Tradition(al) Pet Peeves (meant to be fun/blow off steam/no flaming, please)

[Mary of Bethany]

EO also never have a service without incense. Even Readers services (when no priest is present).

I'm beginning to understand why there aren't so many Coptic Catholics in the world...

The censing of the Church -- a part of every Coptic Orthodox liturgy when the priest censes literally the entire church, from the altar and back again -- is done as the choir sings the hymn "Tai shori" (The Censer: "This is the censer of pure gold bearing the aroma, in the hands of Aaron the priest, offering up incense on the altar."). I was able to find a video of it that captures it pretty well, though the hymn itself ends at around the 2:20 mark.

See, it'd be impossible to avoid inhaling the incense at some point, and usually a pretty heavy dose of it (and more during many other parts; heck, the Matins/Vespers are called "Raising of the Morning/Evening Incense", so I guess those are out, too )

Of course, I'm sensitive to the fact that a smaller fraction than probably make a big deal out it really do have such allergies, but y'know...that's why you've got doors and windows and such, right? That was actually one of the reasons why it took us so long to get the approval of the Albuquerque Fire Department to buy the property that was turned into St. Bishoy COC, if I recall correctly: since it is an industrial park/office area that it shares with other places in other parts of the complex (we could only buy one little part of it), they were apparently afraid that our use of incense would set off the automatic sprinkler system for the building and ruin all the other places, so we had to submit all this stuff about how much incense we use, when it's used, how we'll control for it (by opening the door and windows...), etc. Pretty funny, I thought, but also kind of a pain. I bet the Baptists never have to deal with this. Hahaha.

During the year or so we had the property while I was still there, we didn't set off the sprinkler system even once. Take that, unbelievers!

 

[Mary of Bethany]

Even in parishes without pews, we all sort of have “our” places to stand.

At least that probably isn't unique to a particular tradition. If anything (as far as a particular tradition) some Orthodox would be immune, as there are often no pews.

But I've been in somewhat the reverse situation in different kinds of denominations - showing up early as a visitor and inadvertently taking "someone's seat". Sometimes it causes a bit of a stir.

I actually did once in my parish now - sat just inside next to the aisle in the last row next to the back door (VERY against my usual inclination of going up front). He didn't say anything to me, but there was an elderly gentleman who had sat in that spot for the past 60+ years, in order to help with the doors. He didn't know what to do with himself, and I didn't know until someone else who noticed mentioned it to me later.

 

[dzheremi]

EO also never have a service without incense. Even Readers services (when no priest is present).

It's weird, because when I was a kid I always associated incense with the Catholic Church (I was raised Presbyterian), and furthermore with funerals, since that's the only time I ever got to go to a Catholic Church (my dad's side of the family was all Catholic, so when my grandfather died, or when a Hispanic friend of mine died in about sixth grade, etc.), so I had kind of a bad association with it. Not in the usual 'Protestant objections to Catholicism' way (my mother never said anything about the RCC other than that Catholics were "weird"), but as in 'Oh...incense...someone must have died'. Weird, I know, but I didn't really know any better.

Fast forward many years and now that I'm Coptic Orthodox, I look at the more standard Roman Catholic or otherwise non-Eastern services and am like "Where's all the incense? Is this a liturgy or not?" I couldn't imagine having a service without it!

 

[archer75]

My question as a non-Chalcedonian is: why don't you guys attempt to recover your mostly lost 'pre-Byzantine' diversity, instead of only having these liturgies once a year, or only in a few places?

I'm no expert or even strong amateur on liturgical diversity...and frankly, I would be interested to see this. I think we could have used someone like the recently reposed Fr. Robert Taft to help with this.

But seeing how "Byzantinized" we all are, and how most of the EO world is either in or was "colonized" from the Byzantine commonwealth...people's piety is tied up in the way we already do things. Which is why, although I don't personally feel a need for it and have yet to attend a service, I do support our Western Rite practices, and I would like to see an EO-ified Sarum Rite, as well. Or some modern Anglican uses adapted for the use of...well, people to whom that is familiar. That isn't to say diversity for its own sake is great or specifically to be desired...but we have lost something, and a degree of revitalization could do us good.

Which brings us to the official topic: I have a pet peeve within the EOC...when people display a knee-jerk negative reaction to anything unfamiliar, even if it is perfectly E-Orthodox in theology and practice.

• The longer Great Entrance. Not Russian enough!
• Western Rite. Smacks of Rome!
• Any practices that were clearly considered Orthodox for centuries but are now unfamiliar. Madness! Only my parish, in the five years since I was received, is Truly Orthodox!

Because diversity of form can be good, and I think we could use more than we have. I like Byzantine and Russian icons. But we are always going on about how the Church was the Church in 50 AD...and they didn't have a Russian-style Great Entrance or Rublev's Trinity or diamond crosses. Were they just losers, then?

Overall, this is one part of a streak of paranoid pride that infects us...as far as it's pride, yes, a sin, etc. But some of its appearances, nitpicking things that really do not need nitpicking, are a pet peeve of mine.

 

[All4Christ]

I think that's why it caught my attention - because I'd always been told it wasn't ever read. It's not a part of the regular lectionary (daily readings).

I'm obviously still learning of course - probably always will be.

But it's a rare thing I suppose since it's very limited on location.

I’ve always been taught that we don’t read it as well. I don’t remember it being read in our parish - I’ll have to compare our scripture calendar with GOARCH.

 

[All4Christ]

My pet peeve - rose incense. I have a hard time handling my breathing well when we have rose incense - and it seems to be a special occasion scent for most people.

 

[mama2one]

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