Mention of the first religious processions is found in Old Testament. Among them are the journey of the sons of Israel from Egypt to the promised land, the procession around the ark of God, the circumambulation of the walls of Jericho, the transfer of the ark God's David and Solomon.

Processions of the cross are regular (or calendar) and extraordinary. Regular processions take place on certain days. They take place several times a year in honor of shrines and great church events, for example, the Velikoretsk religious procession, which takes place annually in early June, etc.

Calendar processions also take place on the day of the Epiphany, Easter, and the feast of the Second Savior for the blessing of water. During the procession it sounds bell ringing, which is called blagovest. Clergymen are required to wear liturgical attire.

Extraordinary processions are held in times of distress, such as war, famine, epidemics, natural disasters. Such religious processions are accompanied by intense prayers for salvation.

The procession can last several minutes, several days and even weeks or months. In this case, people stock up on food to eat during stops, and also take with them sleeping mats, waterproof raincoats, reliable shoes and necessary medications that may be needed along the way.

Processions can take place both on land and in the air. The clergy take all the necessary attributes with them on board the plane and, while reading a prayer, sprinkle the city with holy water during the flight. In addition, there are sea religious processions, when clergy perform prayer services or funeral services on board a ship or other vessel.

Taking part in the procession means accepting spiritual cleansing and reminding other people of the power Orthodox faith, since this procession symbolizes bearing one’s cross and following the word of the Savior.

Sources:

• website of the Sayan Church of the Annunciation

IN Orthodox Christianity there are many traditions. One of these are processions of the cross, performed on special occasions. holidays.

The practice of religious processions has a very ancient history. Since the establishment of Christianity as the main religion of the Roman Empire (IV century), religious processions have become an integral part of church liturgical life.

Procession is a procession of believers with icons, portable crucifixes and banners along the streets of a populated area. Processions of the cross are a visible symbol of witnessing the Orthodox faith to people. Such processions can take place not only along the streets of a city or village, but also simply around the temple. At the same time, the clergy and choir sing certain prayers and passages from the Holy Scriptures are read.

According to the liturgical Charter Orthodox Church religious processions take place during patronal church holidays. The move can also be carried out on other memorable church dates. The execution of a religious procession can be determined by the rector of a particular temple.

Processions of the cross can also take place on days when various shrines arrive in the city. For example, miraculous icons Mother of God. In this case, the clergy and people can march with the miraculous icon from one church in the city to another. Processions of the cross can also be held at holy springs. When believers come to the holy spring, a water blessing prayer is performed.

The main component of the procession is the prayer of believers. Each participant in such a procession should silently pray for his own needs, as well as the needs of his neighbors. In addition, during religious processions, prayer is carried out for the entire population of the city or village.

“Again these Orthodox Christians have blocked everything!” — the woman is indignant, leaving the lobby of the Nevsky Prospekt metro station.

The young man nods to her in agreement, while simultaneously filming what is happening.

— In 2017, the city center will be closed for the sake of walking with remains! - he comments on his video recording.

The discontent of St. Petersburg residents, whose daily route to work was blocked by the religious procession, is also supported by drivers. Angry messages appear in navigators every now and then: “When will this show end?”, “This offends my feelings as a believing pagan!”, “How long can I tolerate this?”

“Holy collapse” is how the drivers described the citywide religious procession. Indignation in the form of quotes from classics looks especially St. Petersburg compared to others. “Comrade, believe: she will rise, a star of captivating happiness. Russia will wake up from its sleep…” writes an unknown driver in the “Incident” mark on the blocked Alexander Nevsky Bridge. However, not all participants traffic ready to use censorship in the current traffic jams.

Here is the Gazelle driver trying to explain to the law enforcement officer that he urgently needs to cross Nevsky Prospekt:

“Citizen, we warned everyone, we wrote in the newspapers, we said on TV - everything will be blocked. Why are you putting on a show here? — the traffic police officer almost shouts and throws up his hands.

But drivers blocked on Rubinshtein Street refuse to understand him.

“They won’t pray to my boss for being late!” - heard from the Gazelle.

Meanwhile, believers do not seem to notice the negativity surrounding them and congratulate each other on the holiday. "Christ is Risen! - the crowd chants. “Truly He is Risen!” In the column of the Nevsky Front, a young football player bashfully asks the adults: “Isn’t that what they say at Easter?” The boy is sloppily stroked on the head, but he never heard an answer - probably this is also a big question for adults.

The procession was not without some pressing topics. Opponents of Alexei Uchitel’s film about the romance of the future Emperor Nicholas II with the ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya have a whole column in the procession - a banner with the inscription “Matilda is a slap in the face to the Russian people” is proudly stretched above them. In the middle is a fragile woman with a large icon in her hands, next to her is a Cossack in a traditional costume and a man with a “Donbass Volunteers” flag. “Orthodox activists” behave rather modestly - they silently carry their posters and only occasionally sing prayers.

There are not many people in the ranks of Matilda’s opponents, but throughout the entire procession there are sporadic “ambassadors” - inconspicuous pensioners with bright talking posters. The effect of the column is impressive - it seems that all the participants in the procession are discussing “Matilda” during breaks between prayer services.

“And it’s right that they fight this Teacher; there’s no point in making shameful remarks about our sovereign!” - says an elderly participant in the procession to her friend.

- But this is not Christian! They are burning, they are hooligans!

“They, sinners, do not understand what they are doing.” They don’t understand it any other way... God bless us!

Teenagers are walking in the next column. They haven't heard anything about Matilda, so they talk about missed lessons and unfinished homework. “How long do you think we have to go?” — the girl asks her friend. “I don’t know, they say the bus will arrive at the very end...” is the sad answer. And in the circles of young people at this time they laugh at Milonov:

“Can you imagine, they say he’s walking there in a cassock!”

- Yah! I wish I could look at this.

- Let's try to break forward.

But, unfortunately for the young men, the beginning of the column is especially guarded by the police. The most important guests - vice-governors Igor Albin and Konstantin Serov, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Vyacheslav Makarov and other officials - although they are part of the procession, they are in their own separate column. They are separated from the rest of the believers not only by a police detachment and a dozen guards, but also by a column of Cossacks.

However, passers-by are not lost and take pictures with “digital versions” of officials and clergy - there is even a queue of people wanting to take a selfie against the backdrop of the procession at the broadcast screens.

A stampede begins near Alexander Nevsky Square - the relics have already been brought into the monastery, and the flow of people continues to arrive. “Glory to you, Lord, it has arrived!” — the pensioner sighs, leaning on her companion. Some of those who came to the religious procession methodically move towards the metro, where they are already preparing for pandemonium, while the other part remains for the speech of the governor and Metropolitan Barsanuphius.

“Again these relics! And so every year,” sighs a metro employee when the lobby of Alexander Nevsky Square is filled with people holding icons in their hands.

The Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs subsequently reported that about 100 thousand people took part in the religious procession.

Alexandra Polukeeva

“It was the joy of the Triumph of Orthodoxy!” - this thought sounded from the lips of almost everyone who walked the streets of Kyiv with the Procession of the Cross on July 27, offered prayers to the Lord and thanked the Baptist of Rus' - Holy Prince Vladimir for his chosen path to God.

“These are the moments when the Lord sends “healing to all who flow to Him with faith”!”

Yulia Vladimirovna, children's Sunday school teacher

From the day of birth to the day of death...
It was a miracle for me to learn that a trip to Kyiv was being organized, where a religious procession dedicated to the 1000th anniversary of the repose of Prince Vladimir, the Baptist of Rus', would take place. 1000 years have passed! Just think about it! And with God everything is like one day. And the miracle for me is that literally the day before I returned from pilgrimage trip, in which (July 16-18) the Lord vouchsafed me to visit the Pskov land, where, according to legend, in the village of Budnik near Pskov the baby was born - the future Prince Vladimir the Red Sun! Miracle! I cannot express in words the thrill of my soul and realize the great mercy of God! That’s why I really wanted to go to the Kiev religious procession. For me, such a relationship was obvious and providential.

Procession of the Cross - flight of souls!
It is difficult to convey in words the experiences that the soul experienced during the procession! Joy and peace, trust and peace! A life-giving stream, where each of us is that “Little Drop” - part big water, and with Her the gardens are revived from drought." How I want to hold on to this grace and accommodate everything that the Lord gives! What was amazing for me was that there was no time or desire to worry about bodily strength. The spirit subjugated the flesh. This is great! Here This is how we should learn to live and strive for “the one thing we need”! Probably, these are the moments when the Lord sends “healing to all who flow to Him with faith”!

A man on crutches.
When we walked in the Procession of the Cross, a man on crutches walked nearby. I don’t understand how he could walk on these crutches?! But he walked. And there was absolutely no fatigue on his face. One aspiration. And this was the greatest example! You understand that the Lord strengthens. And you go.

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest...”
What was very memorable and surprising was how repeatedly and timely the words of the Holy Gospel were heard: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest; Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” yours; for My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” I have heard this gospel four times in the past few weeks. Wherever we went, this very Gospel was read in all the monasteries! First time in Pskov at the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery. Then - the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, and now, when they came to the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra in a religious procession, this very Gospel was read at the All-Night Vigil! Incredible feeling! It was as if the Lord Himself had strengthened the soul during the days of the trip!

“Many, powerful, large-scale!”

Anna, lighting designer.

Normal and worthy!

Why did I go to the Procession? It was a spiritual impulse. Sometimes I like to challenge myself. And for me personally, this was a challenge to myself. Come and look at great amount of people. It seemed to me that it would be a bustle of the crowd, and I was determined to come and see how it would be, could I endure it? I decided to go for my own humility. But my expectations were not confirmed! Vice versa! I felt great kindness and courtesy from everyone! For example, I had one moment at the Procession. I had to go back and had to go against the flow of people. But no one cursed, they gave way, let me through, and smiled at me. Everything was fine and decent. That's right - normal and worthy!

Those who in ordinary life are embarrassed to even open their mouths - sang!

When the procession of the Cross began, and from a distance I saw the monks with banners, a feeling of excitement and trepidation appeared. They walked, sang, and I felt that already at that moment I was also joining them in spirit. Then came the choir. Their beautiful, angelic singing made those who in ordinary life would be embarrassed to even open their mouths sing!

They looked out for their archpastors and waved to them!
Then the religious procession was continued by our clergy. All the people began to look closely and look out for their diocesan pastors. And it was so amazing when a believer loudly says the name of his clergyman and waves his hand to him! Sometimes a response wave of the hand was observed. People were very happy when they saw His Beatitude Onuphry, and rushed to him for a blessing, but then it became clear to everyone that this could not continue, otherwise the procession would not take place, and they abandoned him.

Many, powerful, large-scale!
In general, I can say this about the Procession: many, powerful, large-scale. There are many people, a powerful number of shrines and the grace emanating from them. The presence and participation of so many clergy in the procession is large-scale!

“The UOC calmly showed society and the state its strength and potential”

Oleg Evgenievich, teacher of Theological courses

Why did I go to the procession...
I went because, firstly, it was the celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the repose of Saint Prince Vladimir. I was going to the celebration! Secondly, the religious procession is an important Orthodox event, so it was important to support our brothers. And thirdly, visit Kyiv, the Lavra.

Prince Vladimir “did not deceive” - we underwent a second baptism with water!
This holiday in honor of Prince Vladimir became like a second baptism for us (laughs), it showered us well. But at the same time without wind and cold. I observed a child in a stroller - he lay as if in a bath, but did not cry at all.

It was a real religious procession!

Very calm! They passed quietly. Previously, he often took part in religious processions. There is usually tension – both physical and internal. During this religious procession, the first thing I noticed for myself was calmness! No political slogans. People sang exclusively religious chants and prayed. There was no political symbolism. His Beatitude spoke only about God, the Church, and faith. It was a real church procession, and not a church-political procession.

Heavenly air conditioner.
Coolness “followed” the procession. It was as if someone was holding an air conditioner above us.

Everyone got wet and rejoiced!

I noticed that everyone was wet! There were Cossacks and police in raincoats. The conversation between them was that everyone was wet to the last thread. But no one even complained! Everyone was happy, I didn’t hear any indignation from anyone. I especially noted this! Everyone was happy!

Prayer was easy!
You walk among people, think about your own, your innermost thoughts, and pray. For example, nothing bothered me. If a person does not want to pray, he will not pray in the temple. And during the Procession of the Cross, he will definitely pray. Everything around is conducive to prayer. Chants are heard from everywhere. Some overtook, some lagged behind... But prayer united with everyone. And it was calm!

The information myth has been refuted!

About the fact that supposedly people are leaving the UOC en masse and moving to other faiths. Despite enormous pressure, despite attempts to create public ostracism, to declare us “enemies of the people,” etc., the UOC stubbornly does not “crumble” and remains the largest religious structure in the country. The UOC calmly showed society and the state its strength and its potential (not all)!

“My very first! And I really liked it"

Daniil, 12 years old

- Was this the first religious procession in your life?
- Yes, the very first! And I really liked it! There were a lot of people! By the time we reached the monastery, the last pair of participants in the procession started from where we started.

- How far have you walked?
A lot of. We walked maybe five kilometers. First we walked to Vladimirskaya Gorka, since minibuses were no longer running. And then with the procession of the Cross - to the Kiev Pechersk Lavra.

- Tired?
- Not good. Almost not tired at all. I'm not exactly good physical training, but when we walked, it wasn’t even noticeable that we had walked so much!

- What did you do during the procession? Just walking?
- I prayed. I read the Theotokos, then the Our Father.

- Who told you how to behave?
- That's what all the people did. We prayed. When in chorus. Then also myself.

- What impressed you most?
- How many people there were! Most impressive! I liked it very much! I really wanted to go to the Procession of the Cross, because I had never been. I liked that we came with the whole family, with my sister and grandmother.

“You experience the joy of the Triumph of Orthodoxy! Especially now - after the procession of the Cross"

Lyubov, 5th year student, Faculty of Chemistry.

Father blessed.

My confessor, to whom I have been going to church since childhood, blessed me to go to the Procession of the Cross. Then the priest announced this procession in the church and spoke about its significance for believers, so many people gathered at our parish to go to Kyiv for the celebrations.

I drove with purpose. The 1000th anniversary of the repose of Prince Vladimir is almost the Triumph of Orthodoxy, ours! Because Prince Vladimir brought us this faith - Christianity - to our land, and before that we were pagans.
I know that when you take part in the Procession of the Cross, each person’s prayer intensifies, which is why many people gather. And your every step is recorded by an Angel. This is considered a good deed. That’s why I wanted to go to the procession and pray.

-Did you manage to pray? How can you pray in front of so many people?

Well, of course! We are going for this! We went for prayer! A Evening Worship?! We all came in procession to the Lavra for Vespers. The monks walked ahead, the priesthood. Chorus. They sang. Of course, we may not have heard something. But we prayed together...

Somewhere we got distracted, but still came back, thank God, with thoughts and prayers. Intentions, as they say, are kissed by God. And intention is valued even more, sometimes, than action.

Special impressions!
Such a massive religious procession! First time I've seen one of these! Before that, I had been to many, but not such massive ones. I have a lot of impressions! Words cannot describe it. It was solemn! Everyone is happy! One forgets who stepped on whom, who pushed whom, the severity of the trip, the inconvenience... All this is forgotten. Then the joy of the Triumph of Orthodoxy fills all feelings. You feel joy! And especially now, after the trip.

“The shrines are coming, but I am standing. Although I have to crawl to them on my knees. Such a feeling of greatness..!”

Antonina Vasilyevna, the commandant of the dormitory of the Agrarian Lyceum, is now retired.

I've been going to church all my life.

I always believed in God. I didn’t live a deep church life, and there wasn’t much opportunity at that time, but I always went to church. Now, having retired, she became a church member, and after her husband’s death, even more so.

First sensations...
We arrived early. In the morning, on the bus, after reading morning prayers, I have already finished reading the Psalter. She closed the book and looked up. (At that time we were driving out onto the bridge.) And then... The golden-domed Lavra is in front of me! A light, light rain, like a mist... And I cried. The whole panorama is like in a cloud. It felt like being at the gates of heaven. I was shocked!

I have my own story...
My soul has long been yearning for a meeting with the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. And I went to Kyiv for the first time.
When we got married, my husband was a military man and served in Kyiv. He really liked Kyiv, and my husband kept promising to take me there. But he was a very responsible person, strict rules, duty and service were above all for him. That's why there wasn't enough time to go together. Once, having gone to Kyiv on duty, he called me and said how happy he was there. He said that he walked through all the places of his service, around Arsenalnaya. And in the evening he unexpectedly... died... In Kyiv.

Prepared as for me...
After the Procession of the Cross and Evening Service in the Lavra, we stayed overnight in Kyiv to attend another festive Liturgy dedicated to the 1000th anniversary of the triumph of Prince Vladimir. It was difficult to assign such a number of thousands of people to spend the night. But such a coincidence seems to have been arranged for me. We were accommodated for the night in the Goloseevsky district - it was in this area that my husband died.

I wanted to see it with my own eyes and then tell everyone!
I really wanted to go to this procession. I wanted to be among people and be shoulder to shoulder with like-minded people. I wanted to see with my own eyes and then tell what a stream of people was coming. And I saw everything with my own eyes! This is a river! How many priests came - our support, nobility. They look after us, admonish us, who carry our entire burden on their shoulders, accepting our confessions and our sins.

Organized by the highest level!
What a powerful, beautiful, modern church ours is. The religious procession was organized at the highest level! Disciplined, solemn, decorous, calm, without fuss. Everyone was in their place, everyone knew what to do. I was very impressed by the order and clear organization!

I remember it like a wonderful dream.
I have one comparison: when the religious procession was going on, it was the golden river of our priests flowing. Although gold is nothing to our soul. This may not be a fair comparison. It’s better to say – it was a sunny golden river.
When the priests carried the reliquary with the relics, they were tall and courageous. It was impressive that they carried the reliquary with their faces turned towards the relics. It turns out that they walked almost sideways, which was difficult, especially going down the mountain. What physical stress, responsibility and honor! What inspired faces there were. It was very moving to watch. Then we joined the stream of people.

All I wanted was to pray.
The bazaar was not in the crowd. Nobody pushed. If someone stepped on their feet, they immediately apologized. Everyone asked for forgiveness: “Sorry.” And in response everyone answered: “Come on...” - and they didn’t seem to notice this awkwardness. This was an example of relationships in the world.
All I wanted was to pray. They sang “Mother of God, Virgin, Rejoice” and “Jesus Prayer.” I felt spiritually uplifted. There was some kind of rage - “rage for Bose”, an upsurge in the soul! I wanted to sing: “Tremble, O Gentiles, for God is with us” (I know that in this verse – “Understand, O Gentiles...”). And then I wanted to say exactly: “Tremble.”

When the icons were carried, there were tears of tenderness. I looked with wide eyes and thought: “Who am I? And such shrines float past me!” They walk and I stand. Although I have to crawl to them on my knees. There was such a feeling of greatness in my soul!
When the nuns and sisters of mercy walked by, my heart was also touched. And tears. Their black clothing is a symbol of virginity. This is exactly about us, women. It was very touching.

And I returned home inspired!
I arrived home, I see everything, everything is going well, everything is going well.

Not so long ago, we all followed the events of the All-Ukrainian procession of peace, love and prayer, which became a real testimony to the faith of our people. However, not everyone, perhaps, knows how the tradition of such moves among the Orthodox appeared, what its meaning and Old Testament origins are. Let's try to find out.

Not a flash mob or demonstration

What is important to know? Procession of the Cross(not to be confused with the Crusades) is not called any popular procession, otherwise it could be confused with a demonstration or some kind of flash mob. Even external attributes, presence icons, crosses, banners cannot be a guarantee that he is exactly that.

Firstly, such a procession always has an absolutely specific goal, a reason (we will talk about them a little lower). Secondly, it must be performed only with the blessing of the archpastor, the bishop. Thirdly, such a procession must be led by a legally ordained priest or the same bishop.

But these, too, let’s say, are only organizational, formal signs of moves, which are by no means responsible for their success. The main thing that should be present at such a procession of believers is a common spirit of prayer, unity of faith, mutual love and respect. Without them, any such “action” threatens to turn into an ordinary walk, or even - which is much worse - into a magic trick. Let us emphasize that what is important here is not only prayer, but a community spirit, and one that is peaceful towards everyone, even enemies.

Why do people come with crosses and icons?

So, we can say that such church moves are a type of general prayer. Of course, then the question involuntarily arises: why go out into the street, make some kind of processions, if you can pray in church? The answer to it is the same as to the question: why are fasting and bowing necessary? We do this when we want to add some kind of sacrifice to our prayer so that it is heard.

Is the religious procession a manifestation of one’s faith? Perhaps from the outside this is exactly what it looks like. But this, of course, is not the main goal. His goal is to summon God's grace, first of all, on all people, believers and non-believers, on the place where they pass: the city, the country and, ultimately, the whole world.

In addition, through such prayer solemn processions, natural elements are sanctified: fire, water, air. Previously people better understood that any natural disasters are not just abstract environmental problems, but the wrath of God for our sins. That’s why they made such popular processions to beg the Lord for mercy.

The crusaders carry crosses with them (which is why it is called a procession), icons, and banners. Banners are sacred church banners that should not be confused with state ones, since the power of Christ is “not of this world.” The very first to carry a lantern (as a sign of the Gospel light, enlightening the whole world).

The cross is the main banner of Christians, a symbol of victory over death, a testimony of faith. Therefore, a move without him is, of course, unthinkable. Through the icons the saints themselves, the heavenly host also invisibly takes part in it. Sometimes, on the day of remembrance of a saint or his glorification, on special occasions, processions are also carried out with the relics of the saints of God.

Old Testament types

The very first prototype of such a procession of believers, perhaps, can be the forty-year campaign of the Israelites through the desert in search of the Promised Land. The most striking example of the effective power of such popular processions is the capture of Jericho. The Book of Joshua tells about this ( Nav. 5:13-6:26).

In a special revelation, he was ordered to walk around this city for seven days with the Ark of the Covenant, while blowing the trumpets. The ark was carried by the priests, the soldiers walked behind. On the seventh day, the Israelites blew their trumpets and shouted loudly and with one voice, after which the wall of Jericho collapsed and the city surrendered.

Also, the Jews on the Feast of Tabernacles had a tradition of a seven-day solemn procession around the almemar (a place in the synagogue) with palm branches. Another vivid prototype can be the transfer of the Ark of the Covenant by King David to Jerusalem, in which the entire people of Israel participated “with shouts and the sound of trumpets.”

John Chrysostom and the establishment of tradition

During the Savior’s earthly life, an example of a procession of the cross could be His solemn entry into Jerusalem. Then all the people greeted Him with the words “Hosanna!” and laid palm branches under their feet. We know that already in the first centuries in the early Christian community there was a tradition on Easter day to symbolically, following the example of the myrrh-bearing women, walk around the temple with candles in hand.

This can be considered the beginning of a tradition, but the rank (order) itself did not yet exist. Then, it is known that the newly discovered relics of the saints were carried over in the same solemn manner by the entire community. These processions took place at night and were accompanied by general prayer in the form of singing hymns (psalms). They were called lithiums (not to be confused with their modern species) or lithiums. They served as the beginning of the modern religious procession.

The authorship of the first rite is traditionally attributed to St. John Chrysostom. At first they were created in opposition to the Arians - the saint did not want people to participate in their Sunday pleasure meetings. Then, during the time when Chrysostom lived (IV century), a series of natural Disasters. So from a simple pious tradition they moved into general church practice, where they became entrenched.

Procession of the Cross in Rus'

These solemn processions with the participation of believers came to Rus' along with Christianity from Byzantium. Let us remember that the baptism of Kievan Rus itself was preceded by a large campaign of people to the Dnieper River in response to the call of Prince Vladimir. Also, the glorification of the first Russian saints, the passion-bearers Boris and Gleb, and the transfer of their relics in 1115 was accompanied by a nationwide church procession.

Prayer processions of the people became so widespread in Russian lands that Holy Synod He was even forced to pass a resolution banning spontaneous moves. The heyday of the popularity of the religious procession tradition in Russia occurred at the beginning of the 20th century. Even royal families took part in them back then. The most striking example is glorification St. Seraphim Sarovsky in 1903. Then from one hundred to three hundred thousand people took part in it, including Emperor Nicholas II himself and his family.

It is also difficult to overestimate the role of repentance moves for the history of the Russian state. They repeatedly saved not only Moscow, but also other significant cities from pestilences, fires and military invasions, thanks to which the images of the Mother of God became so famous here, especially Vladimir, Tikhvin, Kazan and many others. It’s not for nothing that the same Seraphim of Sarov said that “Russia will be saved by religious processions.”

Types of prayer processions

There are many types of procession according to different criteria. According to their duration, they are divided into one-day and multi-day. Depending on the time of commission there may be:

• annual(set, for example, on Easter and Epiphany);
• emergency, or disposable(committed for a specific reason).

Depending on the reasons, they are divided into:

• holiday, or solemn- performed in honor of a specific holiday;
• thanksgiving- in gratitude for God's help and mercy for some reason, these also include the procession in honor of the consecration of the temple;
• propitiatory- a type of general prayer at the beginning of an important church or state event;
• repentant- processions of believers carried out in times of national disasters (famine, war, epidemics, earthquakes, etc.) with a request for deliverance from them.

Unusual movements of modern times

Today there are many new types of unusual church processions, which, of course, have the same power if performed with faith, and not just with the intention of surprising. It is worth at least mentioning that already in our century such a variety of them as godfather years. The shrine (relics or icon) with prayer is transported by plane or helicopter over long distances.

Besides air, began to be implemented much earlier and aquatic. Such a religious procession is especially convenient for remote, hard-to-reach places. An unusual phenomenon can be called biker movements with icons and banners, in which even priests take part. Today they are also gaining popularity children's prayer marches, especially prayers for peace. They are also a clear testimony of faith.

But in the monastery of Optina Hermitage, an unusual prayer procession is also held every day, in which... cats take part. This video can be viewed here: