Sorry, I'm a newbie to the faith, but I have a couple of questions.

1.) What is the Saturday night before Pascha service called?

2.) My church doesn't have one of these. The only reason I know it is common in the Eastern Churches is because I attended the service in Russia while I was studying there, and attended the service at an Orthodox church here a couple years back. I'm very dissapointed my current parish doesn't celebrate on "Pascha Eve". I loved this service. Are all of your churches having this service? The reason we are not having this service is because we don't get a high enough attendence I guess. I'll probably just go to the other Byz Cath Churches service that night if they have one.

When I was in Russia we visited a small Siberian village on "Pascha Eve" and there we people surrounding the church (a lot of them). Then when the doors opened everyone jammed in the church as tight as possible, making it very difficult to move. To get in my host family followed behind me as I was like a fullback clearing a path for them to follow into the church. We stayed for a bit, then went to my host families place were we ate hardboiled eggs and drank vodka into the wee morning.

Ahhh...Russian memories....

Nathan is this what you are referring too? Oddly enough the only place I could find it plain enough to ask if this was it is on a blog...

Thy Resurrection O Christ, our Saviour
The Angels in Heaven sing
Enable us on Earth
To Glorify Thee in purity of heart.

Three circuits being completed, the first Gospel of the Resurrection and the initial singing of the Paschal Troparion is done outside:

Christ is Risen from the dead
Trampling down Death by Death
And upon those in the tombs
Bestowing Life!

This hymn will be repeated many times during the service once back inside the building.

Before reentry, the Priest knocks on the door with a Cross, saying:

Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall enter in.

A voice from inside, representing the devil, asks:

Who is this King of glory?

The priest answers:

The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.

The priest the knocks again saying:

Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall enter in.

And again the voice asks:

Who is this King of Glory?

The priest then replies:

The Lord of hosts, he is the King of Glory.

After this dialogue has been repeated the third time, the doors are swung open and the priest reenters followed by the congregation.

The faithful reenter the building -- which is now brightly lighted. The atmosphere is one of great joy -- not just because the Fast is ended, but the glorious light of the Resurrection enlivens the Christian heart like no other. It is truly a blessed event!
http://southern-orthodoxy.blogspot.com/2005/04/dear-reporter.html

The lighting of the new light is at the 5pm Divine Liturgy, then the services resume several hours later and we are gathered outside with the one candle lit and then the other candles are lit from it. During this time we are chanting the 'Lord have Mercy' gradually leading to what is above - that can very according to rites also.

I've never heard of a specific name for the evening. On Great and Holy Saturday we have a liturgy in the morning. That night we have Resurrection Matins starting around 11 p.m. which goes straight in to the liturgy for Holy Pascha. We process around the church, knock on the tomb and bring the light in, etc. as described above during the service.

The liturgy itself ends around 2:30 a.m. After that Father blesses everybody's baskets, the fast is broken and everyone sits down for a full meal. Everybody brings what they like and you can walk around and get a little of what everyone has. There's always plenty of lamb, kobasa and vodka. Most everybody stays around until sunrise.

I've never run across an Orthodox church that didn't do something fairly similar.

Andrew

YES! That's it thanks!. Resurrection Matins. Do most ByzCath Churches have this?

In normal usage, "Resurrection Matins" is followed at once by the Paschal Divine Liturgy, so the service (including the blessing and consumption of special foods) tends to go through the night. For reasons which I don't pretend to understand, some Greek-Catholics do things differently.

I don't know what's available in Minnesota. But there's always the option of travel. If you can tolerate the new calendar, I suggest Saint Michael's, New York.

Incognitus

While the aggregate of Midnight Office-Matins-(Hours)-Liturgy is the norm for most of those who follow the Byzantine tradition, Subcarpathian Rusyns, Romanians and Serbians usually serve Matins at night and Liturgy in the morning. There's strength in numbers, so I don't think the practice of splitting Matins and Liturgy can be dismissed as a Greek Catholic anomaly. I read once that this was part of the Typikon of the Studion Monastery in Constantinople--maybe someone can verify this? Regardless, I'm sure it belongs to the "Austro-Hungarian Byzantine Tradition."

Dave

I need to clarify: I'm not sure if most Romanians do this, or just those in Transylvania.

Dave

The "Austro-Hungarian tradition" also involves a procession with the Monstrance just before "Resurrection Matins." I yield to no one in my devotion to Blessed Charles the Emperor, but I can do without that sort of liturgical tomfoolery. And you should just read what they did in Vienna on Corpus Christi! Better they should have stuck with the Imperial Torte.

Incognitus

Does that tradition call for a nice bottle of Gr�ner Veltliner to accompany the Paschal meal? I could be persuaded to take that tradition up if so.

Andrew

When I lived in Melbourne and attended Liturgy at the Russian Catholic Centre we had the matins and the procession and the entered the tomb and the liturgy started straight away. We would finish about 2-2:30 AM.

Then the tressles & chairs were set up and and we ate and partied on until dawn, then went home. The chapel would be packed until the Liturgy started then many would leave for the various Orthodox Churches or go home.

ICXC
NIKA

I thought that was just the tradition of Polonio-Galician Rus'?

Dave

Ah yes, those Polonios again!

Nathan - in some Ukrainian parishes it is customary to have the Midnight Office/Matins/Divine Liturgy Paschal Vigil very early in the morning, with Matins being sung as the sun rises. Check out http://www.saintelias.com/ca/feastday/pascha.php or even better, go there for the Paschal Vigil - you will never forget it.
FDD

And here I thought only the Protestants observed Easter sun-worship services. About fifty years ago they held one in the Hollywood Bowl, of all places, concluding with the release of several hundred white doves from the center of the field. That observance was never repeated, for reasons at which the pious may guess!

Incognitus

St. Elias' looks wonderful! I might have to make a pilgrimage there someday...