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An Afterfeast is a period of celebration attached to one of the Great Feasts celebrated by the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches (roughly equivalent to what in the West would be called an Octave). The feast of the Resurrection of Jesus, called Pascha (Easter is the greatest of the feasts of the Eastern Orthodox Church. This article refers to Eastern Churches in full communion with the Holy See

The celebration of the Great Feasts of the church year are extended for a number days, depending upon the particular Feast. The feast of the Resurrection of Jesus, called Pascha (Easter is the greatest of the feasts of the Eastern Orthodox Church. The liturgical year, also known as the Christian year, consists of the cycle of liturgical seasons in Christian churches which determines when Each day of an Afterfeast will have particular hymns assigned to it, continuing the theme of the Feast being celebrated. At each of the divine services during an Afterfeast, the troparion and kontakion of the feast are read or chanted. Canonical hours are divisions of time developed by the Christian Church, serving as increments between the prescribed Prayers of the daily round A troparion ( Greek: τροπάριον plural troparia, τροπάρια Church Slavonic: тропа́рь tropar) in Byzantine Kontakion (κοντάκιον is a form of Hymn performed in the Eastern Orthodox Church. The canon of the feast will usually be chanted on every day of the Afterfeast (if two canons were chanted on the day of the feast, they will be alternated on the days of the afterfeast). A canon is a structured Hymn used in a number of Eastern Orthodox services Some of the Great Feasts of the Lord will have a special canon composed of only three odes, called a Triode, which will be chanted at Compline on each of an Afterfeast. Compline (ˈkɒmplɪn also Complin, Night Prayer, Prayers at the End of the Day) is the final church service (or Office) of the day in the

Most of these Great Feasts also have a day or more of preparation called a Forefeast (those Feasts that are on the moveable Paschal Cycle do not have Forefeasts). Forefeasts and Afterfeasts will affect the structure of the services durint the Canonical Hours. Canonical hours are divisions of time developed by the Christian Church, serving as increments between the prescribed Prayers of the daily round

The last day of an Afterfeast is called the Apodosis ("leave-taking", lit. "giving-back") of the Feast. On the Apodosis, most of the hymns that were chanted on the first day of the Feast are repeated. On the Apodosis of Feasts of the Theotokos, the Epistle and Gospel from the day of the Feast are repeated again at the Divine Liturgy. Theotokos (Θεοτόκος translit Theotókos) is a title of Mary the mother of Jesus used especially in the Eastern Orthodox, The Divine Liturgy is the common term for the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine tradition of Christian liturgy.

The Forefeasts and Afterfeasts break down as follows:

Days of

Forefeast

 Name of

Feast

 Date Days of

Afterfeast [1]
1 Nativity of the Theotokos 8 September 5
1 Exaltation of the Cross 14 September 8
1 Entry of the Theotokos 21 November 5
5 [2] Nativity of our Lord 25 December 7
4 [3] Theophany of our Lord 6 January 9
1 [4] Meeting of our Lord 2 February 8
0 [5] Palm Sunday Sunday before Pascha 0
1 [6] Annunciation of the Theotokos 25 March 2
0 [7] Pascha Sunday of the Resurrection 39
0 Mid-Pentecost [8] Twenty-fifth day of Pascha 7
0 Ascension of our Lord Fortieth day of Pascha 9
0 Pentecost (Trinity Sunday) Fiftieth day of Pascha 7
1 Transfiguration of our Lord 6 August 8
1 Dormition of the Theotokos 15 August 9

Four of these Afterfeasts have a special commemoration on the day following the Feast, called a Synaxis. The Nativity of the Theotokos, celebrating the birth of Mary, is one of the Twelve Great Feasts of the Eastern Orthodox Liturgical year. In the Christian Liturgical calendar, there are several different feasts known as Feasts of the Cross, all of which commemorate the cross used in the The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (as it is known in the West or The Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple (its name in the East is a For depictions in painting and sculpture see Nativity of Jesus in art. Epiphany ( Greek for "to manifest" or "to show" is a Christian Feast day which celebrates the "shining forth" or revelation of The Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple celebrates an early episode in the life of Jesus, and falls on or around 2 February. Palm Sunday is a Christian Moveable feast which always falls on the Sunday before Easter. In Christianity the Annunciation ( grc Ευαγγελισμός της Θεοτόκου, Evangelismós tēs Theotókou in Greek) is the revelation Easter ( Greek: Πάσχα Pascha or Pasxa) is the most important religious feast in the Christian Liturgical year. Mid-Pentecost or Midfeast is a Feast day which occurs during the Paschal season in the Eastern Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic The general and most common understanding of the Christian Doctrine of Ascension holds that Jesus bodily ascended to Heaven in the presence Pentecost (πεντηκοστή, pentekostē, "the fiftieth day" is one of the prominent feasts in the Christian Liturgical year, celebrated the Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday after Pentecost in the Western Christian liturgical calendar, and the Sunday of Pentecost in Eastern The Transfiguration of Jesus is an event reported by the Synoptic Gospels in which Jesus is transfigured upon a mountain (,) The Dormition of the Theotokos ( Greek: Koimesis) is a Great Feast of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and In this context, a Synaxis commemorates a saint who is intimately bound up with the Feast being celebrated. For the Moth Genus, see Synaxis (moth. (at this point April 2008 this redirects to a nonexistant article The four Synaxes are:

Other Great Feasts that have Afterfeasts (although no Forefeasts) are:

Each of these three has only 1 day of Afterfeast, and no Apodosis.

Even though the Patronal Feast of a church or monastery is treated as a Great Feast, it has no Forefeast or Afterfeast. The patron saint of a particular group of people is a Saint who would protect and 'love' the group and its members

The Feast of the Procession of the Cross (August 1), though it is not counted as a Great Feast, has one day of Forefeast, and no Afterfeast. In the Christian Liturgical calendar, there are several different feasts known as Feasts of the Cross, all of which commemorate the cross used in the

Notes

  1. ^ These numbers are inclusive (counting the actual day of the Feast itself).
  2. ^ The Eve of the Nativity is a special day of strict fasting and preparation in anticipation of the Feast, called a Paramony. Christmas Eve, December 24, is the day before Christmas Day, the celebrated birthday of Jesus.
  3. ^ The Eve of the Theophany is also a Paramony.
  4. ^ The Forefeast and Afterfeast of the Meeting of the Lord are variable, depending on the date of Pascha that year: the Afterfeast must always end before the beginning of Great Lent. Great Lent, or the Great Fast, is the most important Fasting season in the Church year in Eastern Christianity, which prepares Christians
  5. ^ The day before Palm Sunday, Lazarus Saturday could be considered a type of Forefeast for Palm Sunday. Lazarus Saturday, in the Eastern Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite, is the day before Palm Sunday
  6. ^ If the Annunciation falls during Holy Week there will be no Forefeast or Afterfeast. Holy Week ( Latin: Hebdomada Sancta or Maior Hebdomada, "Greater Week" in Christianity is the last week before Easter.
  7. ^ Holy Saturday could be thought of as a Forefeast of Pascha, but the Bright Resurrection of Christ is so far above and beyond the normal level of Great Feasts that it falls into a category all by itself. It does, however have an Afterfeast, and that is why it is treated in this table.
  8. ^ Mid-Pentecost is unique in that it is a Feast that falls within a Feast (falling as it does within the Afterfeast of Pascha).

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