Chaldean Gayasa Service

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Hi everyone,

There is a traditional service/performance in the Chaldean Church right before the Resurrection liturgy called the “Gayasa” which is a reference to the thief on the cross who repented before Christ and was promised entrance into Paradise.

Basically, the plot of this chanted service is that after the thief dies, and tries to go into Paradise, the angel guarding it does not let him in. So they go back and forth in a dialogue, and every time the repentant thief wants to enter, the angel prevents him. Finally, the thief pulls out the Cross and shows it to the angel and commands the angel to kneel before Jesus on the Cross, and the angel does so. The angel then is forced to let him in.

Here is the video: babylonia.dk/gayasa.htm
Make sure to double click on the video in order to enlarge it, cause otherwise there is a problem with the picture of the video. I’m sorry that it is not in English, its in Chaldean Aramaic, but I hope you will enjoy and understand the basic idea of the video from the acting.

There is one thing I want to point out: The text of the gayasa calls for a “rumha” or “spear” as the angel’s weapon, but for some reason the angel is carrying an axe :eek: 😃

There are a few other things that were done that were exaggerated or were not necessary, like the hitting of the angel’s bottom at the end, but overall, the acting of the performance is fine. Enjoy!

Happy Easter/Pascha/Resurrection everyone! 🙂

God bless,

Rony
 
Thankyou Rony. I have wanted to see what that was like. I thought it was great.
 
Dear All,

Christ has risen!

I’ll have to check it out tonight as I’m unfortunately not able to view the video properly from work. Long time ago, I had looked for this for an English speaking friend of mine, and found the following article which has a translation in it and an explanation:

syrcom.cua.edu/Hugoye/Vol5No2/HV5N2Brock.html

It is truly wonderful read.

Pace,
Anthony
 
Anthony,

Glory to His name!

Thank you so much for this link with an English translation. I was looking all over the net for an English translation, and I have no idea why I never came across this article.

I did, coincidently, come across a French translation of it, which may be of benefit to anyone here who speaks French (I don’t unfortunately).

mission-chaldeenne.org/prieres.php?priere_id=53

God bless,

Rony
 
Rony,

I have no idea how I found it… but once I did, I kept it filed up in my notes for easy reference. It was that special to me… I mean, when you hear the thieve and then the guardian going back and forth, words fail to describe how I reacted…

dbacks5439,

This is an East Syriac rite.

In Christ,
Anthony
 
I mean, when you hear the thieve and then the guardian going back and forth, words fail to describe how I reacted…
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I agree, the ancient Fathers were masters in poetic theology!

God bless,

Rony
 
Dear Rony,

Oh my! :eek: I just watched the video and I see now what you were saying about the exaggerations.

Maybe because of my traditional sentimentality, but it was somewhat awkward watching this…

In the poem, you don’t get much of a sense of a physical struggle, as the Cherub says, “the multitudes are awesome, and quite simply you can’t travel on any further and enter among them.” Once the thief is caught up at the gate by the Cherub, he is arguing to come in. And although the Cherub is frightened and awed by the sight of the Cross of Christ which the thief carries, the video really overdoes the whole beating him down thing. I mean the Cherub entreats the thief to enter: “no longer will you be debarred from entering Eden, seeing that He has so willed it.”

I’m probably making too much of this, but it was quite different to watch the video…

In Christ,
Anthony
 
Hey everyone,

I am Chaldean…and on Saturday night for our Easter mass I was able to see this in person…pretty interesting and cool if you understand chaldean…
 
Anthony,

It is indeed overdone, a downside to the performance. I wish more parishes would up put their videos online, and so we can compare and see which one is best performed. Oh well 😦

God bless,

Rony
 
Hi Pac,

Welcome, and nice to meet you.

Rony,

I’ll try to find and put up one we had from a while ago…

Pace e bene,
Anthony
 
I am Chaldean…and on Saturday night for our Easter mass I was able to see this in person…pretty interesting and cool if you understand chaldean…
Click to expand...
Hi pac,

Which parish in Michigan do you attend?
I’ll try to find and put up one we had from a while ago…
Click to expand...
Cool 🙂

God bless,

Rony
 
Hey Rony,

I usually attend American Catholic mass…because I attended Catholic Schools when I was younger…so naturally i more familiar with them…but when I do attend Chaldean Churches I usually go to Our Mother of God or St. Joseph’s and St. George

Take Care…by the way where is Stuebenville
 
Take Care…by the way where is Stuebenville
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Steubenville is an island in the arctic ocean with palm trees, and all kinds of exotic Catholic mammals, fish, and birds. The Sun rises and sets on a 120 hour day, instead of the typical 24 hour day. There is no civilization here, just a few of us Catholics (about 16 in all) who have decided to live as hermits among the Catholic wildlife surrounding us 🙂

We have no Church here, but we do get a monk priest who flies over here on his single engine jet every three years or so (in our time) to offer for us a liturgy in accordance with the rite of the Icelandic people of the 12th century. It’s a pretty cool liturgy if you ask me! Due to the way time is configured in this part of the world, unfortunately, the monk priest ages about 15 years between each visit, so we may be loosing him soon 😦

We don’t eat any of the animals here. We prefer a strictly vegetarian diet of milk, honey, and flour seeds. Occasionally, we eat this type of vegetable that grows every two years (our time) that used to be well known in the Middle East during Biblical times. But ever since the Great Flood, the seeds were dispersed in the diaspora, and ever since that time have come to be known the Lost Seeds of Noah’s Vegetables. The legend here says, and we can read the stories written here on caves and palm trees in an archaic arctic language that the seeds fell on these grounds and were fruitful and multiplied along the shores and valleys here. But a legendary fire wiped out most of it, except a remnant that grows every two years (our time) 👍

That’s Steubenville my Chaldean brother in Christ!!! I just love it here 👍

j/k 😃

Steubenville

God bless,

Rony
 
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