Holy Week services done in anticipation

[Kris]

What are the origins of the practice of services being read in "anticipation" (e.g. Monday Matins read on Sunday evening) during Holy Week?

Thanks

[Moses Ibrahim]

In the Russian tradition, Matins are usually done the evening of the day when a liturgy is celebrated. For example at my church during any time of the year, (lent or no lent, feast or no feast) monday matins are read sunday evening, tuesday matins are read monday evening, wednesday matins are read tuesday evening and so on and so forth. But for Holy Week in all traditions I presume and also assume the matins are done the day before in anticipation of the Bridegroom who is to come (Parable of the Ten Virgins). Please correct me if I'm wrong.

[Michael Stickles]

This was the explanation I found at antiochian.org (http://www.antiochian.org/midwest/Articles/Development_of_Holy_Week_Services.htm):


In parish churches today, in order to schedule the services to be more accessible to attendance by the faithful, they are often served "by anticipation." For example, the typicon prescribes matins to be served at 1 a.m. This is, therefore, anticipated and the service started the evening before. This then pushes the other hours forward, such that vespers and the Presanctified Liturgy are served in the morning.

In Christ,
Mike

[Fr Raphael Vereshack]

In the Russian tradition, Matins are usually done the evening of the day when a liturgy is celebrated. For example at my church during any time of the year, (lent or no lent, feast or no feast) monday matins are read sunday evening, tuesday matins are read monday evening, wednesday matins are read tuesday evening and so on and so forth. But for Holy Week in all traditions I presume and also assume the matins are done the day before in anticipation of the Bridegroom who is to come (Parable of the Ten Virgins). Please correct me if I'm wrong.

I cannot find an exact reference about the Bridegroom matins. But for the Matins of Great Thursday for example, the typikon says that this service is to begin "at the 7th hour of the night" which according to our reckoning is about 1am.

I somehow think the Bridegroom Matins would be a night service. Consider the words of the tropar that the Bridegroom comes in the middle of the night and blessed is he who shall be found waiting. This seems to suggest a night service even though we now anticipate this for pastoral reasons to the evening.

In Christ- Fr Raphael

[Kris]

Thank you all for your answers! I hope you're having a blessed and fruitful Holy Week. Please remember me in your prayers.

[Fr Raphael Vereshack]

I have just found some further information from the Typikon that is interesting:

For Great & Holy Wednesday it indicates that at the 5th Hour of the day (about 11am our time?) the 3rd, 6th & 9th Hours are done and then the Typika.

This is indication that it is not just modern practice to anticipate the services by aggregating them.

By the way- for the Presanctified which would follow it specifically says: On Great & Holy Wednesday in the evening. There is an ongoing discussion about the canonical time for Presanctifieds. This information however indicates that evening Presanctifieds were certainly done in the past.

In Christ- Fr Raphael