Eastern/Oriental Easter Vigil

[JMJ_coder]

In the Eastern and Oriental Churches, is the Easter Vigil given the same prominence (#1 Liturgy of the entire year!) as in the Latin Church? Do you have the lighting of the fire, inscribing the Easter Candle, Easter Proclamation, reception of new members, etc., etc.?

 

[Aramis]

In the Eastern and Oriental Churches, is the Easter Vigil given the same prominence (#1 Liturgy of the entire year!) as in the Latin Church? Do you have the lighting of the fire, inscribing the Easter Candle, Easter Proclamation, reception of new members, etc., etc.?

At least under current Ruthenian regs…

• No easter candle to light.
• No fire.
• Doesn’t fulfill the easter obligation.
• not obligatory, either
• no proclamation
• shroud moved from the amvon to the altar
• traditional point for reception of adults into the church (as with Romans)
• blessing of the bread, wine, oil, & wheat.
• Vespers and Lit. of St Basil; very longish. (1.5-3 hours)

Easter Morning is the big liturgy. Resurrection matins and Lit. of St John. (2.5-4 hours) Procession around the church, many readings, Gospel in many languages.

Essentially, Easter is a string of feasts… each with special versions of the DL.
Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday (for the vigil, Solemn), Easter Sunday (obligatory), Bright Monday (Solemn), Bright Tuesday (Simple)

 

[dixibehr]

The Melkites bless a new light just before the Vesperal Liturgy on Holy Saturday, which is generally held in the morning.

This is not a Latin borrowing, but is a recreation of the Ceremony of the Holy Fire that takes place in the Anastasis on Holy Saturday (Orthodox calculation) in Jerusalem.

 

[Volodymyr]

In the Eastern and Oriental Churches, prominence of Easter liturgy

If you have ever been to Paskha services and liturgy you would ask the question in reverse - does Latin church at all approach beauty of Eastern liturgy for Paskha. Our Paskha is 19 Avril 2009 - try to go to Orthodox church and see. But customs are differentg: do you bless Artos?? Do you bless food?? DO you listent to Gospel in 16 different languages? Obviously I believe not. So we do different things - you do different. We have beautyfol paskha just as you do.

http://www.varnitsky-monastir.ru/images/13.gif

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

 

[JMJ_coder]

Thanks for the replies.

If you have ever been to Paskha services and liturgy you would ask the question in reverse - does Latin church at all approach beauty of Eastern liturgy for Paskha.

I wasn’t trying at all to suggest that the Eastern Churches Liturgies aren’t beautiful - but whether there was an Easter Vigil and if so if it was as important and solemn Liturgy as in the Latin Church (of course, Easter is the Solemnities of Solemnities in every Rite, as far as I know). This was an honest - I didn’t know so I thought I’d ask - no rhetoric intended.

By the way – I certainly do think that the Easter Vigil in the Latin Church is among the most beautiful and symbolically rich Liturgies in all of Christendom!

But customs are differentg: do you bless Artos??

What is that?

Do you bless food??

Not as part of the Liturgy, but generally Easter food is blessed on Holy Saturday around noon.

DO you listent to Gospel in 16 different languages?

I doubt most people (i.e., lay readers/lectors) could read that many languages. We listened to the Easter Day Epistle and Gospel in Italian and English (I attend an Italian ethnic Parish). I could easily see also proclaiming the Gospel, or the Sequence in Latin also.

We have beautyfol paskha just as you do.

No doubt, I enjoy listening to my “Pascha” CD (Byzantine Easter Chants)! I just wish they included the Christos Anesti Valaam Chant on it – but no worry, I have it on another CD.

 

[Aramis]

Artos: Bread.
We also bless wine, wheat and oil.
the Gospel in 16 languages is a bit over the top, unless the parish has 16 languages… but, yes, we heard it in several.

 

[Deacon_Lance]

Vesperal Divine Liturgy of St. Basil for Holy Saturday
byzantines.net/liturgy/holysaturday.htm
Although a Vesperal Divine Liturgy it is often anticipated in the afternoon Holy Saturday. This is the Liturgy at which Catechumens are baptized/chrismated.

Paschal Matins
byzantines.net/liturgy/resurrection_matins.htm
This is the first service at which Christ is risen! is proclaimed

While we do not have a Latin style Paschal candle there is a special Paschal Trikerion used by the priest, it is a hand cross with three candles attached, when giving blessings or censing. The deacon will also hold a large candle while reciting the litnaies or censing.
synod.com/synod/pictures/4jvpascha_19.jpg

The Greeks and Melkites have an elaborate ritual for the blessing, distribution and procession of the new light.
mliles.com/melkite/paschavespers.shtml

 

[wjp984]

Is having Resurrection Matins and the candle lit procession the night before wrong? I know some parishes would do this in the past and therefore the Saturday night vigil was just as special as the Sunday morning one. Candles look better at night.

 

[Deacon_Lance]

Not at all. We have it Saturday night at my parish and that is all we have. Liturgy isn’t until Sunday morning.