Afterwards the festive Easter divine liturgy began. Easter service on the day of the Resurrection of Christ: the main rules of conduct in church

The Easter holiday service may have a different starting time in individual parishes, just as weekday services may begin at different times. However, this service differs from everyday worship in its special solemnity.

Despite all the changes in the modern world, it remains one of the main and most beloved holidays for most Russians. The church's Easter services begin a week before Easter. At this time, parishioners go to church more often. There is a tradition according to which the doors of churches are no longer locked a few days before Easter, so that any believer has the opportunity to visit the Abode of God at a time that is more convenient for him.

Easter services are held throughout Bright Week (until Saturday inclusive). A special day is Saturday on the eve of the holiday itself. It is on this day that Lent ends, and parishioners can already go to church so that the clergy will bless Easter cakes, eggs and other food for the festive table with holy water. On this same Saturday, there is an opportunity to remember your deceased relatives and light candles for the repose.

On Saturday evening, a night vigil begins, during which the laity go to the All-Night Vigil.

What and how to do in the house of God

In order not to bring confusion into the solemnity of the common service and to feel confident, there are some conventions that must be observed. The following rules will help you understand how to behave at the Easter service.

Behavior rules

Description

Appearance Women should wear a long outfit and cover their heads. Deep rollouts and transparent fabrics should be avoided. It is better to avoid using cosmetics. Men should bare their heads when entering the temple.
How to enter and exit the temple? At the entrance, you must make the sign of the cross three times and bow. When leaving, make the sign of the cross three times and bow near the church door and behind its gate.
Keep quiet You should refrain from talking loudly and using a cell phone. Explain to children that they need to behave quietly.
During service You need to stand facing the altar. When the priest makes the sign of the cross over the laity, bow down. Make the sign of the cross, hearing “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.” Receiving the blessing, fold hands crosswise and kiss the blessing hand.
Questions If you need to ask a priest a question, first you need to say: “Father, bless!” and only after that ask your question.

The Church is the abode of God, and therefore one should remember, no matter how long a person is there, his stay should be covered with reverence and love.

Stages and start times of the All-Night Vigil

The Easter night service is the most majestic and highly solemn of all types of worship. There is a belief that Easter night is the quietest night of the year. The white, gold and silver robes of the priests, choral chants, and the rolling sound of bells create a special atmosphere. The exclamation “Christ is Risen!”, which is sacred to every Orthodox Christian, touches the soul.

Easter night is marked by a festive service, which consists of several stages. First: bringing out the Shroud. It takes place on Good Friday at three o'clock in the afternoon - the same time that Jesus Christ died on the cross. Until the moment of removal, believers are prohibited from having fun, eating food and swimming on this day. After the laying of the Shroud in the temple, those fasting will be allowed to consume a small amount of bread and water. Then the following happens:

  • singing stichera at the altar;
  • procession;
  • matins;
  • matins and taking out artos (this is festive bread, which is then broken and distributed to the parishioners);
  • liturgy.

Each stage of the ministry is important and under no circumstances is it ignored, since it has a special symbolism related to the story of the resurrection of the Lord. The night Easter service takes place just before twelve o'clock at night. The beginning of the Easter service is called “Easter Midnight Office”. After it, the Shroud, accompanied by the singing of “I will arise and be glorified...”, is brought into the altar and placed on the Great Throne, where it will remain for the Ascension.

Before twelve o'clock, three lingering strikes of the bell - Blagovest - are heard, which then intensifies the loudness of the measured strikes, announcing that the Easter holiday has begun. Then the churchmen sing three times, first quietly, and then louder, “Thy Resurrection, O Christ the Savior...”.

Matins and procession

At twelve o'clock at night matins and procession follow. To the sound of the bell ringing, priests with a crucifix, banners, faces of Saints, incense and church lamps move in a procession from the altar to the exit. Banner bearers, singers, candlebearers, deacons and clergy walk in pairs behind the lamp, the altarpiece on the cross and the icon of the Mother of God. The final pair of clergy carries the Gospel and the icon of the Resurrection of the Lord. The abbot leads the way in the festive procession. Lay people carry flaming candles.

The whole procession goes around the temple three times. It reads “Thy Resurrection, O Christ the Savior...”. At the same time, a peal of bells rings out over the temple of God, announcing the good news: “.” The priests greet the laity three times: “Christ is Risen!”

The entire procession stops in the vestibule. The ringing of the bells subsides, and to the singing of “Christ is risen from the dead...” the priest sprinkles holy water on those present. Afterwards it is read “May God rise again...”, and the laity exclaim: “Christ is risen.” As soon as it sounds: “Christ is risen from the dead...”, the priest symbolically describes a cross on the doors with a censer, and they open.

The departure from the temple and the closing of its entrance gates are symbolic.

Christians are leaving the arch of the Abode of God, just as Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden. However, our Lord, having shed his blood, again opened the gates of heaven for humanity. And when the doors of the temple open again at Matins, the gates to eternal life are symbolically opened for believers.

Continuation of Matins and end of the night vigil

The morning service continues as soon as the entire procession is back in the temple, where candles and lamps are burning in abundance. The great litany is announced, the canon is sung and the small litany is pronounced, the luminary “Having fallen asleep in the flesh...” is sung, the stichera for Praise and the stichera for Easter are sung. At the end, the Word of John Chrysostom is read out, symbolically recalling the meaning and significance of the Resurrection of the Lord for all believers.

Matins concludes with “Let us embrace each other...”. After this, the laity kiss the cross in the hands of the clergyman and kiss Christ (three times symbolic kisses) with the priest. Matins lasts an average of 90 minutes. At the end of it, Orthodox Christians greet each other with the Good News of “Christ is Risen,” kiss Christ and exchange Easter eggs. The next stage is the Liturgy, at which the troparion, ...”, ipaka, kontakion, dismissal are sung and the Orthodox laity are blessed. Believers who have observed fasting go to confession with communion.

In God's churches, where Easter services are conducted simultaneously by several priests, the Gospel is read in several languages. This also carries a certain symbolism: this is how the Savior’s commandment to bring the Word of God into the world is observed. This stage lasts on average 120 minutes. After the Liturgy, the laity go home, break their fast and celebrate Easter with their family and loved ones.

The all-night Easter service, with its reverent atmosphere, is designed to introduce believers into the sacrament of communion with the Lord.



What time does the Easter service in the church begin? This is the right question that many believers ask themselves on Holy Saturday. If you decide to attend the Easter service this year, you should find out in advance exactly when it begins in a particular church. Although, there are their own church canons, which all churches try to adhere to.

Important information about the Easter service

Easter prayers begin on Holy Saturday. Let us remind you that this is the last day of Lent, which always happens right before Easter. Each year, accordingly, the date of Holy Saturday will also be different, because it depends directly on the date of Easter. People gather for the service in advance and the onset of Easter itself is midnight, celebrated in the church. How to prepare.

On the night from Saturday to Sunday, that is, on the night of Easter, the Acts of the Holy Apostles are read in churches. They talk about how they witnessed the bright resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Saturday service ends with a religious procession, which is a harbinger of the morning service. The procession goes around the church.

The service in honor of the onset of Easter lasts, as a rule, from late Saturday evening until 2-3 o'clock in the morning on Sunday. If you plan to take children with you, then you need to be absolutely sure that during the long service they will not be capricious or distract the people who came to the temple to pray.




After the religious procession ends, this usually happens around midnight, and Matins begins. Then it goes into the Divine Liturgy, after which you can partake of the sacraments of Christ. If you decide to receive communion after the Easter service, then you need to confess in advance and receive a blessing from the priest for this. Of course, if you ignore these rules, no one will be denied communion. But we should remember that the true essence of this sacrament is to receive communion with a pure body and spirit, and not to turn everything into just a show for show.

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 each other 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 speak loudly to each other or talk on the phone during the service.

Advice! It happens that a person is baptized, seemingly out of place. There is no need to worry or be nervous about this, because you can be baptized at any time and this, of course, does not contradict the general rules of behavior in the church. If the gesture was made out of impulse of the soul, then there is nothing reprehensible in it.

When does the service start?

So, what time does Easter service start in church? This is the most important night for every Orthodox believer, preparation for which begins on Thursday evening. On this day, Easter cakes are baked and eggs are painted. On Good Friday they do nothing; on Saturday they always go to church with a basket to bless the food. Then in the evening they return to the temple to defend the festive service in honor of the Holy Resurrection of Christ. How to cook .

As a rule, the service begins on Saturday around 23.00 and ends on Sunday morning, somewhere at 2-3 am. After the first hour of the service, a procession of the cross takes place around the temple, after which the priest announces to everyone that Easter has come and Christ is Risen.

During the evening service on Holy Saturday, the priests talk about what the holy apostles, who were real witnesses of the Resurrection of Christ, wrote. Divine services begin at 23.00, so by this time you can gather in the temple. After the procession, everyone returns to the temple, the service and prayers continue.




Of course, a worldly person who decides to spend the festive Easter night in church and take part in the Divine service must behave correctly. Rules of conduct that will help you feel at ease have already been discussed in our material. Be sure to read the code of correct behavior in church again so that only pleasant moments and memories remain from the festive service. What date .

Now you can figure out what time the Easter service in the church starts. The service itself begins at 23.00, but on this night many believers come to churches, so in order to get inside and take a comfortable place there, you should come to the temple in advance. Moreover, there is always something to do there: pray, light candles, think about the upcoming Easter, about what happened to you, to your spiritual life during such a long fast and such a long period of preparation for Easter.

Easter in 2019 continues to be an important religious holiday. A festive service is traditionally held on Easter Sunday. On Easter, many believers plan to visit church and bless eggs and Easter cakes.

Easter is one of the greatest and most important holidays for all believers. Traditionally, a festive service is held on Easter Sunday. On Easter, many people try to attend church services and, of course, dedicate eggs and Easter cakes.

When does the Easter service begin and end?

Note! The great religious holiday always begins at midnight from Holy Saturday to Sunday. Churches hold bright Easter matins, a solemn church service. During the morning service, you can receive communion if a person confessed during Holy Week. After this, the Easter liturgy is held. This church service ends at approximately 3 am.

Parishioners light candles together. Then the believers wait for the clergy to leave the church and make a religious procession with festive church singing. This ritual is traditionally performed at night, closer to morning. People rejoice on Easter Sunday.

Fact! During the service, Easter cakes and colored eggs are illuminated. It is believed that after the believers return home and organize Sunday lunch, they need to taste Easter cakes and eggs.

What is the pattern for the Easter service?

The Easter service begins late Saturday evening. In this case, the service is carried out in certain stages:

  1. Initially, the shroud is taken out. This happens about half an hour before midnight.
  2. At the next stage, the stichera is sung in the altar.
  3. After the chants, priests and parishioners take part in a small procession around the temple.
  4. Bright Matins begins with the use of a censer and a cross with a three-candlestick.
  5. Easter Matins is also an important rite. During Matins, church servants bring out special bread prepared according to ancient recipes for Easter.
  6. The service always ends with the ringing of bells. Believers congratulate each other with traditional phrases: Christ is Risen - Truly Risen.

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 each other 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 speak 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


The most solemn service throughout the year is the Easter service in the church, which always takes place at night. It is for this reason that this service is also called the all-night vigil.

The service begins in different churches differently, but you can focus on the time somewhere an hour before midnight. Because a lot of people gather in the temple from ten in the evening, if the goal is to stand closer to the altar and take an active part in everything that happens in the temple, then it is important to come early.

Advice! After midnight there is a religious procession. That is, the priests leave the temple in an organized procession and walk around the temple three times along with the entire flock, after which the priest congratulates everyone on the arrival of Easter and pronounces the most important words for every Christian: “Christ is Risen.” To get to the beginning of the procession, it is better to stand at the beginning of the service not closer to the altar, but closer to the exit of the temple. Because this is how the flock will follow the procession of priests out of the church. Whoever stands at the altar will be the last to leave the temple and will complete the procession of the Cross.

Many people wonder what time the Easter service begins and what time it ends. The solemn service begins at midnight, when a special canon dedicated to the shroud is read. It has been in the center of the temple since Good Friday (we remind you that the shroud is brought out in honor of the fabric in which the body of Jesus Christ was wrapped when taken from the cross; the shroud depicts Christ in the tomb in full growth).

Important! The Easter service begins at about 23.00 on Holy Saturday, and ends on the morning from Saturday to Sunday at about 4.00 in the morning.

The all-night vigil in honor of the offensive begins on Saturday somewhere between 23.00 and midnight. This service ends before the onset of Christ's Resurrection, because at approximately midnight the procession of the Cross will be organized. And then the festive matins begins. Then this service turns into the Divine Liturgy, which begins around one in the morning.

On Easter day itself, vespers is served in the church; this will be directly on Sunday, the day of Easter. The festive supper on Sunday begins somewhere from 16.00 to 18.00, depending on the church and the parish schedule.

Rules for preparing for church services on Easter:

  • Dress correctly: clean and tidy, festive and modest. Women must wear a headscarf to church and, if possible, choose a long skirt or dress. Try not to wear clothes made of transparent fabrics or with a deep neckline to church, and avoid cosmetics.
  • You can safely go to church even during menstruation, although there is an opinion that a woman should not go to church during this period. You can light candles, give notes and perform the holy sacraments.
  • Before entering the temple, stop and cross yourself three times, after each time bow to the ground. Be baptized without gloves or mittens. If it is a man, then before entering the temple, take off your headdress, but for a woman, on the contrary, be sure to cover your head.
  • During the service, you cannot speak loudly, use modern technology, or behave uncivilly, pushing people aside near the icons. Remember for what purpose and with what joy in your heart you came to the temple - broadcast bright feelings.
  • People do not turn their backs to the altar during services. Remember that women are always forbidden to enter the altar, and men can only do this with special permission from the priest.
  • It is important to tell children before going to church how to behave in church and why they go to church: they don’t run, they don’t scream, they don’t laugh. If a child begins to cry and it is difficult to calm him down, it is better to leave the temple with him so as not to disturb other believers.
  • For health, candles are placed in front of the icons of any saints, but for repose, candles are placed on the funeral table, which is most often located next to the crucifix.
  • You need to be baptized after the priest’s words “Lord, have mercy,” and also after “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,” and also after “Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”



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