Rite of the Hymns

The joy of the Resurrection begins with this hymn as we start the procession.  As you’ll note in the musicality of the hymn (keep reading!), we chant this hymn announcing the Resurrection of our Lord. It is also no accident that it’s chanted during the procession and not before or after.  We begin the procession with <rictoc `Anecty and end it with Pi`,rictoc Aftwnf. While we chant, the Icon of the Resurrected Christ enters the sanctuary from outside, along with the deacons.  They process 3 times around the altar with the icon, representing those who were in Hades entering Paradise with Christ.  The procession continues around the whole church 3 times, representing Christ remaining on earth for 40 days and continuously appearing to the disciples, until His glorious ascension.  Finally, the procession enters the sanctuary again and circuits the altar once, representing Christ taking the faithful back into Paradise. Note the total number of circuits in the procession: 7.  This is symbolic of the seven circuits of Joshua and the Israelites around the walls of the city of Jericho for them to fall down.  This alludes to the collapse of the gates of Hades upon the death and the resurrection of Christ. How fitting then, that we end with the same hymn that we started the procession with!

Words of the Hymns

3 words we used to fear that repeat in the hymn: ⲛⲏⲉⲑⲙⲱⲟⲩⲧ (the dead), ⲫⲙⲟⲩ (death), and  ⲛⲓⲙ̀ϩⲁⲩ (the tombs). Before the Resurrection, these were negative words, worse than swearing! They were to be avoided in conversation and mentioned only with extreme caution. But since the Resurrection, we not only stop avoiding these words, but we chant them with joy like we do in these hymns.  As we pray in the Litany of the Departed, “for there is no death for your servants but a departure…” This departure is what this feast is about, our Passover. Passing over from the darkness of sin which enslaved us, and into the light of the Resurrection and freedom from the bondage which our Lord crushed with His death.

The hymns signal the transformation of the punishment – the sadness associated with death and the tomb— into salvation, just as we pray in the Gregorian Liturgy, “You have turned the punishment into salvation…”. 

The cross has put an end to the age of no-salvation (death) – the age of the old creation, of the sinful Adam, of death and all the afflictions on the earth. The Resurrection has started the everlasting age – the age of Jesus Christ and new creation, the age of the new man born from above for the Kingdom of God.

We used to wear black, to be mournful at the mention of these words, but now we are dressed in bright colors, chanting joyfully. It is this exact transformation from darkness into light that St. Paul teaches us about when he says:

“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love” (Colossians 1:13)

Thus, these hymns are a chant of victory and joy.  Some even use its words as a greeting beyond the Holy 50 days, even during wakes and funerals.  It is a message of hope, as if to say, “leave your sorrows behind, Christ is Risen.” 

Musical Composition & Contemplation

As previously mentioned, although the words of Ⲭⲣⲓⲥⲧⲟⲥ Ⲁ̀ⲛⲉⲥⲧⲏ are Greek, the hymn’s tune is Coptic.

The well-known, joyous tune of this hymn is a simple musical stanza that repeats 4 times.

The beginning of the hymn, Ⲭⲣⲓⲥⲧⲟⲥ, is chanted as an announcement without much melisma – calling on the listener to pay attention to an important declaration. 

Conversely, the next portion of the hymn is very rhythmic, without much change in tone – almost like an army’s march.  This can be thought of as a representation of all the souls of the departed following Christ out of Hades and to Paradise.