In the Christian Orthodox liturgical tradition, the festive matins are celebrated with special solemnity. This is achieved by singing certain hymns in chorus, which are sung exclusively at the festive Matins services.
The festive matins as part of the all-night vigil begins with a chant sung by the angels during the Nativity of Christ. "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, goodwill in men" - these are the words the choir sings three times before reading the Six Psalms.
After the performance of the troparia at Matins (the main short hymns of the holiday, reflecting the essence of the celebrated event), the church choir sings the main hymn of the morning, called polyeleos. It consists of verses from the 134th and 135th psalms. The hymn begins with the words "Praise the name of the Lord." From the ancient Greek language, polyeleos can be translated as "a lot of mercy." This means that the verses solemnly proclaim the great mercy of God to people.
On Sunday Matins, following the polyeleos, there is the chant "The Cathedral of the Angels", which is a series of troparions telling about the event of the resurrection of Christ, as well as announcing the history of the holy myrrh-bearing women who came to the Savior's tomb.
Another solemn hymn of the festive Matins is the grave. These are several short hymns, called antiphons), in which all the greatness of God is displayed and believers ask the Lord for intercession in the spiritual struggle with sins.
The service of the festive Matins ends with the performance of the great hymn of praise, which begins with the words “Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth, goodwill in men. We praise thee, we bless Thee, we bow down to thee, we praise Thee, we thank Thee great for the sake of Thy mercy. The chant reflects the gratitude of a believer to God and asks for help in keeping the night time in spiritual purity and holiness.
