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We Antiochians, and the Greeks too I believe, do not chant the Creed, but proclaim it solemnly through speech.

I hear though that the Ukranians and the Ruthenians do chant the Creed.

Would someone verify this for me and explain why the difference exists?

In IC XC
Samer

I have seen both ways of doing it in different OCA parishes.

My understanding is that reciting the creed is a concession to the lack of congregational singing. IOW, the creed is considered "important enough" that everyone should say it, even if they don't feel capable of, or comfortable with, singing/chanting it. So, because we are still lacking in congregational singing, some parishes recite the creed (and the Lord's Prayer as well). Better option would be to revive congregational singing more fully, in my opinion.

Slava Jesu Kristu,

We chant it at my Church (Ruthenian Catholic).

Dmitri

We chant it in our Parish and the whole congregation chants along with the choir (OCA-Diocese of the West)

And we do both, chanting the creed on more solemn days and reciting it on most other occasions. (BC-Passaic)

I've never really determined why as most other Byzantine Catholic parishes I've attended chant the creed. The only normally recited part of the Liturgy in my experience is the Prayer before Communion.

Chanted.

Ruthenian, Columbus, Ohio, Eparchy of Parma.

Sharon

In Ukie churches in Brazil we chant and recite as well, but in some parishes I think it's better to recite. There are some people who just sing flat and off tone, they don't really have an ear for music you know.
Lauro

Everyone sings it every Sunday at my Antiochian parish temple...

geo

Entire congregation sings it in my OCA Cathedral.

OrthoMan

- Chanted, all the time [Congregational singing, all the time too]. St. Elias, UGCC

- Chanted, all the time [Congregational singing or choir]. St. John the Baptist, UGCC

- Chanted, all the time [Choir]. Cathedral of St. George, UGCC.

- Chanted or recited [Congregational singing]. Sts. Joachim and Anna Chapel, UGCC.

- Chanted (sometimes recited) [Choir]. Lviv Theological Academy (now UCU) Chapel, UGCC.

- Chanted by everyone with the deacon leading the faithful (the same goes for Our Father)[Choir sings the rest of the service]. Cathedral of St. George, UOC-MP

Daniil

In Indian Syrian churches, more and more people are singing the Creed (plainchant). But an older custom still is practiced, and I think it should be done at least sometimes. It involves the priest intoning the first words of the Creed like so:

"In one God, the Father Almighty..."

and then a deacon reciting:

"Maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible"

and then the people singing out:

"We believe!"

And so on for the rest of the Creed.

We stopped doing that in my church a couple of years ago, but I miss it.

My Melkite parish chants the creed.

Edward, deacon and sinner

The Indian Syrian tradition is particularly interesting. At the turn of the last century, many composers from Russian and Ukraine were making arrangements of the Creed with a Baritone solo and the rest of the choir would interject with "Viruyu!" at several points. I always though this was some crazy, modern interpretation.

I am now glad to know that it has a tradition in other Churches. Do you know if this tradition is very ancient, or relatively new?

Daniil

I presume "Viruyu!" is "I believe!" or "We believe!"?

At any rate, all of my books (I own only a few, lest you think I own a library :p ) say that the method I mentioned above is the normal way of saying the Creed. Congregational recitation of the whole Creed seems rather new. It probably started in the 1970's or after, when the Liturgy was vernacularised from the original Syriac. Before the 70's, the Liturgy was only done in Syriac, and so I presume, since the people did not know the language, all they could do was sing "We believe" while the deacons (who knew enough Syriac) recited the rest.

So I presume what I wrote above is the older practice in our Church. Certainly it's what I grew up with until two years ago, and I'm only 21.

Whoah, you're only 21?

Yes, "Viruyu" is "I believe."

Daniil