Christians celebrate it on January 7, or more precisely, the celebration begins on January 6 on Christmas Eve, this day is usually called Christmas Eve.
What do they do in church on Christmas Day: what holiday is it, when do you go to church?
Christmas is a special holiday. And the service on this day is special. Or rather, at night... After all, in many of our churches the Liturgy (and sometimes Great Compline and Matins) is served precisely at night.
Liturgy is a divine service that remains virtually unchanged due to holidays. The main liturgical texts, the main chants, which explain the event remembered on this day and set us up on how to properly celebrate the holiday, are sung and read in the church precisely during Vespers and Matins.
Church ministers remind: “If we talk about the Christmas service, then this, if you like, is one of those gifts that we can bring to the manger of the born Savior. Yes, the most important gift to God is the fulfillment of His commandments of love for Him and love for one’s neighbor “, but still, various gifts are prepared for the birthday, and one of these can be a long prayer at the service.”
Those who want to celebrate the Nativity of Christ correctly, following the example of our ancestors - the ancient Christians, the saints, should be, if work allows, on the eve of Christmas, January 6, at the morning service. On Christmas itself, you should come to Great Compline and Matins and, naturally, to the Divine Liturgy.
Christmas Eve (Nativity Eve) is the last day of the Nativity Fast, the eve of the Nativity of Christ. The date of the holiday is January 6.
On this day, Orthodox Christians especially prepare for the upcoming holiday; the whole day is filled with a special festive mood. On the morning of Christmas Eve, after the end of the Liturgy and the following vespers, a candle is brought into the center of the church and the priests sing the troparion to the Nativity of Christ before it. The Christmas Eve services and fasting have a number of features.
On the morning of January 6, Christmas Vespers are celebrated in churches. It sounds strange: vespers in the morning, but this is a necessary deviation from the rules of the Church. Previously, Vespers began in the afternoon and continued with the Liturgy of Basil the Great, at which people received communion.
The whole day of January 6 before this service there was a particularly strict fast; people did not eat food at all, preparing to take communion. After lunch, Vespers began, and communion was received at dusk. And soon after this came the solemn Christmas Matins, which began to be served on the night of January 7th.
If you decide to bring children to church at night, then the main criterion for attending such long services should be the desire of the children themselves to come to this service. No violence or coercion is acceptable!
Attending a night service or a morning service is something you should be able to watch. Celebrating a holiday at night is, of course, a special joy: both spiritual and emotional.
Solemn night services contribute to a deeper prayer experience and perception of the Holiday.
What do they do in church on Christmas Day: how to fast and celebrate?
If for some reason you didn’t make it to the liturgy on Christmas Eve, for example, you were cleaning, were at work, or preparing Lenten dishes, and so on, then, please, eat after the “first star.” Since you didn’t carry out the feat of prayer, at least carry out the feat of fasting.
We remember that, according to the Russian proverb, “A full belly is deaf to prayer,” therefore a more strict fast prepares us for the coming joy of the holiday.
Regarding how to fast before Communion, if it is at a night service, then according to existing practice, liturgical fasting (that is, complete abstinence from food and water) in this case is 6 hours, but this is not directly formulated anywhere, and there are no clear instructions in the charter for how many hours before communion you cannot eat.
On an ordinary Sunday, when a person is preparing for Communion, it is customary not to eat food after midnight, but if you are going to receive communion at the night Christmas service, then it would be correct not to eat food somewhere after 21.00.
In any case, it is better to discuss this issue with your confessor.
Christmas Day, like Epiphany Eve, is a fast day, and a day of strict fasting. According to the regulations, boiled food without oil and wine are allowed on this day.
On the eve of Christmas, a large number of materials appear in which attention is concentrated on some dubious pre-Christmas and post-Christmas traditions, eating certain dishes, fortune telling, festivities, caroling, and so on - all that husk that is often very far from the true meaning of the great holiday the coming into the world of our Redeemer.
If it is a priority for someone to sit at a rich table, then the entire day before the holiday, including when the festive vespers are already being celebrated, the person is busy preparing festive dishes.
If it is a priority for a person to meet the born Christ, then he, first of all, goes to worship, and in his free time prepares what he has time for.
In general, it is strange that a tradition has appeared on the day of the holiday to sit and consume a variety of rich dishes. This is neither medically nor spiritually beneficial. It turns out that we fasted throughout Lent, missed Christmas Vespers and the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great - and all this in order to simply sit down and eat. This can be done at any other time...
For this day, our ancestors prepared something that did not require much effort in preparation, and already in the afternoon a more festive meal was prepared.
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Christmas is a special holiday. Preparation lasts throughout Lent, including the last few days. It is especially important to be able to prepare for service on the day of the holiday itself. Or rather, at night... After all, in many of our churches, services are held at night.
How not to be afraid of the difficulties of a real “all-night vigil” and feel the joy of the holiday at a long Christmas service - we have already written about this:
TO How to prepare for, prepare yourself for long service and spend time in the temple with dignity, read the advice of the archpastor.
1. If possible, attend all statutory holiday services.
I want to emphasize that you must be present at the festive all-night vigil. During this service, in fact, Christ, who was born in Bethlehem, is glorified. Liturgy is a divine service that remains virtually unchanged due to holidays. , the main chants that explain the event remembered on this day and set us up on how to properly celebrate the holiday, are sung and read in the church during Vespers and Matins.
It should also be said that the Christmas service begins a day earlier - at. On the morning of January 6, Christmas Vespers are celebrated in churches. It sounds strange: vespers in the morning, but this is a necessary deviation from the rules of the Church. Previously, Vespers began in the afternoon and continued with the Liturgy of Basil the Great, at which people received communion. The whole day of January 6 before this service there was a particularly strict fast; people did not eat food at all, preparing to take communion. After lunch, Vespers began, and communion was received at dusk. And soon after this came the solemn Christmas Matins, which began to be served on the night of January 7th.
But now, since we have become more frail and weak, solemn Vespers is celebrated on the 6th in the morning and ends with the Liturgy of Basil the Great.
Therefore, those who want to celebrate the Nativity of Christ correctly, according to the charter, following the example of our ancestors - ancient Christians, saints, should be, if work allows, on the eve of Christmas, January 6, at the morning service. On Christmas itself, you should come to Great Compline and Matins and, naturally, to the Divine Liturgy.
2. When preparing to go to the night Liturgy, worry in advance about not wanting to sleep so much.
In the Athonite monasteries, in particular in Dokhiar, the abbot of the Dokhiar monastery, Archimandrite Gregory, always says that it is better to close your eyes for a while in the temple, if you are completely sleepy, than to retire to your cell to rest, thus leaving the divine service.
You know that in the churches on the Holy Mountain there are special wooden chairs with armrests - stasidia, on which you can sit or stand, reclining the seat and leaning on special arms. It must also be said that on Mount Athos, in all monasteries, the full brethren are necessarily present at all daily services. Absence from service is a fairly serious deviation from the rules. Therefore, you can leave the temple during the service only as a last resort.
In our realities, you can’t sleep in a church, but there’s no need for that. On Mount Athos, all services begin at night - at 2, 3 or 4 o'clock. And in our churches services are not daily, liturgies at night are generally rare. Therefore, in order to go out for night prayer, you can prepare in completely ordinary everyday ways.
For example, be sure to sleep the night before the service. While the Eucharistic fast allows, drink coffee. Since the Lord has given us fruits that invigorate us, we need to use them.
But if sleep begins to overcome you during the night service, I think it would be better to go out and make several circles around the temple with the Jesus Prayer. This short walk will definitely refresh you and give you strength to continue to pay attention.
3. Fast correctly. “Until the first star” means not to go hungry, but to attend the service.
Where did the custom of not eating food on Christmas Eve, January 6, “until the first star” come from? As I already said, before Christmas Vespers began in the afternoon, it went into the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, which ended when stars actually appeared in the sky. After the Liturgy, the rules permitted eating a meal. That is, “until the first star” meant, in fact, until the end of the Liturgy.
Christmas service at Ionin Monastery
But over time, when the liturgical circle was isolated from the life of Christians, when people began to treat divine services rather superficially, this developed into some kind of custom completely divorced from practice and reality. People don’t go to the service or take communion on January 6, but at the same time they go hungry.
When people ask me how to fast on Christmas Eve, I usually say this: if you attended Christmas Vespers and the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great in the morning, then you are blessed to eat food, as required by the rules, after the end of the Liturgy. That is, during the day.
But if you decide to devote this day to cleaning the premises, preparing 12 dishes, and so on, then, please, eat after the “first star”. Since you didn’t carry out the feat of prayer, at least carry out the feat of fasting.
Regarding how to fast before Communion, if it is at a night service, then according to existing practice, liturgical fasting (that is, complete abstinence from food and water) in this case is 6 hours. But this is not directly formulated anywhere, and there are no clear instructions in the charter how many hours before communion you cannot eat.
On an ordinary Sunday, when a person is preparing for Communion, it is customary not to eat food after midnight. But if you are going to receive communion at the night Christmas service, then it would be correct not to eat food somewhere after 21.00.
In any case, it is better to discuss this issue with your confessor.
4. Find out and agree on the date and time of confession in advance. So as not to spend the entire festive service in line.
The issue of confession at the Christmas service is purely individual, because each church has its own customs and traditions. It is easy to talk about confession in monasteries or those churches where there are a large number of serving priests. But if there is only one priest serving in the church, and there are a majority of them, then it is best, of course, to agree with the priest in advance, when it will be convenient for him to confess you. It is better to confess on the eve of the Christmas service, so that during the service you think not about whether you will or will not have time to confess, but about how to truly worthily meet the coming of Christ the Savior into the world.
5. Do not exchange worship and prayer for 12 Lenten dishes. This tradition is neither evangelical nor liturgical.
I am often asked how to reconcile attendance at services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with the tradition of the Christmas Eve feast, when 12 Lenten dishes are specially prepared. I’ll say right away that the “12 Strava” tradition is somewhat mysterious to me. Christmas Eve, like Epiphany Eve, is a fast day, and a day of strict fasting. According to the regulations, boiled food without oil and wine are allowed on this day. How you can cook 12 different meatless dishes without using oil is a mystery to me.
In my opinion, the “12 Stravas” is a folk custom that has nothing in common either with the Gospel, or with the liturgical charter, or with the liturgical tradition of the Orthodox Church. Unfortunately, on the eve of Christmas, a large number of materials appear in the media in which attention is concentrated on some dubious pre-Christmas and post-Christmas traditions, eating certain dishes, fortune telling, festivities, caroling, and so on - all that husk that is often very distant from the true meaning of the great holiday of the coming of our Redeemer into the world.
I am always very hurt by the profanation of holidays, when their meaning and significance are reduced to certain rituals that have developed in one area or another. One hears that such things as traditions are needed for people who are not yet particularly churchgoers, in order to somehow interest them. But you know, in Christianity it is still better to give people good quality food straight away, rather than fast food. Still, it is better for a person to recognize Christianity immediately from the Gospel, from the traditional patristic Orthodox position, than from some “comics”, even those sanctified by folk customs.
In my opinion, many folk rituals associated with this or that holiday are comics on the theme of Orthodoxy. They have practically nothing to do with the meaning of the holiday or the gospel event.
6. Don't turn Christmas into a food holiday. This day is, first of all, spiritual joy. And it is not good for your health to break your fast with a large feast.
Again, it's all about priorities. If it is a priority for someone to sit at a rich table, then the entire day before the holiday, including when the festive vespers are already being celebrated, the person is busy preparing various meats, Olivier salads and other sumptuous dishes.
If it is a priority for a person to meet the born Christ, then he, first of all, goes to worship, and in his free time prepares what he has time for.
In general, it is strange that it is considered obligatory on the day of the holiday to sit and consume a variety of abundant dishes. This is neither medically nor spiritually beneficial. It turns out that we fasted throughout Lent, missed Christmas Vespers and the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great - and all this in order to simply sit down and eat. This can be done at any other time...
I’ll tell you how the festive meal is prepared in our monastery. Usually, at the end of night services (Easter and Christmas), the brethren are offered a short break of fast. As a rule, this is cheese, cottage cheese, hot milk. That is, something that does not require much effort when preparing. And already in the afternoon a more festive meal is prepared.
7. Sing to God intelligently. Prepare for the service - read about it, find translations, texts of the psalms.
There is an expression: knowledge is power. And, indeed, knowledge gives strength not only morally, but also literally - physically. If a person has at one time taken the trouble to study Orthodox worship and understand its essence, if he knows what is currently happening in the church, then for him there is no question of standing for a long time or getting tired. He lives in the spirit of worship, knows what follows what. For him, the service is not divided into two parts, as it happens: “What is in the service now?” - “Well, they’re singing.” - "And now?" - “Well, they’re reading.” For most people, unfortunately, the service is divided into two parts: when they sing and when they read.
Christmas service at Ionin Monastery
Knowledge of the service makes it clear that at a certain moment in the service you can sit down and listen to what is being sung and read. The liturgical regulations in some cases allow, and in some even require, sitting. This is, in particular, the time of reading psalms, hours, kathismas, stichera on “Lord, I have cried.” That is, there are many moments during the service when you can sit. And, as one saint put it, it is better to think about God while sitting than to think about your feet while standing.
Many believers act very practically by taking light folding benches with them. Indeed, in order not to rush to the benches at the right time to take seats, or not to “occupy” the seats by standing next to them throughout the service, it would be better to take a special bench with you and sit down on it at the right moment.
There is no need to be embarrassed about sitting during the service. The Sabbath is for man, not man for the Sabbath. Still, at some moments it is better to sit down, especially if your legs hurt, and sit and listen attentively to the service, rather than suffer, suffer and look at the clock to see when all this will end.
In addition to taking care of your feet, take care of food for your mind in advance. You can buy special books or find and print materials about the holiday service on the Internet - interpretation and texts with translations.
I definitely recommend also finding the Psalter translated into your native language. The reading of the psalms is an integral part of any Orthodox service, and the psalms are very beautiful both melodically and stylistically. In church they are read in Church Slavonic, but even for a churchgoer it is difficult to perceive all their beauty by ear. Therefore, in order to understand what is being sung at the moment, you can find out in advance, before the service, which psalms will be read during this service. This really needs to be done in order to “sing to God intelligently” in order to feel all the beauty of psalmody.
Many people believe that you cannot follow the Liturgy in church from a book - you need to pray together with everyone. But one does not exclude the other: following a book and praying, in my opinion, are one and the same thing. Therefore, do not be embarrassed to take literature with you to the service. You can take a blessing from the priest for this in advance in order to cut off unnecessary questions and comments.
8. On holidays, churches are crowded. Have pity on your neighbor - light candles or venerate the icon another time.
Many people, when they come to church, believe that lighting a candle is the duty of every Christian, a sacrifice to God that must be made. But since the Christmas service is much more crowded than a regular service, some difficulty arises with the placement of candles, including because the candlesticks are overcrowded.
The tradition of bringing candles to the temple has ancient roots. Previously, as we know, Christians took everything they needed for the Liturgy from home with them: bread, wine, candles for lighting the church. And this, indeed, was their feasible sacrifice.
Now the situation has changed and setting candles has lost its original meaning. For us, this is more a reminder of the first centuries of Christianity.
Christmas service at Ionin Monastery
A candle is our visible sacrifice to God. It has a symbolic meaning: before God, we must, like this candle, burn with an even, bright, smokeless flame.
This is also our sacrifice for the temple, because we know from the Old Testament that people in ancient times were required to tithe for the maintenance of the Temple and the priests serving at it. And in the New Testament Church this tradition was continued. We know the words of the apostle that those who serve the altar are fed from the altar. And the money that we leave when purchasing a candle is our sacrifice.
But in such cases, when churches are overcrowded, when whole torches of candles are burning on candlesticks, and they are being passed around and passed on, perhaps it would be more correct to put the amount that you wanted to spend on candles in a donation box than to embarrass your brothers by manipulating candles and sisters praying nearby.
9. When bringing children to the night service, be sure to ask them if they want to be in church now.
If you have small children or elderly relatives, then go with them to the Liturgy in the morning.
This practice has developed in our monastery. At night at 23:00 Great Compline begins, followed by Matins, which turns into the Liturgy. The liturgy ends around half past five in the morning - thus, the service lasts about five and a half hours. This is not so much - the usual all-night vigil every Saturday lasts 4 hours - from 16.00 to 20.00.
And our parishioners who have small children or elderly relatives pray at night at Compline and Matins, after Matins they go home, rest, sleep, and in the morning they come to Liturgy at 9.00 with small children or with those people who, for health reasons, could not attend the night service.
If you decide to bring your children to church at night, then, it seems to me, the main criterion for attending such long services should be the desire of the children themselves to come to this service. No violence or coercion is acceptable!
Christmas service at Ionin Monastery
You know, there are things of status for a child, which are criteria for adulthood for him. Such, for example, as the first confession, the first visit to the night service. If he really asks that adults take him with them, then in this case this needs to be done.
It is clear that a child will not be able to stand attentively for the entire service. To do this, take some kind of soft bedding for him, so that when he gets tired, you can put him in a corner to sleep and wake him up before communion. But so that the child is not deprived of this joy of the night service.
It is very touching to see when children come to the service with their parents, they stand joyful, with sparkling eyes, because the night service for them is very significant and unusual. Then gradually they subside and turn sour. And now, as you pass through the side aisle, you see children lying side by side, immersed in the so-called “liturgical” sleep.
As long as the child can bear it, he can endure it. But you shouldn’t deprive him of such joy. However, I repeat once again, getting into this service should be the desire of the child himself. So that Christmas would be associated for him only with love, only with the joy of the born baby Christ.
10. Be sure to take communion!
When we come to church, we often worry that we didn’t have time to light the candles or didn’t venerate some icon. But that's not what you need to think about. We need to worry about whether we often unite with Christ.
Our duty during worship is to pray attentively and, as often as possible, to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. The temple, first of all, is the place where we partake of the Body and Blood of Christ. This is what we must do.
Festive service at the Dohiar monastery
And, indeed, attending the Liturgy without communion is meaningless. Christ calls: “Take, eat,” and we turn away and leave. The Lord says: “Drink from the Cup of Life, all of you,” and we don’t want to. Does the word “everything” have a different meaning? The Lord does not say: drink 10% from me - those who were preparing. He says: drink from me, everyone! If we come to the Liturgy and do not receive communion, then this is a liturgical violation.
INSTEAD OF AN AFTERWORD. What basic condition is necessary to experience the joy of a long all-night service?
It is necessary to realize WHAT happened on this day many years ago. That “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.” That “no one has ever seen God; The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has revealed.” That an event of such cosmic proportions occurred that had never happened before and will not happen after.
God, the Creator of the universe, the Creator of the infinite cosmos, the Creator of our earth, the Creator of man as a perfect creation, the Almighty, who commands the movement of the planets, the entire cosmic system, the existence of life on earth, Whom no one has ever seen, and only a few in the entire history of mankind have been privileged to behold part of the manifestation of His some kind of power... And this God became a man, a baby, completely defenseless, small, subject to everything, including the possibility of murder. And this is all for us, for each of us.
There is a wonderful expression: God became man so that we could become gods. If we understand this - that each of us has received the opportunity to become God by grace - then the meaning of this holiday will be revealed to us. If we are aware of the scale of the event we are celebrating, what happened on this day, then all the culinary delights, caroling, round dances, dressing up and fortune-telling will seem to us trifle and husk, completely not worth our attention. We will be absorbed in the contemplation of God, the Creator of the universe, lying in a manger next to the animals in a simple stable. This will exceed everything.
Forever, or Christmas Eve, is the last day before Christmas, on which it is necessary to properly prepare for the upcoming holiday. This is an important time in the life of every person, because on January 6, the period of prayers and fulfillment of desires begins.
Christmas Eve is the time when long and strict abstinence ends, second in importance only to Lent. On Christmas Eve, according to tradition, it is not customary to eat food until the night sky is illuminated by the Star of Bethlehem, symbolizing the Birth of the Savior. This is a special holiday: spiritual, solemn and joyful.
history of the holiday
The origin of the holiday is rooted in the deep past. In ancient times, Christmas Eve and Epiphany were celebrated on the same day. A connection can really be made between them, because these two festivals are directly related to spiritual cleansing, rebirth and new life. With the advent of the Julian calendar, these two holidays were separated. But to this day, in church liturgies dedicated to Epiphany and Christmas Eve, you can find similar Christmas messages, although they are celebrated at different times.
Since ancient times, people have tried on Christmas Eve. With the advent of January 6, Christmas fortune-telling gained strength, which to this day are considered the most accurate. Christmas Eve is a magical time when every person has the opportunity to establish a close connection with the Higher Powers. It is believed that on this day not only predictions, but also wishes come true. With the arrival of Christmas Eve until Epiphany, people have two weeks that differ from all other days in the strongest energy. The atmosphere around is literally saturated with light, happiness and love. And this is no coincidence, because the Son of God was born on earth, whose appearance was felt by everyone.
Traditions and fasting on Christmas Eve
The day before Christmas is considered the strictest for everyone who fasts. Although the Nativity Fast is coming to an end on January 6, for believers this is another chance to show their love and devotion to the Lord. After the first star appears in the sky, everyone is allowed to try a special dish, which includes wheat or rice water with the addition of fruit and honey. People call this dish sochivom, from which the day before Christmas - Christmas Eve - got its name.
By 10 o'clock in the evening, the evening service begins in churches, which smoothly leads believers to the celebration of Christmas. Forever helps people rethink their lives and cleanse themselves spiritually. This is a day of unity with the Lord, which must be spent in prayer and repentance. Our ancestors attached great importance to this day and began to celebrate it long before sunrise.
On the Eve of the Nativity of Christ, it is customary to read prayers of thanks to God and all the saints. It is the words of prayer that will help you establish a connection between you and the Heavenly Patrons, and any request you ask Heaven for will not go unanswered. We wish you peace in your soul. take care of yourself and don't forget to press the buttons and
05.01.2018 06:34
Orthodox Christians begin to celebrate many church festivals with an evening service. Therefore, almost every major holiday...
Where did the expression “not eat until the first star” come from, and to whom does this rule not apply? How many hours before Communion can you eat? If all the days before Christmas are fasting, then when should you devote time to preparing dishes for the festive table?
Read the material for answers to these and many other questions.
Part I.
Why do people pray for so long? or Where did the tradition of night services come from?
And the first question in connectionWithSo why do we need such long services?
The history of long services dates back to apostolic times. The Apostle Paul wrote: “Rejoice always, incessantly pray, give thanks in everything.” The book of Acts of the Apostles says that all the believers were together, day after day they gathered in the temple and praised God ( Acts 2.44). From here, in particular, we learn that long services were commonplace in the life of the first Christians.
The Christian community of apostolic times lived in readiness for martyrdom for Christ, in anticipation of His imminent second coming. The apostles lived in accordance with this expectation and behaved accordingly - burning with faith. And this fiery faith, love for Christ was expressed in very long prayers.
In fact, they prayed all night long. After all, we know that the early Christian communities were persecuted by the then pagan authorities and were forced to pray at night in order to go about their normal affairs during the day without attracting attention to themselves.
In memory of this, the Church has always maintained the tradition of long, including night services. By the way, once upon a time services in monastery and parish churches were performed according to the same rite - there was virtually no difference between the parish and monastic typikon (except that special additional teachings were inserted into the monastery service, which are now omitted almost everywhere in monasteries).
During the atheistic twentieth century, the traditions of long services in countries in the post-Soviet space were practically lost. And seeing the example of Athos, we are perplexed: why serve for so long a service that can be completed three times faster?
Regarding the Svyatogorsk tradition, I would like to note that, firstly, such long services are not performed constantly, but on special holidays. And secondly, this is one of the wonderful opportunities for us to bring our “fruit of the lips” to God. After all, which of us can say that he has such virtues that he is ready to lay them before the Throne of God right now? He who is critical of himself and confesses consciously knows that his deeds, strictly speaking, are deplorable, and he cannot bring anything to the feet of Christ. And at least each of us is fully capable of bringing “the fruit of the lips” glorifying the name of the Lord. At least somehow we can praise the Lord.
And these long services, especially on holidays, are precisely dedicated to serving our Lord in some way.
If we talk about the Christmas service, then this, if you like, is one of those gifts that we can bring to the manger of the born Savior. Yes, the most important gift to God is the fulfillment of His commandments of love for Him and love for one’s neighbor. But still, various gifts are prepared for the birthday, and one of these can be a long prayer at the service.
The question, probably, is also how to make this gift correctly, so that it is pleasing to God and useful for us...
Do you feel tired during long night services?
What you have to struggle with at such services is sleep.
Not long ago I prayed on Mount Athos in the Dokhiar monastery during a service on the Feast of the Archangels. The service with short breaks lasts 21 hours, or 18 hours of pure time: it begins at 16.00 the day before, in the evening there is a 1-hour break, and then continues all night until 5 am. Then 2 hours for rest, and by 7 am the Liturgy begins, which ends at 1 pm.
Last year, on the patronal feast day in Dochiara, Vespers and Matins passed for me more or less, and during the Liturgy, sleep overcame me with terrible force. As soon as I closed my eyes, I immediately fell asleep standing up, and so soundly that I even began to dream. I think many people are familiar with this state of extreme need for rest... But after the Cherubim, the Lord gave strength, and then the service went normally.
This year, thank God, it was easier.
What was especially impressive this time was that I didn’t feel any physical fatigue at all, by the grace of God. If I didn’t want to sleep, I could have been at this service for 24 hours. Why? Because all those praying were inspired by a common impulse towards the Lord - both monks and lay pilgrims.
And this is the main feeling that you experience at such services: we have come to glorify God and His Archangels, we are determined to pray and praise the Lord for a long time. We are not in a hurry and therefore we will not rush.
This general state of those present in the church was very clearly visible during the entire service. Everything was very leisurely, everything was very carefully, very detailed, very solemn and, most importantly, very prayerful. That is, people knew what they came for.
Why is such unanimity in prayer not felt during parish services? Because of those present in the church, there are very few who really understand why he is, in fact, in the church. Such people who would ponder the words of liturgical texts and seriously understand the course of the service are, unfortunately, a minority. And the bulk are those who came either because of tradition, or because it is so supposed, or they want to celebrate the holiday in church, but do not yet know the words of the psalm: sing to God wisely. And these people, as soon as the service began, are already shifting from foot to foot, thinking that it would be over soon, why they are singing something incomprehensible, and what will happen next, and so on. That is, the person is completely unaware of the course of the service and does not understand the meaning of the actions being performed.
And those who come to Athos have an idea of what awaits them there. And at such long services, they actually pray very enthusiastically. So, according to tradition, during the holiday, the brethren of the monastery sing on the left choir, and guests sing on the right. Usually these are monks from other monasteries and laymen who know Byzantine chants. And you should have seen how enthusiastically they sang! So sublime and solemn that... if you see it once, then all questions about the need or unnecessaryness of long services will disappear. It is such a joy to glorify God!
In ordinary worldly life, if people love each other, then they want to be close to each other for as long as possible: they cannot stop talking or communicate. And just like that, when a person is inspired by the love of God, even 21 hours of prayer is not enough for him. He wants and craves communication with God all 24 hours...
Part II.
- So, How to prepare yourself for long service and spend time in the temple with dignity?
1. If possible, attend all statutory holiday services.
I want to emphasize that you must be present at the festive all-night vigil. During this service, in fact, Christ, who was born in Bethlehem, is glorified. Liturgy is a divine service that remains virtually unchanged due to holidays. The main liturgical texts, the main chants, which explain the event remembered on this day and set us up on how to properly celebrate the holiday, are sung and read in the church precisely during Vespers and Matins.
It should also be said that the Christmas service begins a day earlier - on Christmas Eve. On the morning of January 6, Christmas Vespers are celebrated in churches. It sounds strange: vespers in the morning, but this is a necessary deviation from the rules of the Church. Previously, Vespers began in the afternoon and continued with the Liturgy of Basil the Great, at which people received communion. The whole day of January 6 before this service there was a particularly strict fast; people did not eat food at all, preparing to take communion. After lunch, Vespers began, and communion was received at dusk. And soon after this came the solemn Christmas Matins, which began to be served on the night of January 7th.
But now, since we have become more frail and weak, solemn Vespers is celebrated on the 6th in the morning and ends with the Liturgy of Basil the Great.
Therefore, those who want to celebrate the Nativity of Christ correctly, according to the charter, following the example of our ancestors - ancient Christians, saints, should be, if work allows, on the eve of Christmas, January 6, at the morning service. On Christmas itself, you should come to Great Compline and Matins and, naturally, to the Divine Liturgy.
2. When preparing to go to the night Liturgy, worry in advance about not wanting to sleep so much.
In the Athonite monasteries, in particular in Dokhiar, the abbot of the Dokhiar monastery, Archimandrite Gregory, always says that it is better to close your eyes for a while in the temple, if you are completely sleepy, than to retire to your cell to rest, thus leaving the divine service.
You know that in the churches on the Holy Mountain there are special wooden chairs with armrests - stasidia, on which you can sit or stand, reclining the seat and leaning on special arms. It must also be said that on Mount Athos, in all monasteries, the full brethren are necessarily present at all daily services. Absence from service is a fairly serious deviation from the rules. Therefore, you can leave the temple during the service only as a last resort.
In our realities, you can’t sleep in a church, but there’s no need for that. On Mount Athos, all services begin at night - at 2, 3 or 4 o'clock. And in our churches services are not daily, liturgies at night are generally rare. Therefore, in order to go out for night prayer, you can prepare in completely ordinary everyday ways.
For example, be sure to sleep the night before the service. While the Eucharistic fast allows, drink coffee. Since the Lord has given us fruits that invigorate us, we need to use them.
But if sleep begins to overcome you during the night service, I think it would be better to go out and make several circles around the temple with the Jesus Prayer. This short walk will definitely refresh you and give you strength to continue to pay attention.
3. Fast correctly. “Until the first star” means not to go hungry, but to attend the service.
Where did the custom of not eating food on Christmas Eve, January 6, “until the first star” come from? As I already said, before Christmas Vespers began in the afternoon, it went into the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, which ended when stars actually appeared in the sky. After the Liturgy, the rules permitted eating a meal. That is, “until the first star” meant, in fact, until the end of the Liturgy.
But over time, when the liturgical circle was isolated from the life of Christians, when people began to treat divine services rather superficially, this developed into some kind of custom completely divorced from practice and reality. People don’t go to the service or take communion on January 6, but at the same time they go hungry.
When people ask me how to fast on Christmas Eve, I usually say this: if you attended Christmas Vespers and the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great in the morning, then you are blessed to eat food, as required by the rules, after the end of the Liturgy. That is, during the day.
But if you decide to devote this day to cleaning the premises, preparing 12 dishes, and so on, then, please, eat after the “first star”. Since you didn’t carry out the feat of prayer, at least carry out the feat of fasting.
Regarding how to fast before Communion, if it is at a night service, then according to existing practice, liturgical fasting (that is, complete abstinence from food and water) in this case is 6 hours. But this is not directly formulated anywhere, and there are no clear instructions in the charter how many hours before communion you cannot eat.
On an ordinary Sunday, when a person is preparing for Communion, it is customary not to eat food after midnight. But if you are going to receive communion at the night Christmas service, then it would be correct not to eat food somewhere after 21.00.
In any case, it is better to discuss this issue with your confessor.
4. Find out and agree on the date and time of confession in advance. So as not to spend the entire festive service in line.
The issue of confession at the Christmas service is purely individual, because each church has its own customs and traditions. It is easy to talk about confession in monasteries or those churches where there are a large number of serving priests. But if there is only one priest serving in the church, and there are a majority of them, then it is best, of course, to agree with the priest in advance, when it will be convenient for him to confess you. It is better to confess on the eve of the Christmas service, so that during the service you think not about whether you will or will not have time to confess, but about how to truly worthily meet the coming of Christ the Savior into the world.
5. Do not exchange worship and prayer for 12 Lenten dishes. This tradition is neither evangelical nor liturgical.
I am often asked how to reconcile attendance at services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with the tradition of the Christmas Eve feast, when 12 Lenten dishes are specially prepared. I’ll say right away that the “12 Strava” tradition is somewhat mysterious to me. Christmas Eve, like Epiphany Eve, is a fast day, and a day of strict fasting. According to the regulations, boiled food without oil and wine are allowed on this day. How you can cook 12 different meatless dishes without using oil is a mystery to me.
In my opinion, the “12 Stravas” is a folk custom that has nothing in common either with the Gospel, or with the liturgical charter, or with the liturgical tradition of the Orthodox Church. Unfortunately, on the eve of Christmas, a large number of materials appear in the media in which attention is concentrated on some dubious pre-Christmas and post-Christmas traditions, eating certain dishes, fortune telling, festivities, caroling, and so on - all that husk that is often very distant from the true meaning of the great holiday of the coming of our Redeemer into the world.
I am always very hurt by the profanation of holidays, when their meaning and significance are reduced to certain rituals that have developed in one area or another. One hears that such things as traditions are needed for people who are not yet particularly churchgoers, in order to somehow interest them. But you know, in Christianity it is still better to give people good quality food straight away, rather than fast food. Still, it is better for a person to recognize Christianity immediately from the Gospel, from the traditional patristic Orthodox position, than from some “comics”, even those sanctified by folk customs.
In my opinion, many folk rituals associated with this or that holiday are comics on the theme of Orthodoxy. They have practically nothing to do with the meaning of the holiday or the gospel event.
6. Don't turn Christmas into a food holiday. This day is, first of all, spiritual joy. And it is not good for your health to break your fast with a large feast.
Again, it's all about priorities. If it is a priority for someone to sit at a rich table, then the entire day before the holiday, including when the festive vespers are already being celebrated, the person is busy preparing various meats, Olivier salads and other sumptuous dishes.
If it is a priority for a person to meet the born Christ, then he, first of all, goes to worship, and in his free time prepares what he has time for.
In general, it is strange that it is considered obligatory on the day of the holiday to sit and consume a variety of abundant dishes. This is neither medically nor spiritually beneficial. It turns out that we fasted throughout Lent, missed Christmas Vespers and the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great - and all this in order to simply sit down and eat. This can be done at any other time...
I’ll tell you how the festive meal is prepared in our monastery. Usually, at the end of night services (Easter and Christmas), the brethren are offered a short break of fast. As a rule, this is cheese, cottage cheese, hot milk. That is, something that does not require much effort when preparing. And already in the afternoon a more festive meal is prepared.
7. Sing to God intelligently. Prepare for the service - read about it, find translations, texts of the psalms.
There is an expression: knowledge is power. And, indeed, knowledge gives strength not only morally, but also literally - physically. If a person has at one time taken the trouble to study Orthodox worship and understand its essence, if he knows what is currently happening in the church, then for him there is no question of standing for a long time or getting tired. He lives in the spirit of worship, knows what follows what. For him, the service is not divided into two parts, as it happens: “What is in the service now?” - “Well, they’re singing.” - "And now?" - “Well, they’re reading.” For most people, unfortunately, the service is divided into two parts: when they sing and when they read.
Knowledge of the service makes it clear that at a certain moment in the service you can sit down and listen to what is being sung and read. The liturgical regulations in some cases allow, and in some even require, sitting. This is, in particular, the time of reading psalms, hours, kathismas, stichera on “Lord, I have cried.” That is, there are many moments during the service when you can sit. And, as one saint put it, it is better to think about God while sitting than to think about your feet while standing.
Many believers act very practically by taking light folding benches with them. Indeed, in order not to rush to the benches at the right time to take seats, or not to “occupy” the seats by standing next to them throughout the service, it would be better to take a special bench with you and sit down on it at the right moment.
There is no need to be embarrassed about sitting during the service. The Sabbath is for man, not man for the Sabbath. Still, at some moments it is better to sit down, especially if your legs hurt, and sit and listen attentively to the service, rather than suffer, suffer and look at the clock to see when all this will end.
In addition to taking care of your feet, take care of food for your mind in advance. You can buy special books or find and print materials about the holiday service on the Internet - interpretation and texts with translations.
I definitely recommend also finding the Psalter translated into your native language. The reading of the psalms is an integral part of any Orthodox service, and the psalms are very beautiful both melodically and stylistically. In church they are read in Church Slavonic, but even for a churchgoer it is difficult to perceive all their beauty by ear. Therefore, in order to understand what is being sung at the moment, you can find out in advance, before the service, which psalms will be read during this service. This really needs to be done in order to “sing to God intelligently” in order to feel all the beauty of psalmody.
Many people believe that you cannot follow the Liturgy in church from a book - you need to pray together with everyone. But one does not exclude the other: following a book and praying, in my opinion, are one and the same thing. Therefore, do not be embarrassed to take literature with you to the service. You can take a blessing from the priest for this in advance in order to cut off unnecessary questions and comments.
8. On holidays, churches are crowded. Have pity on your neighbor - light candles or venerate the icon another time.
Many people, when they come to church, believe that lighting a candle is the duty of every Christian, a sacrifice to God that must be made. But since the Christmas service is much more crowded than a regular service, some difficulty arises with the placement of candles, including because the candlesticks are overcrowded.
The tradition of bringing candles to the temple has ancient roots. Previously, as we know, Christians took everything they needed for the Liturgy from home with them: bread, wine, candles for lighting the church. And this, indeed, was their feasible sacrifice.
Now the situation has changed and setting candles has lost its original meaning. For us, this is more a reminder of the first centuries of Christianity.
A candle is our visible sacrifice to God. It has a symbolic meaning: before God, we must, like this candle, burn with an even, bright, smokeless flame.
This is also our sacrifice for the temple, because we know from the Old Testament that people in ancient times were required to tithe for the maintenance of the Temple and the priests serving at it. And in the New Testament Church this tradition was continued. We know the words of the apostle that those who serve the altar are fed from the altar. And the money that we leave when purchasing a candle is our sacrifice.
But in such cases, when churches are overcrowded, when whole torches of candles are burning on candlesticks, and they are being passed around and passed on, perhaps it would be more correct to put the amount that you wanted to spend on candles in a donation box than to embarrass your brothers by manipulating candles and sisters praying nearby.
9. When bringing children to the night service, be sure to ask them if they want to be in church now.
If you have small children or elderly relatives, then go with them to the Liturgy in the morning.
This practice has developed in our monastery. At night at 23:00 Great Compline begins, followed by Matins, which turns into the Liturgy. The liturgy ends around half past five in the morning - thus, the service lasts about five and a half hours. This is not so much - the usual all-night vigil every Saturday lasts 4 hours - from 16.00 to 20.00.
And our parishioners who have small children or elderly relatives pray at night at Compline and Matins, after Matins they go home, rest, sleep, and in the morning they come to Liturgy at 9.00 with small children or with those people who, for health reasons, could not attend the night service.
If you decide to bring your children to church at night, then, it seems to me, the main criterion for attending such long services should be the desire of the children themselves to come to this service. No violence or coercion is acceptable!
You know, there are things of status for a child, which are criteria for adulthood for him. Such, for example, as the first confession, the first visit to the night service. If he really asks that adults take him with them, then in this case this needs to be done.
It is clear that a child will not be able to stand attentively for the entire service. To do this, take some kind of soft bedding for him, so that when he gets tired, you can put him in a corner to sleep and wake him up before communion. But so that the child is not deprived of this joy of the night service.
It is very touching to see when children come to the service with their parents, they stand joyful, with sparkling eyes, because the night service for them is very significant and unusual. Then gradually they subside and turn sour. And now, as you pass through the side aisle, you see children lying side by side, immersed in the so-called “liturgical” sleep.
As long as the child can bear it, he can endure it. But you shouldn’t deprive him of such joy. However, I repeat once again, getting into this service should be the desire of the child himself. So that Christmas would be associated for him only with love, only with the joy of the born baby Christ.
10. Be sure to take communion!
When we come to church, we often worry that we didn’t have time to light the candles or didn’t venerate some icon. But that's not what you need to think about. We need to worry about whether we often unite with Christ.
Our duty during worship is to pray attentively and, as often as possible, to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. The temple, first of all, is the place where we partake of the Body and Blood of Christ. This is what we must do.
And, indeed, attending the Liturgy without communion is meaningless. Christ calls: “Take, eat,” and we turn away and leave. The Lord says: “Drink from the Cup of Life, all of you,” and we don’t want to. Does the word “everything” have a different meaning? The Lord does not say: drink 10% from me - those who were preparing. He says: drink from me, everyone! If we come to the Liturgy and do not receive communion, then this is a liturgical violation.
INSTEAD OF AN AFTERWORD. What basic condition is necessary to experience the joy of a long all-night service?
It is necessary to realize WHAT happened on this day many years ago. That “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.” That “no one has ever seen God; The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has revealed.” That an event of such cosmic proportions occurred that had never happened before and will not happen after.
God, the Creator of the universe, the Creator of the infinite cosmos, the Creator of our earth, the Creator of man as a perfect creation, the Almighty, who commands the movement of the planets, the entire cosmic system, the existence of life on earth, Whom no one has ever seen, and only a few in the entire history of mankind have been privileged to behold part of the manifestation of His some kind of power... And this God became a man, a baby, completely defenseless, small, subject to everything, including the possibility of murder. And this is all for us, for each of us.
There is a wonderful expression: God became man so that we could become gods. If we understand this - that each of us has received the opportunity to become God by grace - then the meaning of this holiday will be revealed to us. If we are aware of the scale of the event we are celebrating, what happened on this day, then all the culinary delights, caroling, round dances, dressing up and fortune-telling will seem to us trifle and husk, completely not worth our attention. We will be absorbed in the contemplation of God, the Creator of the universe, lying in a manger next to the animals in a simple stable. This will exceed everything.
On Sunday, January 7, Orthodox Christians celebrate the Nativity of Christ. The holiday was initially considered a church holiday, but has long become simply a folk holiday, because pagan traditions on this day are closely intertwined with the rules established by the church. Many who are not familiar with the instructions are wondering whether they need to go to church on Christmas and when exactly to go. We will talk about this in our material.
Let’s answer the first question right away - you definitely need to go to church on Christmas. First of all, this is a church holiday that honors the date of the Birth of the Son of God, which means fun and festivities should be postponed until later and the holiday should begin with prayer and forgiveness of all sins.
On Christmas night from January 6 to 7, a festive Divine Liturgy is celebrated. On Christmas Day itself, believers celebrate and feast - break their fast (now it is allowed to eat not only fasting food, but also fasting food). The twelve days after Christmas are called holy days, or Christmastide.
When to go to church on Christmas
On Christmas Day, as well as on Easter, services are held in churches and temples all night - from the evening of January 6 until the morning of January 7. Believers must be present at the service - some stand throughout the entire time, and some come after midnight, having met the first star at home with loved ones at a Lenten dinner, which, according to biblical legend, told about the birth of Christ, bringing the Magi to him with gifts.
The evening before Christmas is called Christmas Eve and it must be spent either in church or at home - in prayer, with loved ones.
On Christmas Day, two liturgies are celebrated. Participation in them is considered the main element of the celebration of the Nativity of Christ.
Communion of the Holy Mysteries is the main joy and main event for those who are preparing for the holiday with a forty-day Nativity Fast. It is very important to take communion on January 6, the day of Christmas Eve, and to be at the service, if possible, from Great Vespers itself, in order to hear the wonderful stichera - the highest example of church poetry.
If you still didn’t go to church for good reasons, you can pray at home. Be sure to light candles that symbolize the warmth that envelops the faith and blessing of heaven on all people on earth.
What to bring to church
On the Nativity of Christ, there is no lighting of food or water in the church, and therefore there is no need to take anything special with you. It is important to have pure thoughts, a bright pre-holiday mood and an understanding of the importance of the holiday in the life of each individual and society as a whole.
Many take offerings with them to church - giving alms is considered the main tradition of Christmas Eve and Christmas, because on the holiday it is necessary to demonstrate all existing Christian virtues.
On the eve of Christmas, believers do not eat for the whole day - the last day of Philip's fast, which lasted a long 40 days, is considered the strictest. You can have dinner only after the first star rises in the sky, but all dishes must be lean. The main treat at Christmas is considered sochivo - grains of wheat or other cereals, to which all kinds of sweets are added (raisins, dried fruits, honey, fruit syrup, nuts, poppy seeds, etc.).
The end of Lent begins on the morning of January 7 - after the end of church hymns. Here all the prohibitions are lifted and believers break their fast with meat, sweets, dairy products and everything that was forbidden.
If you've been fasting, it's a good idea to start eating normally - don't overeat on Christmas Day, as this can be harmful to your health.
By the way, there is an interesting and important sign associated with food on the holiday - on Christmas Eve you should try a little of all the dishes, but you should not fill yourself up and eat everything cooked, as this can bring emptiness and hunger into your home for the entire next year.
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