The term “shroud” appeared in Russian liturgical books at the end of the 16th century. The Shroud is an icon depicting the Savior lying in the tomb. Usually this is a large cloth (piece of fabric) on which the image of the Savior laid in the tomb is written or embroidered. 
The removal of the Shroud and the Rite of Burial are two of the most important services that take place on Good Friday of Holy Week. Good Friday is the most mournful day in the church calendar for Christians around the world. On this day we remember the suffering of the Cross and the death of Jesus Christ. 
Removal of the Shroud
Iconography of the Shroud
Traditions of removing the Shroud
On this day we remember the suffering of the Cross and the death of Jesus Christ. 
Removal of the Shroud
It is performed on Friday afternoon at Vespers on Holy Saturday, at the third hour of Good Friday - at the hour of the death of Jesus Christ on the cross (i.e. the service usually begins at 14.00). The shroud is taken out of the altar and placed in the center of the temple - in the “coffin” - a raised platform decorated with flowers and anointed with incense as a sign of grief over the death of Christ. The Gospel is placed in the middle of the Shroud.
Liturgical features of the burial rite
Matins of Great Saturday with the Rite of Burial is usually served on Friday evening. The shroud in this service is given the role that in other cases the icon of the holiday has.
Matins begins as a funeral service. Funeral troparia are sung and incense is performed. After the singing of the 118th Psalm and the glorification of the Holy Trinity, the temple is illuminated, then the news of the myrrh-bearing women who came to the tomb is proclaimed. This is the first, still quiet, because the Savior is still in the tomb - the good news of the Resurrection of Christ.
During the service, believers make a procession of the cross - they carry the Shroud around the temple and sing “Holy God.” The religious procession is accompanied by the ringing of funeral bells.
At the end of the burial ceremony, the Shroud is brought to the royal doors, and then returned to its place in the middle of the temple so that all the clergy and parishioners can bow to it. There she remains until late evening on Holy Saturday.
Only before Easter Matins, during the Midnight Office, is the Shroud taken to the altar and placed on the throne, where it remains until Easter is celebrated.
Iconography of the Shroud
The Shroud is a plate on which the Savior is depicted lying in the tomb. This icon (the Shroud is considered an icon) has traditional iconography.
In the central part of the composition of the Shroud the icon “Position in the Tomb” is depicted. The entire body or just the body of the buried Christ.
The “Position in the Tomb” icon describes the gospel scene of the burial of the crucified Jesus Christ. The body was taken from the cross and wrapped in a shroud, that is, burial shrouds soaked in incense. Then the Savior was placed in a coffin carved into the rock, and a large stone was rolled at the entrance to the cave. 
The shroud is made using different techniques. Most often, velvet fabric is used as a basis. For example, Shrouds of the XV-XVII centuries. were made using the facial sewing technique. In the XVIII-XIX centuries. craftsmen combined gold embroidery or relief applique of fabrics with painting. The face and body of Christ were painted using painting techniques. There were also completely picturesque Shrouds.
Nowadays you can often see Shrouds made using typographic methods in churches. These are the costs of mass production - handmade is expensive.
Along the perimeter of the Shroud, the text of the troparion of Great Saturday is usually embroidered or written: “The noble Joseph took down Your most pure body from the tree, wrapped it in a clean shroud and covered it with odors (option: fragrant scents) in a new tomb, and laid it.”
Traditions of removing the Shroud
In some churches, after the religious procession, the clergy carrying the Shroud stop at the entrance to the temple and raise the Shroud high. And the believers following them, one after another, go to the temple under the Shroud. A small liturgical cover is usually placed in the middle of the shroud, along with the Gospel. Sometimes the face of Christ depicted on the Shroud is covered with a shroud - in imitation of the rite of priestly burial, which prescribes covering the face of the clergyman lying in the coffin with air (air is a large quadrangular cover that symbolically depicts the shroud with which the body of Christ was entwined).
The removal of the shroud on Good Friday takes place at the third hour of the day, at the hour of the death of Jesus Christ on the cross.
Good Friday, also called Great Friday, is the most mournful day of the whole year (in 2019 it falls on April 26). It was on this day that the crucifixion of the Savior of mankind, Jesus Christ, took place. On this day, until the Shroud is taken out of the altar, all Christian believers are forbidden to have fun, as well as eat and wash. After the Shroud is laid in the temple, fasting people are allowed to drink water and bread in small quantities.
What is Good Friday? This is a worship service in a special order. All churches recount the tragic events and passions that the Savior experienced on that day. Priests all over the world read the Gospel narratives, which are read three times:
- at morning
- on the Great Clock,
- at Great Vespers.
On Good Friday 2019 (April 26), as in other years, believers around the world pray for the forgiveness of the Lord, thank Jesus for his feat, with which he atoned for the many sins of mankind, and mourn that the human soul can be so dark that once allowed the brightest to die.
Matins
The worship service, which took place in Jerusalem in ancient times, lasted all night. Starting on Thursday and ending on Friday. That night, all the believers, led by the bishop, visited the places where the tragic acts of that time took place. This is the arrest, the Last Judgment, death on the cross and burial of Jesus Christ. Each of the above places has its own passage of the Gospel. The order of reading the Gospel passages has been preserved to this day.
At the beginning of Matins, funeral troparia are sung, the 19th and 20th psalms are read, then the reading of the sixth psalm begins.
In between readings of the Gospel, the servants sing stichera and antiphons, which indicate the ungrateful act of Judas, which doomed the Savior to death.
Great Clock (Royal Clock)
The service on Great Friday is different in that the liturgy is not read. Days on which it falls great holiday Annunciation are subject to an exception to this rule. The reading of the Royal Hours is characterized by one feature: the 1st, 3rd, 6th and 9th hours are combined, in each of which the reading of the proverb, the Apostle and the Gospel is carried out. The narratives written by each of the four evangelists are read separately. A similar service is also held on Christmas Eves of the Nativity of Christ and Epiphany. It has become customary to call it a royal clock since the time of the Moscow tsars, since their participation in the service was mandatory.
Great Vespers (removal of the Shroud)
The Shroud is the most important part of the entire divine service performed on the Great Friday of Holy Week.
Great Vespers and the removal of the Shroud on Good Friday take place at 2-3 p.m. This action completes the cycle of services for this day. It is this time that is considered to be the time of the Savior’s death. By this hour the Shroud is taken to the temple. Removal is carried out through the Royal Doors. Before lifting the Shroud from the throne, the clergyman is obliged to bow to the ground three times. Then, in the presence of a deacon with a candle and censer, as well as priests, the Shroud is carried into the temple through the northern gate. A special place on a hill is prepared for her, which may be called a “coffin.” It is decorated with various flowers as a sign of mourning for Jesus Christ, and the place is also anointed with incense. The Gospel is placed in the center of the Shroud.
After Great Vespers, Little Compline is held. Hymns are sung about the lamentation of the Most Holy Theotokos, as well as a canon about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. After this, everyone can venerate the Shroud. The shroud lies in the center of the temple for three days (incomplete), thereby reminding believers of the presence of Jesus Christ in the tomb.
At the end of Matins on Holy Saturday, a religious procession is held around the temple. He passes with candles and the Shroud.
What is the Shroud and why is it so important?
The Shroud is a linen that was used as a shroud; Jesus Christ was laid and wrapped in it after he was taken down from the cross. Nowadays, the Shroud is usually called the image of Jesus Christ lying in the tomb. It is used to worship parishioners on Good Friday. The shroud remains in the temple for three days until Easter midnight, after which it is brought back to the altar.
Usually the Shroud is made of velvet and is approximately the size of a man.
Traditions of taking out the Shroud on Good Friday
During the evening religious procession around the temple, the Shroud is carried in the hands of clergy or senior parishioners, holding it by the four corners. The religious procession is always accompanied by the ringing of funeral bells. In some churches, before bringing the Shroud and laying it on a special dais, the clergy, carrying the shrine in their hands, stop in front of the entrance and raise it high above their heads. Thus allowing the believers walking behind to enter the temple under the shrine.
The Holy Shroud has miraculous effects. It is believed that applying to it helps believers recover from many diseases.
On Good Friday 2019, people all over the world bow before the Shroud with special reverence. She is a vital symbol of what Jesus did for humanity. According to church interpretations, his heroic torment and death were able to open for us the entrance to paradise, which was closed after the sin of the first people, and also give hope for a meeting with the Lord after death.
On August 28, the Orthodox Church remembers the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This holiday is preceded by a short (2 weeks) but strict Dormition Fast, during which parishioners prepare themselves to celebrate the holiday.
The evening before, an all-night vigil is served in the Church of St. Alexander Nevsky.
Holy Mother of God especially revered in the Russian Orthodox Church. Many historical events in the life of Russia are associated with Her intercession. That is why on all the feasts of the Mother of God, and especially on the Assumption, there are so many people who want to receive communion. Before the beginning of the all-night vigil, as well as at its end, the communicants confess.
At the beginning of the all-night vigil, lithium prayers are read at the entrance to the temple.
Then the consecration of the bread, wine and oil takes place. The priest censes God's gracious gifts.
During the Matins of the All-Night Vigil, the shroud of the Most Holy Theotokos is carried from the altar to the middle of the church.
The Shroud of the Most Holy Theotokos is one of the most revered shrines of the Orthodox Church.
Its origin is as follows:
In the Gospel of John we read:
Standing at the cross of Jesus were His Mother, and His Mother’s sister Mary of Cleopas, and Mary Magdalene.
Jesus, seeing His Mother and the disciple standing there, whom He loved, said to His Mother: Woman! Behold, Your son.
Then he says to the disciple: Behold, your Mother. And from that time on, this disciple took Her to himself.
After the ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven, the Blessed Virgin remained, according to the will of the Son, in the care of Saint John.
The day of the death of the Most Holy Theotokos was revealed to Her by the Lord three days before Her Dormition.
Not far from the Mount of Olives, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Most Holy Theotokos with a palm branch in his hands and announced to Her the time of Her departure from this world.
On the day of Her departure, the Most Holy Theotokos encouraged and strengthened all those gathered with words of love and blessing. Calling everyone to Her individually, She blessed everyone, wishing everyone eternal bliss and making a prayer to God for them.
Preparing Herself for departure to the heavenly world, the Most Holy Virgin bequeathed that Her body should be buried in Gethsemane, between the tombs of Her righteous parents and Her betrothed, Saint Joseph.
At the hour of his departure to heaven, an extraordinary light illuminated the house, and the Lord Jesus Christ, with a host of angels and saints, descended to the bed of the Mother of God and took Her most pure soul into His hands
Having placed the body of the Mother of God, according to Her will, in a cave, the apostles closed the entrance to it with a large stone. On the third day after the burial of the Mother of God, at the request of the Apostle Thomas, who was not present at the death of the Mother of God, the apostles opened the cave. But, having rolled away the stone from the tomb, they saw that the body of the Most Holy Theotokos was no longer in the tomb, and only Her vestments lay there, from which a wonderful fragrance spread.
That same day in the evening, the believers were consoled by the appearance of the Mother of God, who they saw standing in the air, surrounded by Angels.
The Shroud of the Virgin Mary is a symbol of those vestments that the apostles found in the tomb of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Divine services on the feast of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the shroud are held with prostrations to the ground, and the shroud itself, like a great shrine, is carried around the temple in a procession of the cross.
Our earthly perception of man's departure into the spiritual world is characterized by deep sadness. This sadness is due to our experienced knowledge of earthly life and an uncertain idea of \u200b\u200blife in the spiritual world. And the very departure of a person from earthly life is often painfully difficult. It is no coincidence that during the Divine Service we repeat after the priest the words of the litany:
We ask for the Christian death of our belly, painless, shameless, peaceful, and a good answer at the terrible judgment of Christ.
On the Feast of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mood of many parishioners includes both our earthly sadness and the joy of realizing the Lord’s help in the transition to the heavenly world, the help that all Orthodox people hope for.
The entire external atmosphere of the religious procession - the already low August sun and the first fallen leaves underfoot and quiet chants create a special mood among its participants. For people participating in the Assumption procession for the first time, this is a mood of bright sadness.
Throughout the procession, the choir and parishioners quietly sing the Trisagion:
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us
Under the measured sounds of the bell, the religious procession, having completed its tour of the temple, approaches the entrance to the temple.
Parishioners enter the temple, bowing under the cover of the shroud of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
This entrance has great symbolic meaning. The parishioners seem to accept the patronage of the Most Holy Theotokos and her intercession before the powers of heaven.
The shroud is brought into the temple and placed in its middle.
The shroud is decorated with a wreath of flowers. This also commemorates the burial of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The final part of the all-night vigil is anointing.
The parishioners, having bowed to the ground, venerate the shroud
The priest anoints the foreheads of the parishioners with consecrated oil in a cross pattern.
This is how the all-night vigil ends on the eve of the Feast of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Liturgy
On the morning of August 28, many parishioners always come to the liturgy on the Feast of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, even if this service falls on a working day.
There are many children among the parishioners.
During the liturgy, the church is censed and the books of the Holy Scriptures are read.
Parishioners participate in joint prayers.
At the liturgy, Father Andrei addressed the parishioners with a sermon in which he spoke about the meaning of the holiday.
The Great Entrance with the Holy Gifts precedes the parishioners' communion.
Before receiving the Holy Mysteries of Christ, parishioners bow to the ground before the shroud of the Mother of God.
Before communion, all parishioners venerate the shroud of the Mother of God.
Children line up first in front of the pulpit for communion.
The priest brings out the Holy Chalice and reads the prayer of communion
Children receive communion first.
Usually young children receive communion in the arms of their fathers or mothers. In some large families, older children help give communion to their younger sisters and brothers.
After all the children have completed communion, adult parishioners approach the Holy Chalice.
On the Feast of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary there are many communicants of all ages.
The final part of the liturgy is dismissal.
On dismissal, parishioners venerate the shroud of the Mother of God before approaching the cross.
We magnify You, most immaculate Mother of Christ our God, and glorify Your Dormition all-gloriously.
Good Friday is the most mournful day, a day of mourning. Friday is the day of remembrance of the Saving Passion of the Lord. On this day Jesus was handed over to the Jewish authorities, made a religious procession to Golgotha, was crucified and died. Read about the history and traditions of the holiday in our Questions and Answers section.
What is Good Friday?
In order for Jesus Christ to rise again, proclaiming the victory of life over death, he had to be crucified. The events took place on Friday. Jesus was tortured, then tried, then taken to Golgotha and crucified. After this, the body was taken down from the cross and buried in a cave.
The crucifix is an important symbol of Good Friday. Another important symbol that is given attention during the morning and evening services is the shroud. A long cloth with a full-length depiction of Jesus Christ in the tomb.
On Good Friday, clergy wear their darkest vestments and perform three services. In the morning, the so-called “Hours” are served in churches, after which the Gospel of the Passion of Christ is read again. In the middle of the day there is Vespers with the rite of removing the shroud, and in the evening they serve Matins of Great Saturday with the rite of burial of the shroud. Don’t be surprised by the discrepancy in time, the fact is that according to the church calendar, the day begins in the evening.
The shroud is placed on a raised platform in the center of the temple, the Gospel is placed on it, and a censer with incense is placed in front of it, constantly burning incense. Also, in memory of how the myrrh-bearing women brought oils to anoint the body of Christ, the shroud is anointed with incense and decorated with flowers. Believers venerate it, and they are also supposed to bow to the ground in front of the shroud.
All services of Good Friday and Holy Saturday begin and end not at the altar, but in front of the shroud. In addition, Good Friday is a day of strict fasting. Believers should not eat anything until the end of the rite of removing the shroud - until three o'clock in the afternoon. Then you are allowed to eat bread and drink water.
What is the service like on Good Friday?
On Good Friday in Orthodox Church three services are performed. In the morning, the Hours are served, during which the Gospel of the Passion of Christ is read again, in the middle of the day they perform vespers with the rite of removing the shroud, and in the evening - Matins of Great Saturday (the day according to the church calendar begins in the evening) with the rite of burial of the shroud.
During the day, at the ceremony of removing the shroud, the canon “Lamentation of the Mother of God” is read. The evening service is of a funeral nature. This is the burial of Christ Himself. Like at a funeral service, everyone in the church stands with lit candles. At the beginning of Matins, the seventeenth kathisma is read - part of the Psalter, which is usually read during funeral services for the dead or at memorial services. Then the canon of Holy Saturday is read. This is also a cry for the buried Christ, but it sounds more and more powerfully new topic- anticipation of the Resurrection, anticipation of Easter. Matins of Holy Saturday ends with a quiet religious procession with the shroud and candles. When the procession goes around the temple, everyone sings the funeral song “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us...” Only a few hours separate this procession from the next one, which takes place on Sunday midnight, already Easter.
On Good Friday, it is considered a sin to work in the garden - you cannot stick iron objects into the ground: rakes, pitchforks, shovels. Only parsley can produce a good harvest. Parsley is called the herb of fortune tellers and brings fertility, love and passion.
If you make a sachet with parsley leaves, this will be a good protection for you from physiological or psychological pressure. This day is also considered favorable for grafting trees.
And laundry washed on Good Friday will not be clean; it may become covered with bloody stains. It is not recommended to transport bees on Good Friday, otherwise they will all die. If you consecrate rings in the temple on this day, they can protect you from illnesses for the whole year. Baking on Good Friday, stored throughout the year, cures whooping cough.
Related materials
What folk signs exist on Good Friday?
On Easter days, they do not take salt so that their hands do not sweat; girls stand on an ax to become strong. All love signs on Easter come true especially true. If a girl hurts her elbow, then her boyfriend remembers her. If you find a fly or cockroach in the soup, wait for a date. If your lip itches - you can’t avoid kissing, if you have an eyebrow - bow to the girl with your sweetheart.
If it is cloudy on Good Friday, then the bread will be covered with weeds. If it is sunny, the wheat will be grainy.
A simple way to identify “spoiled” things in an apartment. So, on Good Friday you go to church and take the half-burnt candle that was in your hands during the service. In the apartment you light it and go through the rooms. Where it crackles, there is a damaged item.
Cutting your nails on Good Friday helps relieve toothache. In a dream on this day, the future groom will appear to the girl.
Good Friday, which falls on April 17 in 2020, is a day of suffering and sorrow. The services that take place in Orthodox churches are entirely devoted to the memory of the tragic events that occurred about two thousand years ago.
To emphasize the peculiarity of this day, liturgy is not served in churches: it is believed that it has already been performed by Christ on the Cross. Instead, the Royal Hours are performed - in the church in front of the Cross, psalms and Gospels about the passion of Christ are read.
In churches three times - at Matins, at the Great Hours and at Great Vespers - the story of the life and death of Jesus is read. At Good Friday services, clergy wear black vestments.
Removal of the Shroud on Good Friday of Holy Week
At Vespers, which begins earlier than usual on this day, the canon “On the Crucifixion of the Lord” is sung, then on Good Friday follows the removal of the shroud through the Royal Doors. Before lifting the shroud from the throne, the clergyman bows to the ground three times. This ritual is performed at the third hour of the day, at the hour of the death of Jesus Christ on the cross.
The shroud is a cloth (piece of fabric) on which a full-length depiction of Jesus Christ lies in the tomb.
The Most Holy Theotokos is also depicted falling at the tomb, standing next to Her are John the Theologian, the myrrh-bearing women and the secret disciples of Christ - Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea.
Along the edges of the shroud the text of the troparion of Great Saturday is embroidered or written: “The noble Joseph took down your most pure body from the tree, wrapped it in a clean shroud and covered it with fragrances in a new tomb, and laid it.”
The shroud is placed on a special elevation in the center of the temple. The “coffin” is decorated with flowers as a sign of sorrow for Jesus Christ and the place is anointed with incense. The Gospel is placed in the center of the shroud.
The shroud in this service is assigned a role that in other cases is performed by the icon of the holiday. The removal of the shroud on Good Friday completes the cycle of services for that day.
On Friday evening, Matins is celebrated, which already refers to the day of Holy Saturday. At the church service, funeral troparia are sung and incense is performed.
Then a procession of the cross takes place around the temple with the shroud, which is carried by the clergy or senior parishioners to the four corners. Believers sing “Holy God.”
The removal of the shroud is accompanied by the ringing of funeral bells. At the end of the burial ceremony, she is brought to the Royal Doors, and then returned to her place in the middle of the temple.
On Good Friday, before the removal of the shroud, believers observe strict fasting, completely abstaining from food. After this, drinking water and bread in small quantities is allowed.
After the ceremony of removing the shroud, at the end of Great Vespers, Little Compline is held. Then believers can venerate the shroud.
This shrine is considered miraculous: there is a belief that if you venerate it, you can be cured of many diseases. She remains lying in the center of the temple for three incomplete days (until Easter). Then she is brought back into the altar.