Saturday of Lazaros and Palm Sunday--The Great Fast of Lent ends on the Friday after the 5th Sunday of Lent. The double feast of the Saturday of Lazaros and Palm Sunday forms a trasitional period between the Lenten Fast and the Fast of Holy Week. The character of these days is joyful, even though it remains under the penitential feeling of the season. These Feasts are filled with themes of Resurrection and Victory, and the vents, both the Resurrection of Lazaros and our Lord's triumphal entry into Jerusalem, are seen as anticipation of the grat victory of Christ over death eight days later at Pascha.
Bridegroom Services--Through various historical circumstances, the ceremonies of Holy Week have been transposed by twelve hours. As a result, the Orthros or Morning Prayer services of Holy Week have been moved to the previous evening. The icon of these services is the Nymphios, or Bridegroom which shows Christ wearing the crown of thorns and the red military cloak, looking with sorrow. The love which Christ has for the Church as the Bridegroom of the Church is one of total self-sacrifice. The Apolytikion, or Dismissal Hymn, of ther service reminds us of hte parable of the 10 Virgins, warning us that the Bridegroom may come at any time unannounced, and we need to be prepared to greet Him. The final service on Tuesday evening features the beautiful and moving Hymn of Kassiani, commemorating the sinful woman who washed our Lord's feet.
The Mystery of Holy Evchelion (Anointing with Oil)--The Wednesday of Holy Week features the Holy Mystery of the Oil. Although this Mystery centers around healing of soul and body, the custom of the public celebration of the Mystery probably goes back to the practice of readmitting penitents who had been excluded from the Church on Holy Wednesday through the anointing with oil The Holy Mystery reminds us of the ravages which sins have on our body, our soul, and on the community.
The Holy Niptir (Washing of the Feet)--Following the example of our Lord at the Mystical (Last) Supper, the Church would celebrate the Washing of the Feet before the Solemn Evening Liturgy commemorating the Mystical Supper. This service gradually fell out of use, and was preserved mainly in monasteries, especially at the Monastery of St. John on Patmos, and in cathedrals. For pastoral reasons (not least among which is the present early hour of the Holy Thursday Divine Liturgy), we celebrate the Washing of the Feet on Holy Wednesday evening. The service centers on the reenactment of our Lord's actions as recorded in the Gospel of John. The priest, who has removed his phelonion (outer vestment) and girded himself with a towel, takes a pitcher of blessed water and a basin, and washes the feet of twelve chosen people. The prayers emphasize the cleansing from sin through the washing with the water.
The Commemoration of the Mystical Supper--In the early Church, the Liturgy commemorating the Mystical (Last) Supper was celebrated in the evening of Holy and Great Thursday. This Liturgy throughout the Middle Ages gradually moved up earlier in the day, until it settled in its present position early in the morning. The lengthy Gospel story relates not only the first Eucharist, but also brings us together with Christ and His disciples into the Garden of Gethsemani and to the court of the High Priest.
The Service of the 12 Gospels--The great Vigil commemorating the Passion and Death of our Lord take splace in the evening of Holy Thursday. Originally the Vigil lasted throughout the night. The service is basically an Orthros (Morning Prayer) service, with the additoin of 15 Antiphons contemplating and commenting on the events of our Lord from His sermon at the Last Supper until His burial. One of the most striking features of this Service is the procession with the large cross (the Estavromenos) after the 15th Antiphon, which is then placed in the midst of the congregation.
The Royal Hours--The monastic daily hours are gathered together into one service celebrated on Holy and Great Friday morning. This service is called the Royal Hours because the Imperial family traditionally attended it. The services center around a series of Psalms with hymns, and readings from the Old Testament (especially prophecies of the Passion), an Epistle, and a Gospel, the Passion Narrative from each Evangelist, one for each of the four hours.
The Apokathelosis (Unnailing Service)--The Vespers Service brings the celebration of our Lord's Passion and Death to a close. The Gospel reading narrates the Passion and Death of our Lord. At the mention of Joseph of Arimathea taking the body of Christ off the cross, the priest removes the icon of Christ's body from the cross, covers it in a new linen cloth, and places it on the altar, which is a symbol of the Tomb of Christ. Toward the end of hte Service, the cloth representing the burial cloth of Christ is taken in procession around the Church and borught to a decorated structure called the kouvouklion which represents the Tomb of Christ. Traditionally at the end of the service, as the people venerate the icon, children crawl under the kouvouklion in the form of a cross, a reminder that we pass through the death of Christ to the life of the resurrection.
The Service of the Lamentations--The Service centers around two dramatic events. The first is a series of short hymns which are sung at the Tomb of Christ (which give the service its popular title). These hymns lament the death of Christ, but see in His defeat on the Cross the ultimate source of victory over sin and death. The second is the procession with the kouvouklion. This procession, which was originally the procession of the poeple into the Church, has come to be understood as the burial procession of Christ. As the people reenter the Church, they pass under the icon of the Burial of Christ (the Epitaphios) which again reminds us that we pass through the death of Christ to true life.
The Vesperal Liturgy of the Vigil of Pascha--The Service, hwich is Baptismal in character, in the early Church began the great Vigil service of the Resurrection. This Service began with the celebration of the Liturgy of St. Basil in the evening; this Liturgy included 12 lengthy Old Testament Readings, during which the Bishop baptized and chrismated the new Christians. THey then processed into the Church, wearing their white robes and carrying their lighted candles, to the hymn: As many of you who have been baptized in Christ have put on Christ. Alleluia! Another striking feature of this service is the throwing around the Church of fragrant laurel leaves before the reading of the Gospel. This rite reinforces the sense of victory of the Resurrection. Although this Service is now celebrated on Holy Saturday morning (which is technically the only non-liturgical Saturday of the entire year), it is an anticipation of Pascha, and does not bring an end to the Fast. If we have faithfully kep the fast throughout Lent and Holy Week, we should not spoil our efforts by having eggs and bacon for breakfast after Liturgy!
The Anastasis (Resurrection Service)--When the Great Vigil of Pascha was moved to Saturday morning, the need was felt to mark the celebration of the Resurrection by another service. The people gather together during the night, and a "preliminary service" is celebrated, consisting basically of the hymns of Holy Saturday. About midnight, the lights of the Church are extinguished, except for the "unsleeping light" on the altar. The priest lights his candle from this light, and then emerges form the altar with the LIght of Christ, like Christ coming out of hte tomb. The people light their candles from the priest's candle. Then the procession goes to the back of the Church or, more appropriately, outside the Church, where the Gospe of the Resurrection is proclaimed. The Orthros (Morning Prayer) of Pascha then begins, which the singing of the Christos Anesti (Christ is risen) to the joyful pealing of hte bells. At the end of the Orthros service, during the singing of the last hymn before Liturgy, the people exchange the Kiss of Peace with the Paschal Greeting "Christ is risen" Truly He is risen." Then follows the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, which was the traditional way of bringing the Paschal Vigil to a close in the morning. At the end of the Service, the priest distributes red Easter Eggs, symbolizing the resurrection and our salvation through the blood of Christ.
The Vespers of Agape--Although Vespers is an evening service, we traditionally hold this ervice late morning on the Sunday of Pascha. This Service is a wonderful way of bringing the most solemn week of the Christian year to a close. The most striking feature of this service is the reading of the Gospel in as many languages as possible (we usually have about 12!) which reminds us that the message of the Resurrection is not confined to any one land or ethnic group, but transcends nationality and national boundaries to include the whole world. That includes not only traditionally Orthodox countries across the sea, it also includes your family, your neighbor, your friend who may be looking for Christ's message of victory over the powers of this world.
(Rejoice!, Vol. 10, No. 4, Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, Dover, New Hampshire)
