Andreas Moran
03-01-2009, 09:39 PM
I attach (if I have pressed the right buttons!) an icon which shows St Seraphim of Sarov praying with a lyestovka (Old Believers' chotki). (Yes, I know I've missed the 'e' out of 'Seraphim', but I can't edit out my typo!)
224
St Seraphim was definitely not an Old Believer! Any comments on this? Lydia thinks the present form of chotki is fairly recent and may have come from Greece, and that the lyestovka was usual in Russia until relaively recently. But she's guessing.
By the way, our parish priest is ill and cannot do the Christmas service. Yesterday, our dear friend Fr Yevgeny, an Old Rite (within MP) priest, came to lunch, and he invited us to join him for the Christmas service (all-night vigil, including liturgy). That'll be an experience! I mentioned the lyestovka they use to Lydia because I was thinking of asking Fr Yevgeny for one, but she fell about laughing because I mispronounced the word and said, 'листовка' instead of 'лестовка'. 'Листовка' means a revolutionary pamphlet - not easy, this Russian!
224
St Seraphim was definitely not an Old Believer! Any comments on this? Lydia thinks the present form of chotki is fairly recent and may have come from Greece, and that the lyestovka was usual in Russia until relaively recently. But she's guessing.
By the way, our parish priest is ill and cannot do the Christmas service. Yesterday, our dear friend Fr Yevgeny, an Old Rite (within MP) priest, came to lunch, and he invited us to join him for the Christmas service (all-night vigil, including liturgy). That'll be an experience! I mentioned the lyestovka they use to Lydia because I was thinking of asking Fr Yevgeny for one, but she fell about laughing because I mispronounced the word and said, 'листовка' instead of 'лестовка'. 'Листовка' means a revolutionary pamphlet - not easy, this Russian!