How churches work on Christmas. When do people go to church on Christmas Day? Photos from open Internet sources

Sometimes people tend to do things they don't like. For example, at night, most people usually sleep. But there are two days a year that many prefer not to spend in the comfort of their home bedroom, but in a completely different place. This is the Nativity of Christ and the Bright Resurrection of Christ, Easter. And it is on these days that it happens that people come to the temple who do not go here at other times or go, but quite rarely. What or, better to say, Who makes us strive under the church vaults on Christmas night? The answer is probably simple...

Shepherds and Magi

One should note here important detail which not everyone thinks about. On Christmas Eve, a person who sets out to attend a divine service becomes ... a sorcerer or a shepherd: Magi from the East came to Jerusalem and said: Where is the King of the Jews who has been born? for we have seen his star in the east and have come to worship him(Mt. 2 , 1-2); The shepherds said to each other: let's go to Bethlehem and see what happened there, about which the Lord announced to us. And hastening, they came and found Mary and Joseph, and the Child lying in the manger(OK. 2 , 15-16).

The Magi (learned people who watched the stars) traveled a long way, led by a star, the shepherds left their flocks to see the born Divine Infant. The born Savior of the world united everyone - both learned sages and simple shepherds. And now the Christmas service unites different people, making them a single whole in the desire to bow to the Born, to glorify God. Both learned sorcerers and simple shepherds walked with a pure heart, in which lived only the desire to see the One for whose sake one could sacrifice something personal, endure the difficulties of the path, or leave the flocks in the field unattended. Christ is born to sacrifice Himself on the Cross. A person in response to this must learn to sacrifice himself.

Meanwhile at the temple...

What will we see in the temple? According to tradition, a nativity scene made of spruce branches with an icon of the Nativity inside is placed in the center. But, probably, on this day the whole temple can be called a nativity scene, where people come to see and glorify the Christ Child.

How does the Church glorify the born Savior? Of course, worship. For greater clarity, I will explain that any church holiday - whether it is Christmas or the memory of one of the saints - always begins the night before. Therefore, on the evening of January 6, in many temples, all-night vigil. In ancient times, this divine service in the full sense of the word was performed all night - from sunset to the appearance of the first rays of the sun in the early morning. In modern practice, the vigil is served the night before. The All-Night Vigil before Christmas is special. In order not to overload the reader with technical terms, let's just say: the Christmas all-night vigil begins with a long reading of psalms - ancient hymns that are part of the Bible. Reading is done with the lamps turned off, the temple is illuminated only by candles and lamps. But several times the reading is interrupted by solemn singing, royal doors(the central doors of the main part of the temple) open, and the twilight of the temple is illuminated with light.

First comes the singing of fragments of the ancient prophecy of Isaiah: God is with us, understand, Gentiles, and repent, as God is with us!(Is. 8 , ten). The holy prophet Isaiah is called the Old Testament evangelist, because he proclaimed the coming Savior more and more clearly than other prophets. The words God is with us- an expression of spiritual joy, the joy of realizing the presence of God among people.

The next moment is the solemn performance by the choir of the main festive chant, that is, the troparion: “Your Nativity, Christ our God, rise to the world the light of reason, in it, for the stars serving as a star, I learn to bow to You, the Sun of Truth, and lead You from the height of the east. Lord, glory to Thee!”(Russian translation: “Thy Nativity, Christ our God, illumined the world with the light of knowledge, for through it those who serve as stars were taught to bow to Thee, the Sun of righteousness, and to know Thee, from on high the Rising Light. Lord, glory to Thee!”). With these words, the Church glorifies the Nativity of Christ, through which the whole world was illuminated with the light of knowledge (reason, understanding) of the true God and Savior. Christ is called the Sun of Truth - just as the sun illuminates everything with its rays, so Christ calls every person to be enlightened by the light of Divine truth. Then the reading will continue again. In this, once again, one can see the gospel symbolism: the measured silence of the night is broken by the appearance of the angelic armies glorifying God, announcing the birth of the Savior to the shepherds.

This takes place during the first part of the All-Night Vigil. The second part of it is performed already at full consecration: the clergy go to the center of the temple, the den with the icon is incense, the Gospel of Matthew is read, which tells about the Nativity, and then you can hear an important component of the vigil, which is called the canon. The canon is singing in chorus and reading by the reader of short prayers that reveal the meaning and significance of the holiday. The Canon of Nativity begins with the singing of the choir: "Christ is born - praise, Christ from Heaven - shrug(Russian translation: meet). Christ on earth - ascend(Russian translation: rise up). Sing to the Lord, all the earth, and sing with joy, people, like glorifications ". We hear the call to glorify the Birth of Christ, to rise in this joy, to sing with joy to the glorified God. Choir is echoed by a reader: “Decomposed by a crime, according to God’s image of the former, all corruption exists, the best fallen away of Divine life, the wise Sodetel renews again, as if glorified”(Russian translation: The one who was created in the image of God, decayed from crime, was all subjected to corruption and lost the best, Divine life is restored again by the wise Creator, for He was glorified). These words are the answer to the question: why is Christ born? In order to renew and recreate Adam and all his descendants who fell into sin, to return to man what he lost by the fall.

It must also be said that there is another tradition of performing an all-night vigil on the eve of the Nativity of Christ: the service begins late in the evening, practically connecting with the Liturgy. Believers pray almost all night, just like it was in ancient Christian times.

Liturgy

The Divine Liturgy is the most important church service, because its culmination is the Sacrament of Communion, when the entire church community partakes of the Holy Body and Blood of Christ. At Christmas, the Liturgy usually begins at midnight. It also consists of several parts.

The peculiarity of the Christmas Liturgy is that during its first part we constantly hear chants glorifying the born God and Savior. The singing of fragments of psalms specially chosen for this Liturgy alternates with prayer addresses to Christ: "By the prayers of the Mother of God, Savior, save us" and "Save us, Son of God, born of the Virgin, singing Ty: Alleluia"(Russian translation: Save us, Son of God, born of the Virgin, who sing to You: Alleluia). The Mother of God is the main participant in Christmas, from Her the Son of God is born. Therefore, believers pray to the Lord for salvation through the prayers and intercession of His Most Pure Mother.

Then at the Liturgy we will hear a reading of a fragment from the epistle (letter) of the holy Apostle Paul to the Galatians that when the fullness of time came, God sent his only begotten Son, who was born of a woman, who was subject to the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption(Gal. 4 , 4-5). And the Gospel of Matthew about the worship of Christ by the Magi.

The Christmas Liturgy has another feature - the reading of the Christmas Epistles. One of them is a message from the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, and the other is from the ruling diocesan bishop. Both messages are read out in all the churches of the diocese. The Christmas message is both a sermon that reveals the meaning and meaning of the Nativity of Christ, and congratulations to believers - clergy and laity - on this bright and joyful holiday, as well as a brief summing up of the outgoing year. The tradition of such holiday messages, at least in Russia, became widespread in the post-war period. Then, in the conditions of the “ban on religion”, when there was no church press, and the Patriarch and bishops could not address the faithful through secular media, such messages were practically the only way to convey to the flock some important facts of church life.

The days of persecution and prohibitions are over. But the tradition of holiday messages remains. What is it for now? This is another sign of the unity of believers. We go to different churches, not everyone has the opportunity to get to the episcopal service (and with all the desire main temple the diocese in which hierarchal services are performed cannot accommodate all the faithful). But the bishop's address to his entire flock through the holiday message shows each of us the integrity of the church community.

During the service, the faithful pray for the Patriarch, the ruling bishop and serving clergy. The Patriarch, the bishop and the clergy address with a festive congratulatory word to all believers and at the same time to each of us specifically. Christ was born for all of us. That is why we celebrate together.

History or living reality?

Christmas is not just a memory of the Savior's birthday for earthly life. Christmas is not history, but a living reality of the spiritual life. Christmas is relevant for each of us - here and now. Because the Savior is born for each of us and dies for each of us. Yes, He was born in Bethlehem, but was He born in our souls and hearts? This question poses Christmas to us.

Photos from open Internet sources

Newspaper "Orthodox Faith" No. 24 (500)

Christians celebrate it on January 7, or more precisely, the celebration begins on January 6 on Christmas Eve, this day is usually called Christmas Eve.

What do they do on Christmas in the church: what kind of holiday, when to go to church?

Christmas is a special holiday. And the service on this day is special. Or rather, at night… After all, in many of our churches the Liturgy (and it happens that both Great Compline and Matins) is served precisely at night.

The liturgy is a divine service that practically does not change in connection with the holidays. The main liturgical texts, the main hymns that explain the event remembered on this day and set us up on how to properly celebrate the holiday, are sung and read in the temple during Vespers and Matins.

Church ministers remind: “If we talk about the Christmas service, then this, if you like, is one of those gifts that we can bring to the manger of the born Savior. Yes, the most important gift to God is the fulfillment of His commandments of love for Him and love for one's neighbor, but still, various gifts are prepared for the Birthday, and one of these can be a long prayer at a divine service.

Those who want to properly follow the example of our ancestors - ancient Christians, saints, celebrate the Nativity of Christ, should, if work permits, on the eve of Christmas, January 6, at the morning service. On Christmas itself, you should come to Great Compline and Matins and, of course, to the Divine Liturgy.

Christmas Eve (Nativity Eve) is the last day of Advent, the eve of the Nativity of Christ. The date of the holiday is January 6th.

On this day, Orthodox Christians especially prepare for the upcoming holiday, the whole day is filled with a special festive mood. On the morning of Christmas Eve, at the end of the Liturgy and the evening after it, a candle is brought to the center of the church and the priests sing the troparion to the Nativity of Christ in front of it. Services and the post of Christmas Eve have a number of features.

On the morning of January 6, Christmas Vespers are celebrated in churches. It sounds strange: Vespers is in the morning, but this is a necessary deviation from the Rule of the Church. Vespers used to begin in the afternoon and continue with the Liturgy of Basil the Great, at which people took communion.

The whole day of January 6 before this service was a particularly strict fast, people did not eat food at all, preparing to take communion. After dinner, Vespers began, and Communion was already at dusk. And soon after this came the solemn Christmas matins, which began to be served on the night of January 7th.

If you decide to bring children to the temple at night, then the main criterion for attending such long services should be the desire of the children themselves to come to this service. No violence or coercion is allowed!

To visit a night service or a morning one - you need to watch it according to your strength. Meeting the holiday at night is, of course, a special joy: both spiritual and spiritual.

Solemn night services contribute to a deeper prayerful experience and perception of the Holiday.

What do they do on Christmas in the church: how to fast, celebrate?

If for some reason you didn’t get to the liturgy on Christmas Eve, for example, you were cleaning, you were at work or you were preparing Lenten dishes, and so on, then, please, eat after the “first star”. Since you did not bear the feat of prayer, at least bear the feat of fasting.

We remember that, according to the Russian proverb, “A full belly is deaf to prayer,” and therefore a more strict fast prepares us for the coming joy of the holiday.

Regarding how to fast before Communion, if it is at a night service, then according to existing practice, the liturgical fast (that is, complete abstinence from food and water) in this case is 6 hours, but this is not directly formulated anywhere, and there are no clear instructions in the charter, how many hours before communion you can not eat.

On a normal Sunday, when a person is preparing for Communion, it is customary not to eat food after midnight, but if you are going to take communion at a nightly Christmas service, then it would be correct not to eat food somewhere after 21.00.

In any case, it is better to coordinate this issue with the confessor.

Christmas Day, like Epiphany Christmas Eve, is a fast day, moreover, a day of strict fasting. According to the charter, boiled food without oil and wine are put on this day.

Christmas Eve in in large numbers materials appear in which attention is focused on some dubious pre-Christmas and post-Christmas traditions, eating certain dishes, fortune-telling, festivities, caroling, and so on - all that husk, which is often very far from the true meaning of the great holiday of the advent of our Redeemer into the world .

If it is a priority for someone to sit at a rich table, then all day on the eve of the holiday, including when the festive vespers are already being served, the person is preparing festive dishes.

If it is more important for a person to meet the born Christ, then he, first of all, goes to worship, and already in free time prepares what he has time for.

In general, it is strange that a tradition has appeared that it is mandatory to sit on the day of the holiday and absorb a variety of plentiful dishes. It is neither medically nor spiritually useful. It turns out that we fasted throughout Lent, missed Christmas Vespers and the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great - and all this in order to just sit down and eat. You can do it at any other time...

For this day, our ancestors prepared something that does not require special efforts in cooking, and in the afternoon a more festive meal was being prepared.

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Metropolitan Luka of Zaporozhye and Melitopol answered journalists' questions.

How to prepare for the celebration of Christmas?

This is a frequently asked question, but at the same time misunderstood. It feels like a clergyman is some kind of culinary specialist, he must tell you how to do it tasty dish, tell when to clean the house, what gifts to make and the like. But it's not right. Yes, when you meet a dear guest, you prepare for the meeting. You clean, cook, set the table. But at Christmas we meet God. Does he need our table, what clothes we put on? It is important for him to see what our heart is. And in order to celebrate Christmas worthily, you need to open your heart to meet God. Need to clean it up. Where can you do it? Of course, only in the temple, during the Sacraments of Communion and Confession. Where you can connect with God himself - by participating in the Eucharist.

- Is it necessary to go to church on Christmas?

Definitely. Especially now, when many "experts" write outright lies about the traditions of our ancestors. They say people are sitting waiting for the first star, after the appearance of which a booze begins, a party.

Yes, this has never happened. The whole family went to church, read the story, ask the old people. Everyone went to work on Christmas Eve. There were no festivities, but after the service, having come, inflamed, rested, then the Christmas festivities began. But not before Christmas. Not from 6th to 7th. And from the 7th onwards.

Doesn't it seem that the birth of Christ is a well-made fairy tale?

Dig a little deep and you will see how many of our passions break into this "fairy tale". Christ taught us - love. What does it teach us modern society? We live in a chicken coop society. Where they should rise from the bottom shelf to the top - at the same time push everyone around you, who bothers you and do dirty tricks, who are lower than you.

Christ is talking about something completely different. Therefore, people do not want to believe that it is possible to live in love, to be merciful, to speak the truth, not to lie, not to create malice and hatred. Therefore, they need to justify their behavior with the thought - "Christ was not." Why do we need it?

Our contemporaries say: "We are literate people, we have no evidence." But at the same time, they unconditionally believe in the existence of Aristotle, Socrates. They quote them. But when were the books published with their statement - during the life of these philosophers or several centuries after their death? Were any phrases attributed to them later? Why don't you doubt it?

There is the Oxford Code, a passage from the Gospel of Matthew, which dates back to 60-70 AD. This Gospel was written in the presence of living apostles, real witnesses of the Resurrection of Christ. This is historical confirmation.

The star of Bethlehem shone in the sky may correspond to a comet, or a parade of planets. How could the Gospel, if it is a "philosophical fairy tale", give birth to so many believers? Denying Christ, they want to oust Him - after all, He convicts, and does not give a person the opportunity to roam widely for the sake of passions.

How to tell children about Christmas?

Indeed, one often hears in the church before communion how parents say to their children: "Don't cry, now your bearded uncle will give you tasty water." It is important for children to tell the truth. Body and Blood of Christ… Not a bearded uncle, but a priest. Then the child will correctly understand that Jesus or Nikolaychik is not a candy, but God and a saint. Therefore, when we tell children about Christ, we must tell the truth. Why did Christ come? To deliver us from sin, from death, and lead us to eternal life.

In the story of the Nativity, the Magi are mentioned. Aren't they wizards?

This is the problem of translations into other languages. In the original text Holy Scripture the term "mage" is used. A sorcerer and a magician are completely different concepts. Let's take medicine - in fact, even before the 15th century, doctors used charms and amulets. Magi are scientists of that time. What devices did they use? The simplest. Scientists, contemporaries of Christ, studied the heavenly bodies, natural phenomena, and therefore they noticed an unusual star and followed it. The magician, the scientist, doubts, he is looking for, wants to know what this sign symbolizes - a star in the sky. We know that the Magi were from pagan tribes. Here the Gospel shows that the Israelites did not accept Christ as God, but the Gentiles were the first to come and worship Him. The participation of the Magi in the picture of the Nativity is an edification for us modern people. We doubt. But we must open our hearts, as the Magi did, and get to the bottom of the truth. We were pagans, but we have the opportunity to come to Christ, and here Christ accepts everyone.

We don't know the date of Jesus' birth.

- Why do Catholics celebrate on December 25, and Orthodox on January 7. Which date is correct?

Historically, no date corresponds to the date of the birth of Christ. This date is not known to us at all. Who is talking about the problem of the date, the problem of celebrating Christmas? Deputies. What are the arguments? What do we have New Year before Christmas. So here's the thing - you have to fast, and you want to take a walk. What is more important to you? Your soul, life with God or your presence at the table, Olivier salad, fur coat, etc.

Others say that the whole civilized world celebrates on the 25th. Am I not a civilized person just because I celebrate the 7th? Why am I being humiliated, and with me are millions of my co-religionists.

Another thing they say - let's all together - Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants, will celebrate. Representatives of other confessions reproach me in Zaporozhye, but Vladyka Luka does not want to serve with us. I say - let's not serve together, everyone has their own place of service, everyone can serve as he wants, but instead let's do good deeds together and this will be a manifestation of our unity. So, only Buddhists once responded to our call, who took part in the diocesan social and church project "Love is merciful", the purpose of which is to help sick children. And no other denomination. As soon as it comes down to it, everyone - no one is there.

The next argument is given - most even Orthodox Churches celebrate Christmas on December 25th. And in quantitative terms, this is a little more than 20% of the total number of Orthodox. But people are not told this, they are simply deceived.

It should be noted that we also celebrate Christmas on December 25, only according to the Julian calendar. This is a modern January 7th. Yes, the Gregorian is astronomically more accurate, but it is only related to the solar calendar. And the Julian calendar is associated with both the solar and lunar calendars. The Julian calendar is tied to Easter, that is, to the spiritual. And the Gregorian is tied to the calendar, to the date. Julian on perpetual. Gregorian on earthly, temporal. Which one will be more important in the life of a Christian? Moreover, according to the Gregorian calendar, it happens that Christian Easter is much earlier than Jewish Easter. The canons and the Gospel clearly tell us that this should not be. Easter Christian should be only after Jewish Easter. All. Why do we forget it. Each of us has the right to his own religion, and the state does not have the right to change it, not only to force to change the canons and structure of internal church life. The calendar question is not dogmatic, but canonical; it is a question of the inner life of the Church.

- How does the Orthodox relate to the Catholic Christmas?

We wish other denominations Merry Christmas and so on. and there is no shame here. You can rejoice, congratulate, but the main thing is that we do not have the right to participate with them in prayer, worship.

Now the tradition of bringing the Bethlehem Fire of Peace is gaining momentum. What it is?

Asked this question in the Holy Land in Bethlehem. I asked Vladyka Theophylact, Archbishop of Bethlehem - "What kind of tradition is this?" He says I don't know what it is. I know Holy Fire which comes out on Holy Saturday.

By the way, back to the question of the calendar - which one is more accurate. The same Holy Fire descends before Orthodox Easter according to the Julian calendar. Baptism, consecration of water is performed according to the Julian calendar. I know the water that was collected at baptism 30 years ago - it does not spoil! On the Transfiguration, a cloud descends on Mount Tabor, also according to the Julian calendar.

Coming back to the Bethlehem fire of the world... It has no religious basis. This tradition appeared in the middle of the 20th century. This tradition was founded by Catholic scouts from Austria. A good symbol, but it has nothing to do with an Orthodox person.

In the Church, everything is possible for you, but only with understanding

- What is Christmas Eve?

The days on the eve of the Nativity of Christ and Theophany are popularly called Christmas Eve or Epiphany Eve. According to the church, this is called the Eve of the Nativity of Christ and Theophany. On this day, people eat sochivo - porridge made from sprouted wheat, dried fruits, poppy seeds, honey, the so-called kutya. But this is a day of special preparation for the meeting of Christ. This day is also very important for us. Often people ask - should I go to work on Christmas Eve or not? Necessary. Here we are already starting to prepare for the holiday. As a doctor, I will give an example - a person needs to be operated on, but before proceeding with it, the person must be put into anesthesia, this is a preparatory moment, without which the operation is impossible. In the same way, the celebration of the Nativity of Christ is impossible without Christmas Eve. And so we must do all our business before January 6th. Of course, some preparations, some little things, can be done on this day.

- They say that 12 dishes should be on the table before Christmas?

Someone thinks - this is in honor of the 12 apostles, but this is not correct. Potato pies are in honor of which apostle? And compote - in honor of what? Even here they are trying to force Christ out of life, to tie him to some dish. Always ate only juicy and nothing else.

The question is often asked - what is the first star, when does it appear, when can you start eating on Christmas Eve? The service on the eve of the Nativity of Christ did not begin early in the morning, it was long in time, so it used to end at sunset, when a star could already appear in the sky. But today there has been a slight shift and the service begins in the morning and ends in the afternoon. So why not eat after? Such a long service, you have endured so much, not every little person can withstand. The Church treats a person with understanding, condescension and love. Therefore, when the service ends, after the dismissal of the Liturgy, all the priests leave the altar and go to the icon of the Nativity of Christ, which is located on the lectern in the center of the temple. Ahead of this procession is a candle-bearer with a candle, which symbolizes the first star. In this regard, a person leaving the temple and getting home can safely eat sochivo.

How to get out of a post. What dishes should be on Christmas Eve?

Kutya (sochivo) first of all. And the rest - that the hostess will come up with, but it must be lean and in moderation. This question is so personal. There is a monastic charter that forbids this and that... But the bulk of our parishioners are not monks. Some people say - I don't want to go to Church, because everything is forbidden there. They are wrong. In the Church everything is possible for you, but not everything is useful, there must be understanding and understanding in everything. If a person suffers from cardiovascular diseases - this is one thing, if a person has an ulcer - this is another. General principle- everything should be in moderation and in no case should not harm your health. In addition, you have the opportunity to come and consult with a priest who will clearly and individually tell you how best to do it.

Another important point- the use of alcohol. It is advisable to abstain, but if you cannot, there must be a measure.

By the way, they often say - how you meet the year, so you will spend it, but what about the meeting of the New Year, because you force you to fast? I ask a counter question - what is more important for you? Glass? If you raise glass after glass at the New Year's table, will you drink all year? Or maybe you think about something else, about the eternal? We have such a tradition in Zaporozhye. On New Year's Eve we celebrate the Divine Liturgy. We celebrate the New Year in prayer. Of course, I don’t know what each person prays for, but the common prayer is for peace in our country, for peace in our hearts, so that the Lord does not leave us, is always with us. And if you spend this night with God, He will never leave you. And even if you get into some kind of trouble and turn to Him for help, He will definitely come to your aid.

What prophecies came true after Christmas

Why are there only two Gospels about the Nativity of Christ?

There is nothing superfluous in the Church, in the spiritual life. Evangelist Matthew wrote for the Jews, and he had to prove that Christ is a descendant of Abraham and David.

Evangelist Luke shows that the Lord Jesus Christ belongs to all mankind and is the Savior of all people, as the whole world comes to Him, it was necessary to tell the pagans about this coming.

Is it true that after his birth, Christ was in Tibet?

The problem with the gospel is that almost no evangelist dwells on where Christ was from the moment of birth to his baptism. There are apocrypha where it is described how little Jesus healed people with touches, or punished his peers tomboys. Many epics. But all this is not recognized by the Church. Not in order to humiliate the dignity of Christ, but on the contrary - so as not to litter it.

We clearly know from the life of the Mother of God, the description of which was left to us by the Apostle Luke - Christ first helped his stepfather. When Joseph died, the maintenance of the Mother lay on the shoulders of Jesus - He worked as a carpenter until he went out to serve people. The Savior hid His Divinity, hid it quite consciously. And he opened it to people only in the Jordan, when a voice from Heaven testified that not just a man was standing in the water, but the long-awaited Messiah. But there was no Tibet.

Where did the tradition of decorating a fir tree come from?

Spruce is a symbol of eternity and a symbol of death. There are different views. The tradition goes to the Germans. Some associate with Martin Luther, Boniface. But we will not find in the Christmas tradition to establish a fir tree in the New Testament. There is nothing sinful for those who install it and for those who do not install it. What matters is what it means to you.

Green is a symbol of life. For me, spruce is a symbol of the Nativity of Christ, family warmth, a symbol of life. After all, Christ comes to make us alive in life, not only earthly, but also eternal, so that we do not die from sin.

What prophecies were fulfilled with Christmas?

The fact that the Savior, the Messiah, will come to the world. All mankind lived by this prophecy before the birth of Christ. But how they distorted this prophecy. They thought that the Messiah would come and deliver the Jews from the Roman yoke. Why Christ was crucified - because His contemporaries did not see the Messiah in him. We forget about the meaning of the incarnation of Christ. He came to save us from sin, to give us eternal life! And we don't understand it.

Do we hear from Christ that we must kill the enemy? No. We hear - love your neighbor. How many slogans are now heard from those who say they are Christians? Forgot Christ! This is an example of spiritual blindness, demonic possession. We have forgotten about Christ, the main reason for His coming. The meaning of the Nativity of Christ is healing us from sin and giving us eternal life in the heavenly Royal cloisters, but not for eternal torment.

Christmas is a special holiday. The preparation lasts the whole post, and incl. the last few days. It is especially important to be able to prepare for the service on the day of the holiday itself. Or rather, at night... After all, in many of our churches it is served at night.

How not to be frightened by the difficulties of a real “all-night vigil” and feel the joy of the holiday at a long Christmas service - we already wrote about this:

To How to prepare for, set yourself up for a long service and spend time in the temple with dignity, read the advice of the archpastor.

1. If possible, attend all statutory festive services.

I want to emphasize that you must be at the festive all-night vigil. During this service, in fact, Christ, who was born in Bethlehem, is glorified. The liturgy is a divine service that practically does not change in connection with the holidays. , the main hymns that explain the event remembered on this day and set us up on how to properly celebrate the holiday, are sung and read in the temple during Vespers and Matins.

It must also be said that the Christmas service begins the day before - at. On the morning of January 6, Christmas Vespers are celebrated in churches. It sounds strange: Vespers is in the morning, but this is a necessary deviation from the Rule of the Church. Vespers used to begin in the afternoon and continue with the Liturgy of Basil the Great, at which people took communion. The whole day of January 6 before this service was a particularly strict fast, people did not eat food at all, preparing to take communion. After dinner, Vespers began, and Communion was already at dusk. And soon after this came the solemn Christmas matins, which began to be served on the night of January 7th.

But now, since we have become weaker and weaker, solemn Vespers is celebrated on the 6th in the morning and ends with the Liturgy of Basil the Great.

Therefore, those who want to celebrate the Nativity of Christ correctly, according to the charter, following the example of our ancestors - ancient Christians, saints, should, if work allows, on the eve of Christmas, on January 6, at the morning service. On Christmas itself, you should come to Great Compline and Matins and, of course, to the Divine Liturgy.

2. When preparing to go to the night Liturgy, worry in advance about not being so sleepy.

In Athos monasteries, in particular, in Dohiar, Archimandrite Gregory, the abbot of the Dochiar monastery, always says that it is better to close your eyes for a while in the temple, if you completely overcame a dream, than to retire to rest in a cell, thus leaving the service.

You know that in the temples on the Holy Mountain there are special wooden chairs with armrests - stasidia, on which you can sit or stand, reclining the seat and leaning on special handles. It must also be said that on Athos, in all the monasteries, the brethren in full force are necessarily present at all divine services of the daily circle. Absence from duty is a fairly serious deviation from the rules. Therefore, leaving the temple during the service is possible only as a last resort.

In our realities, you can’t sleep in the temple, but this is not necessary. On Athos, all services begin at night - at 2, 3 or 4 o'clock. And in our churches, services are not daily, liturgies at night are generally a rarity. Therefore, in order to go out for a night prayer, you can prepare in completely ordinary everyday ways.

For example, be sure to sleep the night before the service. While Eucharistic fasting allows, drink coffee. Since the Lord has given us such fruits that invigorate, then we need to use them.

But if sleep begins to overcome during the night service, I think it would be more correct to go out, make several circles around the temple with the Jesus Prayer. This short walk will definitely refresh and give strength to continue to be in the attention.

3. Fast properly. “Until the first star” means not to starve, but to attend the service.

Where did the custom of not eating food on Christmas Eve, January 6, "until the first star" come from? As I have already said, before Christmas Vespers began in the afternoon, passed into the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, which ended when, indeed, stars already appeared in the sky. After the Liturgy, the charter permitted the eating of a meal. That is, “up to the first star” meant, in fact, until the end of the Liturgy.

Christmas service at the Ioninsky Monastery

But over time, when the liturgical circle was isolated from the life of Christians, when people began to treat worship services rather superficially, this grew into some kind of custom completely divorced from practice and reality. People do not go to the service, and do not take communion on January 6, but at the same time they are starving.

When I am asked how to fast on Christmas Eve, I usually say this: if you were present in the morning at Christmas Vespers and at the Liturgy of Basil the Great, then it is blessed to eat food, as it should be according to the charter, after the end of the Liturgy. That is, during the day.

But if you decide to dedicate this day to cleaning the premises, preparing 12 dishes, and so on, then, please, eat after the “first star”. Since you did not bear the feat of prayer, at least bear the feat of fasting.

Regarding how to fast before Communion, if it is at a night service, then according to current practice, the liturgical fast (that is, complete abstinence from food and water) in this case is 6 hours. But this is not directly formulated anywhere, and there are no clear instructions in the charter how many hours before communion one should not eat.

On an ordinary Sunday, when a person is preparing for Communion, it is customary not to eat food after midnight. But if you are going to take communion at the nightly Christmas service, then it would be right not to eat food somewhere after 21.00.

In any case, it is better to coordinate this issue with the confessor.

4. Find out about the date and time of confession and agree in advance. In order not to spend the entire festive service in line.

The issue of confession at the Christmas service is purely individual, because each church has its own customs and traditions. It is easy to talk about confession in monasteries or those churches where there are a large number of serving priests. But if there is one priest serving in the church, and there are a majority of them, then it is best, of course, to agree with the priest in advance when it is convenient for him to confess you. It is better to go to confession on the eve of the Christmas service, so that during the service you think not about whether you will have time or not, but about how to really worthily meet the coming of Christ the Savior into the world.

5. Do not exchange worship and prayer for 12 Lenten meals. This tradition is neither evangelical nor liturgical.

I am often asked how to connect the presence at services on Christmas Eve and Christmas with the tradition of a feast on Christmas Eve, when 12 Lenten dishes are specially prepared. I will say right away that the tradition of "12 straves" is somewhat mysterious for me. Christmas, like Epiphany Eve, is a fast day, moreover, a day of strict fasting. According to the charter, boiled food without oil and wine are put on this day. How you can cook 12 different Lenten dishes without using oil is a mystery to me.

In my opinion, the "12 Straves" is a folk custom that has nothing in common with either the Gospel, or with the liturgical rule, or with the liturgical tradition of the Orthodox Church. Unfortunately, on the eve of Christmas, a large number of materials appear in the media in which attention is focused on some dubious pre-Christmas and post-Christmas traditions, eating certain dishes, fortune-telling, festivities, caroling, and so on - all that husk, which is often very far away. from the true meaning of the great feast of the advent of our Redeemer into the world.

I am always very hurt by the profanation of holidays, when their meaning and significance are reduced to one or another ritual that has developed in a particular locality. We have to hear that such things as traditions are needed for people who are not yet particularly churched in order to somehow interest them. But you know, in Christianity all the same better people give immediately benign food, not fast food. Still, it is better for a person to recognize Christianity immediately from the gospel, from the traditional patristic Orthodox position, than from some kind of “comics”, even if consecrated by folk customs.

In my opinion, many folk rituals associated with a particular holiday, these are comics on the topic of Orthodoxy. They have practically nothing to do with the meaning of the holiday, or with the gospel event.

6. Don't turn Christmas into a culinary feast. This day is, first of all, spiritual joy. And it is not good for health to leave the fast with a plentiful feast.

Again, it's all about priorities. If it is a priority for someone to sit at a rich table, then all day on the eve of the holiday, including when the festive vespers are already being performed, the person is preparing various meats, Russian salads and other magnificent dishes.

If it is more important for a person to meet the born Christ, then he, first of all, goes to worship, and already in his free time he prepares what he has enough time for.

In general, it is strange that it is considered obligatory on the day of the holiday to sit and absorb various plentiful dishes. It is neither medically nor spiritually useful. It turns out that we fasted throughout Lent, missed Christmas Vespers and the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great - and all this in order to just sit down and eat. You can do it at any other time...

I will tell you how the festive meal is prepared in our monastery. Usually, at the end of the night services (on Easter and Christmas), the brethren are offered a small breaking of the fast. As a rule, it is cheese, cottage cheese, hot milk. That is, something that does not require special efforts in preparation. And in the afternoon, a more festive meal is being prepared.

7. Sing to God intelligently. Prepare for the service - read about it, find the translation, the texts of the psalms.

There is a saying: knowledge is power. And, indeed, knowledge gives strength not only in moral terms, but also literally - in the physical. If a person at one time took the trouble to study Orthodox worship, to delve into its essence, if he knows that in this moment happens in the temple, then for him the question of long standing, fatigue is not worth it. He lives in the spirit of worship, he knows what follows what. For him, the service is not divided into two parts, as it happens: “What is in the service now?” - "Well, they sing." - "And now?" - "Well, they read." For most people, unfortunately, the service is divided into two parts: when they sing and when they read.

Christmas service at the Ioninsky Monastery

Knowledge of the service gives an understanding that at a certain moment of the service, you can sit down and sit and listen to what is being sung and read. The liturgical charter in some cases allows, and in some even orders to sit. This is, in particular, the time of reading psalms, hours, kathisma, stichera on "Lord, cry out." That is, there are many moments of service when you can sit. And, in the words of one saint, it is better to think about God while sitting than standing about your feet.

Many believers act very practical, taking light folding benches with them. Indeed, in order not to rush to the benches to take seats at the right time, or not to “occupy” the seats, standing next to them for the entire service, it would be better to take a special bench with you and sit down on it at the right time.

Do not be embarrassed by sitting during the service. The Sabbath is for man, not man for the Sabbath. Still, at some moments it is better to sit down, especially if your legs hurt, and while sitting attentively listen to the service, than to suffer, suffer and look at the clock when it all ends.

In addition to taking care of your legs, take care of food for the mind in advance. You can buy special books or find and print materials about the festive service on the Internet - interpretation and texts with translations.

I also recommend that you also find the Psalter translated into your native language. Psalm reading is an integral part of any Orthodox worship and the psalms are very beautiful both melodically and stylistically. In the temple they are read in Church Slavonic, but even a church-going person finds it difficult to perceive all their beauty by ear. Therefore, in order to understand what is being sung about at the moment, you can find out in advance, before the service, which psalms will be read during this service. This really needs to be done in order to “sing with understanding to God,” in order to feel the beauty of psalmody.

Many believe that it is impossible to follow the Liturgy in the church from the book - you need to pray together with everyone. But one does not exclude the other: follow the book and pray, in my opinion, this is one and the same thing. Therefore, do not be embarrassed to take literature with you to the service. You can take a blessing from the priest for this in advance in order to cut off unnecessary questions and comments.

8. Temples are overcrowded on holidays. Have pity on your neighbor - put candles on or venerate the icon another time.

Many, coming to the temple, believe that lighting a candle is the duty of every Christian, that sacrifice to God that must be made. But since the Christmas service is much more crowded than the usual service, there is some difficulty with setting candles, including because the candlesticks are overcrowded.

The tradition of bringing candles to the temple has ancient roots. Previously, as we know, Christians took everything necessary for the Liturgy from home with them: bread, wine, candles to light the church. And this, indeed, was their feasible sacrifice.

Now the situation has changed and the setting of candles has lost its original meaning. For us, this is more a reminder of the first centuries of Christianity.

Christmas service at the Ioninsky Monastery

The candle is our visible sacrifice to God. She has symbolic meaning: we must before God, like this candle, burn with an even, bright, smokeless flame.

This is also our sacrifice for the temple, because we know - from the Old Testament, that people in ancient times necessarily paid tithes for the maintenance of the Temple and the priests serving at it. And in the New Testament Church this tradition was continued. We know the words of the apostle that those who serve the altar eat from the altar. And the money that we leave by purchasing a candle is our sacrifice.

But in such cases, when the temples are overcrowded, when whole torches of candles burn on the candlesticks, and they are all passed and passed, it may be more correct to put the amount that you wanted to spend on candles in the donation box than to embarrass the brothers with manipulations with candles and sisters praying nearby.

9. When bringing children to the night service, be sure to ask them if they want to be in the temple now.

If you have small children or elderly relatives, then go with them to Liturgy in the morning.

This practice has developed in our monastery. At night at 23:00, Great Compline begins, followed by Matins, which passes into the Liturgy. The liturgy ends at about half past five in the morning, so the service lasts about five and a half hours. This is not so much - the usual all-night vigil every Saturday lasts 4 hours - from 16.00 to 20.00.

And our parishioners, who have small children or elderly relatives, pray at night at Compline and at Matins, after Matins they go home, rest, sleep, and in the morning come to Liturgy by 9.00 with small children or with those people who, for health reasons, could not attend the night service.

If you decide to bring the children to the temple at night, then, it seems to me, the main criterion for attending such long services should be the desire of the children themselves to come to this service. No violence or coercion is allowed!

Christmas service at the Ioninsky Monastery

You know, there are status things for a child, which are the criteria of adulthood for him. Such, for example, as the first confession, the first visit to the night service. If he really asks adults to take him with them, then in this case it needs to be done.

It is clear that the child will not be able to stand attentively for the entire service. To do this, take some kind of soft bedding for him, so that when he gets tired, you can put him in a corner to sleep and wake him up before communion. But so that the child is not deprived of this joy of night service.

It is very touching to see when children come with their parents to the service, they stand joyful, with sparkling eyes, because the night service is very significant and unusual for them. Then gradually they subside, turn sour. And now, passing through the side aisle, you see children lying side by side, immersed in the so-called "liturgical" dream.

How much the child can stand - so much can stand. But to deprive him of such joy is not worth it. However, I repeat once again, getting into this service should be the desire of the child himself. So that Christmas would be associated for him only with love, only with the joy of the born baby Christ.

10. Be sure to take communion!

Coming to the temple, we often worry that we didn’t have time to light candles or didn’t venerate some kind of icon. But that's not what you need to think about. We need to worry about how often we unite with Christ.

It is our duty at divine services to pray attentively and, as often as possible, partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. The temple, first of all, is the place where we partake of the Body and Blood of Christ. This is what we must do.

Festive service at Dohiar Monastery

And, indeed, attending the Liturgy without communion is meaningless. Christ calls: “Take, eat,” and we turn away and leave. The Lord says, "Drink from the Cup of Life, all of you," and we don't want to. Does the word "everything" have any other meaning? The Lord does not say: drink 10% of me - those who were preparing. He says: drink from me all! If we come to the Liturgy and do not take communion, then this is a liturgical violation.

INSTEAD OF AFTERWORD. What basic condition is necessary to feel the joy of a long all-night service?

It is necessary to realize WHAT many years ago happened on this day. That "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth." That “no one has ever seen God; The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has revealed. That an event of such a cosmic scale took place, which has never happened before, and will not happen after.

God, the Creator of the universe, the Creator of the infinite cosmos, the Creator of our earth, the Creator of man as a perfect creature, the Almighty, who commands the movement of the planets, the entire cosmic system, the existence of life on earth, Whom no one has ever seen, and only a few in the entire history of mankind have been able to see only part of the manifestation of some kind of His power… And this God became a man, a baby, completely defenseless, small, subject to everything, including the possibility of murder. And this is all for us, for each of us.

There is a wonderful expression: God became a man so that we become gods. If we understand this - that each of us got the opportunity to become a god by grace - then the meaning of this holiday will be revealed to us. If we are aware of the scale of the event we are celebrating, what happened on this day, then all culinary delights, caroling, round dances, dressing up and fortune-telling will seem to us a trifle and a husk that is completely not worth our attention. We will be absorbed in the contemplation of God, the Creator of the universe, lying in a manger next to the animals in a simple barn. This will exceed everything.

MOSCOW, January 7 - RIA Novosti, Olga Lipich. The Russian Orthodox Church celebrates on Thursday the Nativity of Christ - the second most important after Easter, the great twelfth holiday.

That night, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia led a festive Christmas service at the Cathedral Church of Christ the Savior, where thousands of believers gathered.

Festive services are held in all existing churches in Moscow, of which there are more than 800 together with chapels. In total, there are more than 29 thousand parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in the world.

According to the gospel tradition, when the Roman Emperor Augustus, who ruled Judea, announced a census of the population, and everyone had to register exactly where they came from, righteous Joseph went with the Blessed Virgin Mary, betrothed to him, to his native city of Bethlehem.

There were no empty rooms in the hotel, so Joseph and Maria found shelter in a cave where they drove pets (in Old Slavonic - a nativity scene). In this den the Savior was born. The Mother of God placed the baby in a manger.

The first to bow to the incarnate God came the shepherds, who were informed by an angel. After them came the Magi (Eastern pagan sages), who learned about the miracle that had happened by the appearance of an unusual star in the sky. This star led the Magi to the birthplace of Jesus and therefore is called Bethlehem.

The Feast of Christmas, according to the teachings of the Church, symbolizes the reconciliation of man with God. Christmas heralds the redemptive feat of Christ and the renewal of human nature, struck by the fall of the forefathers.

According to the statute of the Russian Orthodox Church, the holiday is preceded by a multi-day Advent fast, which begins on November 28 and lasts 40 days - through January 6, inclusive.

On Christmas Eve, January 6, many pious believers do not eat food at all, and by 10 p.m. they go to the temple, where Compline, Matins and Divine Liturgy are served.

Only when the first star appears - the symbol of the star of Bethlehem - can you taste sochivo (a lean dish that is most often prepared from wheat or rice with honey and fruits). Hence the name of this day - Christmas Eve.

After the festive night service on January 7, the Orthodox congratulate each other on the bright holiday of the Nativity of Christ and break the fast (break the fast).

On this day in Russia, magnificent feasts were traditionally held. Children went from house to house with a "nativity scene" - a small box pasted over with colored paper, in which, with the help of dolls mounted on an axis, scenes were played on the gospel story about the birth of Christ. For this performance, accompanied by singing, the children received gifts. In some places, in particular in Ukraine, this custom is preserved to this day.

At Christmas, houses and churches are decorated with fir trees and coniferous branches, which symbolize eternal life, and the tradition of decorating a Christmas tree is associated with the image of a paradise tree abounding in fruits.

Patriarch Kirill, according to his press service, will perform a great vespers at 16.00 Moscow time in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, after which the congratulations of the clergy will take place.

Following Christmas by church calendar Christmas time is coming - a time of special spiritual joy and continuation of the celebration. These days, from January 8 to 17, one-day fasts on Wednesdays and Fridays are cancelled.

On the second day after the Nativity of Christ, January 8, when the Church celebrates a holiday called the Cathedral Holy Mother of God, Patriarch Kirill will lead the Divine Liturgy at 9.30 Moscow time in the historically main temple of Russia - the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.

And in the middle of the day on January 8, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church will visit the Christmas holiday at the Moscow City Palace of Children's Art on Sparrow Hills.