What does the procession of the cross for Easter mean? What time will the Easter procession take place?

Easter 2017, when and where there are night and morning services, what to pay attention to, what to take with you to the procession

Traditionally, the main Orthodox Easter service is performed at night, in the first hours of Sunday. This occurs in memory of the moment when the holy myrrh-bearing women early in the morning "still existing in darkness", came to the Tomb of the Savior to anoint His body with myrrh.

Preparation for the Easter divine service begins in the evening. Usually a time is set for confession, then the reading begins Acts of the Apostles. This happens in many churches. already from 21 o'clock.

What follows Midnight Office, it starts around at 23 o'clock or a little later, the time is determined by the abbot. At this time it is sung Canon of Holy Saturday and the Shroud, which lay for three days in the middle of the temple, is transferred to the altar on the Throne, where it will remain until the Ascension.

By the time the Midnight Office ends, church employees are already lining up worshipers to carry banners and icons for the big Easter procession. The first to stand is the one carrying a lantern with a candle. Behind him stands a parishioner or altar boy, cross bearer. Further on the sides stand people with banners, there are at least two of them - with the image of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary, but often more. Most often, banner bearers are strong men, often clergymen, since carrying banners is not an easy task.

After the banner bearers, parishioners with icons are located, also in two columns. In the center they carry only the icon of the Resurrection of Christ. If the icons are not large size, they are often carried by women and teenagers. This entire group lines up in the temple until the end of the midnight office.

Easter 2017, features of the night service and Easter procession

For some time there is complete silence in the temple. And so, when the time comes, clergy and clergymen, as well as singers, join those standing, and the procession begins to move. The priest walks with a three-candlestick on which there are Easter candles - yellow, red and green. The deacon censes, the sexton carries the Gospel. Parishioners hold lit candles in their hands, often red. Often, special lamps are purchased or made for the Easter religious procession so that the wind does not extinguish the flames of the candles. When everyone leaves the temple, its doors close.

Easter 2017, features of the night service and Easter procession

Upon exiting the temple, the procession moves from left to right around the temple. At this time, the Blagovest is heard - the sound of one bell. All those walking quietly sing along with the singers: “Thy Resurrection, O Christ the Savior, the Angels sing in heaven, and vouchsafe us on earth with a pure heart Glory to you."

After a circle has been made around the temple (they often walk around not only the temple itself, but also the entire adjacent territory or monastery), the priest, approaching the doors of the temple, draws a cross in the air with a censer and exclaims: Glory to the Holy and Consubstantial and Life-Giving and Indivisible Trinity ... “Amen” is heard in response and the Easter Troparion is sung for the first time, the bells begin the festive ringing. Then, with the singing of the Easter stichera, the people enter the temple and the service begins.

The Orthodox night Easter service has its bright moments that are characteristic of it. Re-Vestment of the Priesthood during numerous walks around the temple space at the Easter Canon, reading the Gospel in several languages, as well as numerous exclamations of “Christ is Risen!” no one will be left out of this wonderful event.

If you couldn’t go to a night service, many churches hold services in the morning. It is not uncommon that in large cathedrals there are two festive liturgies in the morning, so that everyone can join in the bright holiday Christ's Resurrection. The procession of the cross happens only once a day, in those churches where there was no night service, Easter religious procession takes place in the morning. Usually this is known in advance about their temple schedule of services and can be found out in advance by telephone.

On Sunday after Liturgy(even if she's not alone) , the consecration of the offerings continues traditional dishes– colored eggs, Easter cakes and Easter cakes.

CHRIST IS RISEN!

Bright Easter is approaching - main holiday for all Orthodox Christians. Believers prepare for this day in advance: on the eve for seven weeks they observe strict fasting, spend more time in prayer and try to do more good deeds.

On the eve of the holiday, starting from Holy Saturday, people consecrate Easter food in churches - Easter cakes, Easter cottage cheese, painted eggs etc.

Believers who are preparing for the all-night vigil, which takes place on the night from Holy Saturday to Sunday, are interested in how this ritual takes place, what time will the procession of the cross on Easter take place, in which not only clergy, but also parishioners take part.

Some people also ask other questions: When does the procession take place on Easter? Who can take part in it? What time does the procession start on Easter? What happens? How long does the Easter procession last? We will answer these and other questions.

First of all, it is worth saying that this festive procession received this name because it is usually led by a priest who carries a large cross. Other clergy carry icons and banners (cloths with images of Christ or saints mounted on poles).

During the time of the first Christians, only a procession of the cross was performed on Easter; later this ritual became ubiquitous and became firmly established in the rites. Orthodox services. Regarding church history Rus', it began with a religious procession on the Dnieper, when the people of Kiev were baptized.

In addition to Easter, processions of the cross are held for Epiphany and the Second Savior for the blessing of water. Also, such processions are organized in honor of any significant church or state events.

Sometimes a religious procession is held by clergy in emergency cases, for example, during natural disasters, disasters or during war.

Thus, in the old days, believers walked around the fields with icons during periods of drought and crop failure, and also visited various settlements during epidemics of various diseases. At the heart of this tradition is the belief in the power common prayer performed by Christians during such processions.

What time does the procession start on Easter?

The church service on Holy Saturday begins in the evening, at 20.00. At this time, everyone can come to the temple. People who want to get inside and stay in the church throughout the entire service come here in advance. Others can watch the process from the street.

Singing begins in the altar, which is picked up by the Easter peal. Then, on the night from Saturday to Sunday, a religious procession takes place. This solemn procession symbolizes the path of the church towards the good news of the resurrection of Christ.

How long does the procession last for Easter? Among the rituals observed by the Orthodox Church, there are long and short religious processions. Some processions of this type can last up to two months or more. The religious procession on Easter, as a rule, is short-lived.

What time does it start? This action, which is part of the festive service, begins closer to midnight - to the incessant ringing of bells. The duration of the procession is limited to the time range from 00.00 to 01.00 hours.

All clergy stand by rank at the Throne. Priests and worshipers light candles in the temple. According to established tradition, when the Easter procession takes place, a lantern is carried in front of the procession, followed by an altar cross, an altarpiece Mother of God, Gospel, icon of the Resurrection and other relics.

The procession is completed by the primate of the temple, who holds a three-candlestick and a cross. The church banners carried by the banner bearers symbolize the victory won over death and the devil. The clergy are followed by parishioners with candles in their hands who came to the service.

Everyone sings: “Thy Resurrection, O Savior Christ, the angels sing in heaven, and grant us on earth to glorify You with a pure heart.” The entire time the Easter procession is underway, believers are in a state of solemn elation and joyful anticipation.

The procession goes around the temple three times, each time stopping at its doors, symbolizing the stone that covered the Holy Sepulcher and was thrown away on the day of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The first two times the doors remain closed, but the third time they open, revealing light to all those praying in the darkness of the night. The bells fall silent, and the priest is the first to proclaim the joyful news: “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death and giving life to those in the tombs.”

The clergy and all believers repeat this song three times. Then the priest fulfills the verses of the prophecy of King David: “May God rise again and His enemies be scattered…”. People echo: “Christ is risen from the dead...” The arrival of the great moment of the bright holiday - the Resurrection of Christ - is announced by the solemn ringing of bells.

The procession solemnly enters the temple through open doors. This action symbolizes the path of the myrrh-bearing women who entered Jerusalem to tell the apostles the good news of the resurrection of Christ. After this, the procession ends. It's spectacular and mass event allows everyone present to truly feel the spirit of the holiday.

Then Bright Matins begins, during which exclamations are heard: “Christ is Risen!” - “Truly he is risen!” Lent, which lasted seven weeks, ends with the symbolic opening of the temple doors.

After festive liturgy and communion, around 3-4 a.m. on Sunday, believers can break their fast. The service ends with the blessing of the parishioners by the priest and the consecration of all those brought for festive table Easter dishes. Those who wish can also take communion.

Then all Easter week Orthodox churches hold special solemn liturgies. During Bright Week, which is also called Ringing Week, everyone can climb the bell towers and try their hand at the art of bell ringing.

On April 16, Orthodox Christians around the world celebrate the brightest and most important holiday of Christianity - Easter. Many believers accept active participation in the celebration of Easter, for example, they join the religious procession in their city.

Procession of the cross for Easter in 2017 in Moscow and St. Petersburg

Easter celebrations begin on the evening of Holy Saturday. In 2017, this day falls on April 15th. Anyone can take part in the service and join the procession.

When will the procession of the Cross take place in 2017?

The procession begins after the service on Saturday evening. It is difficult to make a mistake with time - the traditions of the church are unchanged, and the service always begins, every year, at exactly 20.00. Easter service will be held in all cities that adhere to Orthodox religion. Interestingly, in 2017, Orthodox and Catholic Easter will take place on the same day, which happens very rarely. Therefore, Catholics will also take part in religious processions on April 15.

Exactly at 20.00, the Easter service begins, during which all believers pay tribute to the great miracle of Jesus Christ, who rose again after a painful death on the cross. On this day, believers already know that Christ will rise again, and this good news will be transmitted from one to another. The procession of the cross means great joy, general rejoicing after the accomplishment of a great miracle.

The Easter service is one of the most beautiful in the Orthodox religion. Immediately after it, the religious procession begins - this is approximately midnight. Those who do not want to attend services in the temple can approach it at this time to join the procession.

The largest procession in St. Petersburg will take place around St. Isaac's Cathedral. In every church in the country, in big and small cities, there will be an Easter service, followed by a religious procession. Let us remind you that the service begins at 20.00 - do not miss the great procession!

The Easter service is one of the most important events for Orthodox Christians. Churches host important services for believers. Lent ends immediately after it ends Divine Liturgy and communion. The main event of the year for Orthodox Christians begins a few hours before midnight, and the service ends at 4 am.

The service on the Resurrection of Christ begins with the Procession at midnight. At this time, everyone can come to the temple. Those who want to get inside and stay in the church for the entire service come early. Others can watch the process from the street or watch a live broadcast on TV.

How is the Easter procession performed?

In 2018, on April 8, all Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter. Services in churches will begin on April 7, at Holy Saturday some time before midnight. The solemn service begins with the lighting of candles by the clergy. The people who came to the temple at this time do the same. Singing begins in the altar, which is picked up by the Easter peal.

After this, the long-awaited Easter procession begins, which takes place according to the following rules:

The procession is led by a man carrying a lantern. After him comes a clergyman with a cross, followed by an image of the Virgin Mary. The procession ends with the choir and believers who wish to join the process. All marchers walk in two rows. When everyone leaves the temple, its doors are closed.
You need to go around the temple three times, and each time you need to stop near closed doors. This tradition symbolizes the entrance to the cave with the Tomb of Christ.
The temple opens after the marchers complete the third circle and “Christ is Risen” is pronounced.
Everyone returns inside and the service continues.

This procession must take place in every Orthodox church. The religious procession allows you to feel the spirit of the holiday. This important event For believers it is always very spectacular.

How to behave in church on Easter

Anyone can take part in the Easter service.

Important! Only baptized people can receive communion.

As a sign of respect for the holiday, believers should follow a number of simple rules.

Easter - the most important holiday for the Christian church, and preparations for it begin a few weeks in advance. After the end of Lent, everyone Orthodox people They are preparing for the Easter service - a large-scale church celebration that lasts all night. What time the Easter service begins and how it takes place is described below.

Rituals before Easter

In many churches, holiday services begin a week before Easter itself. Usually during this period people attend church very actively, and clergy increasingly appear in festive attire. There is also a tradition according to which, a few days before Easter, the church doors stop closing. Even during the priests’ communion, the doors remain open, and anyone can visit the temple at any convenient time.

Saturday, when Lent ends, becomes especially festive. It is on this day that people begin to flock en masse to church to bless the holiday food. Temple servants sprinkle Easter cakes and eggs with holy water, saying traditional prayers. At the same time, you can light several candles in the church for the repose.

IN catholic church The tradition of baptism of adults and children on Easter has been preserved. In the Orthodox tradition, the custom of baptizing adults during the celebration of Easter is also being revived, but it occurs quite rarely. Church ministers prefer to perform this ceremony either on Saturday or in the afternoon before the start of the solemn service.

Usually, church representatives themselves are very actively preparing for the upcoming holiday, memorizing lines from the gospel, taking communion and choosing the most festive clothes. Despite all the changes in life modern citizens Easter continues to enjoy enormous popularity throughout Russia.

Start time of Easter service

In 2017, Easter falls on May 1st. According to a tradition that developed several centuries ago, the Easter service is held exactly at midnight. It will begin on the night of April 30 to May 1.

The largest service takes place in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. Traditionally, the patriarch (now Kirill) comes out to the parishioners in his best attire, conducting the entire service from beginning to end. It is broadcast on many television channels, so you can enjoy the service without leaving your home.

In some nations, such services take place in the morning, but almost all Christian churches carry out such an important and solemn service before dawn.

What stages does the Easter service include:

The removal of the shroud, which takes place half an hour before midnight.
Procession around the temple.
The beginning of Bright Matins is marked by the use of a censer and a special cross with a three-candlestick.
Conducting Easter Matins and taking out specially prepared bread.
The service ends with the Easter ringing and the exchange of holiday greetings (“Christ is Risen” - “Truly He is Risen”).

Each step of the procedure is very important and should never be ignored. The fact is that all singing and religious processions are directly related to the history of the resurrection of Christ, and the traditions themselves have been formed over centuries, so the clergy honor them with special reverence.

Carrying out Easter service takes place in almost all Orthodox churches. It is interesting that the date of the holiday is always determined according to the lunisolar calendar and falls on different days. Moreover, the date of Easter may differ between Catholics and Orthodox Christians. So, in 2017, this bright day fell on May 1st.

The Easter service traditionally begins at midnight, but it is worth arriving at the church at least an hour in advance. The fact is that the holiday causes great excitement among believers, and therefore, by 23:00, queues of people wishing to attend the service gather near the churches. In small churches there are few parishioners, but getting to services in the main shrines of the country (for example, the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood) can be extremely difficult. Despite this, all believers try to behave calmly and do not push each other apart.

Easter cakes, painted eggs and other holiday food should be blessed in advance, on Saturday morning, since there will be too many people at the Easter service, and such an opportunity will most likely not arise.

The first stages of the Easter service

Church services on Easter are very important event for clergy, so every priest on this day is dressed in ceremonial attire. Half an hour before midnight, the shroud is brought into the church through the royal doors, and the service is considered officially open. People present at the service light candles, which creates a truly magical atmosphere in the temple.

The initial stages of church worship have the following features:

throughout the service, bells ring, announcing the beginning of the holiday;
the singing of the stichera occurs three times, and each time the clergy raise their voices by a tone;
during the singing of the third stichera, the clergy move from the altar to the middle of the temple;
parishioners also sing along with the church ministers, after which the ringing begins, and people go out into the street to perform a religious procession around the temple.

With the beginning of the religious procession, all parishioners move around the church to the ringing singing of the clergy. Usually they walk around the church three times, after which they stop at the western gate, blessing it with a cross. At this stage, the singing subsides, after which the clergyman begins to consecrate the parishioners and the church itself with a censer, marking the image of a cross on the western gate of the temple.

Easter Matins

Start Easter service looks more like a sacrament and has a certain mystery, while Matins consists of joyful chants and reading of the canon. At the beginning of Matins, all parishioners return to the church, the doors remain open.

singing of the canon and stichera;
solemn reading of the gospel;
reading the prayer behind the pulpit.

The service on Easter night does not end with the reading of the prayer behind the pulpit, because after this, sacred bread, which in Greek is called artos, is brought to a special altar in front of the icon with the image of the risen Christ. It is prepared according to a special recipe and consecrated by church ministers. Artos remains on the altar for several days.

Actually, this is where the Easter liturgy ends, and the festive bell rings. Now believers have the opportunity to approach the cross, pray and congratulate each other on the coming of Easter.

Duration of the celebration and proper preparation for it

How long the Easter service lasts is very often of interest to people who have never been to this festive service. The standard duration of such a service is 5 hours.

The long duration is due to the importance of the festive event and the abundance of various traditions. As mentioned above, the service begins at 00:00, but usually all believers try to arrive at the church by 23:00, taking their places in the temple and praying before the sacred service.

The order of the Easter service is quite strict, so when going to church, you should choose comfortable and closed clothes. Women should cover their heads with a scarf, hiding their hair.

This festive event ends around four o'clock in the morning, after which believers can go home. IN Orthodox Church it is very important to defend the entire service from beginning to end, since in this way a person confirms his faith.

It is also interesting that before the start of the service, every believer must properly prepare for the approaching celebration. Typically, such preparation begins 7 weeks before the holiday, because this is when Lent begins. During this entire time, the believer limits himself to the consumption of food.

IN Maundy Thursday(it falls on the last week of fasting) a person needs to spend general cleaning in your home. Lent ends on Saturday, just before Easter. On this day, it is necessary to prepare holiday treats such as Easter cakes and eggs. All these dishes should be put in a basket and taken to church in order to consecrate them.

Before entering the church you must cross yourself three times. A cross is drawn every time certain church phrases are used (for example, “In the name of the father and the son and the Holy Spirit”).

A few more important points of church worship

Everyone who has attended it at least once in their life knows the course of the Easter service. It is important not only to fully defend the service, but also to behave correctly in the process. What standards of behavior in the temple should be remembered: