Liturgical fan in Eastern Christianity

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For the historical use of liturgical fans in Western Christianity, see flabellum.

The ripidion, or hexapterygon is a ceremonial fan used in Eastern Christian[note 1] worship.[1][2]

Eastern Christian ripidion, 19th century (Pskov museum).

In the Eastern Churches, liturgical fans have been used from the first centuries to the present day. A fan is generally made of metal, round, having the

seraphim
and is set on the end of a pole. Fans of carved, gilded, or painted wood are also found. Fans are usually made in pairs.

Byzantine Rite

At ordination of a deacon

Upon ordination, a deacon is vested with a certain protocol for each vestment, and then with the same protocol is given a fan and "places himself by the Holy Table, and fans the Holy Things."[3]

Fanning the gifts at the liturgy

Other uses

Fans are carried by the altar servers at all processions with

Theotokos are usually placed behind the Holy Table.[citation needed
]

Other rites

Armenian silver ripidion, with six-winged seraphim

Fans used in the Maronite and Oriental[note 2] traditions are distinctive, having little hoops of metal or bells all around the circumference of the disks, symbolizing the hymns of the angels to God. At particularly solemn points of the liturgy, these are shaken gently to produce a tinkling and jingling sound, akin to the sound of multiple altar bells.

Further reading

Enhanced Strong's Lexicon, James Strong, Oak Harbor, WA, Logos Research Systems, 1995. (Αρ. λέξης 03742). The Anchor Bible Dictionary, Freedman, David Noel, New York, Doubleday, 1997/1992. Pseudo-Dionysius Areopagita, De coelesti hierarchia, [Patristische Texte und Studien 36. Berlin: De Gruyter, 1991]

Εγκυκλοπαίδεια, «Πάπυρος, Larousse, Britannica», Εκδόσεις Πάπυρος, Αθήνα, 1976/2006 Catholic Encyclopedia Ο κόσμος των αγγέλων Αρχιμανδρίτου Ιωάννου Καραμούζη

Footnotes

  1. Non-Chalcedonian or Oriental Orthodox Churches, the Assyrian Church, and the Eastern Catholic Churches
  2. Coptic, Armenian, Ethiopian

References

  1. ^ Liturgical fans
  2. ^ The Metropolitan Museum - Liturgical fan
  3. ISBN 9781878997562
    .
  4. ^ The Divine Liturgy (OCA web site)
  5. ^ "Blessing of Hexapterygon, Ripidias (or Ripidas)" (PDF). Holy Trinity Orthodox Church, Willimantic, Connecticut. 2021-01-24.
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