In Orthodox worship, there is a certain order in which services are held. An important part of each prayer service is the daily singing of hymns - the canon. The meaning of the word that this genre of prayer singing is called in translation from Greek can be translated as "norm" or "rule".
Meaning and concept of the word
For the prayer service, the phrase "prayer canon" has a special meaning. The main meaning of the word "canon" remains the concept of a rule, a certain order in which songs are read with irmoses and troparia included in them. In a narrower sense, the obligatory part of the service, which consists of glorifying hymns, is called the canon. The hymns themselves, recited in a certain order, are also called canon.
Canons are read during the morning service, Compline, Midnight Office and other services. The canon is also included in the daily prayer rule read at home.
Content of hymns
The content of the canon is determined by the day of the week, a church holiday or a saint's commemoration day. Eachthe service necessarily includes the canon. The meaning of a word, as a cycle of hymns recited as part of one service, is determined by a strictly fixed row, consisting of 9 songs. There is no second song in the correct canons.
Songs are also divided into parts - irmos and troparia. The first part of the song is called "irmos", it tells about the events of the Old Testament and includes an appeal to the Lord. All subsequent parts are called troparia, the reading of which is preceded by a chant. The number of troparia varies from 2 to 6, in special cases the number of troparia can be increased to 30. Each song of the canon ends with a katavasia - a particularly fervent prayer with a request to the glorified saint.
The content of the songs of the canons are themes taken from the Bible. The wise words of the Eternal Book have been repeated for many centuries and, listening to them, the worshipers go through the stages of repentance, compunction, spiritual rebirth, receiving hope.
Daily prayer canons
Canons are read daily, glorifying the most significant figures of Christian teaching: Jesus, the Mother of God and the Guardian Angel. By glorifying them, the worshiper proves his trembling faith and receives the blessing of the Holy Fathers, through whose labors the canons were written.
The main idea behind the daily ascension of glory is spiritual enlightenment and quenching the eternal human longing for divine love. By repeating the words of the hymn addressed to the Lord, the prayer receives protection, calmness and peace in the soul.
