Katavasia - what is it? Origin and meaning of the word "katavasia"

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

Many people are familiar with the word "discord", which usually serves as a brightly colored, expressive definition of something like confusion or disharmony. But not everyone knows about the origin of this term. We will cover this question in this article, we will try to answer the question of what a mess really is.

Origin

Some think that the word is Russian and it consists of the word "cat" and the name Vasya, that is, it is a kind of reference to a domestic cat and the qualities that it personifies. In fact, this and all such interpretations are based solely on chance similarities. In fact, the Greek language is the real source of the term katavasia. What it is, the charter of Orthodox worship will help us to understand. As you know, in Orthodoxy there are several public religious ceremonies. One of them is Matins, which, accordingly, should be performed in the morning. However, in Russia it is most often served in the evening. The rites of this ceremony include singingthe so-called canon - a sequence of eight songs, consisting of small couplets called troparia. Each such song begins with the so-called irmos - also a small text, sung in a special way. The text of the irmos can also be duplicated, and after the song, and in this case it is called "katavasia". What it is can be easily understood if you take the rite of Matins in your hands. However, it does not explain the essence of the term, since its literal translation is “descent to the bottom, descent.”

Here you need to learn something else about the traditions of the Orthodox ceremonial. The fact is that all the chants and hymns during the service are performed by the choir, called the kliros. And although there can be only one choir, traditional worship involves two kliros, which are located to the right and left of the altar. Their arrangement makes it possible to create certain effects, for example, to sing antiphnes.

So, a mess - what is it? Initially, this was the name of the practice, when both choirs leave their places on the sides of the altar and descend into the nave, that is, into the area for the laity, where they unite and sing hymns as a single choir. Later, this practice began to be performed less and less, until it completely disappeared. And its name was attached to the chant that was performed in this form.

Types of katavasia

There are different types of katavasia. Most often, it is performed after each of the songs of the canon and in this case is called an ordinary. There is also a festive mess. What is it, it is easy to feel whendirect presence at worship. It is performed in the manner of an irmos, but only after the 3rd, 6th, 8th and 9th odes of the canon.

Secular meaning

We have already said that this word is used in the secular world, as well as that its meaning here is exclusively figurative. Any confusion or chaos is called katavasia. The term owes such popularity to Russian seminarians, who, while singing and choirs converged, were out of tune a lot, creating a cacophony of sound.