Hymn of Kassiani

[GreekOrthodox]

According to Wikipedia, "In many places in Greece, the Bridegroom Matins service of Great Tuesday is popular with sex workers, who may not often be seen in church at other times of the year. They come in great numbers, in order to hear the Hymn of Kassiani, as the hymn is associated with the woman fallen in many sins." Any truth to that?

Kassia - Wikipedia (FYI, the footnote for this goes to the text of the hymn on the GOARCH website)

 

[ArmyMatt]

dunno, interesting if true.

 

[FenderTL5]

I know it's a hymn with wide renown. I don't know about your specific question.

 

[buzuxi02]

Sounds like an embellishment as all references to this come from the same source. They come in "great numbers", is unlikely.
There maybe in certain regions that some churches are located near a red light section where a custom may exist that the prostitutes attend the service. If anything it may have been more common during Byzantine times.

 

[FenderTL5]

According to Wikipedia, "In many places in Greece, the Bridegroom Matins service of Great Tuesday is popular with sex workers, who may not often be seen in church at other times of the year. They come in great numbers, in order to hear the Hymn of Kassiani, as the hymn is associated with the woman fallen in many sins." Any truth to that?

Kassia - Wikipedia (FYI, the footnote for this goes to the text of the hymn on the GOARCH website)

I know the Hymn of Kassiani is quite famous.
However, the part of this service that absolutely slays me every single time is right here:

"she rejoiced in emptying out that, which was precious; he hastened to sell Him, Who was above all price."

 

[ArmyMatt]

I know the Hymn of Kassiani is quite famous.
However, the part of this service that absolutely slays me every single time is right here:
View attachment 255338

"she rejoiced in emptying out that, which was precious; he hastened to sell Him, Who was above all price."

the part that gets me is when she will kiss the feet that frightened Eve.

 

[~Anastasia~]

I know the Hymn of Kassiani is quite famous.
However, the part of this service that absolutely slays me every single time is right here:
View attachment 255338

"she rejoiced in emptying out that, which was precious; he hastened to sell Him, Who was above all price."

I love the theme all through the service of the contrast between the woman who anointed Jesus' feet, and Judas. It hit me hard my first Holy Week, and continues to impact me every year.

A good time to search ourselves for any likeness at all to Judas. Of course we wouldn't sell the Lord for 30 pieces of silver, but I was thinking last night how we can compare any sin to a betrayal of Him.

 

[~Anastasia~]

the part that gets me is when she will kiss the feet that frightened Eve.

Our visiting seminarian (we have a little tradition of hosting a seminarian during Holy Week to chant all the services and shadow Father - this year it's a young lady who is going to make a fine Presvytera I think!) ... anyway, she gave a talk last night and mentioned that part of the hymn. She said she found a story about the emperor who had been enamored of St. Kassiani and came into the garden where she was composing the hymn, and she ran and hid because she heard he was coming. He saw the hymn and added part about her running because of the king's footsteps, meaning himself. And she turned it around to make it about Jesus.

She wasn't sure if it was true or just a legend, but I thought it was interesting.

 

[ArmyMatt]

now that's interesting.

 

[FenderTL5]

Our visiting seminarian (we have a little tradition of hosting a seminarian during Holy Week to chant all the services and shadow Father - this year it's a young lady who is going to make a fine Presvytera I think!) ... anyway, she gave a talk last night and mentioned that part of the hymn. She said she found a story about the emperor who had been enamored of St. Kassiani and came into the garden where she was composing the hymn, and she ran and hid because she heard he was coming. He saw the hymn and added part about her running because of the king's footsteps, meaning himself. And she turned it around to make it about Jesus.

She wasn't sure if it was true or just a legend, but I thought it was interesting.

I had never heard that before... but
That story is actually found on Orthodox wiki

One story, related by Saint Theodora in The Great Synaxaristes of the Orthodox Church holds that Abbess Kassiani spent the afternoon in the garden composing this hymn. As she finished writing that verse which says, "I shall kiss Thine immaculate feet, and wipe them again with the tresses of my head," she was informed that Emperor Theophilos had arrived at the convent. She did not wish to see him, and in her haste to conceal herself, left behind the scroll and pen. Theophilos, having entered the garden, found her half-completed poem, and added the phrase, "those feet at whose sound Eve hid herself for fear when she heard Thee walking in Paradise in the afternoon." After he departed, Kassiani came out from hiding. When she took up her composition, she beheld the phrase written in his handwriting. She retained it and went on to complete the poem.

 

[~Anastasia~]

Interesting ...

 

[~Anastasia~]

I should have added ... it was also said that someone said to her (supposedly) that all evil had entered because of a woman (Eve) ... and she turned it around to say that all good had also entered because of a woman (meaning the Theotokos and the Incarnation of Christ). It might have been in reply to the same Emperor. So it was kind of a double of her turning things around on him. Again, not sure how accurate or maybe legendary this may be, and I'm paraphrasing as well.