Those who celebrate Christmas are already well aware that on this holiday it is customary to give gifts and congratulate each other with beautiful cards. Some have heard of the special turkey Christmas dinner in the Western countries. But there is another, very important and purely church ritual, which certainly marks this event - the Christmas liturgy. The meaning of this action is determined both by the general meaning of Christmas itself, and by the liturgical church rite. Therefore, it is necessary to start talking about each of these elements separately.
Christmas - the history, meaning and significance of the holiday
As the name suggests, Christmas is the birthday of Jesus Christ. In fact, the date of this event is somewhat arbitrary in the church calendar, since, firstly, this event was not originally celebrated in the church. Secondly, when they nevertheless accepted it, they combined it together with the baptism of Christ and the episode of the visit by the Eastern magi to the baby Jesus shortly after his birth. This united holiday was called Theophany, or, in Russian, Epiphany. And it was celebrated on January 6th. And thirdly, a little later, these events were nevertheless smashed to different dates, as a result of which the memory of Christmas began to fall on December 25 - the day of the winter solstice (at that time).
This was not accidental, but it has nothing to do with the event of the birth of Christ. The fact is that the winter solstice is a major pagan holiday, on which many solar deities of various pantheons were revered. The Christian authorities of the empire, in order to block the ancient pagan traditions, for the purpose of evangelism, connected this date with the birth of Christ - the Sun of Truth, as Christians call it, obviously opposing "false" from their point of view solar gods. Since then, the date has changed one more time - during the change of the Julian calendar to the Gregorian. Thirteen days difference between them determines that today Christmas in Russia is celebrated on January 7th. This situation is relevant for those churches that adhere to the Julian calendar in their inner life.
Christmas itself marks the idea of the Incarnation. Christians believe that God himself became a man in the face of Jesus, and his birth from an earthly woman and at the same time a virgin is a great miracle. Believers see in this event the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Old Testament about the coming of the Messiah - a divine messenger who will save the world. That is why Christmas is so important to them.
Liturgy - definition of the concept
The very word "liturgy" is translated from Greek as "common cause". In pre-Christian times, they were designatedpublic services and duties of the aristocracy for the maintenance of the needs of the city. In the Christian Church, this term began to be called the main divine service, during which the central sacrament, the Eucharist, was performed. The leitmotif of the entire ceremony was the idea that the bread and wine offered on the altar were mysteriously transubstantiated into the flesh and blood of Christ (outwardly remaining bread and wine), which the faithful then partake of. This sacrament was established by Jesus himself during the so-called Last Supper, and he was also commanded to reproduce it during the meetings of the disciples, that is, Christians. Without participation in this ritual, it is believed that it is impossible to obtain the salvation that God offers in Christ. That is why regular service and participation in the liturgy is so important for believers.
Over time, the churches developed a huge variety of rites of the liturgy. Some of them no longer exist. Others, having developed, continue to be used until our time.
Liturgy rites used in the Russian Orthodox Church
As for the practice of the modern Russian Church, three rites of the liturgy are generally accepted in it today: John Chrysostom, Basil the Great and the liturgy of the presanctified gifts, which is used only during Great Lent. The most frequent, so to say, everyday, is the liturgy of John Chrysostom. And the rank of Basil the Great is used only ten times a year. The Christmas Liturgy is one of them. But only if the eve, that is, the eve of the holiday itself, falls on Saturday or Sunday. ATOtherwise, on the day of the holiday, the Christmas Liturgy of John Chrysostom is served, and Basil the Great on the eve.
Features of serving the liturgy at Christmas
Like any festive ceremony, the service dedicated to the day of the birth of Jesus Christ has its own characteristics. The first thing that distinguishes the Christmas liturgy is the text. So, instead of everyday psalms, festive antiphons are sung at the service. Instead of the so-called Trisagion, they sing "They are baptized into Christ, clothed in Christ, alleluia." Similarly, “It is worthy to eat” is replaced by “Magnify, soul … Love us, then …”. The last thing that distinguishes the Christmas liturgy is the text of the biblical readings, that is, the gospel and the apostolic letter, which on this day tell about the adoration of the Magi and the incarnation of God, respectively. The scale of the feast also emphasizes the timing of the celebration of the Eucharist. If on all other days it leaves early in the morning, then in this case the night is the usual time when the Christmas Liturgy is served. How long it lasts is a difficult question. It depends on the speed of reading, singing, on the number of communicants and on local traditions. If in some parishes they fit in two hours, then in a number of monasteries the service can stretch almost all night.
Christmas and Christmas Liturgy: 2015
The last thing worth noting is the dates of the celebration in the current year, 2015. Since, as already mentioned, one part of the churches adheres to the Gregorian calendar, and the other to the Julian, thenIt turns out that some have already celebrated Christmas this year on January 6th. For others, the Christmas liturgy will be served at the very end of 2015 - December 25th. As for the Russian Orthodox Church, it is among the churches that have already celebrated.
