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'''Vespers''' (''εσπερινός'') is first service of the [[Daily Cycle]] of divine services celebrated in the [[Orthodox Church]]. Because the liturgical day begins at sunset, Vespers is traditionally served in the early evening. For many parishes[[parish]]es, Vespers is the principal evening service.
{{Services}}
== General Structure of Great Vespers ==
*Immediately before Great Vespers, the Ninth Hour is read, as it is found in the Horologion, with the Apolytikia and Kontakia of the day read in their proper place. Ninth Hour's duration is 10 to 15 minutes.
*Great Vespers opens with the [[Priest]]'s exclamation ''Blessed is our God ...''
* The Reader reads "Come let us worship..." and the Proemial Psalm 103 ''Bless the Lord, O my soul ...'' is read, during which the priest quietly prays the seven prayers at the "Lighting of the Lamps."
*The Deacon intones the Great Litany, at the end of which the Priest exclaims "For unto Thee..."
*The Psalter Kathisma appointed for the day is read. On Saturday afternoon, the 1st Kathisma of the Psalter is read. Following the Kathisma, the Deacon intones the Small Litany, at the end of which the Priest exclaims "For Thine is the Dominion..."
*The Choir chants "Lord I have Cried...", in the Tone of the week if it be Saturday afternoon's Great Vespers, or in the Tone of the first Stikheron of the celebrated Saint if it be another day of the week. "Let my prayer by set forth as incense..." is chanted after, and then the verses "Set O Lord..." are chanted alternately by the right and left Choirs. On Saturday afternoon they insert the Resurrectional Stikhera beginning from the tenth to last verse "Bring my soul out of prison...". On a Saint's memory that falls on a weekday, they begin usually from the sixth to last verse, "If Thou, O Lord shouldst mark...", and sometimes from the eight to last verse, "Out of the depth have I cried unto Thee...". On Saturdays, as mentioned, 10 Stikhera are chanted, six to the Lord's [[Resurrection ]] in the Tone of the week from the Octoechos, and then four to the Saint of the day from the Menaion. During the chanting of "Let my prayer be set forth...", at the point when the Choir chants "As incense..." the Deacon performs the great censing of the whole church.
*"Glory..." is chanted, followed by the Saint's Idiomelon. This is called "Doxasticon." On Saturday afternoon, there *may* be one appointed, for Saints that have a festal service there is always one appointed.
*"Both now..." is chanted, followed by the "Dogmaticon Theotokion" of the Tone of the Week, (on Saturday afternoon). For Saints that are celebrated during the weekdays, the "Dogmaticon Theotokion" in the Tone of the Saint's Doxasticon is chanted. However, on Friday afternoons *always* the "Dogmaticon Theotokion" of the previous Saturday is chanted, whether it is Daily or Great Vespers.
*During the "Dogmaticon Theotokion" the Priest blesses the [[censer ]] and hands it to the Deacon. The Deacon censes the Alter[[Altar]], and is followed by the Priest out the north door to the middle of the Temple. The Priest as he goes silently reads the prayer, "In the evening, in the morning, and at noontime...", and when the reach the point of the great chandelier, the Deacon asks the Priest to bless the entrance saying, "Bless Master the Holy Entrance...". The Priest responds by "Blessed is the Entrance of Thy Holies...". The Deacon censes from under the great chandelier the iconostas[[iconostasis]], choirs, laity, and again the iconostasiconostasis. When the Choir has finished the Dogmaticon Theotokion he faces the Royal Doors and lifts up the censer exclaming exclaiming "Wisdom! Upright!"
*The hymn "O Gladsome Light..." is read (or chanted). During the part "we praise Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit, God..." the Deacon and Priest make the Entrance.
*Once "O Gladsome Light..." has been read or chanted, the Deacon immediatly immediately exclaims "The Evening Prokeimenon!" The Evening Prokeimenonis chanted. On Saturday afternoon the Prokeimenon is "The Lord is King...", chanted thrice with two verses. On weekdays it is the daily prokeimenon which can be found in the [[Horologion]]. It is chanted twice without verses, and then once with its appointed verse. For festal Saints, three [[Old Testament ]] readings follow. These are read under the great chandelier by the Reader. He exclaims the title, for example "Reading from the Wisdom of Solomon..." The Deacon exclaims "Wisdom! Let us attend!"
*The Deacon intones the Litany of Fervent Supplication, at the end of which the Priest exclaims "For a merciful..."
*The evening prayer ''Vouchsafe, O Lord'' is read by the Reader.
*The Deacon intones "Wisdom", the Choir "Bless", the Priest "Blessed is the One Who Is..."
*The Reader reads the prayer "Establish Lord God..."
*The Priest exclaims "Most Holy [[Theotokos ]] save us!"
*The Reader reads "More honourable..." and "Glory. Both now" "Lord have mercy" (thrice) "Holy Father bless!"
*The Priest reads the Dismissal "Glory to Thee our God... May He who has Risen from the dead, Christ our true God..."
=== Evening Divine Liturgy ===
Since 1975 the [[Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America|Antiochian Archdiocese]] has permitted parishes in its [[jurisdiction ]] to commemorate certain important feasts that fall on days other than Sunday and Monday at an Evening Divine Liturgy served on the eve of (i.e., the night before) the feast. The Evening Divine Liturgy combines Great Vespers and the festal Divine Liturgy in a slightly different way than the traditional Vesperal Divine Liturgy. The form of the service was developed by the Archdiocese's Department of Liturgics and Translations.
The introduction of Evening Divine Liturgies has been viewed by some as a reasonable pastoral accommodation to the reality of American life—due to work and school commitments most families cannot order their schedules in such a way that readily permits attendance at weekday morning services. Others argue that the practice is an innovation that disrupts the liturgical cycle and continues a negative trend of shortening the divine services.
