The ancient Orthodox tradition instills in every person the belief that every person is the receptacle of a piece of the soul of the Lord. To ask God for something, you don’t have to visit a temple. It is enough to turn to him with a request through prayer words. Church services are the earthly embodiment of faith in the Lord. During liturgical events, you can visit the church for repentance and blessing. Many people need God's constant support. It is important for them to see support, to feel it spiritually, watching the incarnation of the Savior in icons. All services are conducted in accordance with the canons and certain rules.
When are liturgies held and how long do they last?
The church opens early in the morning. There are no strict rules for all Christian churches; the opening time is determined by the clergyman depending on the wishes of the parishioners. Morning and evening services in most churches are held on Orthodox holidays. The morning Divine Liturgy usually begins at seven or eight o'clock in the morning. Vespers is held at seven or eight o'clock in the evening. On major holidays, a night service is also held.
The length of services may also vary between churches.
Duration of church service
The time and duration of the service directly depends on the significance of the celebration. For example, on weekdays it can last only 1-2 hours. On Sunday, services last three hours. This rule applies to morning and evening services. Everything is connected with the scale of the holiday.
The evening service may begin at 16:00 (earliest time) or 18:00 (latest time). The duration of the service is 2-4 hours. If a significant church celebration is celebrated on this day, then all services are divided into daily, small and large. In addition, there is an all-night vigil.
The usual duration of a church service in an Orthodox church
The duration of the service on weekdays is about two hours, and on Sundays it can last up to three hours. On weekends and holidays, services held in the evening are combined into one and held together - this service is called the All-Night Vigil. On major Orthodox holidays, such a service can last up to four hours in total.
Varieties by day
Liturgies in Orthodox churches are held cyclically. There are annual, weekly and daily cycles of worship. The weekly cycle of services is thematic - on each day of the week certain saints are venerated and certain canonical events are remembered. All days of the week as a whole form a weekly, or seven-day circle of worship.
Sunday
According to Orthodox custom, the week begins on Sunday. Sunday services in the temple are dedicated to the resurrection of Christ the Savior. According to the canon, Jesus Christ rose from the night from Saturday to Sunday, on the third day after suffering. Sunday is considered a holiday, so on this day it is customary to devote oneself to divine services, forgetting about worldly affairs.
Sunday, among other things, is considered to be “little Easter.” Also, this particular day in ancient times was called a “week” - a day on which it was customary to do nothing, that is, to forget about everyday chores.
Monday
On Monday the veneration of angels and archangels takes place. This is a day of honoring the heavenly powers called by God to protect and help man. Some monasteries observe fasting on this day.
Tuesday
On Tuesday, it is customary to glorify the prophets and righteous men of the Old Testament, who, thanks to their faithfulness, were able to make possible the coming of Christ the Savior into this world. The Prophet John is especially revered, glorified as an angel, prophet and martyr.
Monday and Tuesday services contain a large number of prayers of the penitential kind.
Wednesday
Wednesday in the weekly circle of worship is the day when the veneration of Old Testament events ends and the remembrance of the New Testament begins. On this day, they remember the suffering and death of Jesus Christ the Savior, who gave his life to atone for the sins of mankind. On Wednesday, according to tradition, church fasting is observed, except when this day falls on a continuous week.
Chants and prayers on Wednesday are dedicated to the Holy Trinity and the Cross. The Last Supper is also revered - the event when Jesus Christ told the apostles about his death and resurrection. I remember the betrayal of Jesus by Judas.
Thursday
On Thursday, the glorification of the apostles, in particular St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, continues. We recall the events that followed the Resurrection of Christ, when the apostles went around the world to preach the Word of God, thereby spreading Christianity throughout the Earth.
Friday
Friday traditionally commemorates the execution of Jesus Christ on Golgotha. On this day, as on Wednesday, it is customary to fast. Services are being performed to the Life-Giving Cross. Jesus Christ, with his suffering and death, saved humanity from eternal torment, atoning for human sins. Therefore, on this day, tribute to Christ the Savior is paid in a special way.
Saturday
Saturday concludes the weekly cycle of services in the Orthodox Church. On Saturday all saints are venerated, especially the Mother of God. In the morning, at the service, those who have passed on to the next world are remembered, and Jesus’ presence in the tomb is remembered. On Saturday, the Lord God completed the creation of the world. Therefore, on Saturday people were bequeathed blissful peace. The Mother of God is venerated on all days of the week without exception, but on Saturday she is remembered in a special way. After completing the weekly cycle, it begins again on Sunday.
Daily cycle of worship
The daily circle is usually called the sequence of divine services within a day. According to tradition, nine services are held during the day. Previously, each was held separately, but in our time, for convenience, they were combined into three more services - evening, morning and afternoon. In addition to the main daily services, the cycle includes services and prayers associated with the weekly and annual cycle. The cycle begins in the evening. The first service is Vespers. On the eve of Sundays and holidays, Small Vespers is held. Great Vespers is held separately, on the eve of major holidays. Everyday Vespers is held on weekdays.
Matins, or the Morning Liturgy, was previously held in the morning, which is why it received its name. However, these days it has moved to the evening, immediately after Vespers. And during Matins, gratitude is expressed to God for the past day. Before major holidays and before Resurrection, an All-Night Vigil is held. This is a large service, including Vespers, Matins and the First Hour.
During the day, short services with prayers are held: the First Hour, corresponding to seven o'clock in the morning, the Third - at nine o'clock in the morning, the Sixth - at twelve o'clock, and the Ninth Hour, held at three o'clock in the afternoon. Most often in practice, the First Hour is combined with the Matins, and the Third and Sixth are performed before the Divine Liturgy. The ninth hour is spent before the evening service.
The Divine Liturgy is the main service held after the Sixth and before the Ninth Hour. In turn, it is divided into three types of liturgies: the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, the Liturgy of Basil the Great and the Liturgy of Gregory the Great. The first liturgy is a service that is held every day on weekdays, the other two are held on special Orthodox holidays. In the evening, after the meal, Compline takes place. It is followed, at midnight, by the Midnight Office. In practice, most often the Midnight Office is held only in monasteries early in the morning; it is not held in parish churches.
Types of services
Regardless of what church is hosting the service or who is conducting it, there are daily, annual, and weekly events. Full-fledged services are organized by monastic monasteries, since monks more diligently adhere to all church canons than others.
In small churches, services are held according to a schedule created by the ministers. Various holidays are celebrated every day, and services dedicated to certain moments are held. For example:
- On Sunday, Little Easter is celebrated, when everyone remembers the moment of the resurrection of Jesus Christ;
- The days of prayer and appeal to the angels fall on Mondays;
- You can contact John the Baptist on Tuesday;
- The traitor of Judas is remembered on Wednesdays, remembering the Cross;
- It is better for people to contact Saint Nicholas on Thursdays, since this day of the week is considered to be the apostolic day;
- On Saturday, believers turn to the Blessed Virgin Mary;
- On Friday, all the sufferings of Jesus Christ are remembered.
If you cannot attend church every day, then you can read the appropriate prayers without leaving home, knowing the schedule. A believer himself has the right to decide when to attend church. For this purpose, church parishes are open almost around the clock.
Conventionally, the entire daily cycle of divine services can be divided into nine equal parts:
- Start taking place at 18:00;
- Compline, consisting of reading prayers in the evenings;
- Midnight Office - begins at midnight;
- Matins, consisting of the first (from 7 am), third (starts at 9:00), sixth (starts at 12:00) and ninth hour, which starts from 15:00.
But the liturgical service, held from 6-9 a.m. to 12 noon, is not part of the church circle of services. At this time, all churches should open their doors to parishioners!
What else do you need to know
The above procedure for conducting services in the temple is canonical, but in practice it is not strictly observed every day. The services themselves are grouped into morning and evening parts, and are held at the appropriate hours.
You should arrive at the liturgy in advance, approximately ten to twenty minutes before it starts. Before entering the church building you need to cross yourself and bow. Before entering the temple, men should remove their hats, and women should put on scarves. You need to enter church with humility and spiritual joy.
During the liturgy, parishioners should behave modestly and not interfere with the process. It is forbidden to talk loudly. Do not put your hands in your pockets or chew gum. Cell phones must be turned off in church. If you come to church with children, make sure that they do not make noise and do not distract the clergy and parishioners. If a child cries and cannot be calmed down, it is better to leave the temple.
The choir should sing along with the choir in a quiet voice. During the service in the temple, parishioners need to be in a standing position. You are allowed to sit down only if you feel unwell. And, of course, smoking is not allowed in the temple, and you cannot come to church with pets.
This year Easter falls on May 2. According to tradition, the Easter service will begin at 11:30 pm Moscow time on the night of May 1–2, 2021.
On Easter night, services begin with the Midnight Office with the reading of the canon of Great Saturday before the Shroud. Before this, during non-liturgical times, the Acts of the Holy Apostles are read in the church. After the Midnight Office, Easter Matins is served with the Paschal Canon of St. John of Damascus, and then the Easter Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom.
The duration of the service depends on many factors: the speed of the choir’s singing, whether anything in the service itself is shortened, whether something is read for the choir, how many congratulations are read from the highest ranks of the church, and so on.
Easter service 2021 at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior - what time will it start, where to watch the broadcast
The Easter service in the main church of Russia is held and broadcast on the country's central television channels every year. We'll tell you what time the Easter service 2021 will start in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and where to watch the broadcast.
Easter service 2021 will probably be shown live on four federal television channels. These are: “First”, “Russia 1”, “NTV” and “Spas TV”.
The live broadcast starts at 23:30 Moscow time (Saturday evening, May 1, 2021).
The service can also be watched online on the official website of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, on the official websites of the above-mentioned TV channels, in broadcasts of news agencies (RT, RIA and others) on YouTube video hosting and on social networks.
That is, what time will the Easter service 2021 begin in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, where to watch: * Start time - 23:30 Moscow time. * Live broadcast - “Channel One”, “Russia 1”, “NTV”, “Spas TV”. * Online broadcast - on the website of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, on the official pages of news agencies on social networks.
Easter service in 2021, what time does it start and end?
Easter service is a festive service performed on the holiday of Easter. This event is very important for every Orthodox Christian. In every corner of the planet on this holiday, or rather night, Orthodox Christians go to churches to attend the festive service.
Easter services are especially solemn. The festive Orthodox service begins annually at exactly 12 o'clock local time with the Royal Doors closed. The clergy in a quiet voice sing the stichera: “Thy Resurrection, O Christ the Savior, the angels sing in heaven, and grant us on earth to glorify You with a pure heart.”
Since ancient, apostolic times, Christians have been awake on the sacred pre-holiday saving night of the Bright Resurrection of Christ. Shortly before midnight, a Midnight Office is served in all churches, at which the priest and the deacon go to the Shroud and, having walked around it, while singing the words of the catavasia of the 9th song, “I will arise and be glorified,” they lift the Shroud and take it to the altar. The Shroud is placed on the Holy Altar, where it must remain until Easter.
Easter Matins, “the joy of the Resurrection of our Lord from the dead,” begins at 12 o’clock at night. As midnight approaches, all clergy in full vestments stand in order at the Throne. The clergy and worshipers light candles in the temple.
