www.byzcath.org Forums Mysteries: The Life of Worship Vespers, Matins & the Divine Liturgy Plaschanitsa Question

Dear Forum Members,
Glory be to Jesus Christ!

I have been wondering for some time:
In my "Lenten Triodion" book by Metropolitan Kallistos, it says that both the Greek & Russian practice is to bring the Plaschanitsa/Epitaphios to the tomb in the center of the Church during Vespers, and then later in the evening, at Matins, to do the procession with it outside.

Now, in the several Ukrainian Catholic parishes I have attended over the years, the procession with the Plaschanitsa has been done at the end of Vespers, as shown here:


Now, is this just a particular custom of Ukrainian Catholics,or is this just an unfortunate shortening of the services?-none of these Ukrainian Catholic parishes has ever done Matins on the evening of Holy & Great Friday. I have been to a ROCOR church and they have done the procession in the evening with Matins, not at the end of Vespers
Thank You!

This is the Ruthenian usage excerpted for the movement of the Shroud from the Yearly Typicon prepared by Fr. David Petras:

FRIDAY, MARCH 29 Vespers: Aposticha for Good Friday, as prescribed. At Glory, Now and ever..., the priest incenses the Burial Shroud on the Holy Table. Then, taking the Shroud upon his shoulders, and preceded by the Processional Cross, candles and incense, he goes around the Holy Table and leaves the sanctuary through the Northern Door of the icon screen. The church is then circled three times (option: one procession around the church may be made) and the Burial Shroud is placed in the Tomb at the singing of the Troparion, "The noble Joseph...." The procession is made outside the church if possible.

SATURDAY. MARCH 30 Matins: The Great Doxology is sung, and at the singing of "Holy God...", a procession is made with the Burial Shroud. The priest, fully vested, incenses the Tomb three times. Then, taking the Burial Shroud, and preceded by the Processional Cross, candle-bearers and incense-bearers, and followed by the faithful holding candles, goes around the church once. "Holy God..." is sung as often as necessary, according to the funeral melody. To process outside the church is preferable. As the Burial Shroud is replaced in the Tomb, the Troparion, "The Noble Joseph..." is sung. Then the Troparion of the Prophecy, "O Christ, who hold fast..." is sung twice.

SUNDAY, MARCH 31 Midnight Office: [If the Burial Shroud (Plaschanitza) has not yet been removed, then: during the Ninth Ode of the Canon, the Royal Doors are opened, and the priest proceeds to the Tomb and incenses it from the four sides three times. Taking the Burial Shroud upon his shoulders, he proceeds through the Royal Doors and circles the Holy Table with it, and then places it underneath the Gospel Book. The Burial Shroud is then incensed from the four sides of the Holy Table three times. The Burial Shroud remains on the Holy Table until the Otdanije (Leave-taking) of Pascha, the day before the Ascension. [If the Midnight Office is not celebrated, then the Burial Shroud is removed before Matins dining the singing of the Troparion, "When You descended...."]

The Ruthenians have prescribed a Friday and Saturday procession around the church and a Sunday "circling" around the Holy Table with the Shroud. Though not noted it is the custom at the Friday procession to sing (repeatedly, in a variation of Resurrectional Tone 2; we alternate English and Slavonic) the singing of "The noble Joseph...."

It is not a shortening of the service, as it takes longer to do the procession than just bring out the Plaschanytsia to the center of the church.

There are many local variations on the theme. Metropolitan Kallistos is commenting on the more recent standard of having an indoor procession at Great and Holy Friday Vespers (Vespers of Entombment) to place the Plashchanytsia and an outdoor procession on Great and Holy Saturday Matins (Jerusalem Matins). The old Jerusalem tradition was to begin the procession at Holy Friday Vespers and continue through Great and Holy Satruday Matins (Jerusalem Matins).

The Stations and Lamentations of Jerusalem Matins actually represent stops along the way during the Vigil and procession. For the Greeks Jerusalem Matins seems to be the better attended service, while for some Slavs such as the Ukrainians (Catholic and Orthodox) Vespers with Entombment seems to be better attended. For parishes, the outdoor procession generally occurs at the better attended service. And not all parishes, whether Catholic or Orthodox, take both services, especially when one priest serves multiple parishes or missions. In some Ukrainian parishes that serve both Great and Holy Friday Vespers and Jerusalem Matins, the procession occurs outside at both services.

Actually several of the older Typikons are silent about the Plaschanytsia on Great and Holy Friday and Great and Holy Saturday because of the many local variations and possibilities of procession. Several also say "a procession with the Plaschanytsia" at both Vespers of Entombment and Jerusalem Matins without further explanation.

Well put.

For the fourth year running, Matins for Great and Holy Saturday [metropolitancantorinstitute.org] (Jerusalem Matins) will be celebrated early in the morning at St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Munhall, PA (outside Pittsburgh). It is truly a wonderful service.

If you live in the Pittsburgh area and your own parish is not celebrating it, come and see!

Thank you all very much!

The question of when to take the plaschanytsia from the tomb and place it on the altar is even more variable. I've seen commentaries that mention taking it up during Jerusalem Matins to the Vesperal Divine Liturgy to the current practice in Slavic churches of taking it up during the Nahdrobne/Midnight Office.

At St. Michael's Russian Catholic Chapel we follow the Synodal usage of bringing the Shroud from the Tomb to the Holy Table during the Ninth Ode of the Midnight Office when the choir sings as to the Theotokos, "Do not weep for me, Mother...I shall arise..."

Removing the Plaschanytsya at the Ninth Ode of the Canon of the Midnight Office (which is the Canon of Jerusalem Matins) is also the current UGCC and UOC practice.

I was reading a commentary I believe from Nikol'sky who mentioned that this had come into practice because the attendance at Jerusalem Matins and/or the Vesperal Divine Liturgy was poor. I was reading another Athonite typikon that mentioned removing the Epitaphios during the "Weep not for Me" at Jerusalem Matins, not the Midnight Office.

It seems a bit discordant, liturgically speaking, to return to the tomb in dark vestments at Nadhrobne when the "pershe Voskresinnya", the first Resurrection account of St. Matthew, has already been read at Vespers with the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil which was completed in bright vestments.

I was present for this at my nearby Ukrainian Church. I was prevailed upon by the priest to carry a candle in the procession and, although I was very honored, I had no clue what was going on. It was interesting to read this thread, therefore.

So, the low-lying structure covered with lilies set up at the top of the center aisle in place of the tetrapod that the shroud was laid upon, then, is meant to represent the tomb. I didn't realize that. Makes sense, now. I was a bit bewildered when I first walked into church to see it there, wondering what it was.

Our procession was indoors; we walked around the interior of the church three times. Clackers were clacked.

On Easter Sunday I was asked to follow the priest up the main aisle to carry an icon of the Resurrection and place it on an easel in front of the church, then after the liturgy I was asked to stand in front of the icon holding a substantial cake-shaped loaf of bread which had an image of the Resurrection strapped to it. The faithful processed up and kissed it as I held it, and they each said something to me in Ukrainian, clearly expecting a response from me. Not knowing what that response might be, I simply said, "Happy Easter". Some seemed bewildered, others bemused. Nobody hauled off and decked me, though, so I guess it wasn't all that inappropriate.

Yes, it is representative of the tomb.


That is the placing of the festal icon of the Resurrection for veneration by the faithful after the Liturgy.


The loaf is the "Artos" which is a special loaf baked for use only during Paschal services and Bright week. It is leavened, symbolizing the Resurrection; it is rich, made with lots of eggs, etc. symbolizing the richness and sweetness of the victory of the Resurrection and our salvation, and is also invocative of the "bread offerings" of the Old Testament. In most Ukrainian parishes it is kept until Bright Saturday or more commonly now, until the Divine Liturgy of Thomas Sunday when a special prayer for breaking the Artos is taken after the Liturgy and the Artos broken and distributed at the "Sviachene", the parish Pascha dinner usually on Thomas Sunday.

The greeting you heard is "Christos Voskres" and the response is "voistinu Voskres", "Christ is Risen" and "Truly He is risen".

We take the shroud from the tomb immediately before beginning Resurrection Matins.

As do we in ACROD.

it is interesting that Fr. David's Typikon for the BCCA mentions for the Midnight Office/Nahdrobne indicating that other customs may be present or possible.

Just a question about the table on which the Shroud is placed.

We always have a low table that one must go down on one's knees in order to kiss the Shroud.

This means that the elderly ladies take forever to crawl along the floor etc.

Which Churches have a baldachinos with the Shroud raised up to allow for people to stand while venerating it?

Why do we have a low table?

Alex

Different strokes for different Churches. And what does it matter that it takes the elderly a long time? Are you going anywhere?

Dear Stuart the Stalwart,

Personally, I don't go anywhere. I took my mother who physically had a great problem walking on her knees toward the Plashchanitsya as did others.

And was wondering if there was any kind of rule in this regard. Thank you for answering my question.

Alex

Mercy in all things. Most people who are incapable of approaching all the way on their knees, or who are incapable of kneeling at all (as I am at present, due to bursitis in my left knee), can walk up to the Tomb and only approach the last couple of steps on their knees; those who cannot kneel, can make a profound bow. The Lord does not demand more than we can deliver.

Dear Royal Stuart,

Thank you for your, as always, erudite and thoughtful comments!

Alex

I believe the Greek practice is to place the Plascanica back on the Holy Altar after the procession with it during the Holy Saturday Matins.I would presume that the Melkites do the same.It seems odd to those of us following the Ukrainian or Russian practices where so much of the Holy Saturday Liturgy revolves around the Plascanica.

The Plaschantja/Epitaphion is removed from the Tomb during Paschal Vespers, which is often celebrated in conjunction with the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, in a service called "Protianastasis". It is taken up by the celebrant and removed to the Holy Table during the singing of "Arise, O God, and Judge the Earth", during which time vestments are also changed from dark to bright.