Holy Saturday Orthros (sung Holy Friday evening): The Lamentations

Good Friday evening
This service is really the Orthros for Holy Saturday.  It is also called the Lamentations.  It is basically set up as a typical Orthros.  However, more than 50 verses of hymns are added.  We call these hymns the lamentations.  These are sung when the priest is on the solea in front of the Epitaphion.  During one of the hymns, the priest sprinkles the Epitaphion, and then the people, with rosewater, symbolizing the actions of the myrrh-bearing women.  He starts sprinkling the rosewater after the verse: “The myrrh-bearing women came very early in the morning and sprinkled the tomb with myrrh.”  Following the lamentations are other hymns based on the acts of the myrrh-bearing women, Christ’s entombment, and His descent into Hades.  Shortly after that, there is the procession of the Epitaphion around the church.  When the procession is over there is a reading from the prophecies, and an epistle and gospel reading.

Themes: Christ’s descent into Hades and the tomb as life-giving

Gospel Reading: Matthew 27:62-66 – Other significant readings: Prophecy: Ezekiel 37:1-14, Epistle: 1Corinthians 5:6-8 & Galatians 3:13-14

The kouvouklion symbolizes Christ’s tomb.  Upon His death, Christ did not simply remain in the tomb.  In fact, he descended into Hades, broke the bonds of death, and freed the people who were tied down in Hades.  In fact, the procession of the Epitaphion symbolizes Christ journey into Hades.  As the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, Christ does an incredible work on the Sabbath – freeing mankind from the bonds and fetters of sin and death.  Those to whom He preached and accepted His word we led out of Hades and we brought into Paradise.

When we think of a tomb, a grave, no doubt one of the thoughts we have is of decay, uncleanness, and general nastiness.  Yet Christ’s tomb remained immaculate.  He was in it for less than 48 hours, but it spanned three days; Friday (His death and entombment), Saturday (the Sabbath), and Sunday (when He rises from the dead).  Christ turns what was only morbid and filthy into a place of life and light.  Life because He rises from the dead.  Light because He is the Light of the world and leads all who are willing to eternal life.  Remember, in Jerusalem, at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Orthodox Church receives the uncreated light at the time of the resurrection every single year.  What was dark has become light, and what was death has brought forth life.

During the service of the Lamentations (really the Orthros for Holy Saturday), it starts out with great solemnity, sobriety, and sorrow.  The hymns lead us to contemplate how the Creator of man was buried after His brutal death.  There are three sets of lamentations that are sung, and all of them recount the condescension – the humility – of Christ to accept His passion, death, and burial.  They also note the great anguish this is for mankind to have its Creator killed and buried.  The first set begins with the hymn, (H Zoe en tafo) “You O Christ the Life, was laid in the tomb, and armies of angels were amazed, and they glorified Your condescension.”  The second begins, (Axion esti) “It is right to magnify You, the Giver of Life, You Who extended Your hands upon the cross, and shattered the power of the enemy.”  The third begins, (Ai yeneai  pasai) “All generations offer adoration to your entombment O Christ.”  Each of these three sets of hymns are sung in front of the Epitaphion.  During the third set, the priest sings, “Early in the morning the myrrh-bearing women came to the tomb, early in the morning, to sprinkle myrrh.”  Then the priest takes myrrh (we use rose water cut with a little bit of orange blossom water) and sprinkles the church and the congregation.  Shortly thereafter, the Epitaphion is processed around the church and the people receive the blessing from Christ through His icon as they pass underneath it.

After the procession, the mood of the hymns changes radically.  The hymns and readings now look to the hope of the resurrection.  A little before the singing of the lamentations, the priests often change their vestments from purple (a sign of sorrow) to white or gold (a sign of light, life, and hope).  The prophecy from Ezekiel (37:1-14) describes a vision Ezekiel has of the resurrection of the dead, which has come true upon the death of Christ (see Matthew 27:45-53).  The epistle reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Galatians describes the New Covenant that has been established by Christ redeeming us from the curse of the law.  The Gospel lesson recounts how the chief priests asked Pilate for a guard to watch the tomb in case one of the disciples were to come and steal the body.  Pilate tells them to guard the tomb themselves (which they did). 

After the services, of course, the flowers from the kouvouklion are taken off and offered to the people.
With Love in Christ,
+Fr. Nick