What is a religious procession really? Religious procession - what is it and what is it for.

Already in the morning of Holy Saturday, believers ask each other a question, Procession for Easter 2018: what time. We can fully answer this question. Moreover, the date and time of the procession does not change from year to year. Rather, the date changes, but the event - Easter, always one thing remains.

On Saturday, after hectic preparations for the holiday, when all the cakes are ready and the eggs are painted, you can relax a little. But, it should be remembered that the evening Easter service starts already at 20.00. In general, it is better to have time to do all the things before this time and calmly go to the service. If you want to get only to the procession, then you need to come closer to midnight.

How is the procession

A religious procession is some kind of independent action in itself. It is traversed within
festive Easter service. Rather, it divides the divine service itself into two parts. At first, these are still sorrowful prayers about what happened to Christ on Holy Week. Then the priest, after him all the ministers, and after them the believers go out into the street, where the procession is performed.

During the march, church ministers carry the most important icons, as well as banners and lamps. Three times you need to go around the temple and each time stop at the door of the temple. The first two times the doors will be closed, and the third time the doors will open. And this is a good sign that tells us that Easter has come. Already after the Procession of the Cross and after the priest informs everyone about the coming of Easter, the clergy change into white festive clothes and the services continue for several more hours.

It turns out that the date when the Religious Procession 2018 is April 7th. Rather, the service will begin in the evening, at 8 pm on April 7, but will gradually move on on April 8. The Easter service is amazing and very beautiful. If you have never attended church that night, then we strongly recommend that you do so. In principle, you need to reach at least the religious procession and complete it. Then, if you have already left your strength, you can go home.

What to do after the procession

Yes, in the church, along with other believers, you were the first to learn the good news that Christ is Risen. This means that Easter has come and Great Lent will end. You can eat any food, be happy and have fun. But you should not eat lighted foods immediately after you come home: no matter how much you want. According to the church charter, this is fundamentally wrong.

It is imperative to go to bed, and in the morning to start celebrating Easter for real. In the morning, the whole family gathers at the table. An Easter cake is placed in the center of the table, in which there is a candle from the church, illuminated products are laid out around the cake. You should light a candle and start your morning with prayer. Then each family member should eat a small piece of each illuminated product. After that, you can start your meal, beat eggs and just enjoy such a wonderful, bright and eventful holiday.

So, you already know what time the Religious Procession will be on Easter, and how it will take place. It remains only to find the strength to go to church on this holy night. By the way, we remind you that it is recommended to adhere to a strict fast on Holy Saturday. This means not to eat until the end of the evening service, and after that to eat bread and drink water. But, there is very little left until the moment when Easter comes and how the period of restrictions ends. Christ is Risen, which means that you can celebrate this event in full force.

After a while, the procession will begin, during which you will have to walk about 20 km. What is the correct way to behave during this event? Maxim Yuryevich Makarov, the executive director of the Russian Community of the Kaliningrad Region, who was responsible for organizing and conducting the II regional Tikhvin religious procession, told us about this.

All comers are allowed to participate in the procession, whose appearance and behavior correspond to the meaning of the event and Orthodox traditions.

Participants in the procession use Orthodox canonical icons. The use of icons depicting people or events not canonized by the Church is not allowed.

The procession of the cross is not an unauthorized procession, but a type of church service, therefore, while participating in it, one should not forget about several important rules:

• if you cannot go through the entire route and want to join the procession later, when it has already begun, then you should not overtake those walking or go separately. Wait for the banner-bearers and priests to pass, and then join the column;
• procession of the cross is a prayer procession. It is advisable for the crusader to participate in the general prayer singing, or at least not to interfere with the prayers with extraneous conversations;
• be attentive to those walking next to you. If you or your companions feel bad, seek help from the participants in the procession, who will call doctors from the ambulance accompanying the procession or offer the victim to transfer to the bus accompanying the procession;
• the route of the cross procession is quite long - 20 km. Travel time is about 4-5 hours. Think in advance what part of the route you can overcome without damage to your health. Remember that the main thing is the spiritual benefit of prayer together, not the number of kilometers traveled;
• Think about what comfortable, if possible waterproof shoes to wear so that your feet do not get tired. If the weather forecast is unfavorable, it is better to take a raincoat with you, not an umbrella;
• remember to bring any medication you need with you.

Children under 18 go to the procession only with their parents or guardians. It is forbidden to participate in the procession of the people who are in a state of alcoholic and drug intoxication. Any public actions during the procession that contradict the spirit and meaning of the holiday are not allowed. If offenses are committed during the procession, the offenders will be detained by the police officers accompanying the procession and they will be subject to liability measures in accordance with applicable law.

During the procession, there is no public political campaigning, no symbols of political parties are used. Any slogans, flags, flyers, campaign items containing calls for ethnic or religious hatred are not allowed.

Easter 2018, Easter religious procession, when it happens that you need to know about the night Easter service

Easter of Christ, the main holiday of the Russian Orthodox Church, falls on April 8 in 2018. Traditionally, the Easter service is at night and includes an EASTER CRUSAL PROCESS.

The procession on Easter begins at night, at 24 hours, in remembrance of the fact that the holy myrrh-bearing women went to the tomb of the Savior "still exist tme", that is, when it was dark.

The people gather in the temple in advance, since before that the midnight office is served, which begins on Saturday evening, at about 23 o'clock. Believers prepare candles and icon lamps - closed candlesticks so that the wind does not extinguish the candle flame on the street.

By the time the midnight office is over, worshipers line up right in the church to carry banners and icons. A carrier lantern with a candle rises in front. Behind him is a parishioner or clergyman carrying a cross. Behind them, the parishioners of the temple stand on two sides with banners with the faces of Jesus Christ and the Mother of God, but there are more of them. Most often, gonfalon-bearers are strong men, since carrying gonfalons, especially if they are large, is not an easy task.

A parishioner with a festive icon of the Resurrection of Christ stands behind the banner-bearers, then the parishioners with other icons are arranged in two columns, often women and adolescents carry them. This entire group is lined up in the temple, facing the exit, even before the end of the midnight office.

Religious procession for Easter 2018, when it begins, features

And now everyone has prepared, for a moment, complete silence is established in the temple. When the time comes, the clergy and singers join those who are standing, the procession begins to move. The priest comes with a triple candlestick on which there are Easter candles, often of three colors - yellow, red and green. The altar men are carrying a large candle and the Gospel, the deacon is making censing. The parishioners hold lighted candles, often red in color. When the procession leaves the temple, its doors are closed.

After the exit, the procession begins bypassing the temple from left to right. At this time, the Blagovest is heard - the bell ringer strikes one bell. All those walking quietly sing along with the singers: "Thy Resurrection, O Christ our Savior, the Angels sing in heaven, and on earth make us praise with a pure heart."

The procession of the cross goes around the temple, and if it is a monastery or a temple complex, then the passage is made in the largest circle, uniting the buildings into a single one. Approaching the door of the church, from which everyone had left before, the priest, cross-shaped censes with a censer and exclaims: Glory to the Holy and Consubstantial and Life-giving and Inseparable Trinity ... In response, the "Amen" is heard and the Easter Troparion is sung for the first time. At this time, the bells begin to ring out festively. Then, with the singing of the Paschal stichera, the people enter the temple and the service begins.

Religious procession for Easter 2018, when it begins, features

Easter processions with the reading of the Gospel and sprinkling of those praying on Bright Week are performed daily, after the liturgy. Before Ascension, Religious processions take place once a week - after Sunday morning services.

For people who grew up in a godless time, the procession may well cause associations with demonstrations during Soviet holidays, and among modern youth - with flash mobs designed to draw public attention to a particular problem or event. However, the participants in the prayer processions, for which the name of the processions of the cross has been fixed for centuries, are not going to demonstrate anything to anyone: Those for whom they set out on this path - the Lord, the saints and the Heavenly Powers - see the heart of each of them through and through. That, of course, does not exclude the missionary benefits of processions of the cross, hundreds of which take place every year in Christian-populated cities and towns around the world.

Why exactly a move? Why not sitting, lying, not dancing, finally - after all, any of these actions, if necessary, can be filled with a religious meaning? The fact is that since the ancient times of our civilization, a way of life has been known as a path that, if possible, must be passed with dignity to the end. And what does it mean to live with dignity in the Christian sense? First of all - to live, remembering God, who knows the words, deeds and intentions of a person at every moment of his life. It is this passage of life that symbolizes the procession of the cross among Christians.

Religious procession around the temple

And the reasons for doing it can be very different. As the history of the Church testifies, from the first centuries of Christianity, believers with lighted candles in their hands walked around the temple on the feast of the bright Resurrection of Christ, as if following the myrrh-bearing wives. This tradition has survived to this day - it is customary to call such processions of the cross regular, that is, timed to coincide with the annual circle of services and the church calendar. They are performed either around the temple "anti-saline", that is, counterclockwise, or from the temple to a certain point - for example, to the font on the feast of Epiphany.

The tradition of religious processions became widespread at the turn of the Ancient World and the Middle Ages. Tradition links the authorship of the first order of the procession with the name of St. John Chrysostom. The heresy of Arianism, which was widespread in that era, introduced entertainment meetings on Sundays; in order to remind people how it truly befits Christians to praise God, and the rite of this, so to speak, dynamic worship was drawn up.

But this is in form - in terms of content, it is considered a lithium, that is, an augmented, intensified prayer. During the procession of the cross, the words of the Gospel are heard, prayer petitions are raised - litanies, church hymns are sung. The purpose of all these actions is to introduce believers on the move into a special prayer state, into a special spiritual rhythm. That is why during the procession, conversations are excluded (except for the shortest phrases, if necessary), and even more so - smoking, quarrels, idle gazing at people and surrounding landscapes. In 1882, the Metropolitan of Moscow Filaret wrote for the believers of Russia a special instruction "How to behave during a procession". It contains, among others, the following words: “When you enter the procession of the cross, think that you are walking under the leadership of the saints, whose icons walk in it, and that you are approaching the Lord Himself ... prayer, and if you do not hear from a distance, call upon the Lord God and His saints, who are known to you in the manner of prayer. Do not enter into conversations with those accompanying you, but answer the one who starts the conversation with a silent bow or a short, only necessary word. "

If you penetrate deeper into the depths of the centuries, you can find many events in the Holy Scriptures and Tradition, each of which can be considered a kind of prototype of the procession of the cross. The Jews had a tradition on the Feast of Tabernacles to walk seven times with palm branches in their hands a special place in the synagogue - almemar. All of its inhabitants took part in the solemn bringing of the Ark to Jerusalem by the king and the prophet David. Finally, the Savior Himself, surrounded by the apostles, entered the Holy City on a young colt, and the people of Israel spread branches to those walking under their feet with joyful exclamations and trumpets. There are also examples of not so peaceful, but still sincerely pious processions. The Roman emperor Constantine the Great, believing the heavenly sign of the cross and the words "Conquer by this", ordered his soldiers to depict crosses on their shields - and won the battle that followed. You can also recall the seven-day tour of Jericho by the army of Joshua, ahead of which the Ark of the Covenant followed: on the seventh day, when the Israelites began to blow their trumpets and shout unanimously, the city wall collapsed and Jericho surrendered.

But why is the procession called the cross? Because in front of such a procession they always carry the main symbol of Christianity - the cross. Although, to be absolutely precise, first comes the sexton with a lighted lantern, symbolizing the truth of God, dissolving the darkness of sinfulness. And already behind him are the altar cross and the image of the Mother of God, and then - banners, special church banners. Then come the chanters, sextons with candles, deacons with censers, and after them, in pairs, priests. In the last pair of them, the one on the right carries the Gospel, and the one on the left carries an icon. The laity marching behind the clergy follow with prayer singing, rather tightly so that no strangers cross the paths of the participants in the procession. Before the beginning of the godless era, this, of course, would not have occurred to anyone, but today it is sometimes required to specifically ask passers-by to let the entire procession pass.

In addition to regular religious processions dedicated to holidays and memorable days, extraordinary ones are also held. They can be associated with wars, epidemics, civil unrest. The times when St. John Chrysostom created the liturgical rite of the cross procession, according to the chroniclers, were marked by many natural and man-made disasters: earthquakes, fires, floods, riots ... In those days, people clearly understood that many of these things are associated with a distorted human worldview, from which come sinful actions, rash words, passionate feelings and wrong intentions - and, as a result, the reaction of the world of God to all this. Therefore, composing the sequence of the procession with the cross, the saint also provided for the possibility of a procession of repentance, pleading, pleading with the Creator to correct the ways of people and calm the anger of the elements.

Such religious processions are performed today. And more and more often, new reasons for their conduct known for centuries are being added: the scourge of drug addiction and indiscriminate drunkenness, the epidemic of divorce and abandonment of children to their fate, the frenzy of politicians obsessed with a spirit of resistance, capable of provoking fratricide on a national and even planetary scale with their words and deeds ... did not happen, and alarming tendencies in society began to decline, and participants in prayer processions with a cross in front of them take to the streets of cities. Sometimes these processions consist only of children and adolescents, which gives such processions a special mood. After all, children, as you know, to a greater extent retained the feeling of the world of God, as a miracle - while we, adults, in our everyday hustle and bustle, rarely even think about such things.

In terms of its duration, the procession can take from several minutes, if it follows around the temple, to several days or even weeks. In the latter case, it will also be quite right to call it a pilgrimage journey, during which a person inevitably changes - to a greater or lesser extent, sometimes imperceptibly to others, but it is quite obvious to himself: an understanding of the essence of the problems existing in his life comes to him, answers to long ago the questions that tormented him, and the situation around him after passing such a path begins to change noticeably ...

Perhaps the most famous of the many-day religious processions existing in modern Russia is Velikoretsky, the tradition of which is rooted in the events of the fourteenth century far from us. More precisely, in 1383, when the miraculous icon of St. Nicholas the Pleasant was found. She, surrounded by a radiance, similar to the light of many candles, was found at the source of waters, returning home at night, by a pious man named Semyon Agalakov. Soon miraculous healings of the sick began to take place in his village. The fame of the miraculous image quickly spread throughout Russia. A pilgrimage began to the icon, which was transferred to Khlynov. Every year, on the day the icon was found, the faithful solemnly carried the holy image (very large in size and weight) in a procession with the cross to the place of its acquisition - and then returned to the Khlynov church. The places along which the route ran were so wild that part of the way in the early years the crucifixes had to overcome by water, and the other part - making their way through the forest thicket.

The Velikoretskaya icon is mentioned in many Russian chronicles. In the 16th century, Tsar Ivan IV, nicknamed the Terrible, solemnly greeted her in Moscow. Even in godless times, the tradition of the procession from Khlynov to the place where the revered image was acquired was not interrupted - however, those processions were very few in number, and their participants were often detained by the police ...

Religious procession of bikers, Izhevsk

After the end of the Soviet era, the tradition of the Velikaya River religious procession returned to its former strength. Today, thousands of people from all over Russia and even from outside Russia take part in the annual prayer procession. In order to overcome the 150-kilometer route on foot, considerable strength is required, and not only physical, but also spiritual. Nevertheless, the number of people at the Velikoretsky religious procession nowadays only increases from year to year. Residents of villages, past which the route of the pilgrimage procession runs, kneel down and cross themselves when the procession passes by. And at the final point of the path - on the site of the finding of the miraculous image of St. Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia - a small chapel was built not so long ago.

In our time of rapid technological progress and all kinds of innovations, people go on religious processions not only on foot on dry land. They sail in boats and boats on lakes and rivers, sometimes going ashore for a common prayer - and the length of such a route can be hundreds of kilometers. Recently, the tradition of such a "cross-rafting", after long decades of oblivion, has been revived in the land of Kuzbass. In Yaroslavl, bikers, accompanied by priests, go around all the entrances to the city - prayers are served at the worship crosses installed there, for which believers ask that as few compatriots as possible die and be injured in road accidents. In many cities of Russia, Ukraine. In Belarus and some other countries, bishops, priests and representatives of local authorities together make a “flight of the cross”, rising up in helicopters, then describing a circle in the sky, and invoking God's blessing on this earth, this city, and everyone living in it ...

So the forms of this phenomenon of church life can be very different, but its essence remains unchanged: it is in the common effort of people, raising them above their nature, in the common will of many, prompting a person to take a step towards his Creator.

V. Sergienko

One of the external manifestations of religiosity in an Orthodox person is processions of the cross. Easter of Christ, a temple holiday, the day of remembrance of a revered saint or miraculous image - are always accompanied by a procession of the cross, this triumphant procession of Christians. If suddenly there is an invasion of enemies, an epidemic, a fire - the people carry the image of the revered saint through the streets.

What is the origin of religious processions, in honor of whom and when were they carried out?

A procession of the cross is a solemn procession of priests and lay believers with icons, banners and other shrines. There are also extraordinary religious processions established by the Church on especially important occasions.

Religious processions originated from the Old Testament. The ancient righteous often performed solemn and popular processions with singing, trumpeting and jubilation. The stories about this are set forth in the sacred books of the Old Testament: Exodus, Numbers, books of Kings, Psalms and others.

In the New Testament history, our Lord Jesus Christ Himself was the installer of the processions of the Cross. The Lord's Entry into Jerusalem is an example of the Procession of the Cross, given by the Lord Himself, Who solemnly entered the city for the suffering of the Cross, accompanied by the people and with universal exclamations: "Hosanna to the Son of David."

In the 4th century in Byzantium. St. John Chrysostom organized night processions against the Arians through the streets of Constantinople. For this, silver crosses were made on shafts, which were solemnly worn around the city along with holy icons. People walked with lighted candles. This is how our church processions arose. Later, in the struggle against the heresy of Nestorius, special processions of the cross were arranged by Saint Cyril of Alexandria, seeing the hesitation of the emperor.

Later in Constantinople, in order to get rid of mass diseases, the Life-Giving Tree of the Honest Cross was taken out of the temples and carried along the streets of the city. This is how the holiday was established, which received the name Origin (wear, procession) of the honest trees of the cross of the Lord (1/14 August). Then a tradition was established to hold Religious processions around churches on Great and Patronal Feasts, to springs, to consecrate water on the Feast of the Epiphany (Epiphany). The obligatory religious procession and the most joyful one takes place on the holiday of the holidays - Easter.

Over the centuries, processions of the cross began to be performed not only on the feast of the Bright Resurrection of Christ. After the end of the era of persecution of Christians, processions of the cross become widespread. They have become so firmly established in the rituals of Orthodox worship that now any significant church celebration without them is simply unthinkable.

These processions got their name "godfather" from the cross carried in front. Jesus Christ, going to suffer, carried a cross on his shoulders. Therefore, we also carry the crucifixion ahead of the course. The cross, the icon of the Mother of God, candles, church banners, icons, relics - these are the invariable shrines of these processions. These are symbols of unity with the Heavenly Church.

In Russia, they have always loved the processions of the Cross, appreciated their cleansing and prayer power. The popular belief in haste to help the heavenly intercessors honored during the procession was boundless. The history of Holy Russia literally from the first days of its birth is associated with the Procession of the Cross.

Of interest are the rules of conduct during the procession, drawn up by Met. Filaret on a specific procession from the Golutvin monastery to Kolomna in memory of the end of cholera, but of a general nature.

“The clergy should remind the respect for themselves and others, - said in these rules, - that, in order for this good undertaking to bear good fruit, for this it is necessary that the work of God be done with deep and continuous reverent attention. When you enter the procession of the cross, think that you are walking under the leadership of the saints, whose icons walk in it, approaching the Lord Himself, the generation of our weakness is possible. The earthly shrine signifies and invokes the heavenly shrine; the presence of the cross of the Lord and holy icons and sprinkling with blessed water cleanses the air and earth from our sinful impurities, removes the dark forces and brings the light ones closer. Use this help for your faith and prayer and do not make it useless for you by your negligence. Hearing church singing in the procession of the cross, combine your prayer with it; and if you do not hear from a distance, call upon the Lord, the Mother of God and His saints in the manner of prayer known to you. Do not enter into conversations with accompanying persons; and answer the beginning of the conversation with a silent bow or a short only necessary word. The clergy should be examples of order and reverence, and the worldly should not be crowded between the clergy and upset the order... It doesn’t matter if you lag behind in body: do not lag behind the sacred in spirit ”.

Religious processions most clearly show the folk character of Orthodoxy in Russia, contribute to the strengthening of faith and spirit, the unity of the Slavic peoples. During the processions, nature and heaven become the Temple, and man is a candle that flames towards God. Everything that is encountered along the path of the procession - buildings, land, people - is sanctified by continuous prayer and receives a blessing from a higher spiritual person. The help and significance of the Religious Procession is great. Many Church Fathers emphasize their importance and great spiritual strength.

The order of the procession

Ahead of the procession, a lantern is carried, behind it is the altar cross, the altarpiece of the Mother of God, then go in two rows, in pairs, gonfalons, singers, candle-bearers with candles, deacons with their candles and censers and behind them priests. In the last pair of priests, the one on the right carries the Gospel, and the one on the left carries the icon of the Resurrection.

Each participant in the procession must remember that:

• The procession of the cross is not a pleasure walk, but hard physical and even greater spiritual work;
• Obliged to obey unquestioningly the priest and the leader of the procession;
• One should always be spiritually attentive, not have worldly conversations, but pray;
• It is advisable to pray the Jesus Prayer;
• The varied reading of akathists and prayer canons in the voice disturbs the peace of those walking next to them, therefore, those who love reading them, it is better to read them silently;
• Try to think not about your own convenience, but about the convenience of those around you, not to get annoyed with your brothers along the way;
• During rests, do not leave garbage: bottles, packaging, paper, etc.
• In places where you spend the night, do not burden the owners with unnecessary requests, think that next year someone should be welcomed here;
• Write in advance notes about health and repose for memorial services and prayers;
• Take the revered icon into play, adapting it for comfortable wearing over a long distance;
• Take the necessary first-aid kit: adhesive plaster, bandage, iodine, cotton wool, pills. (For example: citramone, phthalazole, etc.);
• Be sure to have a hat that protects from the sun, and a warm light jacket or windbreaker for the evening;
• Buy a tourist rug in sporting goods. Very comfortable and practical for halts and overnight stays.
• Have two small plastic water bottles with you;
• Do not take something that you can do without for several days;
• Take a set of clean and changeable linen for church services;
• Shoes should be light, if sneakers, then leather so that the foot breathes. Shoes should not be new, familiar to the foot;
• Take a little food and easily digestible: nuts, dried fruits;
• Necessarily a spoon and a mug; matches, folding knife;
• Personal hygiene items;
• Two changes of underwear and socks (including warm ones);
• Take a light raincoat in case of rain or a piece of light oilcloth, sufficient to cover;

All items should fit into a backpack or small shoulder bag.

Carry nothing in your hands!

Men should be ready to replace those carrying the icon or gonfalons, as well as provide assistance to the weak.