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Orthodox Liturgy

The main expression of worship in the Orthodox Church is the Divine Service. Each day is illuminated by a cycle of services that include: Vespers, Compline, Midnight Office, Matins, First Hour, Third Hour, Sixth Hour, Divine Liturgy, and Ninth Hour. Commonly, some of the services are grouped together to form single services such as the All-night Vigil and the Liturgy Hours. Of the daily services, the most vital is the Divine Liturgy during which is celebrated the Holy Eucharist. The service of the Eastern Orthodox Churches is solemn and elaborate. It is essentially that of the earlier centuries of Christianity, and is most fully and completely observed in the monasteries.

The most important service is the liturgy, the chief part of which is the celebration of the Eucharist. There are three liturgies, those of St. John Chrysostom, St. Basil the Great, and St. Gregory, the last called the liturgy of the "presanctified gifts," for which the holy gifts or emblems are prepared at a preceding service, generally that of St. Basil. There are no so-called "silent liturgies," and two liturgies are not allowed to be performed in the same church simultaneously, nor can a liturgy be performed by the same priest, or on the same table, twice a day. A "corporal," otherwise known as "antimins," a table cover with a particle of the holy remains of some saint sewn into it, and especially blessed by a bishop for every church, is necessary to the performance of the liturgy. Moreover, a priest may perform it only when he is fasting. Besides the liturgy, the church has vespers, vigils, matins, hours, and special prayers for various occasions and needs. The several services named consist of reading from the Old and New Testaments, supplicatory prayers, thanksgiving, glorifyiner. hymns, etc.

As in the Western church, Sunday is the day of worship for Orthodox Christians, and both the Eastern and Western churches celebrate Christmas and Easter. The churches, however, differ on the dates. Saint's Day celebrations are of special significance to Orthodox individuals and families. Every person has a Saint's Day; they're named after a particular saint, possibly, then that person would celebrate their name day, or their feast day.

When an Orthodox priests faces the people and blesses them, they literally trace his blessing on themselves as they make the sign of the Cross. Hence, the priest moves his hand from left to right, while the faithful touch their shoulders from right to left, thereby moving in the same direction at the same time.Western Christians, until the 11th, 12th, or 13th centuries, originally made the sign of the cross in the same manner that Orthodox Christians do to this day, the exact reason as to why the Western Christians reversed this is not widely known.

Orthodox Christians wear wedding bands on their right hands, and cross themselves right to left, not left to right as members of other denominations do.

The symbolism of the "complete" Cross, the Traditional Russian Orthodox Three-bar Cross also called the Eight-pointed Cross, is quite complex. The top bar of the Cross is the title-board which Pilate ordered to be hung in mockery over Christ's head. On this board was inscribed: "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews" (abbreviated to the Latin initials 'INRI' in the Western tradition) is replaced with the Christian inscription: "King of Glory". The middle bar is that on which the Lord's hands were nailed. In the proper Orthodox tradition, the Savior does not wear a crown of thorns (as in the Western tradition), nor is He portrayed alive on the Cross, nor in any aspect of suffering, but in a state of humble and peaceful repose, with inclined head. The slanted bottom bar is the foot-brace. In prayers for the Ninth Hour, the Church likens the Cross to a type of balance of righteousness: "Between two thieves Thy Cross did prove to be a balance of righteousness: wherefore one of them was dragged down to Hades by the weight of his blasphemy [the balance points downward], whereas the other was lightened of his transgressions unto the comprehension of theology [the balance points upward]."