triodion

The Triodion begins in the Orthodox Church with the Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee and ends on Holy Saturday Morning. This is the time we start to prepare ourselves for Easter (Pascha). The first week (Publican and Pharisee) has no fasting, the second week (Prodigal Son) is a "regular week", Meatfare Week (calling to mind the Second Coming) starts people with fasting meat (but nothing else), and Cheesefare Week (calling to mind the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise) remind all that the fasting will be begin on Clean Monday (the beginning of Great Lent).

During Lent, people will fast everything, except for Saturdays and Sundays (wine and oil is allowed). Also, no Divine Liturgies are allowed to be celebrated during Great Lent, except during great Feastdays (e.g. the Annunciation of the Theotokos, 40 Martyrs of Sebaste, etc.). On Sundays, we celebrate the Liturgy of St. Basil, and on Wednesday (and some Friday) evenings, we "celebrate" the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts. Christians wanted to commune many times during the week, and since Lent had no Liturgies, they composed this one. This is basically a Vespers service with Communion attached (the Communion being consecrated on the previous Sunday).

Also, during Lent, we have many different services, such as the Great Compline, the Great Canon, and the Salutations to the Virgin Mary (chanted every Friday night, for the first 5 weeks).

As the Saturday of Lazarus approaches, we begin to have services every day, bringing us closer to the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

The liturgical book used during this time is called "TRIODION" or "THE LENTEN TRIODION". On the Internet, this may be found in English at www.ocf.org/OrthodoxPag/prayers/triodion.html