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At the parish where I sometimes have the chance to attend the Divine Liturgy, at the end of the Liturgy the priest chants something to the effect of "Grant, O Lord, to N. peace, health, and happiness for many years" to which the people respond by chanting "God grant him/her/them many years; God grant him/her/them many years; God grant him/her/them many happy years. In health and happiness, in health and happiness, God grant him/her/them many happy years."

This is immediately after the prayer
Or the equivalent for the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil.

So here comes my question. I have "The Byzantine Book of Prayer" and it doesn't contain any mention of the "Grant, O Lord..." and "God grant them many years..." above. I also have several recordings of the Divine Liturgy, and none have it either.

Can someone explain this to me? Do other churches do this too? Maybe I am imagining things?

Jason

Jason,

You're not imagining things - it's just not really part of the Liturgy.

I'm not sure where or when it started, but it is quite traditional to sing Mnohaja Lita (God grant you/him/her/them) Many Years) following Divine Liturgy, or on other occasions. Often it's on a feast, or someone's birthday or anniversary or name-day or such, but there's no "requirement" that it be an "occasion."

Usually the priest or deacon intones something to the effect of "May God grant his servant(s) so-and-so, (on the occasion of his/her/their whatever) peace, health and happiness for many happy and blessed years!" The people respond with "God grant 'em...." three times. If it's a Big Event, like a Pontifical Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at a pilgrimage, and there are three bishops who just finished concelebrating, they usually toss out one after another "May God grant-s" to which the folks respond with only a single "God grant 'em" for each one until the bishops run out of steam, then they finish up.

Hope this helps.

Sharon

There is a vague rubric in the Ordo Celebrationis and the Church-Slavonic edition of the Ruthenian Divine Liturgy providing that the Many Years is done at "more solemn and extraordinary liturgies", but nobody has seriously attempted to define what this may mean.
Incognitus

Jason,

I recently picked up a copy of the "Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom" CD in Old Slavonic (Church of the Holy Ghost Choir, Prof. Daniel Kavka, Director), as available through the Byzantine Seminary Press. "Mnohaja L'ita" is included at the end of this Liturgy!

Great CD, by the way... contains one of the most impressive and inspirational versions of the "V'iruju" that I've ever heard!

In Slavic traditions especially this is done. After the end of the Divine Liturgy the Priest will determine who is having feast days in the upcoming week (occasionally birthdays, anniversaries, aniversaries of chrismations, etc.) and will make such and announcement to the congeregation, blessing those he names while standing at Royal Doors with Blessing Cross (this is how I have always seen it, whether there is an exact rubric, I do not know)...during this time the choir and congregation will sing "God Grant You Many Years"...sometimes during this the bells to the Church will be rung. It is a blessing that elevates to full congregational level the idividual well-wishes we might bestow on members of our body, the Church, and makes us aware of the joys we share as a body, as well.

Typically GOA churches do not follow this custom, chosing rather the dryer approach of wishing "all who celebrate their Feast Day on this Sunday Many Years" (Without necessarily naming them, or extending into the week to come, though in smaller parishes priests try to do so.

Gaudior, wishing Many Years to all on this Forum

Thanks to everyone for your help. I'd just add that this is usually done in the parish in question for all the people of the parish, but I do seem to recall the priest mentioning birthdays.

I might have to get that CD you mention, a pilgrim.

Jason

Hi,

Is this the one that used to be at byzantines.net in Real Audio format? The one in which the phone rings half-way through the Liturgy, and nobody picks it up?

If it is, then yes, the CD is great, but the phone ringing is VERY distracting.

Shalom,
Memo.

Memo,

There's no phone ringing on my copy... but, then again, that could be because I didn't pay my phone bill!



a pilgrim

When the telephone rings during the Divine Liturgy (an entirely too common occurence in these days of mobile telephones) the chanters should at once sing the anti-phone.

Incognitus

Ba-Da-BOOM!

Thankyouverymuch! Incognitus will be appearing here all week, folks...

Dear Pilgrim,

I think Incognitus should be shown the "anti-door."



Alex

We do this at the end of Liturgy in our Parish and sometimes it can go on for a while, we have name-days, birthdays, anniversaries, and we also sing for those request prayers for their loved ones who are ill or going thru a hard time...and we always sing for the Holy Father...it can at times go on for a while, and I have known folks to walk out because they say that singing for the parish is taking almost as long as the Liturgy itself...the rest of us enjoy it though and it's always fun to catch someone whose birthday is coming up, as they try to slip out of the Church unnoticed before the singing starts...
Vie

Personally, the "everybody gets their own Mnohaia lita" drives me up the wall, especially on days such as Christmas and Pascha. I've always preferred the way I've usually seen it done in Orthodox churches: one of the celebrants intones the whole list in one go and they all get one big Mnohaia lita. Besides being a bit quicker, it avoids the possibility of someone (especially someone who may be in attendance) getting a less-than-heartfelt Mnohaia lita.

Oυτις ημιν φιλει ου φροντίδα | Nemo Nos Diliget Non Curamus

KO63AP, I agree with you there...And realize when I referred to Slavic custom in my post above I should have specified Orthodox, and ONE chant for ALL those named. I did not, which may have been misleading to some.

Gaudior, by means of clarification.

Please don't just show me the anti-door; I prefer actually to share some with everyone else. As to the Many Years, I remember some time ago someone saying to me that the Many Years on a feast day, or after a hierarchal Liturgy, seemed rather like the credits at the end of the movie!
Incognitus