From the first Friday and for 5
Fridays during Lent the Orthodox Church has the service of the Salutations to
the Virgin Mary, where the Akathist Hymn is chanted. This service is only
celebrated during the Lentern period, enriching it with its beautiful poetic
hymns and chants.
It was composed and sung,
according to tradition, as a thanksgiving to the Theotokos, for the protection
of Constantinople from a siege by the Arabs in 626 A.D. The Akathis Hymn is the
greatest egkomion, hymn ever written for the Mother of God. It has a number of
characteristics, i.e. it is a historical, theological narrative, showing glory
to the Theotokos. The twenty-four verses, each beginning with a letter of the
Greek alphabet, form a beautiful religious poem regarding the coming of Christ for
the salvation of the world. It is believed to have been written by St. Romanos
the Melodist, one of the greatest Greek-speaking poets of all time.
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