#Orthodoc Christian

[theridgebeyond]

Muslim, Jewish, pagan, Catholic, and Orthodox women who are visibly religious in public: I like you, have a cupcake!

deciding to extend solidarity and normalize being a visibly religious woman by expressing my own religion in public: I like you, have a cupcake!

realizing that I’ll have to be recognizably Christian in conservative Protestantland: ewwwwwwwwwww

[cactusnotes]

Christian Festivals

Christmas remembers the birth of Jesus, with the build up in Advent, and Easter remembers the events of Holy week, with the Lenten season preceding it in preparation. It faces different beliefs and practices depending on if it is from the Orthodox church, or Eastern Church. One key difference is in terms of the calendar, with the Easter Church being based on a lunar calendar, and the West on the Gregorian Calendar. 

Christmas in the West, first. It is based around the Pagan Saturnalia festivals. Advent is the 40 days preparation. Adventus means coming, and is a time to reflect on both Jesus’ birth, and his second coming: ‘Paraousia’. They are reflected in colours, violet for the most part, bar rose on Gaudete Sunday. Each week has a different theme: hope, prophets, rejoice, annunciation (the angel candle) and finally Christ, on Christmas. One may have an advent calendar to count down, set up Christmas decorations, potentially fast, face penitence. From 17 to 23 December, the ‘Great Advent O Antiphons may be sung at mass, combined to form ‘Oh Come, O Come, Emmanuel’. 

On Christmas Day, carol services and nativity plays are popular, to bring alive the date, some have Plygain services in Wales at midnight. Some will have Christingle orange, there are three Eucharists, and lots of gift giving. It therefore differs with the Eastern Church in terms of the focus on advent (four verses two), the date, and the Christmas service (carols and nativities compared to several liturgies and strict services). However, they align in terms of the focus on the incarnation of Christ. 

In the Eastern Church, Advent is a time of fasting and going vegan. The second Sunday before Christmas is the Sunday of the Forefathers, celebrating the prophets, while the Sunday before Christmas is the Sunday of the Fathers, celebrating his direct ancestors. There is no focus on Parousia and red vestments are worn. On Christmas day--6th or 7th January based on the Julian calendar--and is named Theophany and Epiphany, and is an opportunity to celebrate eternal salvation, the nativity, adoration of the Shepherds/Magi and the baptism of Christ. 

The eve service is long, beautiful, and has ‘solemn singing’. There is strict fasting, they have the ‘Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great’, Vespers (bible readings), the Hours (psalms) and Matins (‘Christ is born’ is first sung), and then the Joyful, Divine liturgy at midnight. They then visit each other’s houses, sing carols, but no gifts. They start with the salutation ‘Christ is Born’ and the response is ‘praise you him’. Then, a festive meal on white linen, reflecting the cloth in which Jesus was born, and maybe even straw, and a reflection, Christ’s birth means Christ’s death. Some will even walk to rivers and seas to make holes in any ice, to then bless the water.

The date of Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon or after vernal equinox, which is March 21 for the West, and therefore predictable. For the Orthodoc Church, it is based on astronomy and therefore cannot be calculated much in advance, and it always falls after Jewish Passover, also based on the astronomy of the moon, while in the West, Easter may fall before Passover. In common, the day is the most holy in the whole year, and both focus on the resurrection of Christ, however there are differences in the liturgical practice and more diversity in the West. 

In the West, Lent is a memorial of Jesus’ 40 day fast, leading to 40 days of abstinence, starting with Ash Wednesday, where there’s no meat, purple vestments, a cross on the forehead of last year’s psalms, has the chant ‘Repent, and believe in the Gospel’. During Lent, people receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, pray both in groups and alone, do works of mercy and charity, and see the stations of the cross. Church decorations are put up: flowers, statues in purple cloth, no alleluias. The fourth Sunday of Lent is Laetere Sunday, where all wear pink, and is rejoice Sunday. Fifth Sunday is Passion Sunday, with the whole of the passion being read. 

Sixth Sunday is Palm Sunday, the beginning of holy week, palm bought and used in Church. Maundy Thursday was when there was the washing of the feet, and people watch the host overnight. Good Friday brings the veneration of the cross at 3pm, so there is strict fast, liturgy, people kiss the cross, and there is no Eucharist. Holy Saturday has no mass, and the church is bare. Easter Sunday has three Eucharists at midnight, dawn and day, and everyone wears white vestments. A charcoal fire is lit, the church is dark, the Paschal candle is lit to the cry “The Light of Christ”. Inside, the mass is lit entirely by candles. The Story of Salvation is read aloud. The Triduum is the three days of holiness, from Thursday to Saturday. In the Lutheran Church, Tenebrae liturgy can occur. 

The Eastern Orthodox Church’s Lent is the ‘Triodion season’, split into three parts, focused on repentance, with the colour being black. The key question is ‘are we willing to turn to Him?’ The Pre-Lenten season is three weeks before Lent, focused on humility. The prodigal son parable was read out, there is a meatfare sunday, final day to eat meat, the Sunday of Last Judgement. Cheesefare Sunday is the Sunday of Forgiveness. Great Lent is Lent itself, a time of spiritual preparation, going vegan, prayer, starting on Clean Monday, where it is full fasting. The second week is dedicated to St. Gregory of Palamas, the third and fourth week are for the veneration of the cross, the fifth week is the veneration of Mary (theotokos, Akathist Saturday) and the sixth week has Vespers Friday and Lazarus Saturday, Lazarus reflecting Jesus’ resurrection. 

Holy Pascha is Holy Week/’Bright Week’ and Easter Sunday. Palm Sunday has blessings of palms in the modern, the other days are ‘Holy and Great’, so HaG Monday is to remember Joseph and his coat, HaG Tuesday remembers the ten virgins who came prepared with oil to meet Jesus. HaG Wednesday remembers Jesus being anointed at Bethany. HaG Thursday is in memory of the mystical supper or the Eucharist. Friday is Jesus’ passion, strict fasting, three solemn services, like lamentations, and in the evening there is the lamentation of Mary over her son. The Epitaphios cloth represents Jesus’ burial, and it’s placed on the altar, sprinkled with holy water and rose petals. 

Saturday is when Jesus is buried and descends to hell, resulting in strict fast. The day starts off as black and sorrowful, and half way through, the Gospel is brought out, the day turns white, joyful, fresh bay leaves are sprinkled across the Church, as a symbol of Jesus’ victory. The good news of his resurrection is proclaimed during the Paschal Vigil. This is at midnight, with the candle brought in, and there is Easter Matins, Easter Hours and Easter Divine Liturgy, then there’s blessing of the Paschal eggs, dyed red like Jesus’ blood, Agape Vespers being sung and ‘Christ is Risen’ is said. 

[er-cryptid]

Cyril Spreads Christianity

-- Cyril is an orthodoc Christian holy man

-- takes this message from Byzantine to Serbia

-- converts Serbians to Christianity

-- Cyril has to develop a new alphabet to communicate with the Serbs      -- Cyrillic alphabet      -- still used today

-- message spreads into Russia

-- adopted by Russian leaders

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