Christmas Has Begun
The Church has a wonderful tradition of ramping up a celebration ‘in anticipation’ of a feast. This tradition is called the Forefeast, and begins to offer hymns and readings that reflect the coming feast. The greater the feast, the greater the forefeast.
In the case of Christmas the Forefeast began on December 20th, but we’ve been singing about Christmas since November 21st. Today the Church is ramping up the celebration with a service called Royal Hours. It is only offered three times per year, before Christmas, before Epiphany and before Pascha.
As I have written before about daily worship in the ancient Church, which we read about in the Scriptures. We hear ‘the hour of prayer’ many times which references these special services that were taking place throughout the day in the Temple. They continued through the centuries, though for the most part only in monasteries today. The Royal Hours is a service remnant of those days. Instead of gathering several times in one day, the service is four services in one.
Today the Royal Hours will focus on the Nativity of Christ with prophecies and Gospel readings ‘added’ to the normal psalm and prayers for each hour. It is a peaceful and prayerful way to begin to celebrate Christmas.
If you cannot attend, or if your parish does not offer this service, take some time today to read them yourself. You can find the service online at the Digital Chant Stand of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese.
Christ is Born! Glorify Him!
