Orthodox Holy Saturday Matins (Lamentation at the Tomb — Plashchanitsa), Azdamichy 2016.
To mark the death of Christ and his repose in the tomb, the priest sets up a temporary altar table, an altar of repose (the symbolic tomb of Christ), toward the rear of the nave. The priest — Father Aljaksandr in Azdamichy — has a cloth icon spread out to cover the table. Commemorating the Lamentation of the dead Christ, the icon is called the Winding-Cloth: Plashchanitsa (Плашчаніца) in Belarusian or epitaphios in Greek. Other icons in the church are draped in black lace. However, this matins service itself is far from a lamentation. Rather, it praises Christ’s victory over death by his own death.
For the procession Father Aljaksandr carries the Winding-Cloth and frame over his head.
In 2018 Orthodox Easter falls on Sunday, April 8. Holy Saturday, April 7, thus coincides with the feast of the Annunciation, one of the Twelve Great Feasts in the Orthodox liturgical calendar. In Azdamichy Father Aljaksandr commemorated Plashchanitsa with the customary matins service and procession (“carrying out of the Winding-Cloth” or Vynos Plashchanitsy – Вынос Плашчаніцы) and then performed the Annunciation liturgy. In neighboring Tsjerablichy Father Vital’ commemorated Plashchanitsa on Good Friday, April 6, and celebrated the Annunciation liturgy on Holy Saturday.
Ютрань і Вынось Плашчаніцы, Вялікая субота, Аздамічы 2016 г.
After the procession Father Aljaksandr returns the Winding-Cloth to the temporary altar. He then places the Gospels, representing the triumph of the Word over death, on the altar and blesses the ensemble to conclude the service.
