The procession of the cross is a victorious march of faith. Easter procession, when does it begin, what you need to know

The church service on Easter is especially solemn, since it marks the main event of the year for Christians. On the saving night of the Holy Resurrection of Christ, it is customary to stay awake. From the evening of Holy Saturday, the Acts of the Holy Apostles are read in the church, containing evidence of the Resurrection of Christ, followed by the Easter Midnight Office with the canon of Holy Saturday.

The Easter service begins with a religious procession at midnight from Saturday to Sunday. It is advisable to arrive at the temple a little earlier. But since not all people can come to church at midnight, many churches usually have two or even three Liturgies. They usually repeat in the morning and afternoon on Sunday.

Anyone can participate in the service and bless Easter cakes, regardless of whether they are baptized. However, unbaptized people are not supposed to receive communion. Those wishing to take part in the procession must come to the temple sober. Appearing at a service while intoxicated is considered a sign of disrespect for the holiday.

Fasting ends after the end of the Divine Liturgy and communion. Every year the festive service ends around 4 am. After this, believers can return home to break their fast, or, if desired, do so directly in church. For those who missed the night service, the fast ends after the end of the Liturgy that the parishioner was able to attend to receive communion.

Features of the Easter Procession

The service on Holy Saturday before Easter, which in 2018 will be on April 7, begins a few hours before midnight. The clergy are at the throne, they light candles. The same is done by people who come to church for services. The singing begins at the altar, followed by the Easter peal.

It is when the bells in the temple begin to ring that night that the procession of the Cross begins. The procession seems to be going towards the risen Jesus Christ. Always at the beginning of the move there is a person carrying a lantern, followed by a cross, the image of the Virgin Mary. The clergy walk in two rows, and the choir and all believers also perform the procession.

You walk around the temple three times, and each time you need to stop in front of its closed doors. This tradition has its own symbolism - the closed doors of the temple are a symbol of the entrance to the cave where the Tomb of Jesus Christ was. Only after the clergyman says that Christ is Risen do the doors of the temple open.

The procession solemnly enters the temple through the open doors and the service continues. This is already a festive service about the wonderful Resurrection of Christ and Easter has already arrived. A procession of the cross in any church on the eve of Easter is a must; it is a spectacular and massive event that allows you to truly feel the spirit of the holiday. You can serve snowdrift salad on the festive table.

Several important rules on how to behave during the Easter service in church:

• Under no circumstances should you turn your back to the altar during the service;
• Turn off mobile phones upon entering the temple premises;
• If you take children with you, you need to make sure that they behave quietly, understand the essence of what is happening, do not run around and do not distract people;
• While reading, the priest often crosses himself with the cross and the Gospel; it is not necessary to be baptized every time, but you must bow at such moments.
• Every believer who is at a church service must be baptized with the words: “Lord, have mercy,” “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,” “Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
• You need to cross yourself three times when entering the temple, and also three times when leaving the temple.
• During the Easter service, it is not customary to kiss three times and give each other colored eggs; this must be done after the service is over.
• Clothing should be clean and modest. Women should not come to church wearing trousers and without covering their heads.
• It is always necessary to be baptized without gloves.
• Please also note that you are not allowed to talk loudly to each other or talk on the phone during the service.

What time will the Easter service begin at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior?

Every year Christians look forward to this great holiday. Not everyone will be able to get to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

Therefore, the Great Easter service can be watched live. This year the live broadcast will be at 23.30. You can watch it on Channel One.

Video greetings on Easter

Religious traditions are slowly but surely returning to our lives. At Easter, even people of little faith enjoy coloring eggs, buying and baking Easter cakes, and preparing Easter eggs. It seems that a miracle will happen on this day, people will become kinder, happier, dearer, more sociable. True believers Orthodox people have already washed everything, prepared everything on Maundy Thursday and are going to go through the “path of the soul” - the Procession of the Cross. So, how the procession of the Cross is carried out for Easter 2018, when it will take place, varieties, process and many interesting things - further in the article.

Interesting! The Jews were among the first to go through the prototype of the procession. They made a long journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. How to cook for Easter.

What is the Procession of the Cross?

The procession with external and altar crosses gave the process its name. It is particularly solemn. The clergy, together with the flock, with church banners, icons and shrines, make a procession around the temple, from one church to another or to some holy place. At Epiphany, the procession goes from the church to the “Jordan” - a special ice hole. It is cut down for the festive illumination of water in the form of a cross.

Interesting! Kings Solomon and David took part in the prototypes of the procession, so the procession has a long history.

Interesting! The very first naval religious procession took place across the Black Sea, in honor of the canonization of the most talented naval commander F. F. Ushakov.

It is wrong to think that the procession of the Cross is always festive and joyful. The procession with the shroud, which is held during Holy Week, is suffering, sorrow and crying. When performing it, they remember the burial of Christ.

Easter Procession

Its antipode is the Easter procession. The procession commemorates the meeting of the myrrh-bearing women with the Risen Jesus Christ. The Holy Resurrection of Christ is particularly solemn. In the temple, all dark clothes are replaced by light ones. Believers come to the temple for the festive evening service, which begins on Holy Saturday and continues after midnight. The religious procession is an integral part of it and lasts until midnight.

Interesting! The procession around the Russian Orthodox Church moves counterclockwise, the Old Believers - clockwise, according to the movement of the sun.

The priest reads prayers and lights candles together with the believers. The choir begins to quietly sing a song, which gradually gains strength and merges with the Easter peal - in memory of the holy myrrh-bearing women who met the Risen Lord. It is at this moment that the procession begins, the priest and his flock circle the church three times to the sound of jubilant ringing. In the hands of the clergyman is the icon of the Resurrection.

Important! If there is only one clergyman in the church, then the Gospel and the icon are carried by ordinary residents, thereby becoming direct participants in the sacrament.

The Procession of the Cross for Easter 2018 ends in front of the closed western doors of the church,
the bells fall silent. The abbot, facing the East, marks the locked gate with a censer three times in a cross shape. After the clergy sings the troparion three times (a short hymn in which the essence of the holiday is revealed or the saints are glorified) - “Christ is Risen”, the doors of the temple open and everyone, rejoicing and rejoicing, enters it. This action symbolizes the entry of the myrrh-bearing women into Jerusalem with the joyful news of the Resurrection of the Savior.

Important! On Easter, Orthodox people greet each other with the words “Christ is Risen!”, to which they must respond “Truly He is Risen!”

Throughout Easter week, the doors in all temples and churches are kept open, at this time the sky is closer to us than ever.

Interesting! Catholics, unlike Orthodox believers, make a procession after the service.

Archpriest Alexy Kulberg, rector of the Church of the Ascension of the Lord, head of the department of religious education and catechesis of the Yekaterinburg Metropolis, answers questions from viewers. Broadcast from Yekaterinburg.

- Today is marked by one important event. On June 3, the multi-day and multi-kilometer all-Russian Velikoretsky religious procession started from the St. Seraphim Cathedral in the city of Kirov. Many people participate in this procession. They will walk the 180-kilometer way of the cross. This religious procession has an official page http://velikoretsky-hod.ru/, where you can track the movement of people and the route. In Yekaterinburg, on Children's Day, a children's religious procession was also held. And also on the night of July 17 in Yekaterinburg there will be a religious procession to Ganina Yama, to the place where the holy royal family was taken. Therefore, today I propose to start the program with the topic of religious processions, to talk about why we perform such a feat and why it even exists. First, let's talk about the etymology of these words: why “godfather” and why “hod”?

The Velikoretsk religious procession is the most ancient of all existing religious processions. Tens of thousands of people participate in it. Let us assume that it comes not from Kirov, but from Vyatka - we will still return to the historical name of this city. The religious procession comes from Vyatka, from the place where the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was revealed on the Velikaya River. Why is this religious procession taking place? An icon of St. Nicholas was discovered by a certain peasant on the Velikaya River, which was miraculously consecrated. Wondering what it was, he took the icon and brought it to Vyatka. The residents of Vyatka made a vow every year to worship with this icon - to go to the place where it was found and give honor and gratitude to the saint, who, through this icon, heard and heard a huge number of prayers (voiced or not voiced), as well as the requests of the residents of Vyatka performed. This icon became the main shrine for the Vyatichi people. And the Velikoretsk religious procession is an outward expression of gratitude to God and St. Nicholas for these mercies.

I am not a historian, and it is difficult for me to trace back when the first religious procession was recorded in history. I probably won’t be mistaken if I say that the first procession of the cross was the way of the cross of our Savior, which He performed under the weight of the Cross laid by the Roman soldiers by the verdict of Pontius Pilate and by the betrayal of the Israeli people. This is the first religious procession, as a result of which the Lord’s saving sacrifice was made for the human race. The result of this way of the cross was the Resurrection and victory over death. Perhaps this is the most important meaning of any religious procession and the life of a Christian: to live your own path, not to grumble under the weight of the cross that the Lord places on us or that we lift upon ourselves, and to come to the salvation of your own soul.

The second historical fact that I associate with the procession is an event that occurred nine centuries later, which we remember as the Feast of the Praise of the Mother of God. We celebrate it at the end of Great Lent or during the Feast of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Residents of Constantinople, besieged by barbarians, understood that there was no hope of salvation, the city would now be captured, devastated, and rivers of blood would flow along the pavements of Constantinople. They placed their only hope on the Mother of God and walked around the walls of Constantinople with the belt of the Mother of God and the icon, which is kept in the Blachernae Church. We know that the Mother of God saved the city. Numerous troops besieging the city were destroyed, and the inhabitants were saved.

Yesterday the Church remembered the holy blessed prince Dovmont of Pskov, in the holy baptism of Timothy. His life describes a similar phenomenon: after the death of the holy Prince Dovmont, who was the defender of Pskov, the city was besieged. As life says, about 100,000 German knights and Varangians, hired by them, surrounded Pskov and were ready to capture it and turn it into ruins. Prince Dovmont appeared in a dream to several townspeople and called on them to take the mantle that covered his tomb. With this shrine they walked along the walls of the city, and the city was liberated. This is the third example in history when a religious procession was carried out. In the last two examples (in Constantinople and Pskov), people went to the religious procession not from an overabundance of pious feelings, not because they so wanted to acquire special heavenly grace, tenderness and tears. And they went to the procession because they understood: there was nothing more to hope for, now there would be a bitter and cruel death for us and our children. There is no more human hope, something must be done, turn to God. This cry, brought in despair, was heard. The Lord interceded.

Today we are performing religious processions. They are beautiful - for example, on Holy Week around the temple. It's summer now, and a whole series of religious processions begins. Velikoretsky is the longest and most massive of them. We must understand that this is not just a beautiful tradition. Yes, it is gracious and beautiful: so many people, banners, icons, how pious they all are! But in reality there is a crowd of sinners, a “crowd of problems.” I know many people who go to religious processions. The parishioners of our church left Yekaterinburg for the Velikoretsky religious procession; I know people who participate in the Borisoglebsky and Irinarkhovsky religious processions. They do not go there to communicate with similar Orthodox Christians and enjoy grace. They bring their problems there - their husbands drink, their children do not obey, they have some kind of illness. A person walks, realizing that he has an incurable disease, there is nothing to hope for: “I’ll bring the rest of my strength to God, maybe He will accept it, or give me health, or patience to bear this disease.” Such people, perishing in their sins, weaknesses, sufferings, passions, gather, like the residents of Pskov or Constantinople, in the hope that the Lord will at least accept this procession and deliver them from what man himself cannot get rid of.

What do people who have walked this path testify to? It's very hard. Imagine: 180 km on foot off-road, in any weather. No matter the thunderstorm, no matter the heat, they go and spend the night wherever they can, some in the field, some on the floor. And they bring these works in the hope that the Lord will accept. The Lord accepts, of course, but not en masse. Not all 70-80 thousand are immediately healed, enlightened, and problems disappear. People say: “We have passed through, received such a charge of confirmation in faith, in the desire for a pious life, that for a year ahead until the next procession of the cross, this charge feeds and keeps us from falls and human infirmities.”

Now there will be many processions of the cross. Of course, this is a royal religious procession, which will take place on the night of July 16-17 in Yekaterinburg, with a length of 21 kilometers. About 50 thousand people gather for this religious procession. The main leitmotif of the royal procession is prayer for our country, the repentance that we bring to God before the royal family for the sin of killing the sovereign and the sin of our own lukewarm, comfortable, well-fed life. We pray and hope that the Lord will send trials, give patience in these trials, and through this Christian work will make our country, our Rus' holy again, aimed primarily at life on earth, so that everything will be satisfying, good, calm, comfortable , but so that the people seek first the Kingdom of Heaven, and then everything else.

There are not only traditional religious processions, when people take a cross and an icon and set off on their journey with prayer. For example, there is a wonderful tradition when people board ships, kayaks, children and adults, take icons, banners, even install a small bell tower on a kayak, and such a religious procession sets off along the river. People travel about 100 kilometers. This is done across the territory of the Yaroslavl and Tver regions, along the Nerl River. Along the way, participants in the religious procession, or rafting, visit many villages that once had churches filled with life. And now the temples are abandoned, the residents are also abandoned. This is a missionary rafting of the cross; the residents of these villages know when to expect the coming of the young prayer books. It is a joy and an opportunity to take part in a prayer service and liturgy in abandoned churches once a year. There is even a tradition of celebrating liturgy on the island. One day a tragedy occurred: when the waters of the Rybinsk Reservoir were raised, populated areas were flooded. And the following picture arose: a bell tower sticks out in the middle of the sea. There is an island there on which the temple once stood; now the earth from the water and the remains of bricks are visible. The liturgy is celebrated on this island, on the spot where the temple once stood. Such a religious procession is addressed not only to the people who participate in it, but also to the hundreds of those who are waiting for it in these villages. During overnight stays, conversations and concerts are held. People are touching that spiritual life that is inaccessible to them throughout the year. This is the result.

Question from TV viewer Alexey from St. Petersburg: “I heard that in ancient times, in the first Christian centuries, there was such a rule: everyone who did not manage to fast well and thoroughly during Lent, for example, travelers, fasted during Peter’s Fast. And if a person spent Lent carefully, then he was freed from Peter’s Fast. Have you heard of such a rule?

Yes, I heard about such a tradition that Peter’s Fast was established for those people who either did not have the opportunity to properly go through the path of Great Lent, or did not have such a desire - for example, they were only baptized the day before, on Holy Saturday. Naturally, they did not fast during Lent. Fasting was dedicated to the apostles. These labors, which Christians brought during the short period of Peter's Lent, yielded certain results. Today there is a discussion: “Since Peter’s Fast did not exist in ancient times, why do we now diligently fast both on Great Lenten and on Peter’s Day? Let's cancel Petrov's fast. Since we fasted during Lent, it means we won’t fast on Petrov.” There are interesting pros and cons on this matter. The Synodal Commission has brought together many smart, educated, theologically and historically spiritually experienced people who are preparing proposals regarding the attitude towards Peter’s fast. I can only say as a priest and as a Christian: I am now happily awaiting the end of the continuous week, the moment when Peter’s Fast begins. Lent is called “spiritual spring.” When it begins, the soul blossoms, like an apple tree, which in the spring is warmed by the sun, throws out its leaves and blooms. When does the fast end? Well, who hasn’t experienced this sad reality: Easter, joy, the Resurrection of Christ, week, second, third - and that tension of spiritual life goes away, time appears for relaxation, some regrets that that taste of spiritual life is eroded, lost. And where can I find it? The opportunity to devote two to four weeks to God is a joy for me personally and for those people whom I, as a priest, care for. We are waiting for the opportunity to fast, study the Acts of the Apostles, the Epistles of the Holy Apostles, we are waiting for fasting in order to restrain our belly and practice piety and thereby benefit ourselves and the people around us, who, seeing us truly fasting, will benefit. Fasting doesn’t just mean that we don’t eat something, but we need to limit ourselves to shows and idle conversations. This benefits not only the person, but also the people around him. Who knows, but I believe that this is a great benefit for a Christian and whoever fasts will gain. There are people who are looking for: “How can we not fast?” Don't fast. God will give you something else, some other grace, maybe He will send you some kind of illness, sorrow, or maybe He will look at you with His love, warm your heart so that you will feel good even without fasting. This post has been consecrated by our ancestors for centuries. In the life of the Monk Varlaam of Khutyn, a great saint revered in the Church, it is mentioned that on Tuesday or Thursday of the first week of Peter's Lent in the summer he came to the prince on a sleigh, having predicted this arrival in advance. That is, the Fast of Peter for the people who lived during the time of St. Varlaam of Khutyn, who carried out such missionary works, was an important milestone, for them it was significant. They, too, probably knew that this tradition came from the holy apostles, not from the Lord Jesus Christ. Such a tradition has developed, we accepted it, which is probably why it is called Holy Rus'. Faith existed in Rus', but in the West, without fasting, it cooled down, was emasculated, and now they have come to the troubles that exist. Therefore, the power of tradition matters, especially for a Russian person, tradition means a lot. I believe that traditions must be preserved, observed carefully, with love. Then the Lord will give a lot of things to the fasting person. If it’s hard for someone, then there are enough concessions for people who have a hard time, who are sick, who are weak. I think that your confessor will determine the amount that you can bear. Moreover, the fast is not strict, the fish is blessed. So let us fast with an apostolic, auspicious fast.

Question from TV viewer Tamara from Volgograd: “I buy icons in a church and do not put them on shelves, but glue them to the wall with glue. It is a sin?"

If the glue is strong and the icons do not fall off the wall, this is not a sin. I think you stick them with love and then pray in front of them. And if they are poorly glued, fall or the corners turn away, find a good glue. It is only important that the icons do not fall and that, looking at them, you turn to the Mother of God, to the Savior, to the saints. This is a very rewarding thing. Buy, attach, pray for us and for all listeners and viewers of the Soyuz TV channel. And this will be a great benefit, not a sin.

We said earlier that those who participate in these solemn processions are people who repent, sinners, as you said - “a crowd of problems.” And if we take children's religious processions, is there such a feeling of this event in the souls of children that they are sinners, that they are performing some kind of feat? Or is it one of the special events in which they participate?

This is an educational event for children who participate in these moves.

- Is educational work carried out to explain the meaning of what is happening?

The children who participate in the procession of the cross on June 1 and in the rafting of the cross on the river are not random children. They walked to this religious procession for a certain time, studying in Sunday school, preparing for the rafting, studying the route, studying the icons that would be in their hands. Preparation time is a serious educational moment. Children go to school, do their homework, but why, for what purpose, is not very clear. One feels the aimlessness, the meaninglessness of their existence. They are immersed in social networks, in their childhood problems. There is such a feeling of frivolity, virtuality of everything they do. When a child lives with one foot in the virtual world, he has the opportunity to touch real life when he goes on a cross-water rafting trip and finds himself in a village. City dwellers see a different reality, completely different people, residents of distant villages and villages. For us today they are like aliens. How the facial expressions and behavior of children change when they begin to talk with the residents of these villages: a completely different dialect, a completely different sense of time. They live a year, some two years, of their lives in the experience they gain: overcoming themselves, communicating with those people whom they would never meet either on TV or on Instagram. They gain experience in doing good. And they know: what they are doing now is good. It brings joy and comfort. They receive a charge of energy for the whole year, because a long stay in such good deeds does not pass without leaving a mark on the soul. And when they return to their apartments, to their circle of friends and comrades, they feel that it was so good, but now it’s not. Where is this “good”? It is “good” where “two or three are gathered in My name,” where the Church is. People who have become involved in long-term good deeds then look for the opportunity to communicate, to continue this good deed in Sunday school, in the Church, in the parish. The same applies to those children who walked through the streets of Yekaterinburg the day before yesterday. People live in the city, they know that city life is chaos, bustle, they advertise something, sell something. And what they touch in the Church, they do not encounter on the streets, in the alleys, on the avenues of the city. And here they have the opportunity to open this church, inner, secret life to the people around them and be not just some kids standing on the side, but this is their missionary work. The child himself walks with a cross, with an icon, he sings songs and hymns to the Lord. When the procession ended, the children approached the chapel in honor of St. Catherine. There once was a temple there. Peers of the same age approached them and asked: “Guys, what’s going on here?” And what is it like for a young banner bearer to tell and justify this in such a way as to interest a peer in the seriousness and grace of his work? This is, in essence, a test of what he has studied for a year in Sunday school, or a test of the faith and loyalty he acquires in the temple. It’s one thing to be embarrassed and shy: after all, everyone is so dressed up, painted, dancing to music on Children’s Day, but we behave somehow differently. But to justify it and not be embarrassed is a serious test. If the child is capable of this, then there is hope that when tomorrow or the day after tomorrow he walks along the streets of the same city, passing by the temple, he will not be ashamed to make the sign of the cross. When he finds himself at school and sees some kind of social atrocity, one of the younger ones will be insulted, he will have something to cling to, he will have a “ledge” in his soul on which he can stand and not slip, not be like everything, and yet remain the person we saw here during the procession. This is very important for those around you and for the participants in the procession.

Question from TV viewer Evgeniy from the Belgorod region: “Christ spoke to the Pharisees about fasting. They asked Him: “Why don’t Your disciples fast?” He said: “How can they fast when the Bridegroom is with them. When the Bridegroom is taken away from them, then they too will fast.” The groom is Christ. And fasting was done for His sake. Is the Petrine Fast performed for the sake of the apostles? And why is the fast in honor of the Apostle Peter, why did we bypass the Apostle John? He alone did not run away and did not renounce Christ.”

A Christian is a person who seeks opportunities to use any life situation for spiritual salvation. We fast for the sake of Christ: in Great Lent - for the sake of Christ and in Petrov - for the sake of Christ. We partake of the Body and Blood of Christ. The crown of fasting is preparation for the Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, not of Peter and Paul or John, but of Christ. That's why the fast is called Petrov's, but this does not mean that we fast in honor of Peter, and does not mean that we do not notice Paul or the other apostles. Let's reason this way: firstly, during the Fast of Peter, the Church calls on Christians to pay close attention to the One about whom the apostles testified; secondly, strive to imitate the lives of the holy apostles. We can very quickly slide into Protestantism: “Nothing is important, only Jesus Christ and the Gospel are important. We are not interested in anything else." We know that with such an imaginary focus on Jesus Christ and the text of the Gospel, Protestants have deprived themselves of a huge range of spiritual resources that the Lord and the Church give to man, a Christian. I wouldn’t want to go this route and limit myself. The Lord chose the apostles and sent them to preach so that they would spread the news about Jesus Christ and the Gospel throughout the entire earth. Jesus Christ could say: “I am in charge. Believe in Me, I will preach about Myself throughout all the earth.” The Lord doesn't do that. He reveals Himself to the disciples, the apostles, He gives them the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, so that their word would not be a human word, filled with some vices and lusts, but a divine word, filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. Then He says: “Go and preach the Gospel to every creature.” What we know about Christ we know from the apostles. Isn’t it worth at least for this reason to devote 2-4 weeks to what they said, wrote, what kind of life they lived and how the holy apostles ended it. Petrov's fast traditionally ends on July 12, the day of remembrance of the holy apostles Peter and Paul. If you are embarrassed that on this day we end the fast and exalt two apostles and humiliate the rest, do not be upset. Fast until July 13, on this day the Church commemorates the Council of the Holy Apostles, all twelve. Continue fasting for another day and dedicate this fast to John the Theologian, James Zebedee, Andrew the First-Called and the other holy apostles, whom, I have no doubt, you love, honor, read and whose lives you imitate. Continue until the 13th, come to the church for service (in Belgorod, I have no doubt, there is a church in the name of the Council of the 12 Apostles), this will be your good deed, good veneration of the holy apostles of Christ. You began with the words: why do not the disciples of Christ fast, and the Lord answers that the time will come when the Bridegroom will be taken away. Yes, that time has come. On Wednesday, Judas betrayed Christ; on Friday, the Lord was taken from his disciples and crucified on the Cross. Therefore, every Wednesday and Friday are fast days. A Christian is attentive to Wednesday and Friday, not just changing his diet, but paying attention to what services are performed. On Friday the Cross of Christ is always venerated, on Wednesday - the Mother of God. Attention to these details will certainly make your fast and the fast of any person more meaningful and faster leading to Jesus Christ. I would really like this for you and myself.

Question from TV viewer Artem from Sochi: “During worship, we pray to the saints so that they pray to God for us. We pray to the Mother of God with the words “save us,” although the Gospel says that we have one Teacher - Christ. Why do we pray to the Mother of God, “save us,” and to the saints, “pray to God for us?”

This is the tradition. By this we emphasize the special role of the Mother of God in the salvation of mankind. It pleased God that it was through the chosen Virgin that the God-man Jesus Christ came into the world. God trusted this person, this Virgin, so much that She taught Him human life, She taught Him to walk, talk, write. She was His closest person on this earth. This closeness was expressed in the event of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, when the Lord Himself came to earth in Gethsemane in order to take the soul of the Mother of God, and then the body, and ascend it to Heaven. This special relationship between the Mother of God and the God-Man, Her Son, Jesus Christ, is emphasized by the fact that we see a special attitude towards Her. She is the one who brought the Savior into the world and served the cause of salvation. We turn to Her: “Mother of God, just as You served for the salvation of all mankind, so I ask you to serve the cause of salvation for me personally.” We turn to Her: “Save us.” But this in no way detracts from the dignity of God’s holy saints.

We read the life of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker about how he repeatedly saved dying people who were about to be executed by cutting off their heads with a sword or who were drowning on a ship. They did not pray according to a prayer book or an official. They had a cry in which all faith was concentrated: “I am perishing, I ask you to help, to save!” This prayer was answered. Here, in these words “Most Holy Theotokos, save us”, “holy saints of God, pray to God for us”, there is not a dogmatic component, but rather a measure of the participation of the Mother of God and the saints in our lives and in the work of our salvation. The measure of the Mother of God is greater than the measure of the holy saints of God, who also participate, help in the same way, but still not to the same extent, not to the same degree, meaning and closeness to God and people as is revealed by the Mother of God. But, turning in a difficult situation to the saint of God you reverence - St. Nicholas, St. Spyridon, the Holy Great Martyr George, Saints Constantine and Helen and others - you will not offend the Mother of God in the least. I think you will be heard by those whose name you call on. But this is a tradition that exists in the Church, sanctified by the fact that generations of people lived in this tradition before us and in this tradition they were raised in holiness and entered the Heavenly Kingdom. This formulation did not at all become an obstacle for them to believe in the Risen Christ, the Mother of God and the saints and imitate their lives. This helped them become saints themselves and enter the Heavenly Kingdom. If we, as Christians, lovingly accept the church tradition, just as children lovingly accept the language their parents speak, then this will be saving for us.

Today I was walking down the street and saw from afar a beautiful family: a handsome father, a mother, modestly and beautifully dressed, and two children. And I hear that they are “buzzing” in a Central Asian language, I don’t even know what language it is. If I had heard the language first, then perhaps I would not have had the best thoughts (in our land they don’t really like strangers from other countries). And at first I saw the beauty of this family, this love that is present. They walked as one. And when they approached, I had no choice but to glorify God: “Lord, glory to You, who nourishes and blesses every person living on earth.” And if we, like children, perceive the tradition that our ancestors brought and preserved with their sweat and blood, then we are getting closer to salvation. Greece has a different tradition, the Copts have a third. They live the way they received from their fathers. Let us live and be saved in the tradition that the Orthodox Church has preserved for us.

I would like to return to the topic of Children’s Day and the all-Russian action in defense and remembrance of those children who could be among us. We are talking about unborn children. What is the essence of this action, how did it take place?

Everyone’s beloved shepherd, Archpriest Dmitry Smirnov, who is the chairman of the Patriarchal Commission for Family and Childhood Affairs, turning to His Holiness the Patriarch and discussing with him the topic of abortion, received from the Patriarch a blessing to make every possible effort to remove this misfortune, this pestilence from our land lime And the Patriarch, in fact, blessed the holding of a special prayer activity on June 1, Children’s Day: to read a repentant prayer to our God, the Mother of God, the holy saints with a request to take away this plague from our people, our country, to light candles on the salt to indicate that in this day, in this prayer there is a certain exclusivity. In Yekaterinburg, 5 thousand red lamps were prepared, with information about this penitential action written on them. These lamps were distributed to churches in the city and diocese, and the media were warned. Thus, on June 1, the priests spoke from the pulpit, saying that the children who are under the mother’s heart, the children who are in the womb, are full-fledged living citizens, that abortion is the murder of full-fledged citizens. We must protect not only those children who live, but those who live under the mother’s heart. These words were rebroadcast by many television channels. We hope that they were heard by viewers. There is hope that the Lord still hears His Church and fulfills what we ask. People learned, heard, were ashamed of what was done, or what they intended to do - thank God! In the temples, all the steps, in front of the pulpit and to the left and right of it, were lined with rows of burning lamps. We understood that people brought lamps with lights for a reason. Someone has one or three lost children on their conscience. Someone has non-resistance, assistance, stupid advice to people to commit this crime. You see how these lamps burn and your heart melts; people came. It was necessary to look into the eyes of these people who were praying: so much grief and hope was hidden in them, the hope that when the souls of the ruined children who stand before God meet their souls, the meeting will not be so terrible, for the sin committed there will be no descent to hell. There will still be hope for salvation. We know that His Holiness the Patriarch took the initiative in the State Duma to have abortions excluded from the compulsory health insurance system, so that abortions would not be performed at the expense of the state and taxpayers. It is not easy for such an initiative to pass. There are high-ranking people who resist this initiative of the Patriarch. But I really hope that the Lord, Who has worked miracles on our land so many times, will remove this cannibalistic practice from our people. Children will be born, raised - and will observe Peter's Fast (this tradition will not go away from our lives). They, too, will enter the Heavenly Kingdom not as martyrs who were not worthy of baptism and awaiting a meeting with their unfortunate parents, but as the children of the holy saints of God entered.

Presenter: Dmitry Brodovikov
Transcript: Natalya Maslova

In Orthodox churches there is always a procession of the cross on Easter. This solemn procession symbolizes the path of the church towards the good news of the resurrection of Christ. It is held annually on the night from Holy Saturday to Easter Sunday. The clergy and believers walk around the temple three times, and then, standing at its porch and hearing the good news of the Resurrection of the Savior, they enter the open doors of the church, where from that moment the Easter service begins.

The solemn church procession began to be called a “procession of the cross” due to the fact that at the beginning of the procession there is always a clergyman who carries a large cross. At the heart of this tradition is the belief in the power of communal prayer performed during processions of the cross. Such processions look very solemn. They are led by clergy who read prayers and carry religious relics: a cross, icons and church banners depicting biblical scenes (gonfalons). And after the holy fathers come the believers.

The history of religious processions dates back to the birth of Christianity. And if initially only a religious procession was performed on Easter, then over time, after the end of the persecution of Christians, this custom became widespread and firmly entered into the rites of Orthodox services. Nowadays, almost all significant events of church life are accompanied by a solemn Orthodox procession.

Since ancient times, religious processions have been held:

• in honor of church festivals;
• when transferring the relics of saints, as well as other religious shrines;
• during various natural disasters, epidemics and wars, when people asked God for protection and salvation from the troubles that befell them.

It is known that the church history of Rus' itself began with the procession of the cross to the Dnieper, when the people of Kiev were baptized. Orthodox Christians in Rus' often held processions not only in honor of church holidays, but also in the event of various disasters, including natural disasters. For example, they walked around fields with icons during periods of drought, as well as villages and cities during terrible epidemics.

In the chronicles there is a mention of one of the first mass religious processions, which took place in the mid-14th century, when Rus' was attacked by a pestilence, from which the inhabitants of Pskov suffered the most. Then Archbishop Vasily of Novgorod, carrying the cross and holy relics, accompanied by the clergy and townspeople, made a procession around the city. Together with the clergy, almost all the local residents who were still standing took part in the procession, from the elderly to the babies carried by their parents in their arms. All the time while the procession was going on, the priests and believers prayed, loudly calling out in hundreds of voices: “Lord have mercy!”

For a long time, only a walking procession with the participation of clergy and believers was recognized as a religious procession. However, over time, thanks to technological progress, with the blessing of the clergy, non-canonical flight or air religious processions began to take place.

During the Great Patriotic War, on December 2, 1941, a plane flew around Moscow with a miraculous copy of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God on board (according to other sources, it was the icon of the Kazan Mother of God). After this, the capital was saved from the enemy attack.

Easter procession: rules and symbolic meaning

Initially, the religious procession took place only on the day of the Holy Resurrection of Christ. From time immemorial, this procession symbolized not only the church going towards the Savior, but also the fact that before the news of the resurrection of Christ appeared, everyone was forced to wander in the dark until He showed everyone the way to the Light. Therefore, the Easter religious procession, although quite short, is arranged very solemnly, and participation in it is very important for any Christian.

The church service in honor of the Resurrection of Christ begins exactly at 00.00 hours on the night from Holy Saturday to Easter Sunday. Shortly before midnight, a solemn Easter procession takes place in all churches.

Despite the late hour, the procession passes under the incessant ringing of bells. The clergy and worshipers walk around the temple three times, each time stopping in front of its main entrance. The first two times the church doors are closed to the parishioners. The moment when people stand in the darkness of the night in front of the locked temple doors has great symbolic meaning. The church reminds us of how Christ’s contemporaries, before his resurrection, also stood in the darkness in front of the closed entrance to the cave where the Savior rested, as if in front of the closed gates of heaven.

Around midnight, when the religious procession again, for the third time, glorifying the Holy Trinity and the risen Son of God, approaches the doors of the church, they solemnly swing open, revealing light to all those praying in the darkness of the night. Thus, the church seems to open the heavenly gates of paradise for people and show the way to them. After which the entire procession enters the temple, which symbolizes the path of the myrrh-bearing women who entered Jerusalem in order to tell the apostles the good news of the Resurrection of Christ. The myrrh-bearing women, who did not know about the Resurrection of Christ, came to his tomb on the third day in order to rub the Savior’s body with precious oils. And only when they came to the entrance to the cave where, as they thought, Jesus Christ rested, the women learned about the miracle that had happened, after which they headed to Jerusalem to tell everyone about the resurrection of the Son of God.

The fact that the doors of the temple open to believers only for the third time has a deep theological meaning. Jesus Christ rose on the third day, so the Easter procession must go around the temple three times.

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, perhaps not everyone knows how the tradition of such moves appeared among the Orthodox, what its meaning is and its Old Testament origins. Let's try to find out.

Not a flash mob or demonstration

What is important to know? Procession of the Cross(not to be confused with the 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, crosses, banners cannot be a guarantee that he is exactly that.

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

But these, too, let’s say, are 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 spirit of prayer, unity of faith, mutual love and respect. Without them, any such “action” threatens to turn into an ordinary walk, or even - which is much worse - into a magic trick. Let us emphasize that what is important here is not only a prayerful, but a community spirit, and one that is peaceful towards everyone, even enemies.

Why do people come with crosses and icons?

So, we can say that such church moves are a type of general prayer. Of course, then the question involuntarily arises: why go out into the street, make some kind of processions, if you can pray in church? The answer to it is the same as to the question: why are fasting and bowing necessary? We do this when we want to add some kind of sacrifice to our prayer so that it is heard.

Is the religious procession a manifestation of one’s faith? Perhaps from the outside this is exactly what it looks like. But this, of course, is not the main goal. Its goal is to invoke God's grace, first of all, on all people, believers and non-believers, on the place where they pass: the city, the country and, ultimately, the whole world.

In addition, through such prayer solemn processions, natural elements are sanctified: fire, water, air. Previously, people better understood that any natural disasters are not just abstract environmental problems, but the wrath of God for our sins. That’s why they made such popular processions to beg the Lord for mercy.

The crusaders carry crosses with them (which is why it is called a procession), icons, and 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, enlightening the whole world).

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

Old Testament types

The very first prototype of such a procession of believers, perhaps, can be the forty-year campaign of the Israelites through the desert in search of the Promised Land. The most striking example of the effective power 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 ordered to walk around this city for seven days with the Ark of the Covenant, while blowing the trumpets. The ark was carried by the priests, the soldiers walked behind. On the seventh day, the Israelites blew their trumpets and shouted 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 (a place in the synagogue) with palm branches. Another vivid prototype can be the transfer of the Ark of the Covenant by King David to Jerusalem, in which the entire people of Israel participated “with shouts and the sound of trumpets.”

John Chrysostom and the establishment of tradition

During the Savior’s earthly life, an example of a procession of the cross could be His solemn entry into Jerusalem. Then all the 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 to symbolically, following the example of the myrrh-bearing women, walk around the temple with candles in hand.

This can be considered the beginning of a tradition, but the rank (order) itself did not yet exist. Then, it is known that the newly discovered relics of the saints were carried over in the same solemn manner by the entire community. These processions took place at night and were accompanied by general prayer in the form of singing hymns (psalms). They were called lithiums (not to be confused with their modern form) or lithiums. They served as the beginning of the modern religious procession.

The authorship of the first rite 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 pleasure meetings. Then, during the time when Chrysostom lived (IV century), a series of natural disasters followed. So from a simple pious tradition they moved into general church practice, where they became entrenched.

Procession of the Cross in Rus'

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

Prayer processions of the people became so widespread in Russian lands that the Holy Synod was even forced to adopt a resolution banning spontaneously held marches. The heyday of the popularity of the religious procession tradition in Russia occurred at the beginning of the 20th century. Even royal families took part in them back then. The most striking example is the glorification of St. Seraphim of Sarov in 1903. Then from one hundred to three hundred thousand people took part in it, including Emperor Nicholas II himself and his family.

It is also difficult to overestimate the role of repentance moves for the history of the Russian state. They repeatedly saved not only Moscow, but also other significant cities from pestilences, fires and military invasions, thanks to which the images of the Mother of God became so famous here, especially Vladimir, Tikhvin, Kazan and many others. It’s not for nothing that the same Seraphim of Sarov said that “Russia will be saved by religious processions.”

Types of prayer processions

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

• annual(set, for example, on Easter and Epiphany);
• emergency, or disposable(committed for a specific reason).

Depending on the reasons, they are divided into:

• festive, or solemn- performed in honor of a specific holiday;
• thanksgiving- in gratitude for God’s help and mercy on some occasion, these also include the procession in honor of the consecration of the temple;
• propitiatory- a type of general prayer at the beginning of an important church or state event;
• repentant- processions of believers carried out in times of national disasters (famine, war, epidemics, earthquakes, etc.) with a request for deliverance from them.

Unusual movements of modern times

Today there are many new types of unusual church processions, which, of course, have the same power if performed with faith, and not just with the intention of surprising. It is worth at least mentioning that already in our century such a variety of them as godfather years. The shrine (relics or icon) with prayer is transported by plane or helicopter over long distances.

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

But in the monastery of Optina Monastery, an unusual prayer procession also takes place every day, in which... cats take part. This video can be viewed here: