I have questions about veneration in the Eastern Catholic Church

[5Loaves]

Just to throw in a slight nuance (although I’m unsure whether it’s Middle Eastern or specifically Oriental), subsequent to kissing an icon or cross one may also touch their forehead to the object.

We also touch our foreheads to an icon after kissing it. This is done in OCA and ROCOR parishes I’ve been to here, too.

Frequently Middle Eastern people come up and stand or kneel below the Gospel while the priest reads it during the Divine Liturgy.

We have a woman from Ukraine who is a somewhat frequent visitor. She usually goes up and huddles under the Gospel beside the person who is holding the Gospel for the deacon.

 

[Aramis]

That’s the way I learned. We also don’t necessarily touch lips to an icon, but often “kiss” the first two fingers by touching them to the lips, touch them to the icon, then touch them again to the lips, thus taking the blessing from the Icon. And then touching the forehead to it.

I’m curious as if this is a specifically Oriental form of veneration since I’ve seen Armenians and Syriacs (and you, a Copt, said you do so) do it (inclusive of Syro-Malankara, etc.) or it’s just a Middle Eastern local custom (inclusive of the AO, Melkites, etc.).

I’ve seen it in both Ruthenian Catholic and Russian Orthodox parishes; Many of us reverence the icons upon entry by metanias, and then do the touch on the way to communion.

As for Orthodox, I’ve seen a Russian Orthodox priest do so when passing the tetrapod during the day.