Friends,

I thought it would be fun, and edifying, to create a thread discussing prostrations, and their forms in the various Christian traditions.

I'm mostly interested in prostrations and how they're used in mainstream Eastern Orthodoxy, Old Believer Eastern Orthodoxy, and also in the non-Eastern Orthodox Eastern Christian traditions, such as Oriental Orthodoxy.

Of course, in the West, prostrations are made usually only by ordinands to the priesthood, and by some Anglican altar servers during the Canon in that separated ecclesial body.

I've attended a few Orthodox churches a fair number of times, but haven't seen anyone doing *full* prostrations (then again I was probably going at the wrong times). I think the only time I saw metanias at the shrine of St. John Maximovich in San Francisco. Are they often done in, say, Greek Orthodox parishes here in the States and other more "common," "mainline" Orthodox jurisdictions around here?

The Wikipedia entry on prostrations says that Syrian [Oriental] Orthodox usually prostrate during daily prayer.

I'd be interesting in any and all information anyone could produce. It's a fascinating topic, as prostrating just seems and feels very *right* to me. It is so movingly humble.

Alexis

In the UGCC parishes I've attended, it's fairly common for the people sitting on the ends of pews to do them in the aisles.

So what are the people who didn't secure an end seat in a pew supposed to do?

Thanks to arthritis, for me personally to make a prostration requires the assistance of two strong subdeacons, which is a bit too ostentatious even for my taste. So I apologize to the congregation and remind them that unless they too have some physical disability the fact that I'm not able to make a prostration when it is appropriate does not mean that they should not make prostrations - after all, they are not adoring me!

Fr. Serge

Another instance of a full prostration in the Latin Church is on Good Friday. I am speaking of the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite, whereby at the simple entrance into the church at the beginning of the service the priest (and only the celebrant), wearing red Mass vestments, prostrates before the altar, which is stripped of all decoration, candles or cloths, and then rises and immediately begins the opening collect.

There's another liturgically-prescribed instance for you...

And I guess the creeping toward the Cross on Good Friday by the congregants is "prostration-like."

So, prostrations in the Byzantine Rite are never done on Sundays or any major feast days? Given the fact that Byzantine Christians celebrate the Divine Liturgy usually less often than Roman Catholics celebrate Mass (you know, since we Romans are fans of the Mass-every-day thing), when would be the most common times for Byzantine Christians to prostrate during the Church calendar?

Alexis

In my parish we do the prostrations at Pre-Sanctified (I think
it's thirteen of them) and also at the singing of "Before Thy Cross"
on Holy Cross Sunday and Exaltation and of course at the veneration
of the plashtinitsa on Holy Friday and Holy
Saturday. On Sundays and Holy Days a few do prostrations at
the epiclesis . There's not room enough for many to
do them.

Edmac

Exaltation of the Cross ? That's a major Feast for us

yeah - even I moved out into the Aisle

Great Feasts of the Lord Jesus Christ take precedence if such a feast coincides with a Sunday.

I once knew a priest who was an incredible strict constructionist, to the point of having the nerve to rebuke a bishop for making a prostration after the Epiclesis on a Sunday. The bishop looked the offending presbyter right in the eye and responded: "the canons, Father, forbid a prostration of repentance on certain days. A prostration of thanks is permitted."

Fr. Serge

Prostrations ? Yeah right, a few can but until the chairs/pews are gone it won't happen often.

Converted Viking

Everyone at my parish does them at the morning liturgy during the week, but of course that's because we usually have less than 10 people present.

I went to a liturgy once at a church where their were only a few pews, and guess what ? It was so crowded with people standing, that most of them opted not to do prostrations. Kinda hard when the person in front of you is an arms length away.

Pople just move out of the pews and into wherever there is an empty space. It works!

So, then, Feasts of OLGS Jesus Christ that coincide with Sundays do permit prostrations, but other Sundays don't. Right?

Feel free to link to Internet sources which outline some of this, if you know of any good ones.

Alexis

No, in general Great Feasts of the Saviour have the prohibition againt kneeling and prostrations, except the Feast of the Elevation of the Cross when prostrations are appointed before the Cross and at the singing of "Before Thy Cross...". That is, we do not make prostrations on the Feasyt of the Elevation of the Cross other than these specific times.

I appreciate the distinction some make about prostrations of penitence and those of reverence. I do not argue with that distinction (especially with Bishops or Priests my senior who do it.) But I would say that the Great Russian usage does not accept that distinction. In the Ruusian Church, we do not make prostrations (other than for the Cross on Its Days) on Sundays, during the 50 Days from Pascha until Pentecost, on Great Feasts of the Saviour, and (I believe) during the perod between Christmas and Theophany inclusive. But when in Rome....

Fr David

And when in New Rome, do as the New Romans do!

Fr. Serge

During the Paschal Tide, melkites also don't prostrate after the Epiclesis.

When I were on a pew, I only prostated once - when I were at the first line! Other times, I were as altar server or I didn't know about prostrating.

Can anyone shed light on non-Byzantine prostration practices, like Syrian and such?

Alexis

My Joys, My Treasures,

I remember attending a Holy Trinity Greek church here and they had kneelers that popped out. For the longest time they told the laity to kneel on sundays out of repentance during the prayer before the Eucarist(including the time between Pascha and Pentacost) and then someone complained to the church about the canon that forbids such a thing and they told everyone that they are not going to be doing that anymore.

My concern is that a CHURCH was doing this.

I don't know about others but i have an obedience to do full prostrations during my prayer rule. I have never done them or seen it done at church before. The closest is the verneration of an icon or getting a blessing.

poor seraphim

And then there's the "flying pages" kneeling . . .

I don't know whether the book was new, the fans were set differently, or Father just didn't have the hang of placing things on the pages yet.

Noting his difficulties with the pages, I found myself kneeling by the altar, doing my best to unobtrusively to keep a finger on the corner of the page

there is the latin form of prostration on holy thurs. night when you pass before the altar of repose genuflect on both knees and make a deep bow from that position