Orthodox Holy Saturday Matins (Lamentation at the Tomb — Plashchanitsa), Azdamichy 2018.
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.
In 2018 Father Aljaksandr commemorated Plashchanitsa with the customary procession (“carrying out of the Winding-Cloth” or Vynos Plashchanitsy – Вынос Плашчаніцы), during which he carried the Winding-Cloth and frame over his head, and matins.
Вынось Плашчаніцы й ютрань, Вялікая субота, Аздамічы 2018 г.
