Nativity of Christ”, 16th century Photo: wikipedia.org
“RG” figured out all these questions, the answers are below.
1. How long does the feast of the Nativity of Christ last?
Most likely, those asking this question wanted to know how long the festive Christmas service lasts. More on this later. First, about something that not everyone knows either. The Church considers the holiday in honor of the birth of Christ so significant that it devotes not one, but seven whole days to it – from January 7 to the 13th. That is, we begin to celebrate the Nativity of Christ on the night of January 6-7, and end only on January 13, when the so-called celebration of the Feast of the Nativity of Christ occurs. Therefore, the question “how to spend Christmas correctly” concerns not only the night from January 6 to 7 and the subsequent day off, but the entire subsequent week. But the answer to that will come a little later.
2. Why is the service in honor of the Nativity of Christ held at night? What is the Christmas All-Night Vigil?
The festive Christmas service takes place at night because Christ was born at night. This is what is said in the Gospel of Luke, which is read at the festive service in churches: “In that country there were shepherds in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. Suddenly an Angel of the Lord appeared to them… And the Angel said to them: Do not be afraid; I tell you this great joy that will be for all people: for today a Savior has been born to you in the city of David, who is Christ the Lord…”
In addition, our church liturgical charter, that is, the accepted order of church services, originates from the charters of ancient monasteries. And there the service on the eve of the holiday was performed at night. The service that begins at night and ends at dawn is called the all-night vigil, or all-night vigil. Nowadays, in churches, the all-night vigil is served at night only twice a year – on Christmas and Easter. On both Christmas and Easter, after the all-night vigil, the Divine Liturgy is celebrated – the main Christian service, during which the Sacrament of Communion (Eucharist) is celebrated.
3. When does the night service on Christmas Day begin in churches?
The festive service for the Nativity of Christ begins in churches at 23-00 on January 6. But believers try to come to the temple early in order to take a convenient place: there are a lot of people in churches on Christmas, and if you are late, you will be standing on the street.
4. How long does the festive Christmas service last? When does it end?
The Christmas service lasts, despite the name “all-night vigil,” not all night, but about three to four hours, depending on the parish, the priest, and the number of communicants. This means that the Christmas service ends after two in the morning.
5. How long should you wait without eating if you want to take communion at night on Christmas Day?
It is customary to begin the Sacrament of Communion on an empty stomach. If a believer takes communion in the morning, then from midnight the night before communion he does not eat or drink anything. But if he decided to take communion on the day of the festive night service (Easter, Christmas), then one can be guided by the definition of the Holy Synod of 1968, which says about fasting for at least 6 hours. That is, if you decide to take communion at the Christmas Liturgy, then from 18-00 on January 6, you should no longer eat or drink. For sick people whose illness requires a special diet and medication, as well as pregnant and lactating women, this measure may be modified. For infants and people with acute chronic illnesses that require fasting food or medication, such fasting requirements may not apply at all. But it is better to coordinate all these concessions with the priest in advance.
6. Traditions of celebrating the Nativity of Christ. What should be done on the holiday of the Nativity of Christ, and what should not be done.
The main thing to do on January 7 or other days of the holiday is to come to church, the priests believe, there is a special atmosphere in our churches now. But there are other Christmas traditions. An evergreen tree is placed in houses – a symbol of the eternal life that Christ gave us.
The star that crowns our Christmas trees is reminiscent of the Star of Bethlehem, which lit up when Jesus was born, the star that led the Magi to the Infant God, showed them the way.
In the evening on Christmas Eve, it is customary to place a burning candle on the window. There is also a deep meaning here. A candle is a symbol of the human soul that burns before God. It burns and lights the way for others. A lit candle in the window before Christmas shows that Christ is expected in this house. Because the meaning of our celebration is the birth of Christ in our hearts.
Christmas dinner, when after a long fast, believers can begin a non-Lenten holiday treat, is also a long-standing Christmas tradition. Although making food the main event of Christmas is stupid and a mistake. From the Christmas days begins the time “when, showing generosity – to those near and far, we become like the Magi – the eastern sages who brought their gifts to the Infant God: gold, incense and myrrh.” This is how we share with others the joy of the Birth of the Savior.
And one thing you definitely shouldn’t do during Christmas is guess. “To cast magic, tell fortunes, turn to soothsayers and other magicians is a sin at any time, but on bright days in honor of the Birth of Christ, this is a special sacrilege,” the Church believes. And you can’t hoard. Being stingy at Christmas is not just shameful, it’s a sin. There were sayings among the people: “He who gives to the poor lends to the Lord,” “Give, and it will be repaid to you, with the same measure you use, it will be measured back in the same.” By the way, these folk tales come straight from the Gospel.
7. Is it possible to come to church for the Christmas service, or on any day of the Nativity of Christ, if you have not fasted beforehand?
The priests answer this question like this: “It is possible and necessary. Because you still need to grow to your post!” Anyone who has ever visited a church for the Christmas Vigil and Divine Liturgy will never forget the amazing feeling of belonging to eternity that arises on this amazing night. The bustle that inevitably precedes the festive preparations is leaving, and you feel that something is happening that is beyond your understanding – a mystery? Miracle? And the incarnation of God, that is, the birth of God in the human race, which we celebrate at Christmas, is both a miracle and a mystery beyond our minds. It is not subject to the mind, but it is quite understandable to our soul. God comes into our world in the silence of the Bethlehem night, and the very fact of His birth is already our approach to God, because, according to Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh, “every person, by the very fact that he is a person, is introduced to the mystery of Christ.”
From now on, man is not alone in this world. “Christ became a Man so that all of us, all of us without a trace, including those who have lost all faith in themselves, would know that God believes in us, believes in us in our fall, believes in us when we ourselves have believed in each other.” friend and in himself, believes so much that he is not afraid to become one of us.” “God became Man so that man could become God,” is how the 2nd century Hieromartyr Irenaeus of Lyons formulated the great mystery of the incarnation.
Source: rg.ru
