4C Religious identity through diversity in festivals Flashcards
What day does the Western Church celebrate Christmas? Why?
- 25 December
- Thought to be a replacement for the Roman winter festival, Saturnalia (17-23 Dec.) and Dies Natalios Solis Invicti (25 Dec., Winter solace festival)
Give an example of a pagan symbol during the Western Advent?
• Lighting candles to anticipate the return of sunlight
How long is Advent in the Western Church?
• Four weeks
What does Advent mark?
• The beginning of the Church year
What does the Latin ‘adventus’ mean? How does this meaning link to Advent?
• Coming
• It anticipates two events:
1) Celebration of J’s first coming
2) J’s second coming at the end of time (parousia)
What is the liturgical colour of Advent in the Western Church?
- Violet/purple (or blue, for hope, in some Protestant churches)
- A rose colour may be used in the third Sunday of Advent (Gaudete Sunhday - Latin, ‘rejoice’)
Give some Advent customs in the Western Church.
- Wreath
- Calendar (first used by Lutherans in 19th/20th C)
- Decorations
- Fasting
When does the Eastern Church celebrate Christmas? Why?
- 7 January (Armenian Orthodox = 6 Jan)
* Corresponds to the Julian calendar, which predates the Gregorian used by the West)
What is Advent known as in the Eastern Church?
• The Nativity Fast
How long does Advent last in the Eastern Church?
• 40 days, up to the Eve of Nativity (6 Jan), a strict fast day (Paramony - ‘preparation’ when they abstain from red meat, egg, dairy, wine etc - no food until the first star appears
What is there no emphasis on in the Eastern Church during Advent?
• Parousia
What is the liturgical colour of Advent in the Eastern Church?
• Red, with gold sometimes as the alternative
Give some events during the Eastern Advent.
- During the Nativity Fast, feast days celebrate prophets who prophesied the incarnation
- Two Sundays before Nativity, the Sunday of the Forefathers, commemorates the ancestors of the Church
- Sunday before the Nativity, Sunday of the Holy Fathers, commemorates all the righteous men and women who pleased God
What does Christingle mean, and what do its symbols represent?
- Scandinavian for ‘the light of Christ’
- Orange = world
- Four cocktails = four seasons/corners of the earth
- Sweets/fruits = fruits of the earth
- Candle = J as the light of the world
- Red ribbon = J’s blood
In the Western Church, there are traditionally three Eucharists at Christmas; when do they take place?
- 1st = Midnight C.mas Eve
- 2nd = Dawn C.mas morning
- 3rd = C.mas Day
What is threatening the religious observance of Christmas in the Western Church?
• The rampant consumerism
In the Eastern Church, what do the services on the Eve of the Nativity run parallel to? Why?
• Those held on Good Friday, to illustrate the theological point that the purpose of the incarnation is to make the crucifixion and resurrection possible
Give three examples of services on the Eve of Nativity.
- The Hours: Special psalms, hymns, readings to proclaim the joy and power of J’s birth
- The Liturgy of St Basil the Great: baptismal liturgy at which catechumens are baptised and integrated into J’s body
- Matins: “Christ is born” = sung while the congregation venerates icon of Nativity
What happens on Christmas Day of the Western Church?
- Feasting
* Giving of gifts
What happens on Christmas Day of the Eastern Church?
- Feasting + enjoying the company of family/friends
- Activity depends on culture
- Little emphasis on sharing of gifts/consumerism
- Candles to represent the light of Christ
- Festive meal to represent the end of fasting
Why is Easter the most important Christian festival?
• Celebrates the resurrection of J and confirms his ministry
What is the agreed formula for working out Easter?
• The first Sunday after the first full moon/after the vernal equinox
What is the relation between Jesus’ resurrection and the vernal equinox?
• J’s res. occurred around the time of the Jewish feast of Passover, which was celebrated on the first full moon following the vernal equinox.
How does the Eastern Church calculate the vernal equinox/full moon?
- According to the actual, astronomical full moon + actual equinox as observed along the meridian of Jerusalem
- Applies the formula so that Easter always falls after the Jewish Passover, since the crucifixion and res. took place after he entered Jerusalem to celebrate Passover
How does the Western Church calculate the vernal equinox/full moon?
- Does not use the astronomically correct date for vernal equinox, but a fixed date (21 March)
- Does not use astronomical full moon but the ‘ecclesiastical moon’, based on tables created by the church
- This allows the date of Easter to be calculated in advance rather than determined by actual astronomical observances
- Can precede Passover by weeks
How long is Lent in both the Eastern and Western churches?
• 40 days - in commemoration of J’s 40 days before he began his ministry
When does Lent begin in the Western Church?
• Ash Wednesday
What do many Christians commit to during Lent?
• Fasting and giving up certain luxuries as a form of penitence/self denial
What is the liturgical colour of Lent in the Western Church?
• Purple
Give four significant dates during Lent in the Western Church.
• Fifth Sunday: Passion Sunday - beginning of Passiontide
• Sixth Sunday: Palm Sunday - beginning of Holy Week
• Thursday of Holy Week: Maundy Thursday - commemorates Last Supper; priest may wash feet of 12
• Good Friday: day of atonement to remember J’s cruc., res., burial
- RCC: fast day, no Eucharist
- Anglican Communion: no particular rite
- Lutheran: Tenebrae
What is the season preceding Easter in the Eastern church called?
• Great Lent/Great Fast
In the Eastern Church, when does the first week of Great Lent begin?
• Clean Monday (Clean Week refers to the spiritual cleansing of the faithful - strict fasting)
In the Eastern Church, when does Great Lent end?
• Ends with the Vespers on Friday of the sixth week, followed by Lazarus Saturday
In the Eastern Church, when do Holy Week services begin? What is special about these?
• Night of Palm Sunday
• Each has their own theme
- e.g. Holy and Great Saturday: J’s burial + descent into Hell; fasting; combination of sorrow and joy; in morning, lit. colour = black, but changes to white after the Gospel is read
What happens at Easter in the Western Church?
- A vigil may be held after nightfall on Holy Saturday; a paschal candle is lit to symbolise J’s res; statues/images veiled during Lent = unveiled
- Easter Day = joyous celebration of J’s res - a stark contrast to the solemnity of Lent
- Lit. colour = white, often w/ gold
- C.chs = brightly decorated w/ white/yellow flowers
- Music = joyful; jubilant use of c.ch bells
In the Eastern Church, what is the last liturgical service in Great Lent?
• Midnight Office
- Priest places epitaphios on altar, which remains there until the feast of the Ascension
- End of office: all c.ch lights/candles extinguished + all wait in silence until midnight, when the res. is proclaimed
What happens at Easter in the Eastern Church?
- The Easter Matins begin, followed by Easter Hours, then Easter Divine Liturgy
- Customary to crack hard-boiled eggs (dyed red to symbolise the blood of Christ) to celebrate the opening of the tomb
- Easter Sunday afternoon: Agape Vespers sung w/ portions of John’s Gospel read in several languages to demonstrate the universality of the res.
In the Eastern Church, what is Easter week known as? What happens during it?
- Bright Week
- No fasting
- Customary Easter greeting = ‘Christ is risen’, to which the response is, ‘He is risen indeed.’
