When there was a procession. John Chrysostom and the establishment of tradition. Religious procession "By the path of St. Sergius"

Many Orthodox believers strive to meet the most important religious holiday - Easter, in the church and take part in the procession of the cross. When it will be Procession 2018? Easter service begins at Great Saturday which will be April 7 in 2018. The procession takes place closer to midnight. After this ceremony, Easter begins.

There will also be a religious procession for Easter 2018 in cities and towns. This is an important part of the celebration and it is after the procession that the bright news that Christ is Risen is passed from mouth to mouth. You can break the fast with food consecrated right there and rejoice, carry this bright news further around the world.

Religious procession for Easter 2018 in St. Petersburg or in another city always takes place in large churches and temples. The service, which ends with a procession of the cross, traditionally begins at 20.00. There is no need to check the timetable to take part in this action, because there is a stable tradition of rule.

20.00 - this is the time when the service begins, immediately after it there is a procession of the cross. Many are interested in exactly what time the procession begins on Easter. This happens around midnight, but it is better to come earlier and stand up for a while to listen to the service.

The Easter service is a beautiful and important act. All the priests of a particular temple put on their best clothes and stand at the throne. Soon, the ringing of bells is heard and after it the procession begins. The church views this move as a procession of the church towards Jesus Christ, who rose from the grave and rose again.

Easter in 2018: the procession of the cross on this particular church holiday is the most numerous. Although, this ritual is also performed on such large church holidays as Baptism, on the Savior. A lantern is carried in front of the procession, then - the altar cross and the altarpiece Mother of God... Singers, gonfalons, deacons and censers walk in pairs, then priests. In the last pair of priests, the one on the right carries the Gospel, and the one on the left carries the icon of the Resurrection.

Religious procession for Easter 2018 in St. Petersburg and Moscow, other cities is always held according to one established church tradition. The procession goes around the temple three times and stops in front of closed doors, symbolizing the entrance to the cave where Jesus Christ was buried. At this moment, the bells cease, and the priests and parishioners sing the joyous Easter troparion three times. Then the prophecies of the holy King David are pronounced, verses about the resurrection of Christ are sung.

The procession is drawing to a close, the doors of the church are opening and with the joyful news that Christ is Risen, priests and people are entering the temple. So once the myrrh-bearing wives went to Jerusalem to tell there about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. During the service, the priest again greets all parishioners with the words "Christ is Risen". And this will be the most important greeting on April 8 - on Easter Christ in 2018, as well as during the festive Easter week.

Religious procession for Easter 2018 will be held in cities and towns according to the accepted custom. Such moves are made several times a year: necessarily on Easter and on

Not so long ago, we all followed the events of the All-Ukrainian procession of peace, love and prayer, which became a real testimony to the faith of our people. However, not everyone, perhaps, knows how the tradition of such moves appeared among the Orthodox, what is its meaning and the Old Testament sources. Let's try to find out.

Not a flash mob or a demonstration

What is important to know? Religious procession(not to be confused with Crusades) is not called any popular procession, otherwise it could be confused with a demonstration or some kind of flash mob. Even external attributes, presence icons, cross, gonfalons cannot be a guarantee that he is just that.

Firstly, such a procession always has an absolutely specific goal, a reason (we will talk about them a little later). Secondly, it should be performed only with the blessing of the archpastor, bishop. Thirdly, such a procession must be led by a legally ordained priest or the same bishop.

But these are also, let's say, only organizational, formal signs of moves, which are by no means responsible for their success. The main thing that should be present at such a procession of believers is a common prayer spirit, unity of faith, mutual love and respect. Without them, any such "action" threatens to turn into an ordinary walk, or even altogether - which is much worse - into a magical device. Let us emphasize that it is not only the prayer spirit that is important here, but the communal spirit, moreover, peacefully attuned to everyone, even enemies.

Why do people go with crosses and icons?

So, we can say that such church passages are a kind of common prayer. Of course, then the question involuntarily arises: why go out into the street, perform some kind of processions, if you can also pray in the church? The answer to it is the same as to the question: why do we need fasts and obeisances? We do this when we want to add some kind of sacrifice to our prayer so that it will be heard.

Is the procession a manifestation of your faith? Perhaps this is exactly how it looks from the outside. But this is certainly not the main goal. Its goal is to invoke God's grace, first of all, on all people, believers and unbelievers, to the place where they pass: city, country and, ultimately, to the whole world.

In addition, through such solemn prayer processions, the natural elements are sanctified: fire, water, air. Earlier, people understood better that any natural disasters are not just abstract environmental problems, but God's wrath for our sins. Therefore, they performed such popular processions to pray to the Lord for mercy.

The crucifixes carry with them crosses (which is why it is called the procession of the cross), icons, banners. Banners are sacred church banners that should not be confused with state ones, since the power of Christ is "not of this world." The very first to carry a lantern (as a sign of the Gospel light that enlightens the whole world).

The cross is the main banner of Christians, a symbol of victory over death, a testimony of faith. Therefore, without it, the move is, of course, unthinkable. Through the icons, the saints themselves, the heavenly army also invisibly takes part in it. Sometimes, on the day of remembrance of a saint or his glorification, on special occasions, processions are also performed with the relics of God's saints.

Old Testament types

The very first prototype of such a procession of believers, perhaps, can be the forty-year campaign of the Israelites in the desert in search of the Promised Land. Most vivid example the effective force of such popular processions is the capture of Jericho. The Book of Joshua tells about this (Joshua 5: 13-6: 26).

In a special revelation, he was commanded to go around this city with the Ark of the Covenant for seven days, while blowing trumpets. The ark was carried by the priests, the soldiers walked behind. On the seventh day, the Israelites sounded their trumpets, began to shout loudly and with one voice, after which the wall of Jericho collapsed and the city surrendered.

Also, the Jews on the Feast of Tabernacles had a tradition of a seven-day solemn procession around the almemar (place in the synagogue) with palm branches. Another striking example is the transfer of the Ark of the Covenant by King David to Jerusalem, in which the entire people of Israel participated "with exclamations and trumpets."

John Chrysostom and the establishment of tradition

During the time of the Savior's earthly life, an example of a procession with the cross is His solemn entry into Jerusalem. Then all people greeted Him with the words "Hosanna!" and laid palm branches under their feet. We know that already in the first centuries in the early Christian community there was a tradition on Easter Day symbolically, following the example of the myrrh-bearing women, to go around the temple with candles in hand.

This can be considered the beginning of the tradition, but the rank (order) itself did not yet exist. Then, it is known that the newly acquired relics of the saints were just as solemnly transferred by the whole community. These processions were performed at night and were accompanied by a common prayer in the form of singing hymns (psalms). They were called lithiums (not to be confused with their modern look) or lithiums. They also served as the beginning of the modern rite of the procession.

The authorship of the first order is traditionally attributed to St. John Chrysostom. At first they were created in opposition to the Arians - the saint did not want people to participate in their Sunday amusement meetings. Then, at the time when Chrysostom lived (IV century), a number of natural Disasters... Thus, from a simple pious tradition, they passed into general church practice, where they were entrenched.

Religious procession in Russia

These solemn processions with the participation of believers came to Russia together with Christianity from Byzantium. Remember that baptism itself Kievan Rus was preceded by a large march of people to the Dnieper River in response to the call of Prince Vladimir. Also, the glorification of the first Russian saints, passion-bearers Boris and Gleb, the transfer of their relics in 1115 was accompanied by a nationwide church procession.

Prayer processions of the people became so widespread in the Russian lands that the Holy Synod was even forced to adopt a decree prohibiting spontaneous moves. The heyday of the popularity of the tradition of the procession in Russia came at the beginning of the 20th century. Then even the royal families took part in them. The most striking example is the glorification of the Monk Seraphim of Sarov in 1903. Then from one hundred to three hundred thousand people took part in it, including the Emperor Nicholas II himself with his family.

It is also difficult to overestimate the role of penitential moves in the history of the Russian state. They have repeatedly saved from pestilences, fires and military incursions not only Moscow, but also other significant cities, thanks to which the images of the Mother of God, especially Vladimirskaya, Tikhvinskaya, Kazanskaya and many others, have become so famous here. It is not without reason that the same Seraphim of Sarov said that "Russia will be saved by religious processions."

Types of prayer processions

There are many types of processions according to different criteria... In terms of duration, they are divided into one-day and multi-day. Depending on the time of the commission, there may be:

• annual(established, for example, on Easter and Epiphany);
• extraordinary, or disposable(committed on a specific occasion).

Depending on the reasons, they are divided into:

• festive, or solemn- performed in honor of a certain holiday;
• thanksgiving- in gratitude for God's help and mercy for some reason, they also include the course in honor of the consecration of the temple;
• propitiatory- the type of common prayer at the beginning of an important church or state event;
• repentant- processions of believers, performed during times of national disasters (famine, war, epidemics, earthquakes, etc.) with a request to get rid of them.

Unusual moves of modern times

Today, many new types of unusual church processions have appeared, which, of course, have the same power if they are performed in faith, and not only with the intention of surprising. It is worth at least to mention that such a variety of them as godfather years... A shrine (relics or icon) is prayerfully transported by plane or helicopter over long distances.

In addition to air, began to be implemented much earlier and aquatic... Such a procession is especially convenient for remote hard-to-reach places... An unusual phenomenon can be called biker moving with icons and banners, in which even priests take part. Today, popularity is also gaining baby prayer processions, especially with prayer for peace. They are also a clear testimony of faith.

But in the skete of Optina Hermitage, an unusual prayer procession also takes place every day, in which ... cats take part. You can watch this video here:

Do you want to know more about the Easter procession in 2019? On the eve of this holiday, which is celebrated by Orthodox believers on April 28, 2019, church services are held in churches.

Divine services are especially solemn on the night from Saturday to Sunday. It goes on all night and is called an all-night vigil.

When and how is the procession for Easter in 2019? What time is the procession for Easter? Let's talk about this in more detail.

This procession got its name because it is usually led by a priest who bears a large cross. Other clergymen carry icons and banners.

On Easter, a lantern is carried in front of the procession, followed by the altar cross, the altarpiece of the Mother of God, the Gospel, the icon of the Resurrection. The procession is completed by the primate of the temple with a tricolor and a cross.

In Orthodoxy, there are long and short religious processions. The procession on Easter is usually short-lived.

Where and when does the Easter procession take place?

Church service on Holy Saturday begins in the evening at 20.00. And the procession takes place on the night from Saturday to Sunday.

What time is the procession for Easter? This action takes place closer to midnight. All clergymen are ranked by the throne. Priests and worshipers in the temple light candles. The solemn ringing of bells - the gospel - heralds the coming of the great moment of the bright holiday - the resurrection of Christ.

The clergy and congregation walk around the temple three times, each time stopping at its doors. The first two times the doors are closed, and the third time they open. The doors symbolize the stone that closed the Holy Sepulcher and was thrown back on the day of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Now you know when and how the procession takes place on Easter. After the procession, with the onset of Easter, the priests change into white festive robes and the service continues.

The Bright Matins begins, during which joyful exclamations are heard: "Christ is Risen!" - "Truly he is risen!". After the festive liturgy, at about 4 o'clock in the morning, believers break their fast with colored eggs, pieces of Easter cake or Easter.

If on the eve, on the days of Holy Week, the bells in churches were silent, then on Easter week the gospel is heard everywhere. On Easter, it is customary to visit friends and relatives, to treat ourselves and treat others.

In the old days, these days they arranged festivities, danced in circles, swayed on a swing. This holiday is widely celebrated in our time.

Easter service is one of the most important events for Orthodox Christians. In the temples, an important service for believers is held. Great post ends immediately after the end of the Divine Liturgy and Communion. The main event of the year for Orthodox Christians begins a few hours before midnight, and the service ends at 4 in the morning.

Divine service on Sunday of Christ begins with the Procession of the Cross at midnight. At this time, everyone can come to the temple. Those who want to get inside and stay in the church for the entire service come in advance. Others can watch the process from the street or watch a live broadcast on TV.

How the Easter Procession is performed

In 2018, on April 8, all Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter. In churches, the service will begin on April 7, in Good Saturday some time before midnight. A solemn service begins with the lighting of candles by the priests. The same is done by people who have come to the temple at this time. Singing begins in the altar, which picks up the Easter chime.

After that, the long-awaited Easter Procession begins, which takes place according to the following rules:

1. The procession is led by a man carrying a lantern. After him comes a priest with a cross, then - the image of the Virgin Mary. The procession ends with a choir and believers who wish to join the process. All processions walk in two rows. When everyone leaves the temple, its doors are closed.
2. You need to go around the temple three times, each time you need to stop about closed doors... This tradition symbolizes the entrance to the cave with the Sepulcher of Christ.
3. The temple opens after the procession completes the third circle and says "Christ is Risen".
4. Everyone returns inside and the service continues.

This procession takes place in every Orthodox church... The procession allows you to feel the spirit of the holiday. This important event is always very spectacular for believers.

How to behave in a temple for Easter

Anyone can take part in the Easter service.

Important! Only baptized people can take communion.

As a sign of respect for the holiday, believers should follow a number of simple rules.

Religious procession - pious ancient tradition... However, not everyone knows what its meaning is. Procession of the cross is a crowded solemn prayer procession from one temple to another, around the temple or to some designated place, for example, a holy source, with a large altar or external cross, from which the procession itself received its name. Participants in the procession also carry Holy gospel, icons, banners and other shrines of the temple. Priests and clergymen make the procession in liturgical vestments. During the procession, liturgical chants are sung: the troparion of the holiday, irmos, and sometimes the festive canon (on Easter week).

The procession of the cross is an expression of the common national faith and fervent prayer to the Lord and the Mother of God for the gift of grace to the Church and people.

Religious processions appeared in the 4th century in Byzantium. Saint John Chrysostom organized night processions against the heretics-Arians through the streets of Constantinople. For this, silver crosses were made on shafts, which were solemnly worn around the city along with holy icons. People walked with lighted candles. Later, in the struggle against the heresy of Nestorius, special processions of the cross were arranged by St. Cyril of Alexandria. In Constantinople, for the consecration of places and the aversion of disease, the Life-Giving Cross was carried from the imperial palace to the temple of Sophia and carried through the streets.

In Russia, processions of the cross took place in times of disaster: a drought that threatened to destroy the harvest, epidemics of plague or cholera, the threat of enemy attacks. People spent many days on their feet, in fasting and prayer, in the heat or in the rain, but the grace of the Lord was great. Moral enlightenment caused by the action of the Holy Spirit was experienced by everyone.

In the 20th century, it became possible to conduct air processions of the cross. Oddly enough, the first such flight over the cities of Russia took place during the Great Patriotic War, although very few people know about it. On December 2, 1941, before the preparatory counter-offensive against the Nazi troops, a Li-2 plane flew with the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God on board. The plane was piloted by Stalin's personal pilot Alexander Golovanov, later Marshal, founder of long-range aviation. This historical moment reflected in documentary footage of the film "Unknown War", as well as in the memoirs of relatives of Alexander Golovanov.

A religious procession, along the path of which angels invisibly follow, protects the settlement, the city and the entire state. The stronghold, surrounded by a wall of fiery prayer, is inaccessible.