Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center Feast of Feasts Holy and Glorious Pascha Cycle - Pentecostarion

Theologians disagree on the length of the Pentecostarion.
The Eparchy of Newton (Our Lady of the Annunciation (Al Bisharah) in Roslindale, Massachusetts, United States) published the The Pentecostarion (three volumes). This publication contains the texts for the services from Feasts of Feasts Holy and Glorious Pascha through Feast of the Divine Body.

Some theologians think that the Triodion ends and the Pentecostarion begins with the invitation to "Come, take light from the Light that never fades" at the beginning of the Hajmeh service Holy and Glorious Pascha, which is celebrated on Great and Holy Saturday night.
Hajmeh or Procession of Haste or Breaking Down the Gates of Hades
In the darkened church, the priest comes out from the Holy Doors holding his lighted Paschal candle and solemnly sings, "Come and take light from the Light that never fades; come and glorify Christ who is risen from the dead!" All the people come forward and light their candles from the priest's candle.
Then the people go out of the church to the front door. There a table is prepared for the Holy Gospel. The priest and the altar servers come out of the church to the table.
Gospel - St Mark (16:1-8))

The Sundays after Holy and Glorious Pascha

Bright Week or New Week and The Sundays after Holy and Glorious Pascha are the time of celebration for Pascha. There are six Sundays after Pascha: Thomas or Bright Sunday or New Sunday, Myrhh-Bearing Women, Paralytic, Samaritan Woman, Man Born Blind, and Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council. In addition, some theologicans consider Pentecost to be the final Sunday after Pascha.

Celebration Customs

There are several Holy and Glorious Pascha Celebration Customs.

Greeting

We greet each other with a special greeting. Feasts of Feasts Holy and Glorious Pascha Greetings

Pascha Divine Liturgy Blessing of Holy Artos (Pascha eggs and bread)

At the end of the Divine Liturgy of the Pascha, the priest blesses the Holy Artos (Pascha bread and hard-boiled, dyed red eggs). Then, Everyone comes forward to kiss the cross, to venerate the ikon of the Resurrection, to receive a piece of the blessed bread, a flower, and an egg.

Feasts of Feasts Holy and Glorious Pascha - Fesakh - Hajmeh - Celebration First Day - Matins - Divine Liturgy Blessing the Holy Artos (Pascha bread and eggs)

Easter Baskets

The faithful, having fasted and abstained during Great Lent, would bring baskets, "Easter baskets" of the festive (forbidden) foods to church on Easter Sunday. The priests would bless the baskets after Divine liturgy and the people would share their foods with one another and the poor in a true "break-fast."

Spring Cleaning

During Great and Holy Week, the faithful would clean their homes with special care and attention so that no imperfection however slight would mar the purity of the Resurrection. In Eastern Europe all the contents of the house would be brought outside and the building would be scrubbed from top to bottom inside and out. They would do "Spring cleaning".

Pascal Greeting, Pascal Troparion, Feasting, the Doors and Curtains of the Ikonostasis are Open, Paschal Candle from the Feast of Feasts Holy and Glorious Pascha until the beginning of the Vespers of the Great Feast of the Ascension into Heaven of Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ.

For the Forty Days from the Feast of Feasts Holy and Glorious Pascha (Feasts of Feasts) to the Great Feast of the Ascension, we celebrate the Holy and Glorious Resurrection of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ from the dead. By His death He has trampled upon death and given life to the world. By breaking down the gates of Hades, He has opened Heaven to all.

We greet each other by saying "Christ is risen! He is truly risen!" or "Al Masiah Qaam! Haqqan Qaam! / Al Massihu Qam! Haqqan Qam!" or "Christos Anesti! Alithos Anesti!".

Also, we say "Glory to His Resurrection on the Third Day! We glorify His Resurrection on the Third Day!".

Finally, we sing the Troparion of Pascha repeatedly in the Divine Liturgy ("Christ is risen from the dead and by His death He has trampled upon death, and has given life to those who are in the tombs!"),

We feast for Forty Days! We do not fast, not even on Fridays. Fasting is forbidden.

The doors and curtains of the ikonostasis remain open. This action is to symbolize how Christ's Resurrection has opened Heaven.

The Paschal Candle, the first one lit by the New Light of Pascha, burns brightly on the Holy Table.

Standing from the Feast of Feasts Holy and Glorious Pascha until the Great Feast of Pentecost

We stand! We do not kneel. Kneeling is forbidden until the beginning of the Vespers of the Great Feast of Pentecost.

These prayers ask the Lord Jesus Christ to send the Holy Spirit also upon us, to empower us to do His will in all aspects of our lives. They are called the "Kneeling Prayers" because they mark the first time we kneel after the 50-day celebration of the Resurrection.

Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center
Martha Liles
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Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center is dedicated to my cousins: Bucky (Richard C. Liles), Shirley (Shirley Jean Liles Buck), and Donna (Donna Bertha Liles Campbell). Bucky fell asleep in the Lord on Dec. 12, 2000, Shirley fell asleep in the Lord on Nov. 8, 2001, and Donna fell asleep in the Lord on March 9, 2020.
O God of all spirits and of all flesh, who have destroyed death, overcome the devil, and given life to the world: grant, O Lord, to the souls of your servants Bucky and Shirley, who has departed from this life, that it may rest in a place of light, in a place of happiness, in a place of peace, where there is no pain, no grief, no sighing. And since You are a gracious God and the Lover of Mankind, forgive him/her every sin he/she has committed by thought, or word, or deed, for there is not a man who lives and does not sin : You alone are without sin, your righteousness is everlasting, and your word is true. You are the Resurrection and the Life, and the repose of your departed servants Bucky and Shirley. O Christ our God, and we send up glory to You, together with your eternal Father and your all-holy, good and life-giving Spirit, now and always and for ages upon ages. Amen.

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