Divine services are an integral part of church life. Orthodox churches are erected for their sake.

The services that take place in the Church are not just a religious act and ritual, but spiritual life itself: especially the Sacrament of the Liturgy. The services are varied, but despite all the diversity they are subject to a fairly clear system.

What services are held in the Church? We tell you the most important things you need to know.

Divine service in the Church of the Three Saints in Paris. Photo: patriarchia.ru

Services in the Church

The liturgical life of the Church consists of three cycles:

• Year circle: where the central holiday is Easter.
• Weekly circle: where the main day is Sunday
• And the daily cycle: in which the central service is the Liturgy.

Actually, the most important thing you need to know about the services is that with all their diversity, the main thing is the Liturgy. It is for her sake that the entire daily cycle exists, and all the services that take place in the temple are “preparatory” for it. (“Preparatory” does not mean secondary, but means that they prepare a Christian for the main thing that can be in his spiritual life - Communion.)

Externally, the services differ from each other in a more or less solemn appearance. For example, the entire priestly rank that is in the temple or monastery, as well as the choir, takes part in the Liturgy. And in the service of the “hours” (essentially, the reading of prayers and certain psalms) there is only a reader and a priest, who at this moment is hidden in the altar.

What services are held in the Church?

The daily cycle of services in the Orthodox Church consists of nine services. Now they are conventionally divided into evening and morning (they take place in churches in the morning or evening, uniting as if into a single evening or morning service), but initially, once upon a time, they were evenly distributed throughout the whole day and night.

At the same time, according to Church tradition, the beginning of the day is considered to be 6 o’clock in the evening. That is why those who are preparing for Communion need to attend the evening services the day before - so that the entire church day will be illuminated by the upcoming Sacrament.

The sacrament of the Liturgy and communion are the center of the entire liturgical circle in the Church. Photo: patriarchia.ru

Today, the liturgical cycle has acquired the following form. (In its full form, it takes place, as a rule, only in monastery churches.)

Evening services:

• 9th hour
• Vespers
• Compline
• Matins
  • (on the eve of Great Holidays or on Saturday evening, evening services are combined into the All-Night Vigil)
• 1st hour

Morning services:

• Midnight Office
• 3rd and 6th hours
• Liturgy

In “parish” churches the circle is usually reduced to the following services:

In the evening: Vespers, Matins
In the morning: Hours and Divine Liturgy

Ideally, Liturgy in any church should take place every day - since worship is not a ritual, but the Breath of the temple. However, in parishes where there is only one priest or not many parishioners, services are held less frequently. At a minimum: on Sundays and...

What are the requirements in the Church?

Requirements are an integral part of church life. These are services that do not have a clear schedule and are served according to need. In particular:

• Prayer service. Congregational prayers on a variety of occasions at various times (and not only in church). For example, a prayer before an important event, or for warriors, or for peace, or for rain in case of a ruthless drought. In some churches, prayer services are held regularly on certain days.
• Baptism.
• Funeral service for the deceased.
• Memorial service: prayer for the ever departed.

Read this and other posts in our group at

Schedule of public services in churches.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Communion and end of the Liturgy

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

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

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

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

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

What time does Saturday church service begin and end?

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

What does it mean?

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

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

What time does church service start and end on Sunday?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Christmas service at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior

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

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

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

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

You can read about the folk traditions of celebrating Christmas.

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

Services on Epiphany Eve are very similar to Christmas services.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Congratulations on the Annunciation

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Beautiful Easter greetings can be found.

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

The meaning of the holiday Radonitsa

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

Radonitsa is celebrated on the ninth day after Easter Sunday.

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

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

More information about Radonitsa.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tips on how to talk to children about the Trinity.

Goda will help you not to miss significant services.

Video: How to behave in the Temple?

What time does the evening service start in church?

Evening service - explanation

All-night vigil, or all-night vigil, is called such a service that is performed in the evening on the eve of especially revered holidays. It consists of combining Vespers with Matins and the first hour, and both Vespers and Matins are celebrated more solemnly and with greater illumination of the temple than on other days.

This service is called all-night vigil because in ancient times it began late in the evening and continued all night long before dawn.

Then, out of condescension for the infirmities of the believers, they began to begin this service a little earlier and make cuts in reading and singing, and therefore it now ends not so late. The former name of its all-night vigil has been preserved.

Below the cut is an explanation of the course of Vespers, Matins, and the first hour.

Vespers

Vespers in its composition recalls and depicts the times of the Old Testament: the creation of the world, the fall of the first people, their expulsion from paradise, their repentance and prayer for salvation, then, people’s hope, according to God’s promise, in the Savior and, finally, the fulfillment of this promise.

Vespers, during the all-night vigil, begins with the opening of the royal doors. The priest and deacon silently incense the altar and the entire altar, and clouds of incense smoke fill the depths of the altar. This silent censing marks the beginning of the creation of the world. "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth". The earth was formless and empty. And the Spirit of God hovered over the primeval matter of the earth, breathing life-giving power into it. But the creative word of God had not yet been heard.

But now, the priest, standing before the throne, with the first exclamation glorifies the Creator and Creator of the world - the Most Holy Trinity: “Glory to the Holy and Consubstantial, and Life-giving, and indivisible Trinity, always, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.” Then he calls on the believers three times: “Come, let us worship our King God. Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ, our King God. Come, let us bow and fall down to Christ Himself, the King and our God. Come, let us worship and fall down before Him.” For “all things came into being through Him (that is, to exist, to live), and without Him nothing came into being that was made” (John 1:3).

In response to this call, the choir solemnly sings the 103rd Psalm about the creation of the world, glorifying the wisdom of God: “Bless my soul the Lord! Blessed are you, Lord! Lord, my God, you have been magnified in evil (i.e., greatly) ... you have created all things with wisdom. Wonderful are Your works, O Lord! Glory to You, Lord, who created everything!

During this singing, the priest leaves the altar, walks among the people and censes the entire church and those praying, and the deacon precedes him with a candle in his hand.

This sacred rite reminds those praying not only of the creation of the world, but also of the initial, blissful, paradise life of the first people, when God Himself walked among people in paradise. The open royal doors signify that the doors of heaven were then open to all people.

But people, seduced by the devil, violated the will of God and sinned. to his the fall from grace people lost their blissful heavenly life. They were expelled from paradise - and the doors of heaven were closed to them. As a sign of this, after censing is performed in the temple and at the end of the singing of the psalm, the royal doors are closed.

The deacon leaves the altar and stands in front of the closed royal doors, like Adam once before the closed gates of heaven, and proclaims great litany:

Let us pray to the Lord in peace
Let us pray to the Lord for heavenly peace and the salvation of our souls... Let us pray to the Lord, making peace with all our neighbors, not having anger or enmity towards anyone.
Let us pray that the Lord will send us “from above” - heavenly peace and save our souls...

After the great litany and the exclamation of the priest, selected verses from the first three psalms are sung:

Blessed is the man who does not follow the counsel of the wicked.
For the Lord knows the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked will perish... Blessed is the man who does not take counsel with the wicked.
For the Lord knows the life of the righteous, and the life of the wicked will perish...

Then the deacon exclaims small litany: « Packs and packs(more and more) Let us pray to the Lord in peace...

After the small litany, the choir cries out in verses from psalms:

Lord, I called to You, hear me...
May my prayer be corrected like incense before You...
Hear me Lord... God! I appeal to You: hear me...
Let my prayer be directed like incense towards You...
Hear me, Lord!..

While singing these verses, the deacon censes the church.

This moment of worship, starting from the closing of the royal doors, in the petitions of the great litany and in the singing of psalms, depicts the plight that the human race was subjected to after the fall of the first parents, when along with sinfulness all kinds of needs, illnesses and suffering appeared. We cry to God: “Lord, have mercy!” We ask for peace and salvation of our souls. We lament that we listened to the wicked advice of the devil. We ask God for forgiveness of sins and deliverance from troubles, and we place all our hope in the mercy of God. The deacon's censing at this time signifies those sacrifices that were offered in the Old Testament, as well as our prayers offered to God.

They join in singing the Old Testament verses: “The Lord cried:” stichera, i.e. New Testament hymns, in honor of the holiday.

The last stichera is called theotokos or dogmatist, since this stichera is sung in honor of the Mother of God and it sets out the dogma (the main teaching of the faith) about the incarnation of the Son of God from the Virgin Mary. On the twelfth holidays, instead of the Mother of God dogmatics, a special stichera is sung in honor of the holiday.

When singing the Mother of God (dogmatics), the royal doors open and evening entrance: a candle bearer comes out of the altar through the northern doors, followed by a deacon with a censer, and then a priest. The priest stands on the pulpit facing the royal doors, blesses the entrance in a cross shape, and, after the deacon pronounces the words: “wisdom forgive me!”(means: listen to the wisdom of the Lord, stand straight, stay awake), he enters, together with the deacon, through the royal doors into the altar and stands in the high place.

At this time, the choir sings a song to the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ: “Quiet light, holy glory of the Immortal Father, Heavenly, Holy, Blessed, Jesus Christ! Having come to the west of the sun, having seen the evening light, we sing of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, God. You are worthy at all times to be a holy voice. Son of God, give life, so the world glorifies You. (The quiet light of the holy glory, the Immortal Father in heaven, Jesus Christ! Having reached the sunset of the sun, having seen the evening light, we glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit of God. You, the Son of God, the giver of life, are worthy to be sung at all times by the voices of the saints. Therefore the world glorifies You).

In this song-hymn, the Son of God is called a quiet light from the Heavenly Father, for He came to earth not in full Divine glory, but as a quiet light of this glory. This hymn says that only through the voices of the saints (and not our sinful lips) can a song worthy of Him be offered to Him and due glorification be performed.

The evening entrance reminds believers of how the Old Testament righteous, according to the promises of God, types and prophecies, expected the coming of the Savior of the world and how He appeared in the world for the salvation of the human race.

The censer with incense at the evening entrance means that our prayers, at the intercession of the Lord Savior, ascend like incense to God, and also signifies the presence of the Holy Spirit in the temple.

The cruciform blessing of the entrance means that through the cross of the Lord the doors of heaven are again opened to us.

After the song: “Quiet light...” is sung prokeimenon, i.e. a short verse from the Holy Scriptures. At Sunday Vespers it is sung: “The Lord reigns, clothed in beauty”, and on other days other verses are sung.

At the end of the singing of the prokeimna, on major holidays they read proverbs. Proverbs are selected passages of Holy Scripture that contain prophecies or indicate prototypes related to celebrated events, or teach instructions that seem to come from the person of those holy saints whose memory we commemorate.

After the prokemna and paremia, the deacon pronounces strictly(i.e. enhanced litany: “Let’s say, let’s say, let’s talk, start praying) with all our hearts and with all our thoughts, with all our hearts...”

Then the prayer is read: “Grant, Lord, that this evening we may be preserved without sin...”

After this prayer, the deacon pronounces a petitionary litany: “Let us fulfill (let us bring to completeness, offer in its entirety) our evening prayer to the Lord (Lord)…”

On major holidays, after a special and petitionary litany, lithium And blessing of the loaves.

Lithium, a Greek word, means general prayer. Litiya is performed in the western part of the temple, near the western entrance doors. This prayer in the ancient church was performed in the narthex, with the purpose of giving the catechumens and penitents standing here the opportunity to take part in the general prayer on the occasion of the great holiday.

Following lithium happens blessing and consecration of the five loaves, wheat, wine and oil, also in memory of the ancient custom of distributing food to worshipers, who sometimes came from afar, so that they could refresh themselves during a long service. The five loaves are blessed in remembrance of the Savior's feeding of the five thousand with five loaves. Sanctified oil(with olive oil) the priest then, during Matins, after kissing the festive icon, anoints the worshipers.

After the litia, and if it is not performed, then after the litany of petition, “stichera on verse” are sung. This is the name given to special poems written in memory of a remembered event.

Vespers ends with the reading of the prayer of St. Simeon the God-Receiver: “Now dost thou let thy servant go, O Master, according to thy word in peace: for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all men, a light for the revelation of tongues, and the glory of thy people Israel,” then by reading the trisagion and the Lord’s Prayer : “Our Father...”, singing the Angelic greeting to the Theotokos: “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice...” or the troparion of the holiday and, finally, singing the prayer of righteous Job three times: “Blessed be the name of the Lord from now on and forever,” with the final blessing of the priest: “Blessing The Lord is upon you with His grace and love for mankind - always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.”

End of Vespers - prayer of St. Simeon the God-Receiver and the Angelic greeting to the Theotokos (Theotokos, Virgin, Rejoice) - indicate the fulfillment of God's promise about the Savior.

Immediately after the end of Vespers, at the All-Night Vigil, the Matins by reading six psalms.

Matins

The second part of the all-night vigil - Matins reminds us of New Testament times: the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ into the world for our salvation, and His glorious Resurrection.

The beginning of Matins directly points us to the Nativity of Christ. It begins with a doxology of the angels who appeared to the Bethlehem shepherds: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

Then it reads six psalms, that is, six selected psalms of King David (3, 37, 62, 87, 102 and 142), which depict the sinful state of people, full of troubles and misfortunes, and fervently express the only hope people expect for God’s mercy. Worshipers listen to the Six Psalms with special concentrated reverence.

After the Six Psalms, the deacon says great litany.

Then a short song with verses is sung loudly and joyfully about the appearance of Jesus Christ in the world to people: “God is the Lord and has appeared to us, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” i.e. God is Lord, and has appeared to us, and is worthy of glorification, going to the glory of the Lord.

After this it is sung troparion, i.e. a song in honor of a holiday or celebrated saint, and are read kathismas, i.e. separate parts of the Psalter, consisting of several consecutive psalms. The reading of kathismas, as well as the reading of the Six Psalms, calls us to think about our disastrous sinful state and place all hope in the mercy and help of God. Kathisma means sitting, since one can sit while reading kathisma.

At the end of the kathismas, the deacon says small litany, and then it is done polyeleos. Polyeleos is a Greek word that means “much mercy” or “much illumination.”

The polyeleos is the most solemn part of the all-night vigil and expresses the glorification of God’s mercy shown to us in the coming of the Son of God to earth and His accomplishment of the work of our salvation from the power of the devil and death.

Polyeleos begins with the solemn singing of verses of praise:

Praise the name of the Lord, praise the servants of the Lord. Hallelujah!

Blessed be the Lord of Zion, who dwelleth in Jerusalem. Hallelujah!

Confess to the Lord that He is good, for His mercy endures forever. Hallelujah!

that is, glorify the Lord, because He is good, because His mercy (towards people) endures forever.

When these verses are chanted, all the lamps in the temple are lit, the royal doors are opened, and the priest, preceded by a deacon with a candle, leaves the altar and burns incense throughout the entire temple, as a sign of reverence for God and His saints.

After singing these verses, special Sunday troparia are sung on Sundays; that is, joyful songs in honor of the Resurrection of Christ, which tell how angels appeared to the myrrh-bearers who came to the tomb of the Savior and announced to them about the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

On other great holidays, instead of Sunday troparions, it is sung before the icon of the holiday grandeur, i.e. a short verse of praise in honor of a holiday or saint. (We magnify you, Father Nicholas, and honor your holy memory, for you pray for us, Christ our God)

After the Sunday troparions, or after the magnification, the deacon recites the small litany, then the prokeimenon, and the priest reads the Gospel.

At the Sunday service, the Gospel is read about the Resurrection of Christ and about the appearances of the risen Christ to His disciples, and on other holidays the Gospel is read, relating to the celebrated event or to the glorification of the saint.

After reading the Gospel, in the Sunday service a solemn song is sung in honor of the risen Lord: “ Having seen the Resurrection of Christ, let us worship the Holy Lord Jesus, the only sinless one. We worship Your Cross, O Christ, and we sing and glorify Your holy resurrection: for You are our God; isn't it(except) We don’t know anything else for You, we call Your name. Come, all the faithful, let us worship the Holy Resurrection of Christ. Xie(Here) for joy has come to the whole world through the cross, always blessing the Lord, we sing His resurrection: having endured crucifixion, destroy death by death«

The Gospel is brought to the middle of the temple, and the believers venerate it. On other holidays, believers venerate the holiday icon. The priest anoints them with blessed oil and distributes consecrated bread.

After singing: “The Resurrection of Christ: a few more short prayers are sung. Then the deacon reads the prayer: “Save, O God, Thy people”... and after the priest’s exclamation: “By grace and bounty”... the canon begins to be sung.

Canon At Matins, a meeting of songs composed according to a certain rule is called. “Canon” is a Greek word that means “rule.”

The canon is divided into nine parts (songs). The first verse of each song that is sung is called irmos, which means connection. These irmos seem to bind the entire composition of the canon into one whole. The remaining verses of each part (song) are mostly read and called troparia. The second hymn of the canon, as a penitential hymn, is performed only in Lent.

Particular efforts were made in composing these songs: St. John of Damascus, Cosmas of Mayum, Andrew of Crete (the great canon of repentance) and many others. At the same time, they were invariably guided by certain chants and prayers of sacred persons, namely: the prophet Moses (for 1 and 2 irmos), the prophetess Anna, the mother of Samuel (for the 3rd irmos), the prophet Habakkuk (for 4 irmos), the prophet Isaiah (for 5 Irmos), the prophet Jonah (for the 6th Irmos), the three youths (for the 7th and 8th Irmos) and the priest Zechariah, father of John the Baptist (for the 9th Irmos).

Before the ninth Irmos, the deacon exclaims: “Let us exalt the Mother of God and the Mother of Light in song!” and burns incense at the temple.

At this time, the choir sings the song of the Theotokos: “My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior... Each verse is joined by a refrain: “The most honorable cherub and the most glorious without comparison seraphim, who without corruption gave birth to God the Word, the real Mother of God, we magnify Thee.”

At the end of the song of the Mother of God, the choir continues singing the canon (9th song).

The following can be said about the general content of the canon. Irmoses remind believers of Old Testament times and events from the history of our salvation and gradually bring our thoughts closer to the event of the Nativity of Christ. The troparia of the canon are dedicated to New Testament events and represent a series of poems or chants in honor of the Lord and the Mother of God, as well as in honor of the event being celebrated, or the saint glorified on this day.

After the canon, psalms of praise are sung - stichera on praisetech- in which all God’s creatures are called to glorify the Lord: “Let every breath praise the Lord...”

After the singing of psalms of praise there follows a great doxology. The royal doors open when the last stichera is sung (on the Resurrection of the Theotokos) and the priest proclaims: “Glory to Thee, who showed us the light!” (In ancient times, this exclamation preceded the appearance of the solar dawn).

The choir sings a great doxology, which begins with the words: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. We praise Thee, we bless Thee, we bow down, we praise Thee, we thank Thee, great for the sake of Thy glory...”

In the “great doxology” we thank God for the light of day and for the gift of spiritual Light, that is, Christ the Savior, who enlightened people with His teaching - the light of truth.

The “Great Doxology” ends with the singing of the Trisagion: “Holy God...” and the troparion of the holiday.

After this, the deacon recites two litanies in a row: strictly And pleading.

Matins at the All-Night Vigil ends release- the priest, turning to those praying, says: “Christ our true God (and in Sunday service: Risen from the dead, Christ our true God...), through the prayers of His Most Pure Mother, the glorious Apostle saints... and all the saints, will have mercy and save us, for good and a lover of humanity."

In conclusion, the choir sings a prayer that the Lord will preserve for many years the Orthodox Bishopric, the ruling bishop and all Orthodox Christians.

Immediately after this, the last part of the all-night vigil begins - first hour.

The service of the first hour consists of reading psalms and prayers, in which we ask God to “hear our voice in the morning” and correct the works of our hands throughout the day. The service of the 1st hour ends with a victorious song in honor of the Mother of God: “ To the chosen victorious Voivode, for having been delivered from the evil ones, let us sing thanksgiving to Thy servants, the Mother of God. But as you have an invincible power, free us from all troubles, let us call You: Rejoice, unbrided Bride." In this song we call the Mother of God “the victorious leader against evil.” Then the priest pronounces the dismissal of the 1st hour. This ends the all-night vigil.

"The Law of God", Rev. Seraphim Slobodsky.

Church services or, in popular words, church services are the main events for which churches are intended. According to Orthodox tradition, daytime, morning and evening rituals are performed there daily. And each of these services consists of 3 types of services, which are collectively combined into a daily circle:

• vespers - from Vespers, Compline and the ninth hour;
• morning - from Matins, the first hour and midnight;
• daytime - from the Divine Liturgy and the third and sixth hours.

Thus, the daily circle includes nine services.

Service Features

In Orthodox services, much is borrowed from Old Testament times. For example, the beginning of a new day is considered to be not midnight, but 6 pm, which is the reason for holding vespers - the first service of the daily circle. It recalls the main events of the Sacred History of the Old Testament; we are talking about the creation of the world, the fall of our first parents, the ministry of the prophets and the Mosaic legislation, and Christians give thanks to the Lord for a new day lived.

After this, according to the Church Charter, it is necessary to serve Compline - public prayers for the coming sleep, which speak of the descent of Christ into hell and the liberation of the righteous from it.

At midnight, the 3rd service is supposed to be performed - the midnight service. This service is held with the purpose of reminding of the Last Judgment and the Second Coming of the Savior.

The morning service in the Orthodox Church (Matins) is one of the longest services. It is dedicated to the events and circumstances of the Savior’s earthly life and consists of many prayers of repentance and gratitude.

The first hour is performed around 7 o'clock in the morning. This is a short service about Jesus' presence at the trial of the high priest Caiaphas.

The third hour takes place at 9 am. At this time, the events that took place in the Upper Room of Zion are remembered, when the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles, and in Pilate’s praetorium the Savior received a death sentence.

The sixth hour is held at noon. This service is about the time of the Lord's crucifixion. The ninth hour should not be confused with it - the service of His death on the cross, which takes place at three o'clock in the afternoon.

The main divine service and the peculiar center of this daily circle is considered to be the Divine Liturgy or mass, the distinctive feature of which from other services is the opportunity, in addition to memories of God and the earthly life of our Savior, to unite with Him in reality, participating in the sacrament of Communion. The time of this liturgy is from 6 to 9 o’clock until noon before lunch, which is why it was given its second name.

Changes in the conduct of services

Modern practice of worship has brought some changes to the instructions of the Charter. And today Compline is held only during Lent, and Midnight - once a year, on the eve of Easter. Even less frequently, the ninth hour passes, and the remaining 6 services of the daily circle are combined into 2 groups of 3 services.

The evening service in the church takes place in a special sequence: Christians serve Vespers, Matins and the first hour. Before holidays and Sundays, these services are combined into one, which is called the all-night vigil, that is, it involves long night prayers until dawn, carried out in ancient times. This service lasts 2-4 hours in parishes and from 3 to 6 hours in monasteries.

Morning worship in the church differs from past times with successive services of the third, sixth hours and mass.

It is also important to note the holding of early and late liturgies in churches where there is a larger congregation of Christians. Such services are usually performed on holidays and on Sundays. Both liturgies are preceded by the reading of the hours.

There are days when there is no morning church service or liturgy. For example, on Friday of Holy Week. In the morning of this day, a short sequence of visual arts is performed. This service consists of several chants and seems to depict the liturgy; However, this service has not received the status of independent service.

Divine services also include various sacraments, rituals, reading akathists in churches, community readings of evening and morning prayers and rules for Holy Communion.

In addition, services are held in churches according to the needs of parishioners - demands. For example: Wedding, Baptism, funeral services, prayer services and others.

In each church, cathedral or temple, service hours are set differently, therefore, to obtain information about the conduct of any service, clergymen recommend finding out the schedule compiled by a specific religious institution.

And to those who doesn't know him, you can adhere to the following time periods:

• from 6 to 8 and from 9 to 11 am - early and late morning services;
• from 16 to 18 hours - evening and all-night services;
• During the day there is a festive service, but it is better to check the time of its holding.

All services are usually performed in a church and only by clergy, and believing parishioners participate in them by singing and praying.

Christian holidays

Christian holidays are divided into two types: transferable and non-transitionable; They are also called the twelve holidays. To avoid missing services regarding them, it is important to know the dates.

Not transferable

Rolling for 2018

1. April 1 - Palm Sunday.
2. April 8 - Easter.
3. May 17 - Ascension of the Lord.
4. May 27 - Pentecost or Holy Trinity.

The duration of church services on holidays differs from each other. This mainly depends on the holiday itself, the performance of the service, the duration of the sermon and the number of communicants and confessors.

If for some reason you are late or do not come to the service, no one will judge you, because it is not so important what time it will start and how long it will last, it is much more important that your arrival and participation are sincere.

Preparation for Sunday ritual

If you decide to come to church on Sunday, you should prepare for this. The morning service on Sunday is the strongest, it is held for the purpose of communion. It happens like this: the priest gives you the body of Christ and his blood in a piece of bread and a sip of wine. Prepare for this The event needs at least 2 days in advance.

1. You should fast on Friday and Saturday: remove fatty foods and alcohol from your diet, exclude marital intimacy, do not swear, do not offend anyone and do not be offended yourself.
2. The day before communion, read 3 canons, namely: the repentant prayer to Jesus Christ, the prayer service to the Most Holy Theotokos and the Guardian Angel, as well as the 35th Follow-up to Holy Communion. This will take about an hour.
3. Read a prayer for the coming sleep.
4. Do not eat, do not smoke, do not drink after midnight.

How to behave during communion

In order not to miss the start of the church service on Sunday, you need to come to the church early, around 7.30. Until this time, you should not eat or smoke. There is a specific procedure for visiting.

After communion, under no circumstances rush to get what you want. e, that is, get high and so on, don’t desecrate the sacrament. It is recommended to know moderation in everything and read grace-filled prayers for several days so as not to desecrate this service.

The need to visit the temple

Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, who came to earth for our sake, founded the Church, where everything necessary for eternal life is present to this day and invisibly. Where “the invisible Heavenly Powers serve for us,” they say in Orthodox chants, “Where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am among them,” is written in the Gospel (chapter 18, verse 20, Gospel of Matthew), - this is what the Lord said to the apostles and everyone who believes in Him, therefore invisible presence of Christ During services in the temple, people lose if they do not come there.

An even greater sin is committed by parents who do not care about their children serving the Lord. Let us remember the words of our Savior from Scripture: “Let your children go and do not hinder them from coming to Me, for for them is the Kingdom of Heaven.” The Lord also tells us: “Man shall not live by bread, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (chapter 4, verse 4 and chapter 19, verse 14, the same Gospel of Matthew).

Spiritual food is also necessary for the human soul, just like bodily food to maintain strength. And where will a person hear God’s word, if not in the temple? After all, there, among those who believe in him, the Lord himself dwells. After all, it is there that the teachings of the apostles and prophets are preached, who spoke and predicted by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, there is the teaching of Christ Himself, who is the true Life, Wisdom, Way and Light, which enlightens every parishioner coming into the world. The temple is heaven on our earth.

The services that take place there, according to the Lord, are the works of angels. By undergoing teaching in a church, temple or cathedral, Christians receive God's blessing, which contributes to success in good deeds and endeavors.

“You will hear the church bell ringing, calling for prayer, and your conscience will tell you that you need to go to the house of the Lord. Go and, if you can, put all your affairs aside and hurry to God’s Church,” advises Theophan the Recluse, a saint of Orthodoxy, “Know that your Guardian Angel is calling you under the roof of the House of the Lord; it is he, your celestial being, who reminds you of earthly Heaven so that you can sanctify your soul there by your grace of Christ and delight your heart with heavenly consolation; and - who knows what will happen? “Perhaps he is also calling you there in order to ward off temptation from you, which cannot be avoided in any way, because if you stay at home, there will be no shelter for you under the canopy of the Lord’s house from the great danger...”

A Christian in church learns the Heavenly wisdom that the Son of God brings to earth. He learns the details of the life of his Savior, and becomes acquainted with the teachings and lives of the saints of God, and takes part in church prayer. And congregational prayer is great power! And there are examples of this in history. When the apostles were awaiting the coming of the Holy Spirit, they were in unanimous prayer. Therefore, in the church, in the depths of our souls, we expect that the Holy Spirit will come to us. This happens, but only if we do not create obstacles for this. For example, insufficient openness of heart can prevent parishioners from uniting believers when reading prayers.

In our time, unfortunately, this happens quite often, since believers behave incorrectly, including in church, and the reason for this is ignorance of the truth of the Lord. The Lord knows our thoughts and feelings. He will not leave those who sincerely believe in him, as well as a person in need of communion and repentance, so the doors of God’s house are always open to parishioners.

The following daily services - Vespers and Matins - are performed on weekdays, that is, from Monday to Saturday during the so-called period of singing the Octoechos. This period does not include the time from the beginning of Lent to the Sunday of All Saints, as well as the pre- and post-celebrations of the Twelve Feasts, when Vespers and Matins differ to a greater or lesser extent from the daily ones. During the period of the singing of the Octoechos, daily worship is not performed if the saint in the Menaion has some kind of holiday sign and the service is carried out in a festive manner.

Everyday (weekday) Vespers

The daily liturgical cycle begins with Vespers. Divine service - Vespers (and, according to modern practice, Matins with the 1st hour) in honor of some holiday or saint takes place on the evening before the holiday. The nature and content of the hymns and prayers of Vespers are beautifully conveyed by Metropolitan Veniamin (Fedchenkov): “There is almost no element of praise there. ...This is explained simply. By evening the man was tired: both physically - from work, and mentally - from worries, sorrows and spiritual struggle. Therefore, it is difficult for him to praise, it is easier for him to repent, to lament, he wants peace, rest, rest. …That’s why “Quiet Light…” is sung here… That’s why the reconciled, dying song of Saint Simeon, “Now do You let Your servant go in peace,” is so appropriate here. ...The character of Vespers... peacefully repentant. ...By the way, how comforting, soothing, and reassuring all the prokeimnas at Vespers are...”

There are several types of vespers:

Small vespers. A short service that is supposed to be performed before the all-night vigil. In modern practice it is almost never done (with the exception of Mount Athos).

Everyday or everyday vespers. It is performed on weekdays, if there is no memory of a saint who has the sign of polyeleos and a vigil.

Great vespers. It is celebrated on Sundays, the Twelfth and Great Feasts and the days of remembrance of saints who have the sign of polyeleos and vigil.

The procedure for performing daily Vespers is set out in Chapter 9 of the Typikon, where instructions for non-guard services (with “God is the Lord”) and guard services (with “Alleluia”) alternate. It can also be traced through the Book of Hours and the Octoechos.

Brief outline of daily Vespers

Psalm 103 – Ch, immutable

Great Litany – Sl

“Lord, I cried...” – Ch, immutable

stichera “to the Lord, I cried” – O and M, changeable

“Quiet Light...” – Ch, immutable

Prokeimenon – Ch, Sl, immutable

“Vouchsafe, Lord...” – Ch, immutable

Litany of Petition – Sl

Stichera on verse - Oh, changeable

“Now you let go...” – Ch, immutable

Troparion - M, changeable

Sublime Litany – Sl

Detailed diagram of daily (weekday) Vespers

Priest: "Blessed be our God..."

The beginning is normal if you didn't read the 9th hour

"Come, let's worship..." (three times)

Psalm 103 read

Great Litany

“Lord, I cried...” [and the verses “Lay down, O Lord, the keeping...”]

Stichera with verses on 6: 3 stichera of Octoechos

3 stichera to Saint Menaion

* (if there is a service to two saints in the Menaion, then: 3 stichera for the 1st saint, 3 stichera for the 2nd saint)

Glory: Saint Menaion (if there is)

And now: Theotokos (according to the voice of Glory from the 2nd appendix of the Menaion)

"Quiet Light..."

Prokeimenon of the day

"Grant, Lord..."

Litany of petition

Stichera on verse (Octoechos)

Glory, even now: Theotokos Octoechos

* If there is Glory to the saint in the Menaion: on the stichera, then, after the 3 stichera of the Octoechos- Glory: Saint Menaion,

And now: Theotokos (according to the voice of Glory from the 2nd appendix of the Menaion)

"Now you are letting go..."

Trisagion according to Our Father

Troparion to Saint Menaion

Glory, even now: The Mother of God (according to the voice of the troparion of the saint from the 4th appendix of the Menaion)

* If the service is to two saints, then the troparia are sung in the following order:

Troparion of the 1st St.,

Glory: Troparion of the 2nd St.,

And now: Theotokos (according to the voice of the last troparion from the 4th appendix of the Menaion)

Litany

Ending: S.: "Wisdom"

H.: "Bless"

S.: "Blessed are you..."

Kh.: “Amen. God confirm...”

__________________________________________________________________

In modern practice, weekday vespers are joined by weekday matins, so after “Confirm, O God...” followed by the exclamation of matins “Glory to the Saints...”, six psalms, etc. of matins.

S.: "Most Holy Mother of God, save us"

Kh.: "The most honorable Cherub..."

S.: “Glory to Thee, Christ God...”

Kh.: "Glory, and now... Lord have mercy (three times) Bless"

S.: says leave

Kh.: "Great Master..."