According to a long-standing tradition, the usual morning and evening prayers are replaced by Easter hours on Bright Week. All hours: 1st, 3rd, 6th, 9th are exactly the same and read the same way. This sequence of the Easter Hours contains the main Easter hymns. It begins, of course, “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death and giving life to those in the tombs,” “Having seen the Resurrection of Christ...” is sung three times, then the ipakoi, exapostilary, and so on are sung. This reading time sequence is much shorter than the usual morning and evening rule. Ordinary prayers, which contain both repentant prayers and other types, are all replaced by Easter chants, which express our joy at this great event.
How do they receive communion on Bright Week? What is the charter of the Church?
There are no regulations of the Church regarding the specifics of Communion on Bright Week. They receive communion in exactly the same order as they receive communion at other times.
But there are different traditions. There is a tradition of the synodal period of the pre-revolutionary Church. It was that people received communion quite rarely. And, mainly, they received communion by fasting. It was not customary to receive communion on Easter. Back in the 70-80s, in the Pukhtitsa Monastery, the desire to receive communion on Easter night was perceived as a very strange movement; it seemed that it was absolutely unnecessary. Well, as a last resort, on Holy Saturday, but in general, on Holy Thursday, it was believed that one should take communion. The same thing applied to Bright Week. The logic by which this practice is justified in this case is approximately that Communion is always associated with repentance, with confession before Communion, and since we celebrate a great holiday and, in general, other great holidays, then what kind of repentance is there on a holiday? And no repentance means no Communion.
From my point of view, this does not stand up to any theological criticism. And the practice of the ancient Church of the pre-Synodal period, both in Russia and in general in the ancient Church everywhere, was that precisely on great holidays people always sought to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Because to experience the fullness of the celebrated event, to truly participate in the event that the Church celebrates, is possible only in Communion. And if we experience this event only speculatively, then this is not at all what the Church wants and can give to us, believers. We must join in! To physically join the reality that is remembered on this day. And this can be done only by fully participating in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, which takes place on this day.
Therefore, modern practice in most churches is such that people are under no circumstances denied Communion on Bright Week. I think that it is reasonable for those who wish to receive communion these days to limit themselves to the confession that took place during Holy Week. If a person came on Holy Days and confessed, and he does not feel such serious internal reasons that would separate him from the opportunity to receive communion, some sins during this Easter period, then I think that it would be completely possible to receive communion without confession . However, under no circumstances do I recommend doing this without consulting with your confessor, and somehow agreeing with the priest in whose church you are receiving communion. Just so that there are no misunderstandings or differences of opinion.
Why is it that on Holy Saturday, on Easter itself and throughout Bright Week, instead of the Trisagion, “Those who were baptized into Christ, who put on Christ!” is sung, which is sung at the baptism of people?
This means that this period in the ancient church was a period of mass baptism. And if people were baptized on Holy Saturday, which was practiced extremely widely, so that they would already take part in the Easter service as faithful, and not as catechumens, then throughout Holy Week these people were constantly in the temple. They were anointed with myrrh, and the places anointed with myrrh were tied with special bandages. In this form, people sat in the temple without leaving. It was a little like how now, when one is tonsured a monk, the newly tonsured person is constantly in the church and participates in all services. The same thing happened to the newly baptized for seven days. And, in addition, this was the time when sacramental or secret conversations were held with them (mystogogy in Greek). We can read these conversations of St. Maximus the Confessor, other famous preachers of the ancient Church, who did a lot to educate the newly baptized. These are the conversations and daily prayer and Communion in church. And on the eighth day, the very rituals that we perform immediately after Baptism were performed: cutting hair, wiping off the world, and so on. All this took place on the eighth day after the period of a person’s dedication, real churching, introduction into church life. They wiped him off, took off his bandages, and he emerged as a truly experienced spiritual Christian and began his further church life. Therefore, in the ancient church such people, and the laity along with them, received communion daily. Everyone praised God together for His great benefits.
Bright Week is continuous, what to do with fasting?
Here you can refer to the practice of priests. We all serve on these bright days, and the priests do not fast at all. This fast before Communion is associated with the tradition of relatively rare communion. If people receive communion regularly, say, once a week, come to church on Sunday, or come to receive communion on the Twelfth Feast, then I think that most priests do not require these people to fast specially before Communion, except for natural fasting days - Wednesday and Friday , which are for all people and always. And if, as we know, these days do not exist on Bright Week, it means that on these days we do not fast and receive communion without this special fast before Communion.
Is it possible to read akathists on Bright Week, at least privately? Maybe only the Lord can be glorified this week, but the Mother of God and the saints are not allowed?
Indeed, now all our spiritual experiences are directed towards this main Event. Therefore, in churches you notice that priests on vacations do not, most often, commemorate the daily saints, but say the festive Easter vacation. In services, we also do not use the memory of saints, although a prayer service on Holy Easter, if performed, then the commemoration of the saints of the day is provided there, and the troparion can be sung. There is no such strict statutory rule that the commemoration of saints during this period is strictly prohibited. But such services as akathists and others, which are dedicated to events not related to the Resurrection, will somewhat unfocus our spiritual attention. And, perhaps, indeed, during this period you should not study the calendar too carefully and see what events are there, but rather immerse yourself more in the experiences of Easter events. Well, if there is such a great inspiration, then, of course, you can read the akathist privately.
Is it possible to remember the dead during Holy Week and Bright Week?
According to tradition, it is not customary in the Church to perform funeral services on Holy and Bright Weeks. If a person dies, he is buried with a special Easter rite, and the first mass commemoration of the dead, which takes place after Easter, is Radonitsa: Tuesday of the second week after Easter. Strictly speaking, it is not provided for by the charter, but, nevertheless, it is a tradition that has long been established. On these days, cemeteries are often visited and memorial services are held. But, of course, you can commemorate it privately. At the Liturgy, if we perform proskomedia, of course, we commemorate both the living and the deceased. You can also submit notes, but public commemoration in the form of a memorial service is usually not accepted at this time.
What is read in preparation for Communion on Bright Week?
There may be different options here. If usually three canons are read: the penitential canon, the Mother of God, and the Guardian Angel, then at least the penitential canon is not so obligatory in this combination. The rule for Holy Communion (and prayers) is certainly worth reading. But it makes sense to replace the canons with the reading of one Easter canon.
How to combine the Twelfth Feasts or Holy Week and worldly work?
This is a really difficult, serious, painful problem. We live in a secular state that is not at all focused on Christian holidays. True, there are some changes in this matter. Here Christmas is made a day off. Easter always falls on a Sunday for us, but they don’t give us a day off after it. Although, say, in Germany and other countries, a big holiday is always followed by a day off. They have Easter Monday, that's what it's called. The same thing on Trinity, on other holidays in Christian traditional countries where there was no revolution, there was no godless government that eradicated all this, uprooted it from the roots. In all countries, these holidays are recognized, despite the fact that the state is secular in nature.
Unfortunately, we don’t have this yet. Therefore, we have to apply it to the circumstances of life in which the Lord judges us to live. If the work is such that it does not tolerate the possibility of taking time off or rescheduling it to other days, or somehow shifting it more or less freely, then you have to choose. Either you stay at this job and sacrifice some of your need to attend church services more often, or you should try to change your job so that there is more freedom to attend church services. But still, very often, with good relations, you can agree to leave work a little earlier, or warn that you will come a little later. There are early services - Liturgy, say, at 7 o'clock in the morning. On all major holidays and on Holy Week, on Holy Thursday, two Liturgies are always served in large churches. You can go to the early Liturgy, and by 9 o’clock you will already be free, at the beginning of 10. So by 10 o'clock you can get to work, almost anywhere in the city.
Of course, it is impossible to combine work with attending all the services of Holy Week both morning and evening. And I think that there is no urgent need to break with normal, good work if it does not provide the opportunity to be in all services. At least on the main ones, say, on Great Thursdays. The removal of the Shroud is a wonderful service, but it is performed during the day, which means you will not be there, but you can come to the rite of Burial in the evening at 6 o’clock. And you can be a little late, it won’t be a big deal either. The 12th Gospel is celebrated on Thursday evening - also a service that is very good to be at. Well, if the work is daily or some kind of complex schedule, you have to work 12 hours a day, then you will inevitably miss some services, but the Lord sees your desire to be at these services, to pray, and will reward you. Even your absence will be credited to you as if you were there.
What is important is your heartfelt desire, not your personal presence. Another thing is that we ourselves want to be in these special moments of the Savior’s life in the temple and, as it were, closer to Him, closer to experience everything that He was destined to experience, but circumstances do not always allow. Therefore, if your job does not limit you so much that you cannot go to church at all, you should not change it. You must try to find such moments and negotiate with your superiors so that they give you some small concessions, but at other times you will try to work better, more, so that there are no complaints.
Our daily life always presents us with some problems of how we can combine life in the world with our spiritual life, with our church life. And here we need to show some flexibility. We cannot refuse work, we cannot go somewhere underground, or then we must choose the monastic path, then our entire life will be devoted to God and service. But if there is a family, this is impossible, and here it is necessary to apply it. Sometimes it’s not even work that limits us, but household chores and children that require our attention. If the mother is constantly in church, and the child is always alone at home, little good will happen either. Although the mother prays in the temple, sometimes it is more important to simply be personally present and participate in the lives of her children. So, be “wise as serpents” in resolving such issues.
Text of the prayer for the Easter Hours.
To help those who learn to pray.
All services and church rituals of the Bright Feast of Easter are especially solemn and imbued with a great sense of joy.
The Easter service glorifies the divine victory of our Lord Jesus Christ over all the enemies of our salvation and the granting of eternal life to us.
The solemn celebration of Christian Easter continues for a whole week.
Easter week ends on Saturday.
People who read the prayer book know that on Easter week, instead of morning and evening prayers, they read the Easter hours. This is what is written in the prayer book “The Prayer Shield of an Orthodox Christian.”
The prayers of the Easter Hours consist of chants glorifying the joyful event of Christ's Resurrection. These prayers are included in the prayer books of the Tsvetnaya Triodion.
Those who only often seek these prayers.
Prayers of the Hours of Holy Easter
(Source: Complete Orthodox prayer book for the laity. Sretensky Monastery “New Book”)
Troparion:
Christ rose from the dead, trampling down death and giving life to those in the tombs. (Thrice)
Having seen the Resurrection of Christ, let us worship the holy Lord Jesus, the only Sinless One. We worship Your Cross, O Christ, and we sing and glorify Your holy Resurrection. For You are our God, don’t we know anything else; We call Your name. Come, all you faithful, let us worship the holy Resurrection of Christ: behold, through the Cross joy has come to the whole world. Always blessing the Lord, we sing His Resurrection: having endured crucifixion, destroy death through death. (three times)
Ipakoi:
Having foreseen the morning of Mary, and having found the stone rolled away from the tomb, I heard from the Angel: in the light of the everlasting Being with the dead, why do you seek as a man? You see the graveclothes, and preach to the world that the Lord has risen, the one who put death to death, as the Son of God, who saves the human race.
Kontakion:
Even though you descended into the grave, Immortal, you destroyed the power of hell, and you rose again as the Victor, Christ God, telling the myrrh-bearing women: Rejoice! and by Your apostles grant peace, grant resurrection to the fallen.
In the tomb carnally, in hell with the soul like God, in paradise with the thief, and on the Throne you were, Christ, with the Father and the Spirit, fulfilling everything, indescribable.
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit:
Like the Life-Bearer, like the reddest of Paradise, truly the brightest palace of every king appears, O Christ, Thy tomb, the source of our Resurrection.
And now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Highly illuminated Divine village, rejoice! For you have given joy, O Theotokos, to those who call: blessed art thou among women, O All-Immaculate Lady.
Lord have mercy. (forty times)
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen:
The most honorable Cherub and the most glorious without comparison Seraphim, who gave birth to God the Word without corruption, the real Mother of God, we magnify Thee.
Christ rose from the dead, trampling down death by death and giving life to those in their tombs. (three times)
Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Amen.
Many Orthodox believers are interested in what prayers should be read from Easter to Ascension. During these 40 days, which in 2019 will last from April 28 to June 6, the prayer book provides the following rules.
On Bright Week - the first week after Easter, instead of evening and morning prayers, the Hours of Easter are read, which are given in most prayer books.
People who are preparing for communion, instead of the penitential canon to the Lord Jesus Christ and the canon to the Most Holy Theotokos, should read the canon of Easter and the Follow-up to Holy Communion.
How are prayers read from Easter to Ascension?
All prayers, including thanksgiving for communion, must be preceded by reading the Easter troparion three times: “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and giving life to those in the tombs.”
Psalms and prayers, starting with the Trisagion (“Holy God…”) through “Our Father…”, as well as troparia after it, are not read at this time.
The Hours of Easter are also sung instead of Compline and Midnight Office.
From the second week after the Feast of the Resurrection of Christ, believers again read the usual morning and evening prayers.
Starting from Monday of the first week of Easter until the Orthodox holiday of the Ascension of the Lord, instead of praying to the Holy Spirit (“Heavenly King…”), you need to read the Easter troparion three times (“Christ is risen from the dead…”).
Also at this time, instead of the prayer “It is worthy to eat,” the following is read:
“The angel cried out with grace: Pure Virgin, rejoice! And again the river: Rejoice! Your Son is risen three days from the grave and raised up the dead; people, have fun! Shine, shine, new Jerusalem, for the glory of the Lord is upon you. Rejoice now and be glad, O Zion. You, Pure One, show off, O Mother of God, about the rising of Your Nativity.”
And then, from Ascension to Trinity, prayers begin with the Trisagion (“Holy God ...”). The prayer to the Holy Spirit (“Heavenly King...”) is not read or sung before the Feast of Trinity. Until this time, according to the church charter, one should also not bow to the ground.
We hope that our article will tell you what prayers to read from Easter to the Ascension of the Lord, and you will spend these days as an Orthodox Christian should.
Easter is celebrated on April 28, 2019 - the main holiday of the Orthodox calendar, personifying the salvation of the soul and renewal. The prayers that are read in churches these days, including the Easter prayer “Christ is Risen from the Dead,” have a special energy.
It is believed that these days the higher powers are especially favorable to believers. Prayers for Easter help to attract good luck, protect loved ones from misfortune, recover from illnesses, successfully start a new business, and even improve your financial situation.
Throughout Holy (Easter) Week in Orthodox churches, instead of the traditional morning and evening prayers, the Easter Hours (Prayers of the Easter Hours, filled with joy and thanksgiving to Christ) are read. Before all prayers, including thanksgiving after communion, the troparion of Easter is read three times.
Prayer for Easter “Christ is Risen from the Dead”
“Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and giving life to those in the tombs.” (Thrice)
“Having seen the Resurrection of Christ, let us worship the holy Lord Jesus, the only sinless one.
We worship Thy Cross, O Christ, and we sing and glorify Thy holy resurrection: for Thou art our God, do we know no other to Thee, we call Thy name.”“Come, all you faithful, let us worship the holy resurrection of Christ: behold, through the Cross joy has come to the whole world. Always blessing the Lord, we sing of His resurrection: having endured crucifixion, destroy death by death.” (Read three times)
The prayer “Christ is Risen from the Dead,” like other Easter prayers, has a deep meaning. By resurrecting, Jesus showed people that the soul is eternal and does not die even when the physical body reaches its end. Thanks to Christ, believers realize that they will eventually rise from the dead and gain a beautiful and bright eternal life.
These days, the Easter canon of John of Damascus is also read in churches - it replaces the canons of the Penitential, Theotokos and Guardian Angel. At the same time, psalms and prayers from the Trisagion (“Holy God..”) through “Our Father” with troparia after it are not performed. Easter Prayers The Hours of Easter are sung instead of Compline and Midnight.
In addition to the prayer “Christ is risen from the dead,” the following prayer is traditionally read or sung on Easter, which is performed at the end of the Easter akathist.
“Oh, Most Sacred and Greatest Light of Christ, Who shone forth more than the sun throughout the whole world in Your Resurrection! On this bright and glorious and saving day of Holy Pascha, all the angels in heaven rejoice and every creature rejoices and rejoices on earth and every breath glorifies Thee, its Creator. Today the gates of heaven have been opened, and the dead have been freed into hell by Your descent. Now everything is filled with light, the heavens are the earth and the underworld. May Your light come into our dark souls and hearts and may it enlighten our present night of sin, and may we also shine with the light of truth and purity in the bright days of Your Resurrection, like a new creation about You. And thus, enlightened by You, we will go out with luminosity at the meeting of You, who comes to You from the tomb, like the Bridegroom. And as Thou didst rejoice on this bright day by Thy appearance of the holy virgins who came from the world to Thy grave in the morning, so now enlighten the deep night of our passions and dawn upon us the morning of passionlessness and purity, so that we may see Thee with our hearts, redder than the sun of our Bridegroom, and may we hear once again Your longed-for voice: Rejoice! And having thus tasted the Divine joys of the Holy Pascha while still here on earth, may we be partakers of Your eternal and great Pascha in heaven in the unevening days of Your Kingdom, where there will be unspeakable joy and those celebrating the unceasing voice and ineffable sweetness of those who behold Your ineffable kindness. For You are the True Light, enlightening and illuminating all things, Christ our God, and glory befits You forever and ever. Amen".
During Easter, believers ask the higher powers for health and well-being for themselves and their loved ones. Easter prayers are read not only in church, repeating their words out loud or silently behind the priest, but also at home in front of Orthodox icons - in complete solitude, turning one’s thoughts and words to God. On Easter, you can read the Easter Hours, “Christ is Risen from the Dead” and others, which are given in most prayer books.
The prayer for healing from three deaths is read on one's knees while the church bells ring.
“In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Now and forever and endlessly. Amen. Under Tsar Manuel Komnenos, at his golden monastery, Saint Luke of Christ served the Lord God. On the eve of Easter, the saint, in the golden laurel, Hodegetria, the Mother of God, appeared to two blind men. She led them to the Blachernae Temple. Angels, cherubim, seraphim sang, the blind before Mother Hodegetria received their sight. The holy Ruts wrote this prayer. All forty saints blessed her. Truly! The Lord himself said: “Whoever reads this prayer before Easter will, with its help, escape from three deaths.” In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen".
They also read the Easter prayer, which protects believers from troubles and misfortunes:
“In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Mother Mary carried Christ, gave birth, baptized, fed, gave water, taught prayers, saved, protected. And then at the cross she sobbed, shed tears, wailed, and suffered together with her dear son. Jesus Christ rose on Sunday, and from now on His glory is from earth to heaven. Now he himself, his slaves, takes care of us and graciously accepts our prayers. Lord, hear me, save me, protect me from all troubles now and forever. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen".
You can also read a health plot that will help you forget about ailments and restore strength to you and your loved ones:
“In the kingdom of heaven there is a wonderful spring. Whoever touches the water, whoever washes his face with water, his illnesses will be washed away. I collected that water and gave it to God’s servant (name). In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen".
At the same time, the pectoral cross of a person who needs healing is dipped into water blessed in the church. Then the cross is put on the sick person. You need to anoint the patient’s forehead with holy water three times, then sprinkle his body 3 times a day for 7 days - and he will recover.
In order for peace and harmony to reign in the family, you need to read the following Easter prayer 12 times on the third day after Easter:
2018-05-15“Lord, help, Lord, bless with a happy Easter,
Clean days, joyful tears.
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
John the Apostle, John the Theologian, John the Baptist,
John the long-suffering, John the headless,
Archangel Michael, Archangel Gabriel, St. George the Victorious,
Nicholas the Wonderworker, Barbara the Great Martyr,
Faith, Hope, Love and their mother Sophia,
Pray for the common path of the servants of God (names of the warring parties).
Calm their anger, tame their anger, quench their rage.
His holy army,
With invincible, indomitable force, lead them to agreement.
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen".
The Easter Hours are part of the Easter Day service (including Matins, Easter Hours, Liturgy and Vespers).
They are read on Easter week (until Saturday morning inclusive) instead of morning and evening prayers (prayer rule).
Troparion:
Christ rose from the dead, trampling down death and giving life to those in the tombs. (Thrice)
Having seen the Resurrection of Christ, let us worship the holy Lord Jesus, the only Sinless One. We worship Your Cross, O Christ, and we sing and glorify Your holy Resurrection. For You are our God, don’t we know anything else; We call Your name. Come, all you faithful, let us worship the holy Resurrection of Christ: behold, through the Cross joy has come to the whole world. Always blessing the Lord, we sing His Resurrection: having endured crucifixion, destroy death through death. (three times)
Ipakoi:
Having preceded the morning of Mary, and having found the stone rolled away from the tomb, I heard from the Angel: in the light of the ever-present Being, with the dead, why do you seek as a man? You see the graveclothes, and preach to the world that the Lord has risen, the one who put death to death, as the Son of God, who saves the human race.
Kontakion:
Even though you descended into the grave, Immortal, you destroyed the power of hell, and you rose again as the Conqueror, Christ God, telling the myrrh-bearing women: Rejoice!, and grant peace to your apostles, grant resurrection to the fallen.
In the tomb carnally, in hell with the soul like God, in paradise with the thief, and on the Throne you were, Christ, with the Father and the Spirit, fulfilling everything, indescribable.
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit:
Like the Life-Bearer, like the reddest of Paradise, truly the brightest palace of every king appears, O Christ, Thy tomb, the source of our Resurrection.
And now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen:
Highly illuminated Divine village, rejoice: for you have given joy, O Theotokos, to those who call: blessed art thou among women, O All-Immaculate Lady.
Lord have mercy. (forty times)
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen:
The most honorable Cherub and the most glorious without comparison Seraphim, who gave birth to God the Word without corruption, the real Mother of God, we magnify Thee.
Christ rose from the dead, trampling down death by death and giving life to those in their tombs. (three times)
Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Amen.
Easter clock in modern Russian language
Christ rose from the dead, trampling down death and giving life to those in the tombs.(3)
Having seen the Resurrection of Christ, let us worship the Holy Lord Jesus, the only sinless one. We worship Your Cross, O Christ, and we sing and glorify Your Holy Resurrection, for You are our God, we know no other but You, we call on Your name. Come, all you faithful, let us worship the holy resurrection of Christ, for behold, joy has come through the Cross to the whole world. Always blessing the Lord, we sing of His resurrection, for He, having endured crucifixion, crushed death through death.(3)
The women, who came with Mary before dawn and found the stone rolled away from the tomb, heard from the Angel: “In the eternal light of the One who abides, what are you looking for among the dead as a person? Look at the burial shrouds, run and proclaim to the world that the Lord has risen, putting to death death, for He “The son of God, who saves the human race!”
Although you descended into the grave, O Immortal One, you destroyed the power of hell and rose again as a conqueror, Christ God, exclaiming to the myrrh-bearing women: “Rejoice!” and giving peace to Your Apostles, You who give resurrection to the fallen.
In the grave with flesh, and in hell with soul as God, in paradise with the thief and on the throne, You, Christ, were with the Father and the Spirit, filling everything, limitless.
Glory: Thy tomb, O Christ, the source of our resurrection, appeared as the bearer of life, truly the most beautiful paradise, and the brightest of every royal palace.
And now, Mother of God: Divine consecrated Tabernacle of the Most High, rejoice! For through You, Mother of God, joy is given to those who cry: “Blessed are You among women, all-immaculate Lady!”
Lord have mercy (40),
Glory, even now: With the highest honor of the Cherubim and the incomparably more glorious Seraphim, who virginally gave birth to God the Word, the true Mother of God - We magnify You.
Christ rose from the dead, trampling down death by death and giving life to those in the tombs.(3)
