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Times when bending the knee is forbidden

qawe
edited August 2014 in Coptic Orthodox Church
I know that according to the canons that kneeling is forbidden on Sundays and the 50 days after resurrection, but this article seems to suggest that this rule extends to Saturdays too.  What do you guys think?

"In the East, Saturday is still, as in early times, treated as a festal day, except in regard to the cessation of work, and is characterized by the absence of fasting and by standing in prayer."

Comments

  • qawe
    Also on the same page:
    "The Coptic church nowadays observes Saturday as a festal day on which fasts and prostrations are prohibited all the year round except Holy Saturday"

    On another note, I also found this interesting:
    "But the Divine Liturgy on Holy Saturday is celebrated early in the morning, and not at noon as it should be according to the ritual rule. Hence, most communicants do break the fast by taking a drink of water immediately after communion."
  • ophadeceophadece
    Of course that's absolutely right. The two days on which we don't practise abstinent fasting are Saturday and Sunday
     Oujai
  • qawe
    @ophadece

    This thread is about prostrations, not fasting.
  • ophadeceophadece
    @qawe,
    I'm aware of that, and both Do Go hand in hand, that's to say that In the Lordly feasts during fasting we don't abstain nor practise prostrations. An example just came to happen last week in the transfiguration feast..
    Oujai
  • EsmoEpchoisEsmoEpchois
    edited August 2014
    Prostrations and fasting do go hand and hand as @ophadece said. Example: We prostrate during the daytime litanies during pascha but we do not prostrate in the evening. Why? Because we are fasting(without food or water) in the morning
  • qawe
    But we are fasting during the liturgy on Saturday, so doesn't that mean we can prostrate?
  • ophadeceophadece
    @qawe
    Fasting is when we change our feeding habits for a period of time and for a particular reason that is to say one of the seven fasts. Fasting before the liturgy doesn't count as such because it could happen 361 days a year..
     Oujai
  • qawe
    @ophadece

    Then doesn't that mean that we also cannot kneel during the liturgy on most Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays? That sounds bizarre to me though.
  • ophadeceophadece
    @qawe,
    The only liturgies you are not supposed to perform prostrations during are the ones held during the Holy Fifty Days. During all other liturgies, it is part of praying to do the prostrations. However, if you are not there, and at home you don't! So even during Saturdays' and Sundays' liturgies you would perform prostrations. I wasn't clear in replying to your next to last post; I was just talking in general rather than during liturgies. I hope that's clear now. 
    Oujai
  • qawe
    @ophadece

    I believe on Sunday there is also no prostration in the liturgy since Sunday = resurrection

    However thanks for clearing the Saturday confusion up
  • ophadeceophadece
    @qawe,
    I'm not sure about this. I always thought you could do a metaneya during Sunday liturgies too but I'll wait for other members to share their knowledge..
     Oujai
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