the 9th ode, incense is performed not by a priest, but by a deacon with a candle, and during a cathedral service, two deacons.

According to the 9th song, the exclamation - “For all the powers of heaven, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, praise You, and we send up glory to You, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.” Exapostilary "Flesh falling asleep" (three times). On “Praise” the Sunday stichera on 4, tone 1. Then the Easter stichera with verses, tone 5 - “May God rise again.” The last stichera ends with the troparion “Christ is Risen,” which is part of the stichera. After this, “Christ is Risen” is sung many times, “until the brothers kiss each other.” The clergy begin to christen themselves among themselves in the altar while singing stichera. According to the Rules, “the kissing of the rector with the other priests and deacons in the holy altar occurs: the one who comes says, “Christ is risen.” To whom he answered, “Truly he is risen.” The same should be done with the laity.

According to the Rule, the clergy, having said Christ to each other at the altar, go to the solea and here they say Christ with each of the worshipers. Such an order could be observed in those ancient monasteries where there were only a few brethren in the church, or in those house and parish churches where there were few worshipers. Nowadays, with a huge gathering of pilgrims, it would be most appropriate for the primate, after the celebration of Christ with his concelebrants, to go out onto the solea with the Cross, to pronounce a brief general greeting to those present and end it with the threefold exclamation “Christ is Risen!” with the Cross overshadowed on three sides and after that he returned to the altar.

After the primate proclaims “Christ is Risen” three times, the singers sing the entire troparion “Christ is Risen” (three times) slowly, so that the primate has the opportunity to take the Holy Cross to the altar, place it on the throne and go out to the pulpit to read the Catechetical Word.

"Also among the saints of our father John, Archbishop of Constantinople, Chrysostom, the Catechetical Word, on the holy and luminous day of the glorious and saving Christ our God of the Resurrection."

“If anyone is pious and God-loving, let him enjoy this good and bright celebration.
If anyone is a prudent servant, let him enter rejoicing into the joy of his Lord.
If anyone has labored by fasting, let him now receive a denarius.
If anyone has eaten since the first hour, let him accept righteous debt today.
If anyone comes after the third hour, let him give thanks and celebrate.
If anyone has reached the sixth hour, nothing will doubt him; for it takes nothing away.
If anyone has lost even the ninth hour, let him approach without hesitation or fear.
If anyone has reached the point even at the eleventh hour, let him not be afraid of delay: for this Lord is loving, and accepts the last as he did the first: he rests in the eleventh hour the one who has come, as he did from the first hour; and he has mercy on the last, and pleases the first, and gives to this, and grants to this; He accepts deeds and kisses intentions; He honors the deed and praises the proposal.
Therefore, let all of you enter into the joy of your Lord: both first and second, accept the reward.
Riches and wretches, rejoice with each other.
Temperance and laziness, honor the day.
You who have fasted and you who have not fasted, rejoice today.
The meal is complete, enjoy it all.
A well-fed calf, let no one come forth hungry; All of you will enjoy the feast of faith; You all receive the wealth of goodness.
Let no one weep in misery: for the common Kingdom has appeared.
Let no one weep for sins, for forgiveness has come from the grave.
Let no one fear death, for the death of Savior will set us free.
Extinguish you, those who are kept from her.
Captivity of hell, Descended into hell.
Grieve hell, having tasted its flesh.
And Isaiah, who was undertaking this, cried out: hell, he says, grieving, he will shit on you.
Be grieved, for you have been abolished; be grieved, for you have been reproached.
Be grieved, for you have died.
Be grieved, for you have been humbled.
Be upset, because I am connected.
Accept the body and admire it to God.
Accept the earth and destroy the sky.
It is pleasant to see the hedgehog, but to fall into the hedgehog not to see.
Where is your sting, death?
Where the hell is your victory?
Christ is risen, and you are cast down.
Christ is risen, and the demons have fallen.
Christ is risen, and the Angels rejoice.
Christ is risen, and life lives.
Christ is risen, and not one is dead in the tomb.
Christ, having risen from the dead, became the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
To him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen".

The singers sing the troparion of St. John Chrysostom “Thy lips”, and the litanies “Have mercy on us, O God” and “Let us fulfill the morning prayer” are pronounced. At the exclamation “You are so merciful,” the deacon says “Wisdom.” Singers - "Bless". Priest - "Blessed be Christ our God." Singers - “Amen”, “Confirm, O God”. The priest, holding the Cross, (instead of “Glory to Thee, O Christ our God”), together with his concelebrants, sings “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death,” and the singers sing “and bestowed life on those in the tombs.” All concelebrants leave the altar, the youngest in front, and stand in order on the soley. The Primate with the Cross in his hands, turning to the people, pronounces the Easter dismissal: “Christ, risen from the dead, trampling death by death and giving life to those in the tombs, our true God, through the prayers of His Most Pure Mother and all the saints, will have mercy and save us, for He is Good and Lover of mankind,” and overshadows those approaching with the Cross on three sides, loudly pronouncing at each overshadowing, “Christ is risen!” The worshipers answer, “Truly he is risen!” The singers sing the troparion “Christ is Risen” (three times) and the final one - “And we have been given eternal life, we worship His three-day Resurrection.”

After the dismissal of Matins, according to the instructions of the Typikon, “we kiss the honorable Cross held in the hand of the abbot.” But if the hours and liturgy immediately follow the end of Matins, then the kissing of the Cross by the pilgrims can be attributed to the end of the liturgy.

Easter hours.

At the cry of “Blessed be our God,” the singers say, “Christ is risen” (three times). “The Resurrection of Christ” (three times), ipaka - “Preceding the morning”, kontakion “Even in the grave”, “In the carnal grave, in hell with the soul like God, in heaven with the thief, and on the throne you were, Christ, with the Father and the Spirit, fulfill all the Indescribable."

“Glory”: “Like the Life-Bearer, like the reddest of Paradise indeed, and the brightest palace of every king, Christ, Thy tomb, the source of our resurrection.”

“And now,” Theotokos: “Highly consecrated Divine village, rejoice, for You have given joy, O Theotokos, to those who call: Blessed are You among women, O All-Immaculate Lady.” “Lord, have mercy” (40 times), - “Glory, even now” - “Most honorable.” "Bless you in the name of the Lord, father." Priest - "Through the prayers of our holy fathers." Singers - “Amen”, “Christ is Risen” (three times). “Glory, even now,” “Lord, have mercy” (three times). "Bless." The priest says the usual small Sunday holiday without the Cross. “Christ, our true God, risen from the dead, through the prayers of His Most Pure Mother, our venerable and God-bearing fathers and all saints, will have mercy and save us, as He is Good and Lover of Mankind.”

This order of chants is supposed to be performed instead of the 1st, 3rd, 6th, 9th hours, Midnight Office and Compline.

During the singing of the hours before the liturgy, the deacon with the deacon's candle performs the usual censing of the altar and the entire church.

Before we start liturgy During the days of Easter week and before the celebration of Easter, the clergy read “To the Heavenly King” instead. “Christ is risen” (three times) and the usual verses “Glory to God in the highest” and “Lord, open my lips.”

After the initial exclamation of the liturgy, the priest stood before the throne. with the Cross and the tricandle in the left hand and the censer in the right, and the deacon in the high place with a candle, they sing “Christ is Risen” three times. The singers repeat “Christ is Risen” (three times). Priest - 1st verse "May God rise again." Singers - “Christ is Risen” (once) and so on, as at the beginning of Matins. In conclusion, the clergy sing “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death,” and the singers sing “and bestowed life on those in the tombs.” Great Litany.

Antiphons of Easter. Entrance - "In the churches bless God, the Lord from the fountain of Israel." Singers - "Christ is Risen" (once). Ipakaya “Previous morning”, “Glory, and now” - kontakion “Even to the grave”. Instead of the Trisagion - “Those who were baptized into Christ, put on Christ. Alleluia.”

The indicated beginning of the liturgy, i.e., “Christ is Risen” with verses, antiphons, “Elites were baptized into Christ,” as well as the sacramental verse are sung throughout Bright Week, as on the 1st day of Easter.

Prokeimenon, tone 8 - “This day which the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad on it.” Verse: “Confess to the Lord that He is good, for His mercy endures forever.” Apostle - Acts, ch. 1, "Alleluia", tone 4. Gospel - John, count. 1.

During the conciliar service, the Gospel is read in different languages: in Slavic, Russian, as well as the ancients, to whom the apostolic preaching spread - in Greek, Latin, and in the languages ​​of the peoples most known in the area. Usually the primate reads in Greek or Russian, the senior deacon in Slavic. The priests read the Gospel, standing at the throne in their usual places, and the primate is in the upper place, the senior deacon is in the pulpit, and the other deacons are in various places, “standing from the holy throne to the western gates of the church.” The Gospel is usually divided into 3 articles: 1st article - 1 - 5th verses, 2nd article - 6 - 13th verses, 3rd article - 14 - 17th verses.

The order of reading the Easter Gospel in several languages ​​is as follows. After the senior deacon asks for the blessing “Bless, Master, Evangelist” and the primate gives this blessing with the words “God through prayers,” the primate proclaims “Wisdom, forgive, let us hear the Holy Gospel.” These same words are repeated after the primate by all the priests and deacons, ending with the senior deacon - each, if possible, in the language in which he will read the Gospel. Then the primate says “Peace to all.” None of the clergy repeat this exclamation. The singers answer, “And your spirit.”

The primate proclaims “Reading of the Holy Gospel from John.” All the priests and dacons repeat these words after him, also, if possible, in the language in which the Gospel will be read. After all the clergy, ending with the senior deacon, say these words, the singers sing “Glory to Thee, Lord, glory to Thee.” Primate - "Let's take a look." The same goes for all the clergy, ending with the senior deacon, each also in the language in which he will read the Gospel. The primate begins the 1st article, followed by the priests and deacons, and lastly, the senior deacon. The 2nd and 3rd articles are read in the same order.

During the reading of the Gospel in the bell tower, the so-called “enumeration” is performed, that is, all bells are struck once, starting from the small ones. At the end of the Gospel there is a short peal. When the senior deacon finishes the 3rd article, the singers sing “Glory to Thee, Lord, glory to Thee.”

The senior deacon gives the Gospel to the primate. The other deacons follow him into the altar with the Gospels and take them to their places.

In those cases when the clergy exchange greetings “Christ is in our midst”, “And is and will be”, these greetings during Easter week are replaced by the Easter greetings “Christ is Risen” - “Truly He is Risen.”

For “Worthy” - “Angel is crying” and “Shine, shine.” So until the celebration of Holy Pascha, except for Midnight and its celebration.

Participatory verse: “Receive the Body of Christ. Taste the Immortal Source.” "Alleluia" (three times).

Instead of “Blessed is He Who Comes,” “The True One Sows” and “Let them be Fulfilled,” “Christ is Risen” is sung once each. And so throughout the week of Easter.

According to the prayer behind the pulpit, the artos is consecrated. An artos is placed on the solea, opposite the royal doors, on a prepared table or lectern. If several artos are prepared, then all of them are consecrated at the same time. Incense is performed around the table. Deacon - “Let us pray to the Lord.”

Prayer for the blessing of the artos: “O God Almighty and Lord Almighty, Who was Your servant Moses in the exodus of Israel from Egypt, and in the liberation of Your people from the bitter work of Pharaoh, You commanded the lamb to be slaughtered, prefiguring on the Cross who was slain by the will of us for the sake of the Lamb, who takes away the sins of the whole world , Thy beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ! Even now, we humbly pray to Thee, look upon this bread, and bless and sanctify it, for we too are Thy servants in honor and glory, and in remembrance of the glorious Resurrection of Thy Son our Lord. Jesus Christ, to Him, from the eternal work of the enemy and from the insoluble bonds of hell, permission, freedom and provision of benefits, before Your Majesty now on this all-bright, glorious and saving day of Easter, we offer this: we who offer this, and kiss it and eat from it, Make us partakers of Your heavenly blessing, and by Your power take away all sickness and illness from us, giving health to everyone. For You are the source of blessing and the giver of healing, and we send glory to You, the Beginning Father, with Your Only Begotten Son, and Your Most Holy and Good and Life-Giving Spirit. , now and ever and unto ages of ages."

The priest sprinkles the artos with holy water, saying: “This artos is blessed and sanctified by sprinkling this sacred water, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen” (three times). The lectern with the artos is placed on the sole in front of the image of the Savior, where the artos lies throughout Holy Week.

After reading the prayer, the singers, instead of “Be the Name of the Lord,” sing “Christ is Risen” (three times) and instead of Psalm 33, the same troparion - 12 times and “increasingly, until the anaphora (antidor) is heard from the abbot.” The priest, instead of “Glory to Thee, O Christ God,” sings the troparion “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death.” Singers - “and gave life to those in the tombs.” The rest is all the same as at Matins. At the dismissal, neither the saint of the temple nor the daily saints are remembered. And so throughout Easter week.

Vespers on the 1st day of Easter. The 9th hour is sung according to the Paschal rite, at the end of which the priest, dressed in all priestly robes, standing before the throne with a censer in his right hand, with a Cross and a tricandle in his left, makes a cross with a censer and proclaims “Blessed is our God.” Singers - "Amen". The priest - “Christ is risen from the dead” (three times), the singers - the same (three times). Priest - verses “May God rise again, and His enemies be scattered” and so on, as at the beginning of the liturgy. Great Litany. On “Lord, I have cried,” Sunday stichera at 6. During the singing of “Lord, I have cried,” one or two deacons with deacon’s candles perform the usual censing of the entire church. On “And now” - the dogmatist “Formerly the shadow of the law.” Entrance with the Gospel. The Great Prokeimenon, tone 7 - “Who is a great God, like our God” with verses. After completing the prokeemna, the priest, standing at the royal doors facing west, reads the Gospel. The reading is preceded by the exclamation “And oh, be worthy of us,” and so on. Gospel John, count. 65 “I am present later in that day.”

After reading the Gospel, the strict litany “Recs all.” "Vouchsafe, Lord." Litany of petition. After the exclamation, one resurrection stichera is sung, tone 2 - “Thy Resurrection, O Christ the Savior,” then the Easter stichera, tone 5 with the verses “May God rise again.” According to the performance of the stichera - "Wisdom". Singers - "Bless". Priest - "Blessed are you." Singers - “Confirm, O God.” The priest sings: “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death.” Singers - “and gave life to those in the tombs.” The priest, with the Cross in his hand, dismissed - “Christ, risen from the dead” and so on, as at the end of Matins. Then the priest proclaims “Blessed is our God” and sings the sequence of Easter hours for Compline.

The royal doors are not closed throughout Bright Week, even during the communion of the clergy.

Liturgical hours are a special order of prayers that are read in church at a certain time.

Usually this is a fairly short rite, reading and listening to which does not take more than fifteen to twenty minutes.

It seems to me that the emergence of the prayers of the hours in the Old Testament and New Testament Churches is associated primarily with the Divine establishment of the habit of continuous prayer in man. After all, in essence, Angels and saints in paradise are in continuous praise to the Lord. Figuratively speaking, in the Kingdom of Heaven, in His sublime and spiritual temple, worship is constantly going on. And in order for a person to acquire the skill for this heavenly continuous prayer, he acquires it here – in earthly life. Hence the services of the clock at a certain time.

This can be compared to a monastic meal. To prevent the monk from plunging headlong into devouring food, the meal is interrupted somewhere in the middle by the sound of a bell. Everyone gets up. They are baptized. A short prayer is said. Then they sit down again and eat food. By this, a person seems to be knocked out of the earthly rut, from mental and heartfelt concentration on his stomach, and again learns to focus his attention on what is above - on the heavenly.

A watch, I think, has the same function - to distract a person’s attention from the material worries of the day. And turn your gaze to the Lord God.

The fact that the Old Testament Church knew the services of the hours is evidenced by the first chapters of the Book of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke, Acts of the Holy Apostles: “Peter and John went together to the temple at the ninth hour of prayer” (Acts 3:1); “The next day, as they walked and approached the city, Peter, about the sixth hour, went up to the top of the house to pray” (Acts 10:9).

The fact that the apostles knew and used certain hours of the day for prayer is evidenced by a book written at the beginning of the 2nd century after Christ, “The Teaching of the 12 Apostles.” She prescribes reading the Lord's Prayer “Our Father” three times a day.

These short services received the names of the 1st, 3rd, 6th, and 9th hours because of a slightly different calculation of the time of day in ancient Israel than ours.

The ancient Jews divided the night into four watches (the sentries guarding the locality), and the day - by four hours (changes in the movement of the sun relative to the earth). The first hour corresponds to our seventh hour in the morning. The third hour is nine o'clock in the morning. Sixth - twelve o'clock - noon. Ninth hour - three o'clock in the afternoon.

In the New Testament Church, the meaning of the service of the hours became even more symbolic. It acquired significant evangelical significance associated with the most important events in the life of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Church.

So, let's start with the first liturgical hour, which is used in the temple. Since the church liturgical day begins in the evening (vespers), the first (not in the arithmetic or chronological sense) hour is the ninth. He is also first in the spiritual sense.

We know for sure from the Holy Gospel that the Savior died on the cross at the ninth hour (third pm in our reckoning). Therefore, the prayerful memory of the ninth hour is dedicated to the death on the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, as well as His descent into hell. Therefore, the prayers of this hour are mournful, but at the same time they already contain nascent Easter joy, because very soon it will happen Bright Resurrection Christ's. Therefore, the ninth hour precedes all other daily services: Vespers, Matins, the first, third, sixth hours, Liturgy. After all, the church veil is torn in two, and humanity has the opportunity to enter heaven. The era of the New Testament is coming - the era of salvation. Humanity is taking a new step towards God, who has brought it as close as possible to Himself.

The first hour, with God's help, was set later than the other three. As Mikhail Skaballanovich, professor of the Kyiv Theological Academy, writes in his book “Explanatory Typikon”: “The 1st hour was established in the 4th century. in Palestinian monasteries for ascetic purposes...” That is, the Church of the apostolic times did not know him. It was already established with the development of monasticism in the 4th century in connection with asceticism and ascetic discipline such as “sleep less and pray more.” The fact is that to intensify the prayer vigil, the ancient monks also divided the night into several watches, during which they stood up to pray. The last prayer watch of the night is the first hour.

In addition, it also carries a spiritual gospel meaning. The Church recalls in his prayers the taking of Christ into custody in the Garden of Gethsemane, the Sanhedrin, the suffering and beating of the Savior by the Pharisees' servants, the trial of Pilate and the unjust death sentence imposed on the Righteous.

The main memory of the third hour is the descent of the Holy Spirit on Holy Mother of God and the apostles, which happened precisely at the third hour (see Acts 2:15). And also Christ’s way of the cross to Golgotha, which also took place around the third hour and later.

Remembrance of the sixth hour - The Crucifixion of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ. The execution took place, according to the Holy Gospel, precisely at twelve o'clock in the afternoon.

Thus, we see that the services of the hours are dedicated primarily to the Passion of Christ and are called upon to prayerfully awaken in a person the spiritual vision of the Cross, Death, Resurrection of Christ, as well as the birthday of the Church, one of the main events in our history - Holy Pentecost. Many holy fathers said that remembrance and living of the heart, inner man Holy Week is very saving and beneficial. It unites the human soul with Christ and revives it to life. The saint also reminds us of this supreme apostle Paul: “If we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him...” (Rom. 6:8).

Because the memories of the liturgical hours are connected with the Passion of Christ, in these prayers there is no singing, only reading, which is less solemn and more mournful.

So, the structure of the clock... It is typical for all four, and based on this, each hour takes about twenty minutes. In the prayers of the hours, after the “cap” or immediately after “Come, let us worship,” there are three selected psalms (they are different for each hour), followed by troparia (special prayers) dedicated to the memory of the day, the event being celebrated, or the saint(s). This is followed by special “Theotokos” prayers dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. “Theotokos” are also different for each hour. Then “The Trisagion according to Our Father” (see any Orthodox prayer book: Start morning prayers). Next is the special prayer book “kontakion”, dedicated to memory day. Then forty times “Lord, have mercy”, the prayer “For all time”, priestly dismissal (for the 3rd and 6th hours this is “Through the prayers of our holy fathers...”, and for the 9th and 1st this is “God, be generous with us...”) and the prayer of the hour (for each their own).

The hours always begin with the prayer “Come, let us worship,” which is a kind of confession of our faith in the Holy Trinity; they continue with psalms, and after them with New Testament prayers, which shows the deep organic relationship between the Old Testament and New Testament Churches. Troparions and kontakia of the day are also mounted on the clock - i.e. special short prayers, dedicated to the event celebrated on this day or the saint commemorated. The central part of the clock, according to the will of the holy apostles, is the reading of the prayer “Our Father”. The in-depth repentant prayer “Lord, have mercy,” repeated forty times, and the prayer “For all time,” telling us that at every time and at every hour we must worship God and glorify Him. Then dismissal and prayer of the hour. All psalms and prayers of the liturgical hour were selected by the holy fathers with God's help in such a way as to remind us of the above-mentioned memories of the hour. An example of this is the 50th Psalm in the third hour, the verses of which are “O God, create in me a pure heart, and renew a right spirit in my womb. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me,” as if they were directly telling us about the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles. And in Great Lent at this hour, the troparion directly says about the remembered event: “Lord, Who sent down Thy Most Holy Spirit in the third hour by Thy Apostle, do not take Him away from us, O Good One, but renew it in us who pray to Thee.”

By the way, the hours undergo changes throughout the liturgical year. During Great Lent, they are supplemented by readings of kathismas, the prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian “Lord and Master of my life...”, and certain troparia. On Holy Easter and Bright Week, the structure of the clock changes by ninety percent. Then they include hymns glorifying the Holy Resurrection of Christ: the troparion and kontakion of Easter, the hymn “Having seen the Resurrection of Christ,” etc. Because of the special solemnity of the holiday, the Easter hours are often not read, but sung.

In addition, on the eve of such major holidays as the Nativity of Christ and the Holy Epiphany (Baptism of the Lord), great hours are read. They have the usual structure of the services of the hours, with the only difference being that the Old Testament readings of the Proverbs, the Apostle, and the Holy Gospel are read at them. In Rus' they are often called the royal clock. This is a historical name, as monarchs were often present.

In ancient times, clocks were served as expected - at 7 and 9 am, at 12.00 and 15.00. But, unfortunately, for modern man With his rush and busyness, such a schedule is not suitable. Therefore, now Vespers begins at the ninth hour, and Matins ends at the first hour. And the third and sixth hours are added to the beginning of the Divine Liturgy with the need for the priest to have time to perform proskomedia during the reading of these hours. Since the daily divine service begins from the ninth and third hours, these prayers have a “cap”: the priestly exclamation “Blessed is our God...”, then the usual beginning “To the Heavenly King”, the Trisagion, “Our Father”, “Come, let us worship...” And The first and sixth hours begin only with “Come, let us worship...”

I would like to say that there is nothing unimportant or insignificant in the Church. This also applies to liturgical hours. Unfortunately, we often see how people try to come to the beginning of the Liturgy, but are hours late. One gets the impression that the reader, standing alone on the choir and reading the hours, does this only for himself, and for the priest, in extreme cases. Many others are busy with candles, notes, conversations - in a word, with the usual bustle of the temple. And only when the cry “Blessed is the Kingdom...” sounds, everyone quiets down.

But the third hour is the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Most Holy Theotokos and the apostles, this is the way of the cross to the Savior’s Golgotha, and the sixth hour is the Crucifixion of Christ. He tells us that nails were driven into His most pure hands for our sins. And God voluntarily gave himself up to suffering in the name of saving us all! Can we ignore it? Can we neglect the clock?

Yes, there are extreme cases when, for objective reasons, a person is late for the start of the Liturgy, perhaps oversleeping once or several times. It happens to everyone? But there is an established tradition of treating watches as something of little importance. Like you can “cut off”, be late. And this is already scary. After all we're talking about about the remembrance of the Passion of the Lord.

Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, let us remember that arriving half an hour before the start of the Liturgy does not mean arriving to the cry of “Blessed is the Kingdom,” hours late. No. This means arriving before the reading clock begins. So that you have time to give notes, light candles, and kiss holy images. And then, having caught your breath and calmed down, begin to listen to the clock and heartily delve into the memory of the Passion of Christ and the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles.

After all, whoever is crucified with our Lord Jesus Christ will rise with him.

Priest Andrey Chizhenko