Октоих

The Octoechos contains sequences (services) with variable prayers for the moving days of worship of the seven-day circle. Each sequence contains for the days of the week (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday) the prayers of Vespers, Compline, Matins and Liturgy, and for the weeks (Sundays), in addition, it contains the prayers of Little Vespers and Midnight Office 5 . Seven such services, which belong to the seven days of the week and are sung throughout the week in one voice (chant), are called “voice” in the Octoechos. There are eight voices in it. From here it got its name “Osmoglasnik” 6, “Oktoich”. The prayers of Octoechos are designated in liturgical books according to their content, for example: “stichera for the disembodied,” “touching canon.” Often the prayers of the Octoechos are designated in the Typikon by the word “day”, for example: “troparion of the day”, “verses of the day”. With such instructions from the Typikon, one must understand the song of the Octoechos. However, this is how one should understand only those instructions that do not speak about the time of singing the Triodei, for then the expressions: “on the verse day”, “troparion day” - do not indicate the hymns of the Octoechos. The singing of the Octoechos begins on weekdays from Monday after the week (Resurrection) of All Saints and ends before the Saturday of the week of the Meat; on weeks (Sundays) it begins on the second Sunday, i.e. from the Sunday that follows the week of All Saints and continues until the fifth week of Lent (inclusive). The singing of all eight voices, over the course of 8 weeks and weeks, is called a “pillar” in the Church Rules. Six such pillars are sung in a year. They all begin at a time determined by the Church 7 . The Octoechos is not sung on weekdays - starting from Meat Saturday, and on Sundays - starting from the week of Vai until the week of All Saints. But besides this time, there are days on which the singing of the Octoechos is abandoned. This happens: a) on the twelfth feasts of the Lord, occurring both on weekdays and on weekdays; b) on the twelfth feasts of the Mother of God and on the forefeasts and afterfeasts of all twelfth feasts in general, occurring on weekdays, but not on Sundays.