Today there is a great increase in interest in the Orthodox faith. And this is probably due to the fact that people began to seek God. After all, life with its sharp turns very often leads them to a real dead end. And then everyone begins their own path to God. In this case, prayer becomes the main companion. She, like a lamp in the darkness, begins to sanctify the path. You just need to learn how to use and understand it correctly. The most powerful liturgical book, the Ps alter and the kathismas, will help every believer in this. And if everything is clear with the first concept, then the second causes genuine surprise for many. Accordingly, inexperienced believers are interested in the question: kathisma - what is it? Let's talk about everything in order.
Kathisma: what is it?
The liturgical section of the Ps alter is called a kathisma. This word is translated from Greek as "sit". That is, while reading it in the service, it is not necessary to stand on your feet. Permission to sit down. There are a lot of kathismas in the holy book of the Orthodox. It is very important to understand that the Ps alter is divided into as many as 20 such sections. Kathisma 17 is the smallest. It consists of only one 118th psalm, called "Immaculate". In turn, it is divided into three parts.
But the biggest kathisma is the eighteenth. It includes 15 psalms: from the 119th to the 133rd. They read the Ps alter in kathismas, where each part of it is called a stat (from the Greek "chapter", "subsection") or glory. In turn, it may consist of one or more psalms.
Reciting kathisma
At the service, the reader pronounces the first part of the doxology: “Glory, and now. Amen". Singers - the second. And the reader ends the third part again: “Glory, and now. Amen". This is done in order to connect the kathisma with the invocation of prayer. It turns out that the reader and the choir during the divine service vied with each other to praise God. The table indicates kathisma (where K-kathisma, P-psalms).
| Kathisma | First Glory | Second Glory | Third Glory |
| K. I | P. 1-3 | P. 4-6 | P. 7-8 |
| K. II | P. 9-10 | P. 11-13 | P. 14-16 |
| K. III | P. 17 | P. 18-20 | P. 21-23 |
| K. IV | P. 24-26 | P. 27-29 | P. 30-31 |
| K. V | P.32-33 | P. 34-35 | P. 36 |
| K. VI | P. 37-39 | P. 40-42 | P. 43-45 |
| K. VII | P. 46-48 | P. 49-50 | P. 51-54 |
| K. VIII | P. 55-57 | P. 58- 60 | P. 61-63 |
| K. IX | P. 64-66 | P. 67 | P. 68-69 |
| K. X | P. 70-71 | P. 72-73 | P. 74-76 |
| K. XI | P. 77 | P. 78-80 | P. 81-84 |
| K. XII | P. 85-87 | P. 88 | P. 89-90 |
| K. XIII | P. 91-93 | P. 94-96 | P. 97-100 |
| K. XIV | P. 101-102 | P. 103 | P. 104 |
| K. XV | P. 105 | P. 106 | P. 107-108 |
| K. XVI | P. 109-111 | P. 112-114 | P. 115-117 |
| K. XVII |
P.118: 1-72 - subitems |
P. 118:73-131 | P. 118:132-176 |
| K. XVIII | P. 119-123 | P. 124-128 | P. 129-133 |
| K. XIX | P. 134-136 | P. 137-139 | P. 140 - 142 |
| K. XX | P. 143 - 144 | P. 145-147 | P. 148-150 |
Here you also need to know that kathisma 20 includes the adjoining psalm 151. It is contained in the Greek and Slavic Bibles, but it is not used in church services. Therefore, it is not in the table. The author of this psalm is unknown. Most likely, some pious Levite wrote it. It was discovered only in the 20th century in ancient manuscripts found in the caves of Qumran in the Dead Sea scrolls.
Worship and kathismas
Continuing the topic called "Kathisma - what is it?" It should be noted that the order of readings is determined by the Church Charter. During the week of worship, the Ps alter is read in full. And in Lent - twice a week. Ordinary - kathisma, laid on this day according to the Charter. In the table you can see their distribution in regular periods.
| Day | Vespers | Mains |
| Sunday | K. 1 | K. 2, 3, (+17) |
| Monday | - | K. 4, 5 |
| Tuesday | K. 6 | K. 7, 8 |
| Wednesday | K. 9 | K. 10, 11 |
| Thursday | K. 12 | K. 13, 14 |
| Friday | K. 15 | K. 19, 20 |
| Saturday | K. 18 | K. 16, 17 |
During the week, kathismas are read in the following order: one at evening service and two at matins. However, it is important to know that the week starts on Sunday. This means that the first kathisma is read on Saturday evening. It is called Sunday evening. If a holiday falls on that day and the day before there was an All-Night Vigil (a solemn public service), then the reading is canceled. The Charter allows vigils to be performed on the eve of each Sunday. Therefore, there is no kathisma on Sunday evening.
Selected Moments
As for the 17th kathisma, it is read together with the 16th on Saturday, not on Friday. Since on weekdays it is recited at the midnight office (one of the services of the daily church service). If a holiday has polyeles (part of the morning, where psalms 135-136 are read), then an ordinary kathisma is not read at vespers. Instead, the glory of the first of them is recited. And it is said at Sunday Vespers too.
When the Great Feasts of the Lord are at Vespersthere is no kathisma. But this does not apply to Saturday evening. At this time, the 1st kathisma is pronounced. Sunday evening is also an exception. Then the 1st article of the kathisma is read. At Matins they are recited even on great feasts. However, this rule does not apply to Easter Week (the first seven days of Easter), which has a special liturgical Charter.
Schedule
In Great Lent a lot of time is given to reading kathisma. They are recited in such a way that the Ps alter is read twice in a week. At this time, there are kathismas at Vespers, as well as at Matins and the hours after individual psalms. In all weeks of Great Lent (except the fifth) they are read according to the schedule.
| Day | Vespers | Mains | One Hour | Third Hour | Sixth Hour | Nine Hour |
| Sunday | - | K. 2, 3, (+17) | - | - | - | - |
| Monday | K. 18 | K. 4, 5, 6 | - | K. 7 | K. 8 | K. 9 |
| Tuesday | K. 18 | K. 10, 11, 12 | K. 13 | K. 14 | K. 15 | K.16 |
| Wednesday | K. 18 | K. 19, 20, 1 | K. 2 | K. 3 | K. 4 | K. 5 |
| Thursday | K. 18 | K. 6, 7, 8 | K. 9 | K. 10 | K. 11 | K. 12 |
| Friday | K. 18 | K. 13, 14, 15 | - | K. 19 | K 20 | - |
| Saturday | K. 1 | K. 16, 17 | - | - | - | - |
But on Thursdays of Great Lent, on the fifth week, the canon of St. Andrew of Crete is served. And at Matins, only one kathisma is read. The ps alter at Holy Week is recited from Monday to Wednesday. And only once. After that, there are no kathismas. Only then, at Matins on Great Saturday, is the psalm “Fragile” recited with praise. There are no kathismas on Bright Week either.
But a completely different type of psalmody is the Six Psalms, when six psalms are read: 3, 37, 62, 87, 102 and 142. Christians in this case pray, as if conversing with an invisible God. During this time, you can not walk and sit. At the end of the topic “Kathisma - what is it?” there are a few more important things to note.
Rules for reading the Psalms
Kathismas –a special kind of hymns, different from others, for example, pre-psalms. The latter are read more calmly and less solemnly. At home, psalms are recited with a burning lamp. They are pronounced, observing the correct stresses, out loud or in a low voice, so that not only the mind, but also the ear, listens to the prayer words. This can be done while sitting, but you must get up during the opening and closing prayers and glories.
Psalms are read without expression, monotonously, a little in a singsong voice, without theatrical expressiveness. If the words are incomprehensible, do not be embarrassed. There is a statement about the Psalms: "You may not understand, but the demons understand everything." As spiritual development progresses, the whole divine meaning of what is read will be revealed.
Conclusion
And finally, I would like to answer one more question of concern to many: when is kathisma 15 read? Some superstitious or magical people claim that it should only be recited when there is a dead person in the house. In other cases, it will bring a lot of trouble and misfortune. But Orthodox priests say that absolutely all kathismas can be read without restrictions.
