How to do and types of bows at the liturgy in Orthodoxy. When earthly bows are made, when waist

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Bow- a symbolic action, bowing of the head and body, expressing humility and before.

There are bows great also called earthly, - when the worshiper kneels and touches the head of the earth, and small, or waist, - waist worship of the head and body.

Small bows are performed at all temple and home prayers. On, when the priest's hand, a small bow is made without the sign of the cross.

Kneeling is not provided for either during the Liturgy or during the All-Night Vigil. It is necessary to distinguish between bows and the generally non-Orthodox custom of kneeling. Kneeling in prostration, we express humility and reverence for the Creator of the universe, immediately rising we confess that the Lord has already done ours (gave us everything we need for salvation).

Saint Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow:
“If, standing in church, you bow when the church charter orders it, try to restrain yourself from bowing when it is not required by the charter, so as not to attract the attention of the worshipers, or hold back sighs that are ready to burst from the heart, or tears ready to spill out of your eyes - in such an arrangement, and among a large assembly, you secretly stand before your Heavenly Father, even in secret, fulfilling the commandment of the Savior ().

priest Andrey Lobashinsky:
“It seems to me that the difference, the peculiarity of Orthodox Christianity is precisely the fact that it does not put people on their knees, but on the contrary, raises them from their knees. It is in rebellion from the knees that the essence of Christianity consists. When we kneel, we testify that we are falling, that we are sinners. Sin brings us to our knees. But when we rise from our knees, we say that the Lord forgives us and makes us His beloved children, beloved sons and friends.
In the Gospel, Christ tells the disciples: "And you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." These words are confirmed by all the spiritual experience of the Orthodox Church. Of course, first of all, here we have in mind spiritual freedom, inner liberation. But in external manifestations - and Christianity constantly emphasizes the connection between internal and external - the same thing is observed. If we look carefully at all church statutes, church regulations, we will see that kneeling is, in fact, a non-Orthodox tradition.”

This is the simplest example, but it is also puzzling: if the parishioners do not know the meaning of the simplest litany, then what significance is attached to other, more complex moments of the service, what meaning is put into them, what is the general level of understanding of church rites?

What can we say about indifference to the sacred statutory norms, when, for example, not only ignorant laity, but also pastors and monks neglect the canonical rite of the temporary abolition of prostration and kneeling. But such restrictions are not an external formality. "Do not kneel" at certain moments of St. refers to the norms of the "sacramental and liturgical life of the Church". Everything in the Orthodox ritual carries a deep theological and ascetic meaning, here the mysterious inner interaction between soul and body is touched upon. Since not only the mind, but “the whole soul-body being of a person participates in worship,” the adequacy of each movement is important. Hence the special symbolic language of gesture, which "the Church has included in worship as an organic part of prayer", it includes both bows and kneeling - "a voiceless language where the word is replaced by movement". Therefore, meaningful performance of ritual actions and strict adherence to the canonical order is so important.

Violation of the rank of prostrations is far from a trifle. Is this not a sign of the emasculation of church life, the emergence of a cult of ritual belief, when the service turns into "empty external actions" or, worse, when they are given a false ritual superstitious meaning. The Fathers warn that "without deepening one's knowledge in this area, a person can easily fall into a habit that deadens and devastates." So that spiritual life does not degenerate into meaningless ritual, “it is necessary to constantly grow in the knowledge of God and not allow the liturgy to become a detail of our pious life. Precisely because it became mass instead of liturgy, a deep crisis was experienced by all of us.

Deep churching allows you to get closer to smart doing.

Notes

Announced - those to whom it was announced, i.e. taught, the teaching of the Church, people who believe in Christ and are preparing for the sacrament of baptism.

Prayer for the catechumens.

Some modern pastors speak in the sense that it is permissible for a Christian to deliberately bow his head while praying for the catechumens, thereby, as it were, showing his humility. One venerable archpriest, who acted in this way, confessed, responding to the bewilderment of his flock, that he bows his head during this prayer out of humility, since he considers himself “in matters of dogma” to have barely begun “the process of categorization”, and “in life by faith – who have not yet begun this process.” But confusion remains. When they do something that is not due to the order of worship, thereby attracting general attention to themselves, then a simple question arises: is it necessary to demonstrate one's humility to others, is this not contrary to the very spirit of humility, does it not turn into its opposite? Another, no less respectable pastor believes that “although we are baptized, we are not churched enough, and we do not act according to the grace of baptism”, on this basis, they say, “you can put yourself in the ranks of the catechumens and lower your head.” Here another question arises. Of course, we are all unworthy of the title of Christian, it is useful to realize this, but is it worthy of a Christian to imagine himself deprived of the inherent grace of baptism? Not to mention the fact that a person who is insufficiently churched cannot in any way be equated with an unbaptized person, for this it would be necessary to renounce dogmatic consciousness. In addition, according to this logic, in a minute, at the exclamation of “announcement, go out,” you will have, for the sake of humility, to imagine yourself leaving the service, and at the exclamation of “the tree of faithfulness ... Let us pray to the Lord”, you will already need not only to remember that we are baptized, but to imagine yourself and churched, and "acting according to grace." Otherwise, how can one receive communion if one “places oneself in the ranks of the catechumens”?.. Is such a game of fantasy appropriate during the service, instead of realizing the true sign of liturgical actions and symbols? The symbolism here is not a decor, but a strong means of spiritual influence, it is dangerous to distort it with an arbitrary game of the mind. Orthodox asceticism forbids the praying mind to admit precisely imagination, calls to fight with it, and not to cultivate it. Humility, on the other hand, as a living feeling of one's depravity and insignificance, as a sincere recognition of oneself as the worst among people, has nothing in common with self-hypnosis and pretense.

Typicon, on the basis of the Canonical Rule of the VI Ecumenical Council No. 90, which is confirmed by the charter of St. (right. No. 91) and other decrees, imposes a categorical ban on prostrations and kneeling on Sundays and holidays and at certain moments of worship (Cherubic, Six Psalms, Most Honest, Great Doxology). It is significant that this statutory prohibition is not the fruit of a human invention, but received from above. Back in the III century. it was given by God in revelation through the angel St. : "From Sabbath evening to Sunday evening, as well as on the days of Pentecost, they do not kneel." The history of the Orthodox monastery ... T. 1. S. 238.

Novikov N.M. Jesus Prayer. The experience of two millennia. The teaching of the holy fathers and ascetics of piety from antiquity to the present day: a review of ascetic literature in 4 volumes. Vol.1. Chapter "Mystery of Sacraments". pp. 80-83. Novikov N.M.

An attempt to understand the meaning of temple worship for the majority of believers ends with the assimilation of a symbolic-pictorial interpretation of the service. Unfortunately, it was precisely this, being the least meaningful, that turned out to be the most popular and widespread in the Orthodox environment.

The assimilation of such a perception of worship finally confirms many in the mystical nature of the Christian service. This actually leads to a total passive contemplative attitude towards worship and the life of the Church in general.

One can be endlessly surprised that people who know by heart the sequence of the All-Night Vigil and the Liturgy (there are many such people) often do not understand the content and meaning of what is happening in the altar. But no one ever explained it to them!

What kind of common ministry, what catholicity can we talk about if the people of God are not able to participate in what is happening? If participation is only superficial and formal? If the believer never hears the main semantic and prayerful part of the divine service at all in his life (!), since the main thing is expressed in the so-called "secret" prayers? Can there be a perception of the service other than the mystery?

Of course, to myself, otherwise the mumbling will begin in the temple. For this, there is a primate in the Church (bishop or priest), who aloud voices the common prayer. But while he is "silent", and the people even more so. The priest performs the function of language in a single body.

Contemporary church obeisances

In theory, it cannot be that the tongue says one thing, the heart feels another, and the head does not understand at all what it was thinking about. But as we see in the church, everything is possible. It is interesting for me to ask a question to experienced parishioners (I will note experienced ones): when the deacon proclaims “Let us pray to the Lord for the honorable gifts brought and consecrated”, what are you praying for at that moment. After all, they are still baptized, bowing. The answers are not encouraging.

We have no (almost no) unanimous, let me say intelligent, liturgy. What a treasure is hidden there, but it is here, on the surface, and few people are interested in it. All attention is focused on the external side of the liturgy, which in itself says practically nothing about the essence of the Eucharist.

If priests shared this treasure with people, it would be much better. but what to do if the priest himself does not see this treasure or perceives himself as a shaman or priest, for only they can be initiated into “mysterious and inaccessible” prayers. In relation to the Liturgy, we have a passive-contemplative attitude

Saint Theophan said well:
Quote: The truth was brought to earth by the Lord and the Holy Spirit, who fulfilled the apostles on the day of Pentecost - and she walks the earth. Her guides are the mouths of the priests of God. Who among them shuts his mouth, he blocks the way to the truth, asking for the souls of believers.

That is why the souls of believers languish in not receiving the truth, and the priests themselves must feel languor from the truth, which, without receiving an outcome, torments them. Relieve yourself, priest of God, from this burden, emit streams of Divine words, to your own joy and to the revival of the souls entrusted to you. When you see that you yourself do not have the truth, take it: it is in the holy writings; and, being filled with it, forward it to your spiritual children: just do not be silent.

Preach, for this is what you were called to. End of quote. Bishop Feofan. Thoughts for every day of the year according to church readings from the word of God, Edition of the Moscow Patriarchate, Moscow, 1991, p. 139.

Yes, that is how it is printed in the watch book now. However, it should still be noted that these instructions are not some kind of dogma, but are purely advisory in nature. These rules have changed in the history of the Church. In particular, they do not correspond to the statute on bows that existed in Rus' 300-400 years ago.

Prostration in Orthodoxy

Our great saints Sergius of Radonezh, Joseph Volotsky, St. Philip and others adhered to other, more ancient rules about prostrations. The current rules on bowing are of a later origin, which arose during the synodal period, when the Russian Church in the ritual side was subjected to strong Western influence.

In particular, this includes the abolition of prostrations on Sundays and holidays; this abolition did not exist in the Ancient Church. And kneeling, which often occurs in our churches, is already a pure borrowing from Catholicism; in Orthodoxy, only bows to the ground and the position of “fallen prostrate” were accepted, but not standing with a straightened body.

The local council of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1971 removed all prohibitions from the ancient rites that the Old Believers, including our brothers of the same faith, preserved. Now in the Church there is a very good tendency to study their experience and return to a number of ancient forms - for example, in icon painting (canonical icon), in singing (znamenny chant), etc.

I think that is why it is also interesting to study their charter on prostrations, preserved from the time of Holy Rus', which reflects a deeply pious attitude to worship. I think it will be interesting for everyone to familiarize themselves with this charter, here are excerpts from it:

First of all, it is necessary to say that all bows, waist and earthly, praying together, according to the instructions of the Church Charter, and not when anyone pleases. Bows must be done earnestly and sedately, without excessive fussiness, or deliberate slowdown in movements.

If, according to the Charter, the bow is made with the sign of the cross, you should first cross yourself, so that for the body of the person praying, and not only for his clothes, it was noticeable, and then bow, into the belt or into the ground, according to the specific moment of the service.

Prostrations rely on a handkerchief, a deliberately stitched rug, to keep the hands clean. Bowing to the ground, you should first put the hand rest in front of you, then cross yourself and bow: put the outstretched palms of both hands on the hand rest, both side by side, at the same time bending your knees and tilting your head to the ground so much that your forehead touches the hands on the hand rest.

Prostrations at the Liturgy

You should not spread your elbows and knees to the sides or make any knock when bowing. In passing, we note that in the ancient Orthodox Church there was no custom to pray on your knees, there is no such custom in the Old Believers. This custom came to the New Believers from the Catholic West.

It cannot be called good in any way, for the Lord Jesus Christ, before His voluntary suffering for the human race, showed us in the Garden of Gethsemane an image of prayer: “Fall on your face, praying” (Gospel of Matthew, credit 108.).

Warriors, "swearing" i.e. mocking the Lord during His Passion, they made a mockery “bowing down on the knee before Him” (Gospel of Matthew, part 112). It is clear which of the gospel examples corresponds to the Orthodox custom, and to which, the Catholic one.
Now let us present in full the Charter on prostrations, according to patristic church tradition.

At the prayer to the Holy Spirit “King of Heaven”, when it is read (or sung) at the beginning of any following, without bowing, we protect ourselves with the sign of the cross, and in Great Lent at the end of it, we bow to the ground, with the sign of the cross.

On the "Trisagion": "Holy God, Holy Strong, Holy Immortals, have mercy on us" (three times), three bows. Only when this prayer is sung at the end of the Great Doxology at the All-Night Vigil, as well as at the Liturgy before the reading of the Apostle, (or when it is sung in other cases according to the Rule), there are no bows.

At the Lord's Prayer "Our Father", a bow from the waist at the end of it, when it is sung at the Liturgy and before dinner; in all other cases there is no bow.

On "Come, let's bow", three bows. And besides this, when in psalms, sticheras and troparia there are words: “I bow”, “worship”, “we bow”, “worship”, “worship”, “worshiping”, “worshiping” and “worshiping”, they always bow in the belt . On “Hallelujah”, when she happens to be “glory” behind any psalm, like this: “Hallelujah, Hallelujah, glory to You, God”, three times, three bows to the belt, except for “Hallelujah” among the “ex-psalms” without bows.

At the prayers “Vouchee, Lord, in this evening we will be preserved without sin” at Vespers and “Glory to God in the highest” (at the beginning) at Vechernitsa and Matins, three bows from the waist.

Worship on Sundays

When a priest or deacon pronounces a special litany, on one of the petitions ending with the words “all of you,” three waist bows are relied upon (at the beginning of the singing “Lord, have mercy”, 12 times; in other cases, it happens 40 and 50 times); when the service is performed without a priest, instead of a special litany, “Lord, have mercy” is sung forty times, and also instead of “diligent prayers” for litia (going into the porch for the All-Night Vigil, Sunday and some other services), the same prayer is sung 40, 30, and 50 times. In all these cases, three bows are preserved, also at the beginning of the singing "Lord, have mercy."

Before the prayer, dismissal, at Vespers and Matins, and at the Prayer Service, starting with “The Most Honorable Cherub”, and at the Liturgy and the Mass, with “It is worthy to eat”, “Glory”, “and now”, “Lord have mercy” twice, “Lord bless, ”always four bows, at Vespers, Matins and Molebens all are half-length, and at the Liturgy and the Mass, the first bow is always earthly.

To the “Most Honorable Cherub”, when this prayer happens in the middle of any study (for example, when praying for dinner), there is always a bow from the waist.
At the beginning of the Midnight Office, at the prayer “Glory to Thee, our God, Glory to Thee for all kinds of sake,” they are protected by the sign of the cross without bowing once; and at the next prayer, “God, cleanse me a sinner,” three bows to the waist.

After the first and last magnification of the holiday, during the festive Matins (usually performed in the evening), the bow is always earthly.

Kissing the icon of the feast after magnification, the Gospel on Sunday Matins and the Holy Cross on the feasts of the Cross have a special order.

This question, despite its seeming simplicity and formality, is, in my opinion, rather complicated, since most people (and there is nothing reprehensible in this!) Come to church only on Sundays and the Twelfth or Great Feasts (except for the services of Great Lent).

This, of course, due to work and family employment is quite understandable and normal. Thank God that a modern Christian, with the speeds and technologies of the current world, fulfills this main necessary minimum.

It is known that on Sundays, the time from Easter to Vespers of Pentecost, from the Nativity of Christ to the Baptism of the Lord (Christmas Day) and on the Twelfth Feasts, prostrations to the earth are prohibited by the Charter. This is evidenced by St. Basil the Great in his letter to Blessed Amphilochius. He writes that the holy apostles forbade bending the knee at all and making prostrations on the aforementioned days. The same was approved by the canons of the I and VI Ecumenical Councils. That is, we see that the highest church authority - the apostolic decrees and conciliar reason - bows to the earth on these days are not accepted.

Why is this?

The holy supreme apostle Paul answers this question: “Already carry the servant. But a son” (Gal. 4:7). That is, the prostration of the earth represents a slave - a person who has fallen into sin and on his knees begging for forgiveness, in deep humble and repentant feelings repenting of his sins.

And the Resurrection of Christ, the entire period of the Triodion of Color, the small Easters of ordinary Sundays, Christmas time and the Twelfth Holidays - this is the time when “Already carry the slave. But a son,” that is, our Lord Jesus Christ restores and heals in Himself the image of fallen man and restores him in filial dignity, again introducing him into the Kingdom of Heaven, establishing a New Covenant-union between God and man. Therefore, bowing to the ground during the periods of the aforementioned holidays is an insult to God and, as it were, a rejection by a person of this restoration in sonship. A person making a bow to the ground, on a holiday, seems to say to God words that are opposite to the verses of Divine Paul: “I don’t want to be a son. I want to be a slave." In addition, such a person directly violates the canons of the Church, established by the grace of the Holy Spirit, the apostolic canons and the Ecumenical Councils.

I personally heard the opinion that, they say, often a layman does not go to church for everyday worship, then let him do prostrations at least on Sunday. I cannot agree with this. Since the apostolic decrees and the Ecumenical Councils forbid this, and the Church, with God's help, stands in obedience. In addition, the custom of kneeling in the temple at one's own will is also strictly prohibited.

For people who do not go to church for daily services (I repeat, this is not a sin. You can understand a busy person), I would recommend taking on the feat of prostration in private prayer at home on weekdays. How much someone will bear, so that over time it also does not become an unbearable burden: five, ten, twenty, thirty. And who can - and more. Set a standard with God's help for yourself. Bowing to the ground with a prayer, especially with Jesus: “Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner,” is a very useful thing. But, as they say, everything has its time.

At the Sunday Liturgy, prostration is done in two places of worship. The priest in the altar in front of the Throne also puts them approximately and semantic. The first moment: at the end of the singing “We sing to Thee”, when the culmination of the Eucharistic canon and the entire Divine Liturgy takes place, the Holy Gifts are transubstantiated on the Altar; bread, wine and water become the Body and Blood of Christ. The second point: when taking out the Chalice for the communion of believers, since the priest before communion in the altar also makes a prostration. In the period from Easter to Pentecost, these earthly prostrations are replaced by waist ones. No more prostrations are made at the Sunday Divine Liturgy or Liturgy in the other period indicated above.

If you, dear brothers and sisters, are at the Liturgy of a weekday, then bowing to the ground is permitted by the Charter in the two cases already mentioned, as well as at the beginning of singing “Worthy and Righteous”; the end of the prayer "It is worthy to eat", or the meritor; at the end of the Liturgy, when the priest proclaims “Always, now and forever”, when the priest appears for the last time at the Liturgy with the Chalice with the Body and Blood of Christ in his hands in the Royal Doors and transfers it from the throne to the altar (the symbol of the Ascension of the Lord). At the evening divine service, prostration to the earth is allowed (at matins), when the priest or deacon leaves the altar with a censer after the eighth ode of the ordinary canon and proclaims in front of the icon of the Virgin Mary on the iconostasis, “Let us exalt the Theotokos and Mother of Light in song.” Next, the song of the Monk Cosmas of Maium “The Most Honorable Cherub” is sung, during which it is also customary to kneel because of love and reverence for the Most Holy Theotokos, since it is believed that She resides in the temple at that time and visits all those who pray in it.

Let us, dear brothers and sisters, strive to observe the Rule of the Church. He is our golden fairway in the troubled waters of the outer world and the inner heart with his emotions and sensuality. On the one hand, he does not allow us to deviate into laziness and negligence, on the other hand, into the delusion and spiritual delusion of "vital holiness." And along this fairway, the church ship sails to the Kingdom of Heaven. Our work on board is grace-filled obedience. After all, all the holy fathers placed it and valued it very highly. After all, by disobedience the first people fell away from God, and by obedience we are united with Him, seeing the example, of course, of the God-man Jesus, Who was obedient to death and even death on the cross.

Priest Andrei Chizhenko

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Question: Tell me when during the liturgy bows to the ground are made, when are the bows? And how is the bow to the earth done correctly (touch the ground with palms and forehead or elbows and forehead)?

Answer: The church service is performed with many great earthly and small bows.

The Holy Church demands to make prostrations with inner reverence and outward goodness, slowly, and, if possible, at the same time with other worshipers in the temple.

Before making a bow, you need to overshadow yourself with the sign of the cross and then make a bow - if it is small, then you need to tilt your head so that you can reach the ground with your hand, but with a great one, you need to bend both knees and touch the ground with your head. The Church Charter strictly requires that we make prostrations in the temple of God, not only earnestly, decorously, and all at the same time, but also slowly ("not wrestling") and in a timely manner, that is, exactly when it is indicated. Bows and kneeling should be performed at the end of each short petition or prayer, and not during its execution.

The Charter of the Church pronounces a strict judgment on those who do obeisance (Tipikon, Monday of the first week of Holy Great Lent).

Before the beginning of any Divine service, three bows must be made. Then, at all services, at every "Come, let us bow down", on "Holy God", on the triple "Alleluia" and on "Be the Name of the Lord" they rely on three waist bows, only on "Alleluia" in the midst of the six Psalms, for the sake of deep silence, according to the Charter, bows are not supposed, but the sign of the cross is made. On "Vouchay, O Lord" both at vespers and at matins (in the great doxology, sung or read), three bows are relied upon. At all litanies of church services, listen attentively to each petition, mentally offering a prayer to God and, making the sign of the cross when you proclaim: “Lord, have mercy” or “Give me, Lord,” make a bow from the waist. When singing and reading stichera and other prayers, then only a bow is due when the words of the prayers induce to this; for example: "fall down", "bow down", "pray".

After "Most Honorable Cherubim" and before "Bless the Name of the Lord, Father" (or: Vladyka), a deep bow is always required.

When reading akathists at each kontakion and ikos, a half-bow is required; when pronouncing or singing the thirteenth kontakion three times, earthly or waist bows are due (by day); the same bows are due after reading the prayer of the akathist.

The commemoration book is read with bows after each article (moreover, in some monasteries, bows are supposed to be earthly or waist bows, by day, in others they are always waist bows).

According to "Worthy ..." at Compline and Matins, also during the singing of "Most Honest ..." on the 9th ode of the canon, a bow for the day; after the verse "We praise, bless" a bow is required.

Before and after reading the Gospel (on "Glory to Thee, Lord"), one bow is always supposed to be; on the polyeleos after each magnification - one bow from the waist.

At the beginning of reading or singing the Creed, at the pronunciation of the words: "By the Power of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross", at the beginning of the reading of the Apostle, the Gospel and Parimias (Parimia - reading from the Holy Scriptures of the Old (sometimes New) Testament) it is supposed to overshadow oneself with the sign of the cross without bowing.

When a clergyman, teaching peace, says: "Peace to all" or proclaims: "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love (love) of God and the Father, and the communion (communion) of the Holy Spirit be with you all" and the face (choir), answering , sings: "And to your spirit" or: "And with your spirit", you should make a bow from the waist without the sign of the cross. A bow is due with any blessing by the clergyman of all those who pray, as well as at the dismissal, if it is performed without the Cross. When the dismissal is pronounced by the clergyman with the Cross, with which he overshadows the worshipers, then the bow should be done with the sign of the cross. It is impious self-complacency when the laity, with the general blessing of the clergyman, fold their palms, and then sometimes also kiss them. When proclaiming “Bow your head to the Lord,” you should bow your head and stand until the end of the prayer uttered by the priest: at this time, the priest prays to God for all who bow their heads.

When people are overshadowed in the church with the Cross, the Holy Gospel, an image or the Holy Chalice, then everyone should be baptized, bowing their heads. And when they overshadow with candles, or bless the hand, or burn the people, then one should not be baptized, but only bow. Only on the Bright Week of Holy Pascha, when the priest censors with the Cross in his hand, then everyone is baptized and, responding to his greeting "Christ is Risen," they say: "Truly Risen."

Thus, it is necessary to distinguish between worship before a shrine and before people, although they are sacred. Accepting the blessing of a priest or bishop, Christians fold their palms crosswise, placing the right on the left, and kiss the right hand of the blesser, but do not cross themselves before that.

From Holy Pascha to the feast of the Holy Trinity, from the feast of the Nativity of Christ to the feast of the Baptism of the Lord (Svyatki), in general, on all the Lord's great feasts, prostrations to the earth during church services are canceled.

God bless you!

(O. Pavel)

Bowing to the earth how to do it right in Orthodoxy?

Bowing to the earth how to do it right in Orthodoxy? When to bow at the liturgy? When is it forbidden to make prostrations? Is it possible to bow after communion?

Any person who at least once crossed the threshold of a church, temple or monastery, at the same moment had a feeling of some majesty and tranquility, the impression that a person enters heaven, being at the bottom of the Earth. Any person who visits a temple with a certain frequency knows that it can carry a certain deep meaning, general rigor and harmony, as well as majestic spiritual beauty. No one can say that there are any attributes or objects in the temple that are located in chaos - this is absolutely not the case. After all, it is church paraphernalia that occupies a certain order in the temple and carries its own rank. The offering of a prayer or prayer before the altar of this or that Holy Face has been performed for many centuries, according to the same ancient order. That is why a person who enters the threshold of a church knows that there will not be any surprises waiting for him there, because everything happens in the same sequence.
Sometimes people who enter the temple for the first time wonder how to prostrate properly? A person cannot answer this question in monosyllables on his own, so you need to turn to church canons or clergymen who are always in the temple and tell believers about observing certain traditions.

Earth bow - how to do?

The bow is a kind of symbolic act that has been performed since ancient times and is displayed in biblical tales. From time immemorial, every Orthodox believer knows that a bow expresses a special and great reverence for the creator, that is, the Almighty. Therefore, the clergy of the temple recommend that the parishioners, making a bow, do not rush and at the same time offer thanksgiving prayers directed to God. In order to figure out how to bow correctly, you need to find out about the existence of various types of this action. The ministers of the church explain that there are great bows, earthly and small waist bows, and there is also a simple bowing of the head before the Almighty.

During the bow to the ground, it is necessary to prostrate on your knees in such a way as to touch the floor of the temple with your own brow. It was this kind of bow that Solomon offered throughout his life, who constantly prayed and lit up various temples, which to this day bear the names of the Almighty. It is worth noting that from historical information it is known that many righteous people of the Old Testament, as well as Daniel, performed the same bows during that period of his life when he was in Babylonian captivity. It is believed in the Orthodox faith that it was the bow of the earth that was consecrated by Jesus Christ, and subsequently entered the history and practice of the Orthodox Christian Church.

kneeling

Almost every Orthodox believer knows that most of the kneeling is done during the Great Christian Lent. Since it is known that St. Basil the Great claimed that kneeling is allegedly a kind of symbol of a person’s fall during sin, and at the moment when a person gets up from it, then forgiveness of his sins comes according to the will of the Almighty.

From this follows the question that many Orthodox believers ask, how to properly perform 40 prostrations? The servants of the temple explain that such earthly prostrations are performed at any time of the day and day, with the exception of special days, which will be discussed later. Therefore, parishioners in no case need to be lazy. Therefore, it is necessary to voluntarily make 40 earthly bows, which for the Almighty will mean a fall into the abyss of repentance and hope, therefore, the Almighty will accept your atonement and bless such labors.

Also, the ministers of the church claim that no matter how many days and how many bows an Orthodox believer will make, if there are bad thoughts or sinful desires in his soul and heart, and also if he dreams of offering some kind of punishment to another person. Thus, having such sinful thoughts, the number of bows will not matter. However, if a Christian sincerely and from a pure heart believes in the help of the Almighty, respects and loves him, then God will extend a helping hand to him and will certainly help him in any undertakings and forgive all sinful deeds.

Experience of Bishop Athanasius Sakharov

From time immemorial, such a question: how to properly bow to the ground? It arose in almost every century, especially in Orthodoxy. However, according to various beliefs, there is a well-known zealot of the church charter, which is the confessor Athanasius Sakharov, who almost always has an answer to the question posed.

Initially, you need to find out for yourself at what moments in life situations you can bow to the ground, and when you should not do this. During the service in the temple, bows and bows are obligatory for every person who is in the temple, whether it be a parishioner or just a believer. Sometimes church laws may change depending on the territory of the believer or the location of the temple.

The rules of the Ecumenical Council say that on Sundays, in no case should you kneel in order to preserve the honor of Jesus Christ, that is, Christ's Sunday. But at the same time, you can make small bows, but at the same time do not forget to offer prayers, which will carry a certain meaning, both for the person himself and for the Almighty.

Belt and earthly bows

It is supposed to make three small prostrations during reading and singing, such as come, let us bow, holy God and three times Hallelujah.

Also, during the service, psalm 118 is pronounced during its pronunciation, it is also necessary to make three small bows for each verse.

Also, the ministers of the church claim that while reading various litanies and while singing, Lord have mercy, and the Almighty fall, it is necessary to make small bows and the Sign of the Cross.

During the sounding of the Gospel, a small bow is also made before or after the reading.

At the moment when the servant of the temple pronounces the akathist, it is necessary to make a small bow during each kontakion and ikos. It is important to note that during the pronunciation of the 13th kontakion, it is necessary to make a waist bow.

A small bow is performed every time the blessing is given by the hand of the clergyman. However, during the period of Great Easter, it is necessary to be baptized and answer Truly Risen, but at the same time still make small bows.

Special rules for bowing

Since we are clarifying the various nuances associated with bowing to the ground, it should be noted that in a temple, church or monastery, often during the service, not only parishioners, but also nuns are present. In no case should an Orthodox believer who does not know the rules of conduct in the temple and church canons, imitate such women and make the same bows as they do.

Since the sisters of the nuns have their own special charter, which can sometimes differ from the general church canons. Therefore, Orthodox believers need to adhere to the well-known charter of the Fathers of All Saints, which is intended for churches and temples, so a person can eventually learn and reveal the semantic meaning of the service.

Incense

Temple servants know the tradition when, during the censing by the rector of the temple, Orthodox believers begin to be distracted from the performance of the liturgical prayer service. As a result, people move from one side to the other, at the same time, riveting all attention to themselves or to the priest, who at that moment is approaching them. Also, some parishioners of the temple can make noise, as well as stand with their backs to the nearest altar, but you should know that such behavior in the temple is simply unacceptable. Since at the moment of incense, Orthodox believers should part, making a kind of narrow path for the priest, letting him through, and after that, it is necessary to quietly stand in the previous place and resume the ascension of the prayer service.

In the event that the temple servant begins to incense each parishioner, therefore, the priest needs to bow, and then return to the service. It is important to note that at this moment, in no case should you look through the eyes of a temple servant throughout the whole act of incense. Having studied such simple and understandable rules, you can not only get closer to the Almighty, but also learn the basic nuances of the service.

Is it possible to make prostrations at the Liturgy

According to church canons in the Proskomedia and the Liturgy of the catechumens, prostrations are performed according to the usual divine services. And during the liturgy of the faithful, it is necessary to combine prostrations with bows.

At the moment when the Servant of the temple at the Great Entrance enters the pulpit, and at that moment he holds a cup and diskos in his hands. The church choir at this moment sings the cherubic song.

It is necessary to make a small bow before the end of the first half of the song, the priest at this moment is on the pulpit.

At the moment when the commemoration of the priests sounds, you need to bow your head.

At the time of the triple hallelujah, make three small bows.

At that moment, when the minister of the church says, we thank the Lord, the Great bow is performed.

Many Orthodox believers are interested in: Is it possible to perform prostrations after taking communion? The servants of the temple, in turn, answer the Orthodox believers that in no case should you kneel after communion, since such an act is performed for the sake of the shrine, which is located inside each person. Therefore, in order for an Orthodox believer not to vomit, one should not do such an act.

Conclusion

It is important to note that various types of bows are not the most important thing in the life of every Orthodox Christian believer, but they help strengthen the common faith, enlighten the heart and the right spiritual mood. Almost every parishioner knows that in order to comprehend the meaning of the worship service, it is necessary to bow. If, while in the temple, you forgot what kind of bow you need to make, go up to the servant of the temple in advance and ask him in more detail, since it is he who will be able to indicate what deeds must be performed at the time of this or that service.