When to visit the temple for Christmas. When to visit church for Christmas Duration of church services
Many Orthodox people are interested in when to celebrate Christmas. In fact, Christmas is celebrated from December 4 to 25, and from January 6 to 7 - so when to visit the temple and how to do it, what traditions to observe?
We will talk about this in our article.
Why is Christmas celebrated on different days?
In the main Christian Churches, the church calendar is divided: the Orthodox Church celebrates holidays and days of remembrance of saints according to the old style (Julian calendar), the Catholic Church - according to the Gregorian calendar (this is due to astronomical phenomena).
Regarding the Nativity of Christ, the Gregorian calendar is more convenient: after all, the week of holidays begins on December 24-25 with Christmas and continues with the New Year, but Orthodox Christians must celebrate the New Year modestly and calmly in order to observe fasting. However, an Orthodox person can also have fun on New Year's Eve, trying not to eat meat or any particularly tasty things (if he is visiting). Likewise, children in Orthodox families should not be deprived of the New Year holiday and the joy of Santa Claus. It’s just that many Orthodox families try to emphasize the significance of Christmas with more expensive gifts, more active joint visits to events, etc.
Let us note that Christmas is celebrated on December 25 by a number of Orthodox Local Churches, but all Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter on the same day (this holiday shifts depending on the phases of the moon). The fact is that only on Orthodox Easter does the descent of the Holy Fire take place in Jerusalem.
Nativity of Christ - the twelfth holiday
Each church holiday has a special edifying, educational meaning. Church holidays preserve the true purpose of holidays - it is a renewal of life, a reminder of special events, and not just drunken fun, unbridled fun.
Many church holidays have become truly popular, signs were associated with them, people began to bring certain seasonal fruits for consecration, that is, God’s blessing in the church, and to pray for certain things related to the holiday.
In the annual church circle there are twelve holidays, called “twelve” (in Church Slavonic duodecimal). These are days dedicated to the most important events in the earthly life of Christ and the Most Holy Theotokos, as well as the most important historical events of the Church.
The traditions of their celebration have developed over centuries, and today they are celebrated all over the world, and, due to their prevalence, even cover the lives of non-religious people. This is a church sermon, the glory of the name of Christ, which goes beyond the church fence.
In every Orthodox country, these holidays reflect traditions, national mentality and historical culture. Thus, in Russia and Greece, on various holidays, earthly fruits are brought for blessing. Elements of Slavic ritualism have been preserved, for example, in the traditions of caroling on Christmas Day in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus.
Thanks to the tolerance and love of the Orthodox Church, many good ancient traditions have survived to this day.
These days are like spiritual bright milestones of the year. Remembering this or that event, praising the Lord and the Mother of God, we rejoice in God’s love for people and again look at ourselves from the outside, trying to be worthy of this love. Believers try to confess and receive communion on the twelve feasts.
The twelfth holidays are divided by content:
- Lord's (Lord's) - eight holidays,
- Theotokos - four,
- days of remembrance of sacred events.
It is interesting that Christmas refers to the Lord's holidays, and the priests' vestments on this day are the Theotokos, that is, blue and silver. This is a tribute to honoring the Mother of Christ, because this is also Her holiday.
What is celebrated on Christmas - history
On Christmas Day the birthday of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself is celebrated. The Gospel tells that because of the population census, Joseph the Obrochnik and the Most Holy Theotokos were forced to come to Bethlehem, Joseph’s homeland. Due to a simple everyday detail - hotels for the poor were overcrowded and there was no money for expensive rooms - they were forced to take refuge in a cave along with their livestock and pets. Here the Virgin Mary gave birth to the Son of God and laid him in a manger, in straw. Simple shepherds, called by the Angels, came here to worship the Baby, and wise wise men led by the Star of Bethlehem.
It is historically testified that at the time of the Birth of the Lord Jesus Christ there was a certain new star in the sky, a celestial phenomenon - perhaps a comet. However, it lit up in the sky as a sign of the coming into earthly life of the Messiah, Christ the Savior. The Star of Bethlehem, according to the Gospel, showed the way to the Magi, who, thanks to it, came to worship the Son of God and bring their gifts to Him.
On Christmas, they ask the Lord for the gift and upbringing of children, remember the simplicity of the Birth of the Infant God, and try to do good deeds during Christmastide - the week between the Nativity of Christ and Epiphany.
Christmas Eve before Christmas
The day before Christmas, January 6, is Christmas Eve. On this day, until the “evening star”, that is, until twilight, according to the Charter of the Church, they did not eat at all; they could only drink water or tea. Nowadays it is difficult to perform such a strict fast. Try, especially if you did not fast during the Nativity Fast, to make a small sacrifice to the Lord - abstain in the morning on this day from meat and dairy products, from fish (even from at least one thing, including sweets). Interestingly, there was a historical joke when Count Suvorov did not eat anything during dinner with Catherine the Second before Christmas. When she asked why, the courtiers explained that it was impossible to reach the first star. The Empress called the servants and bestowed an order - “a star to Count Suvorov.”
In fact, in the Charter and the saying “it is impossible until the first star” does not mean the appearance of heavenly stars, but the singing in the church of the words of the troparion, a prayer in honor of the feast of the Nativity of Christ, where the word star is mentioned.
“Your Nativity, our God of Christ, shone to the world as the light of reason: in it those who served the stars (magi) learned with the star to worship You, the Sun of Truth, and to know You, Coming from the heights of the East. Lord, glory to You."
That is why on Christmas Eve it is advised to fast until the evening Christmas service, visit the temple, and then break the fast at the festive table.
This is not as difficult as it seems: after all, this is exactly how many spend December 31, forcedly fasting: the wife, busy in the kitchen, does not have time to eat, and the family, looking into the refrigerator, hears from the mother: “Don’t touch it, this is for the New Year!” But fasting on Christmas Eve on the eve of Christmas has a deep meaning, a spiritual purpose that is different from simply “creating a festive mood.”
How to get ready for Christmas?
While waiting for Christmas, you should pay more attention to meaningful preparation for the holiday, and not to dinner. Prepare, for example, for Confession and Communion with prayer and remembrance of sins. Confess the day before, because on the night of January 6-7 and even in the morning of January 7, churches are crowded. It will be difficult to confess, but to receive communion is a double holiday, double grace.
If you do not plan to receive communion, read the Gospel aloud with the whole family or tell your children about the worship of the Magi, the singing of the Angels and the joy of the shepherds looking at the Infant Christ - the King of the World, humbly lying in the manger. The writer Ivan Shmelev wrote about the traditions of preparing for Christmas and festive pre-revolutionary customs in his amazing novel “The Summer of the Lord,” written from the perspective of a child. You can also read the Christmas chapters from it yourself on Christmas Eve.
How to enter the church
Many people who don’t yet know much about the Church get used to being “goers”—coming in when it’s convenient, lighting candles, and not praying during services. However, the Lord Himself speaks about church prayer during general worship: “Where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of them.”
The original meaning of the word “Church” is a gathering of Christ’s disciples, Christians; translated as “meeting”. It is interesting that the first Christians often gathered not only in buildings; it is important that they were together even in the open air and could perform the Sacraments and pray.
Therefore, try not only to come to church on Christmas, but also to pray, and even better, to prepare and receive communion during the Liturgy. The main service in the church, the main sacrament, is the Liturgy. The most powerful prayer is any commemoration of a person during the Liturgy and, of course, communion itself. The whole Church prays for a person during the Sacrament of the Eucharist. By receiving communion, people receive great strength and grace from God.
The Church blesses us to receive communion at least once a year: preferably about once a month.
Duration of church service
Please note that not every Orthodox church holds night services from January 6 to 7. There may be options, and you can go to the temple that is more convenient for you to visit, according to the schedule for which you are ready. Be sure to check at the temple stand
It must be said that churches and cathedrals open at different times, services are held at different times depending on
- Region, location;
- Is it a church or a parish church at the monastery?
- Seasons - in small, rural churches.
Before Christmas there will definitely be a solemn Vespers service - the All-Night Vigil. The name is just a tradition; the service does not last all night, but for about 2-3 hours in different churches.
The all-night vigil begins either at 17:00 or 18:00. Sometimes - in rare cases, in a village, in a remote monastery - at 16:00. In monasteries, services for both the Liturgy and the All-Night Vigil last longer.
The next day in the morning, at approximately 9 or 10:00, the Divine Liturgy will be celebrated, during which you can partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Accordingly, you can go to both services, or just one.
However, there is another option. On the evening of January 6, the service of the saint will begin at 23:30. Then, during the night, an all-night vigil, hours and Divine Liturgy will be celebrated.
The all-night vigil begins with Compline, at which prophecies and psalms are read, and in the middle the choir sings the solemn holiday chant “God is with us.” It includes singing verses from the prophetic book of Isaiah about how the great God himself, the Father of the next age, is now present with people. This chant begins with the words “God is with us, understand the Gentiles (that is, nations) and repent (submit to the power of God), as (because) God is with us.”
Immediately after Great Compline, the festive Christmas Vespers is celebrated. It begins with a litia, a part of the service in which bread, vegetable oil (oil), wheat and wine are blessed. Then the service of festive matins is performed, at which the choir performs many solemn chants. At Matins, a passage from the Gospel is read, telling about the event of the Nativity of Christ. Matins is joined by “hours” (short services consisting of the reading of three psalms and some prayers). Thus ends the festive All-Night Vigil. It will take about one and a half hours.
You will know that the All-Night Vigil has ended because afterward the priest will exclaim, “Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” This is how the festive Liturgy will begin. It will last about another hour and a half to two hours. If you get tired, you can leave the Liturgy.
Star of Bethlehem
Initially, the eight-pointed star on the icons signifies the Nativity or Bethlehem. It is historically testified that at the time of the Birth of the Lord Jesus Christ there was a certain new star in the sky, a celestial phenomenon - perhaps a comet. However, it lit up in the sky as a sign of the coming into earthly life of the Messiah, Christ the Savior. The Star of Bethlehem, according to the Gospel, showed the way to the Magi, who, thanks to it, came to worship the Son of God and bring their gifts to Him.
The Star of Bethlehem is an elongated rhombus inscribed in a square, this is how its eight rays are formed. Such a sign was theologically meaningful on the “Savior in Power” icon, becoming a sign of the power of Christ - it is no coincidence that the star of Bethlehem became His star.
The eight-pointed star of the Virgin Mary, the octogram is an equal-pointed star. She can be seen on most images of the Mother of God. On the one hand, this is an image of the Star of Bethlehem, on the other -
Most often, the icon of the Mother of God is painted on a golden background, symbolizing the Divine Light, or on a heavenly background, symbolizing Heaven, where She is located. The dark cherry outer robe of the Virgin Mary, maforium, has an image of gold embroidery of the three stars of the Virgin Mary: above the forehead and along the shoulders. They mean that the Mother of God, before, during and after the Birth of Her Son of God, remained and remained a Virgin, shining with the virtue of chastity and others.
On the icon of the Virgin Mary “The Burning Bush” Her image with her Son is inscribed in an eight-pointed star (but this is not the “star of the Virgin Mary”). This is a fairly late iconographic type; it carries the same symbolism as the icon of the Savior in Powers.
DIY Christmas or New Year's toy
Today, the eight-pointed star is one of the most beautiful and bright symbols of Orthodoxy. She illuminates and sanctifies many icon cases, church utensils, and jewelry of pious Christian women. There is no sin in using it in home decoration for Christmas; on the contrary, it is a very pious and beautiful custom. You can make it yourself by gluing, for example, a paper icon of the Nativity of Christ in the center.
The eight-pointed star reminds us of the power of God, and of the radiance of the Kingdom of God, and of our path in life, along which we must follow the Bethlehem guiding star, like the Magi towards the Infant Christ. You need to be able to become a guiding star for people in this world with the help of good deeds.
May the Lord protect you with His grace, may the Infant Christ bless you!
On major Orthodox holidays, all Christians try to visit the church in order to take part in the solemn service. Well, since Christmas is considered one of the most significant events in the Christian world, then is held in literally all, even the smallest, churches and chapels. Thus, believers get the opportunity to visit the temple at a place and time convenient for them, especially since Christmas service schedule covers the widest time zones, starting very early and ending well after midnight.
It is an undeniable fact that the bustle of the world does not allow our contemporary to attend church with the regularity that he needs. Meanwhile, on the most important days, such as Christmas, Easter, Trinity, Annunciation and others, true Christians definitely come to church. And in this case Christmas service in church is one of the most important events that are a priority for an Orthodox person. However, Catholic Christmas service is for a believer the measure by which he orients himself and makes his plans. In fact, what we are talking about here is that regardless of religion, a person always worships God, begging him for forgiveness and mercy.
Christmas service in the temple
On Christmas Eve, many of our compatriots, who rarely have the opportunity to visit places of worship, wonder whether What time is Christmas service starts, when should you go to church and how to plan your day? After all, according to tradition, preparations for the holiday of the Nativity of Christ begin on January 6, when you need to have time to prepare 12 dishes and visit the temple. At the same time, it is important to understand that This is an event that you cannot look into for a minute, but you will have to devote quite a lot of time to it.
Festive Christmas service in the temple is a special event that the whole family attends. And since we are talking about children here, they need to be prepared for a long and solemn service in advance. On the other hand, it is important to maintain silence and submissiveness, so if the child begins to get tired, then the best option would be to quietly go outside with him. Well, if you find Christmas service text, then in this case you can continue worship at home. Of course, this is not as solemn as in church, but serving and praying to God is not necessarily a triumph; first of all, it is faith and hope.
Beginning of the Christmas service
Christmas is considered one of the biggest Christian holidays, so services on this day are held in each church according to its own schedule. That is, in each specific temple the beginning of the Christmas service determined by the abbot and adjusted with an emphasis on the canons of Christianity. In fact, this means that every believer can come to church at any time convenient for him and stay here for as long as he deems necessary.
On the other hand, since Christmas is a very bright, festive, but also busy day, Christmas service January 6 may be visited. If we take into account the fact that Christmas falls on different days of the week every year, then the duration of the service will depend on this factor. But, be that as it may, and whenever a person comes to the temple, be it January 6 or 7, or on some other date, he can always find support from our Lord Jesus Christ here, light a candle and pray in silence.
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Orthodox Christmas service from January 6 to 7 takes place in churches and temples around the world.
Christmas services begin on January 6th in the morning, ending at 1-3 am on the 7th, but from time to time already at dawn - with a Liturgy with the singing of carols...
On Christmas Eve, parishioners go to church for evening service, confess, and receive communion. The ministers in the church know approximately their own parish; the duration of the service depends on the number of people.
Therefore, the start time is determined differently - the All-Night Vigil occurs on the eve of major church holidays, the beginning in various Temples is from 17:00 to 23:00.
Great Vespers (Great Compline) begins with hymns, after which from time to time they confess almost until midnight, and then at 00:00 the night Christmas liturgy, and from time to time, on the contrary, first the whole service, then confession and communion, there are no strict rules...
The service for the Feast of the Nativity of Christ begins late in the evening on January 6th. Usually at 11 o'clock after midnight in all Orthodox churches a special festive service is held, which lasts until approximately 3 - 4 o'clock in the morning.
On the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, on the night of the event, an all-night vigil, hours and the Divine Liturgy of John Chrysostom are served. The All-Night Vigil begins not with the usual Vespers, but with Compline. Most of the liturgical texts of this service are proofread. However, at Christmas Compline there is a main solemn festive hymn. It involves singing in chorus verses from the prophetic book of Isaiah about how God himself is now present with people, who is great and mighty. The Lord is called in this hymn the Father of the future age. This chant begins with the words “God is with us, understand the pagans and repent, as God is with us.” The holiday chant itself is briefly named after the first words of Isaiah’s prophecy - “God is with us.”
noname writes: I went to church this morning and asked what time the Christmas service would start, they told me it was at twelve. Wow! I have never been to a Christmas service, and in connection with this the question is: how long does it last? 2 hours? Or more? Who was?
As I understand it, at 12 at night, not at 12 in the afternoon. You have two options: 1) from 12 at night the Christmas all-night vigil is served, consisting of Great Compline, Matins and the 1st hour, then, as usual: 3, 6 o’clock and Liturgy, 2) or the all-night vigil is served in advance, in the evening , and at 12 the hours, confession and Liturgy begin. I'm almost sure that you have option 1, although anything can happen in our kingdom. According to the 1st option, 3-4 hours minimum, according to the second - 1.5-3...
I’m telling you, we had something to do - we finished in the morning, an hour before transport, but we had to leave the entrance to the monastery and the Great Cathedral open - many without cars, and there was no way to leave. Then they stopped doing this - apparently, they decided that it wasn’t a good thing, after all, for strangers to hang around the monastery at night.
When we had a smaller parish, we always served at night and finished in the morning. And before the first transport, everyone just had time to break their fast together. But now there are a lot of people, it’s more difficult to organize a general breaking of the fast. In addition, previously those who prepared tea and sandwiches were actually unable to fully participate in the service (and these were not other people’s mercenaries, but our parishioners and church employees). Therefore, now the general holiday no longer takes place after the night service, but in the afternoon of the next day, when people have already rested and slept well.
But if someone does not have time to leave at night for some reason (for example, traveling far and with transfers), they calmly stay overnight in the temple, there is no one in the cold...
At night, festive services were held in all churches and temples in Russia. The center of these celebrations was the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. Over 5 thousand people gathered there last night. Despite the fact that entrance to the temple was free, it could not accommodate everyone.
An icon of the Nativity was installed in the center of the temple; this was a gift from Bethlehem for the 2000th anniversary of Christianity. The Christmas service was led by Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II. He served Compline, Matins and the Divine Liturgy.
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The solemn liturgy also took place in the Church of the Holy Trinity in Poikovsky.
Nikolai Savin is always on duty on Christmas Eve. Helps lead the service. For him, this holiday gives special joy.
When a child is born in the house - what feelings can there be? Anticipation of the birth of a new man, and here Christ himself appeared. Life itself has appeared for all of us, believers and non-believers. Savior of all who are waiting for salvation, - Nikolai Savin, head of the household of the Church of the Holy Trinity, shares his joy
Dozens of Poikovo residents came to the all-night vigil to pray for the birth of the savior of the world. But it is precisely on this world-saving holiday that there are always a lot of young people in the church. Moreover, they come to the temple of the urban settlement even from other cities.
On this bright holiday, it is customary to wear white clothes and give Christmas gifts. And also go caroling.
According to the Bible, Jesus Christ...
yesterday at 02:15
RIA "Voronezh
About 1.5 thousand people came to Christmas services in the churches of Pavlovsk
Festive services dedicated to the Nativity of Christ were held in the Kazan and Intercession churches of Pavlovsk on Thursday, January 7. ...In the churches, the Christmas messages of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Kirill, the head of the Voronezh Metropolis, Bishop Sergius, and the ruling bishop of the Rossoshan diocese, Bishop Andrei, were read out.
Kommersant-Online
Christmas in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior
On January 7, Orthodox Christians celebrate one of the most important Christian holidays - the Nativity of Christ. How the service took place in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior - in the Kommersant photo gallery. On January 7, Orthodox Christians celebrate one of the most important Christian holidays - the Nativity of Christ.
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Festive services...
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Orthodox holidays. Nativity.
One of my favorite Orthodox holidays is the great twelfth feast of the Church, the Nativity of Christ.
At the time when Mary was destined to give birth to a baby, a census of the population of the Roman Empire was taking place by order of Emperor Augustus. Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem, because according to the same decree of the emperor, in order to facilitate the census process, each resident had to come to “their” city. Both Mary and Joseph were from the line of David, so they had to go to Bethlehem.
After Mary and Joseph were unable to stay at the inn because all the places were occupied, they were forced to spend the night in a cave intended to shelter livestock for the night. It was in this cave (later called the Cave of the Nativity) that Mary went into labor. She gave birth to a son, whom she named...
For Orthodox Christians who celebrate Christmas according to the Julian calendar, Christmas Eve began on Wednesday. By tradition, the Orthodox Church celebrates it two weeks later than representatives of other Christian denominations.
Christmas Eve is the eve of the holidays of the Nativity of Christ and the Epiphany, respectively. On Christmas Eve, Christmastide begins - two weeks of winter holidays, continuing until Epiphany, which is celebrated by the Orthodox Church on January 19. According to tradition, on Christmas Eve it is customary to refuse food until the first star.
In Lithuania, services began on the morning of January 6, and on the night of the 6th to the 7th, an All-Night Vigil service will be held at the Prechistensky Cathedral in Vilnius.
In the morning, the service of the Eve of the Nativity of Christ began in Orthodox churches. In different temples it begins at different times.
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Nativity of Christ is the largest Orthodox holiday after Easter (Resurrection of Christ). Celebrated on the evening of January 6th (this day is called “Christmas Eve”) and on the afternoon of January 7th. (These dates correspond to December 24 and 25, old style).
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The story of the birth of Christ. During services, readings and songs mention the Birth of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world (Luke 2:1-21), which was predicted by many prophets. In particular, it is mentioned how this historical event took place: “The Roman Emperor Augustus ordered that...
On the night of January 6 to 7, according to the new style (December 25, according to the old style), the Orthodox Church celebrates with a solemn service perhaps the most joyful Christian holiday - the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ. This great holiday is dedicated to the remembrance of the coming to our earthly world of the Limitless and Beginningless Divinity - one of the Persons of the Holy Trinity - God the Son.
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31st Sunday after Pentecost. The Nativity of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ.
The vigil service of the holiday is being celebrated (according to the Menea). The Sunday Octoechos service is cancelled.
Note. “Be aware: If the Nativity of Christ or the Epiphany happens on Sunday, we will eat nothing on Sunday” (Typikon, December 24, 4th “see”).
The All-Night Vigil for the Feast of the Nativity of Christ consists of Great Compline with lithium, matins And 1st hour. According to the Charter, worship should begin “at about the 10th hour of the night,” that is, according to our reckoning, at 4 o’clock in the morning (see Typikon, December 25). Before it starts it happens the good news and then the sober ringing throughout the whole campaign.
The curtain and the royal gates are opened. The priest and the deacon make the beginning, as on all holidays with a vigil, that is, first they perform incense on the altar and the entire altar. The deacon with a candle goes to the sole and exclaims: “Bless, Master.” The priest before the throne: “Blessed is our God...” (at the same time he makes a cross with a censer). Chorus: "Amen." Reader: “Glory to Thee, our God...”, “Heavenly King,” and reads Great Compline. The priest proceeds from the altar, preceded by the deacon with a candle, and performs a full censing of the entire temple, as at the beginning of the all-night vigil. At the end of the censing, the royal doors are closed. The veil remains open.
According to tradition, the royal doors are opened for the singing of “God is with us...”, the singing of the troparion and kontakion according to the 1st and 2nd Trisagion.
According to the 1st Trisagion - the troparion of the holiday, tone 4: “Thy Nativity, O Christ our God...”.
According to the 2nd Trisagion - the kontakion of the holiday, tone 3: “Today the Virgin gives birth to the Most Essential...”.
According to “Glory to God in the Highest...” - exit to the lithium.
At the litia the stichera of the holiday, tone 1. “Glory” - the holiday, tone 5: “Volsvi, king of Persia...”, “And now” - the holiday, tone 6: “All the Angels in Heaven rejoice...”.
On the poem are the stichera of the holiday, voice 2 and voice 3 (with their own choruses). “Glory” - the holiday, voice 4: “Rejoice, Jerusalem...”, “And now” - the holiday, the same voice: “Thou hast moved into the den...”.
According to the Trisagion - troparion of the holiday, tone 4 (three times).
Calendar notes:From December 25 to January 5 – Svyatki (holy days). No fasting on Wednesday and Friday.
The All-Night Vigil consists of Great Compline, Litia, Matins and the 1st hour. At Great Compline according to the 1st Trisagion the troparion of the holiday is sung, according to the 2nd - kontakion. After reading “Glory to God in the highest...” - lithium.
At matins magnification: “We magnify You, Life-Giving Christ, for our sake now born in the flesh from the Blessed and Most Pure Virgin Mary.” After the Gospel according to the 50th Psalm - “Glory”, tone 2: “Every day joys are fulfilled, Christ was born of the Virgin”, “And now” - the same voice: “Every day joys are fulfilled, Christ was born in Bethlehem.” We don’t sing “The Most Honest,” but we sing the choruses of the holiday. 1st chorus: “Glorify, my soul, the Most Honest and Most Glorious of the Hosts of the Mountains, the Most Pure Virgin Mary.”
At the liturgy antiphons of the holiday, entrance verse: « From the womb before the star I gave birth to You, the Lord swears, and will not repent: You – Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek» . Instead of the Trisagion - “Elitsa...”. Instead of “Worthy” - “Magnify, soul... For us to love...” (before giving). Involved in “The Deliverance of the Lord to His People.”
On the weekdays of the after-feast at the liturgy at the entrance: “Come, let us worship... Save us, Son of God, born of the Virgin...”.
Order of readings, according to the calendar: Morning – Matthew, 2 parts, I, 18–25. Lit. – Gal., 209 credits, IV, 4–7.
At matins on “God is the Lord” – troparion of the holiday, tone 4 (twice). “Glory, even now” is the same troparion.
Kathismas 2nd and 3rd. Small litanies. Sedals of the holiday (twice).
Polyeleos. The magnification of the holiday: “We magnify You, Life-Giving Christ, for our sake, now born in the flesh of the Blessed and Most Pure Virgin Mary,” and the chosen psalm. Sedalen of the Feast of Polyeleos, Tone 4. “Glory, even now” – the same sedal. Degrees - 1st antiphon of the 4th tone. Prokeimenon, tone 4: “From the womb before the day of birth I gave birth to Thee, the Lord swears and will not repent”; verse: “The Lord speaks to my Lord: Sit at my right hand, until I will make your enemies your footstool.” The Gospel is a holiday. (“Having seen the Resurrection of Christ...” is not sung.) According to Psalm 50: “Glory” - “Every day joys are fulfilled: Christ was born of the Virgin”, “And now” - “Every day joys are fulfilled: Christ was born in Bethlehem.” Stichera of the holiday, tone 6: “Glory to God in the Highest...”.
Canons: two holidays, for 16 (irmos of the 1st canon: “Christ is born...”, twice, troparia for 6, and irmos of the 2nd canon: “Saved people...”, twice, troparia for 6).
Bible songs “We sing to the Lord...”.
Katavasia – irmos of both canons (for each song).
According to the 3rd song - ipakoi of the holiday, tone 8 (once).
According to the 6th song - kontakion and ikos of the holiday, tone 3.
For the 9th song, we don’t sing “The Most Honest,” but we sing the choruses of the holiday. (The usual incense is performed.)
The 1st lyric sings the chorus of the 1st canon: “Glorify, my soul, the Most Honest and Most Glorious of the Hosts on High, the Most Pure Virgin, Mother of God,” and the irmos of the 1st canon: “I see a strange sacrament...”.
2nd face – the same.
1st lyric chorus: “Glorify, my soul, from the Virgin...”, troparion: “A fair amount of flow is visible...”.
2nd face chorus: “Magnify, my soul, in the den...”, troparion: “A fair amount of flow is seen...”.
1st lyric chorus: “Glorify, my soul, from the sorcerers...”, troparion: “The newborn, by the sorcerer...”.
2nd verse chorus: “Glorify, my soul, from the star...”, troparion: “The newborn, the sorcerer...”.
1st lyric chorus: “Glorify, my soul, the Pure Virgin...”, troparion: “Herod experienced the time of the star...”.
2nd verse chorus: “Volsvi and the shepherd came...”, troparion: “Herod experienced the time of the star...”.
The 1st lyric sings the chorus of the 2nd canon: “Today the Virgin gives birth to the Lord...”, and the irmos of the 2nd canon: “Let us therefore love...”.
2nd lyric chorus: “Today the Lord is born...”, and the same irmos.
1st lyric chorus: “Today the shepherds see the Savior...”, troparion: “The images are dark and canopy...”.
2nd face chorus: “Today the Lord is swaddled in rubble...”, troparion: “Images are dim and canopy...”.
1st lyric chorus: “Today every creature rejoices...”, troparion: “Images are dim and canopy...”.
2nd lyric chorus: “Heavenly Powers of the born Savior...”, troparion: “Receiving the desire of God’s coming...”.
1st lyric chorus (instead of “Glory”): “Glorify, my soul, the Trihypostasis...”, troparion: “Having received the desire of God’s coming...”.
2nd verse chorus (instead of “And now”): “Glorify, my soul, the One who delivers...”, troparion: “The desire that you have received and God’s coming...”.
Then both faces together sing the chorus of the 1st canon: “Glorify, my soul, the Most Honest...”, and the irmos of the 1st canon: “I see a strange sacrament...”, then both faces sing the chorus of the 2nd canon: “Today the Virgin gives birth to the Lord... ”, and the irmos of the 2nd canon: “For us to love...”.
According to the 9th song, “It is worthy to eat” is not sung. (“Holy is the Lord our God” not proclaimed.) The luminary of the holiday: “He has visited us from above...”. “Glory” is the same luminary, “And now” is the same luminary.
“Every breath…” and psalms of praise.
On the praises are the stichera of the holiday, tone 4 - 4. “Glory” - the holiday, tone 6: “When the time was upon the earth...”, “And now” - the holiday, tone 2: “Today Christ is in Bethlehem... "
Great doxology. According to the Trisagion - troparion of the holiday, tone 4 (once).
Let go: “Who was born in the den and reclined in the manger, for our salvation, Christ, 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.” (Before the giving away on the days of the week, the Great Dismissal begins with the words: “He who was born in a den and reclined in a manger...”)
On the clock there is the troparion and kontakion of the holiday.
Liturgy St. Basil the Great.
Note. “On this day there is a Liturgy for wounds, labor for the sake of vigil” (Typikon, December 25).
Antiphons of the holiday.
Entrance verse for the holiday: “From the womb before the star I gave birth to You, the Lord swears and will not repent: You are a Priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.”
Note. Before reciting the entrance verse, one should say “Wisdom, forgive” (see note January 6).
At the entrance - the troparion of the holiday, tone 4, “Glory, and now” - kontakion of the holiday, tone 3.
Instead of the Trisagion - “Those who were baptized into Christ...”.
Prokeimenon, Apostle, Alleluia, Gospel and Communion - the holiday.
Zadostoynik - chorus: “Glorify, my soul...” and irmos: “For us to love...” (and before the celebration of the Nativity of Christ).
Dismissal at the end of the Liturgy - as at Matins.
According to tradition, after the dismissal of the Liturgy, in the middle of the church, in front of the icon of the holiday, the clergy who emerged from the altar sing the troparion of the holiday, “Glory, and now” - the kontakion of the holiday and, according to custom, magnification.
Note. From the Nativity of Christ until the Epiphany, fasting is canceled and there is no kneeling - neither in the church nor in the cells (see Typikon, December 25, 4th “see”).
In the evening on the day of the Nativity of Christ, after the 9th hour, Great Vespers is served.
There is an opinion that the articles of the Typikon for December 25 have a Russian edition, so the calculation of time is presented according to modern reckoning. See: The Nativity of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ. St. Petersburg, 1993. P. 44.
There is a tradition according to which, when the Twelfth Feast of the Lord coincides with Sunday, the Gospel, by analogy with the divine service of Vaiy Week, relies on a lectern for kissing along with the icon of the holiday (cf.: Typikon, Chapter 49, “On Saturday Vaiy Evening”). “If the Nativity of Christ happens on Sunday, nothing will be sung on Sunday, but everything will be celebrated... Neither the Gospel will be read on Sunday, nor Resurrection of Christ not a verb, but rather a kiss to the Gospel...” (Ustav. M., 1641. L. 359 vol.).
According to tradition, the 1st chorus is sung by a priest or deacon.
In accordance with the decree of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill No. U-01/209 of December 31, 2014, “taking into account the special missionary significance of the festive divine service, on the day of the Nativity of Christ in all churches of the Russian Orthodox Church it is blessed to annually celebrate the Divine Liturgy with the royal doors open across Our Father...».