Read a prayer book in Church Slavonic. Slavic prayers

The prayer rule should be read daily by every true Christian. A prayer book in Church Slavonic is most suitable for believers who are well acquainted with the works of the Orthodox religion and makes it possible to get in touch with eternity - to feel the connection of time between the birth of Christianity and modernity.

A collection of basic prayers for daily reading is designed to strengthen the faith of people and contribute to their spiritual improvement. The Orthodox prayer book contains a variety of the most sought-after sacred texts, knowing which, a person can turn to the Lord for help in difficult, insoluble without his support, moments of life.

The prayer book in Church Slavonic, adopted at the time of Cyril and Methodius, allows you to fully experience the sacrament of prayer and is an excellent gymnastics for the developing inquisitive human mind.

At first it will seem that the ancient writings are heavy and inconvenient to read, especially when they are written Old Slavonic script, but if you start with the sacred texts that the complete church prayer book contains, then soon this occupation is so mesmerizing that you want to study and enrich your vocabulary all new (forgotten old) words, which for the Slavs are the legacy of their ancestors. In addition, prayer books are often equipped with a brief dictionary-interpreter of Old Slavonic words and phrases.

Church Slavonic: the basics

Of course, it is best to start learning the ancient “dead” language from childhood. The initial assimilation of images that symbolize Old Slavonic words, much more productive than the banal memorization of alphabetic characters. It is not easy to deal with him, because there was given language exclusively for the needs of the church, based not on the Old Russian, but on the Old Bulgarian language.

In a believing family, prayer texts are first memorized by the child by ear, because prayers are sung, not read, so they are easy to understand. Then you can invite the child to create their own prayer book, where the main prayers that are already familiar to the child will be entered. The brochure should be signed to make it "native", nominal. So the child will immediately, without a reminder, take his own little book and read the morning and evening rules.

If the family lives, literally, life and culture Orthodox Church, then it will be absolutely easy to instill a love for the Church Slavonic language in children in it.

For an adult, in addition to home-based self-study, it would be useful to resemble church services(it is possible with a prayer book) and, listening to the chants of the priest, compare them with the text written in Church Slavonic, so to speak, develop memory in two ways - by ear and visually.

The Orthodox Church is reluctant to part with the usual dogmas and canons, extremely slowly accepting the technologies and new norms that appear in the world. Originally written in Church Slavonic, the prayers of Byzantine priests are still used today. And the fact that the majority of parishioners, who are not a model of a true believer, understand prayer at best, through a word, is no reason to translate it into familiar Russian, from the point of view of Orthodoxy.

Features of the Church Slavonic Prayer Book

The Old Slavonic language differs from the modern one not so much in words, but in accents and auxiliary unreadable letters, such as a solid sign at the end of words, as well as a fancy font that is hard to perceive with an untrained eye. Seriously inclined to conquer linguistics and make this language your own, it is better to purchase a textbook of the Church Slavonic language. To read prayers in the Old Russian dialect, you can use the dictionary-application in the prayer book. With him, acquaintance with Church Slavonic will be easier.

The complete Orthodox prayer book in Church Slavonic contains the standard prayer rule (a set of mandatory prayers) and the canons (short and in full): Our Lady, Jesus and St. Andrew of Crete ( penitential canon). The collection also includes sacred texts offered for reading on the icons of saints and for every need.

“When you pray, do not speak too much, like pagans: they think for, as if in their many words they will hear: do not be like them: for the news is your Father, whom you require before your petition” Mt. 6:7-8

MORNING PRAYERS		EVENING PRAYERS
READ	LISTEN	READ	LISTEN

Prayer rule - daily morning and evening prayers that Christians do.

The rule can be general - obligatory for all or individual, selected for the believer by the confessor, taking into account his spiritual state, strength and employment.

The rule consists of morning and evening prayers, which are performed daily. This vital rhythm is necessary, because otherwise the soul easily falls out of the life of prayer, as if waking up only from time to time. In prayer, as in any great and difficult undertaking, "inspiration", "mood" and improvisation alone are not enough.

Reading prayers connects a person with their creators: psalmists and ascetics. This helps to find a spiritual mood akin to their burning heart. In praying in other people's words, our example is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. His prayer cries during the sufferings on the Cross are lines from psalms (Ps. 21:2; 30:6).

There are three basic prayer rules:

1) a complete prayer rule, which is printed in the "Orthodox Prayer Book";

2) a short prayer rule; in the morning: “King of Heaven”, Trisagion, “Our Father”, “Virgin Mother of God”, “Rising from sleep”, “God have mercy on me”, “Symbol of Faith”, “God, cleanse”, “To You, Master”, “ Holy Angele”, “Most Holy Lady”, invocation of the saints, prayer for the living and the dead; in the evening: “King of Heaven”, Trisagion, “Our Father”, “Have mercy on us, Lord”, “Eternal God”, “Good King”, “Angel of Christ”, from “Choose Governor” to “It is worthy to eat”;

3) short prayer rule Reverend Seraphim Sarovsky: three times "Our Father", three times "Virgin Mother of God" and once "Symbol of Faith" - for those exceptional days and circumstances when a person is extremely tired or very limited in time.

It is undesirable to completely omit the prayer rule. Even if the prayer rule is read without due attention, the words of the prayers, penetrating into the soul, have their cleansing effect.

The main prayers should be known by heart (with regular reading, they are gradually remembered by a person even with a very poor memory), so that they penetrate deeper into the heart and so that they can be repeated in any circumstances. It is advisable to study the text of the translation of prayers from Church Slavonic into Russian in order to understand the meaning of each word and not pronounce a single word meaninglessly or without accurate understanding. It is very important that the person approaching prayer banish resentment, irritation, and bitterness from the heart. Without efforts aimed at serving people, at fighting sin, at establishing control over the body and the spiritual sphere, prayer cannot become the inner core of life.

In the conditions of modern life, given the workload and accelerated pace It is not easy for the laity to set aside a certain time for prayer. The enemy of morning prayer is haste, and evening prayer is fatigue.
Morning prayers are best read before the start of any business (and before breakfast). In extreme cases, they are pronounced on the way from home. Late in the evening it is often difficult to concentrate due to fatigue, so it can be recommended to read the evening prayer rule in free minutes before dinner or even earlier.

During prayer, it is recommended to retire, light a lamp or a candle and stand in front of the icon. Depending on the nature of intra-family relationships, reading prayer rule together, the whole family, or each family member separately. Common prayer is recommended before eating food, on solemn days, before a festive meal, and on other similar occasions. family prayer- this is a kind of church, public (the family is a kind of "home church") and therefore does not replace individual prayer, but only complements it.

Before the beginning of prayer, one should make the sign of the cross and make several bows, half-length or earthly, and try to tune in to an inner conversation with God. The difficulty of prayer is often a sign of its true effectiveness.

Prayer for other people is an integral part of prayer. Standing before God does not alienate a person from his neighbors, but binds him to them with even closer ties. We should not be limited only to prayer for those close and dear to us. Praying for those who have caused us grief brings peace to the soul, affects these people and makes our prayer sacrificial.

It is good to end the prayer with thanksgiving to God for the gift of fellowship and contrition for one's inattention. Getting down to business, you must first think about what you have to say, do, see during the day and ask God for blessings and strength to follow His will. In the thick labor day you need to say a short prayer (Jesus Prayer), which will help you find the Lord in everyday affairs.

Slavic prayers are comparable to strong amulet. They can help in a variety of undertakings and deeds. It is noteworthy that in ancient times, in prayer appeals, people turned to their ancient deities. After the advent of Christianity, the meaning of the texts of Slavic prayers did not change, but in prayer addresses, believing Slavs began to turn to God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Most Holy Theotokos and other Saints.

In order for Slavic prayers to be effective, they should be read in a positive mood, while no evil should be present in the soul.

The main commandments of the ancient Slavs, when reading prayers, are as follows:

• To revere sacredly means to recognize the power of the bright sides of life.
• To read - translated from the Old Slavonic "CHI" - is the energy of life, and the word "thief" means "appropriate". The general interpretation is to receive light power from the Gods, and fill its own soul.
• Praise - in prayers the Gods are glorified, but their power is not involved in order to solve their own problems.
• To live according to conscience - "SO" in the Old Slavonic language meant joint good news. This meant that one should not follow what one does not wish for oneself.
• To live in harmony with the surrounding nature - this made it possible to find life harmony in accordance with natural vibrations.



In ancient times, the Slavs prayed at temples. This ancient pagan temple, which has always been located behind an equipped altar used to install various sacred objects. In these places, not only prayers were offered to the Gods, but also rituals were performed by priests.

Today, an improvised "temple" can be arranged in own apartment on a separate table. To do this, you need to choose a place for the altar and place images of the deity on it. It is best to carve it out of wood with your own hands. This will fill the idol with your energy.

When equipping a place for offering Slavic prayers, the following requirements must be met:

• The created deity should be put on a patch new fabric, and next to it put a small natural stone.
• Provide space for candles and incense.
• Put a ritual dish and a cup.

If you live in a private house, then it is recommended to offer Slavic prayers in nature. For example, for this you can approach a tree. Also for prayer ancient Slavic gods it is recommended to go out of town. In this case the best place considered a spring.

More important are the basic rules that must be observed when reading Slavic prayers:

• The texts of ancient appeals to the Slavic gods are pronounced in a whisper, but very clearly.
• You can only pray if you are healthy and in good health. good location spirit, otherwise prayers will not be heard.
• There must be faith in the soul that Slavic prayers are effective and contribute to the harmonization of life.

Read morning prayers

the most famous morning prayer the ancient Slavs are considered to be an appeal to Dazhdboga.

It sounds in modern Russian as follows:

“The Red Sun rises on the eastern side, I praise you, our God, as the whole world is illuminated with bright light and filled with joy. My soul wants grace, since I am the Grandson (Granddaughter) of your DazhdGod. I look at the sky, which wakes up with the sun and fills my heart with joyful trembling. At this moment, Dazhdbog enters my soul. Accept my greetings, Clear Morning Sun! My soul is open to you, bless it, fill my body with health, make me strong and strong so that my life becomes fertile. Without You, Sun Clear, no one will be able to breathe and move. I am waiting for your blessing, Dazhdbog, for lightness and clarity, so that all my good undertakings are successful on this day, and Falsehood and Falsehood, so that it sinks into a deep Pit! Glory to Dazhdbog!

Also, the Slavs often read the morning praise.

Its text goes like this:

“Kind of the Most High! You are one for us, but in many manifestations. You are the true Light for us and the only Justice. You exude Eternal Life, you are a spring of boundless Love. You heal our souls and hearts. We praise you, come to us and rule over us. With our work we raise glory to you, becoming wiser and stronger every day of our lives. We are the real defenders of the Bright World and our righteous Family. You, God, inspire us, fill us with joy, bestow courage and stamina, teach patience. This will allow us to pass our life path with honour. Thank you God."

The text of the evening prayers

The list of Slavic prayers also includes a special prayer, which is recommended to be read in the evening.

It sounds like this:

“Kind of the Most High! I glorify you as your blood child. Night came to Earth, Veles steps on it. Our souls go in the night through Nav, they call their ancestors in a deep dream. Veles the Father will protect our souls so that we meet in the morning part with joy in the soul of Dazhdbog. Glory to the Native Gods!”

Also, prayers for their family were often read before going to bed. Such praise might sound like this:

“Kind of the Most High! I invoke God's blessing Light into our lives! Come and bless with your power! Natural water - spring, cleanse our souls and thoughts, bring health. Life was born thanks to you, so renew our souls, fill our race with strength. May our children be stronger and wiser than us. Amen".

When they talk about the ancient Slavic prayers of the Slavs, they mean the traditional ritual words that the Slavs used to communicate with the Higher powers. The word "prayer" was not present in the Old Slavonic vocabulary. This is due to the fact that the Slavs praised their Gods and. unlike Christians, they never asked anything from them. That is why the appeal to God among the Slavs was called "glorification."

Praises or appeals to Higher Powers have always been an obligatory attribute of all great ritual holidays. In addition, every day the ancient Slavs read morning and evening praises, such prayer appeals were offered before a meal, before a trip, and before starting any business. But at the same time, it should be understood that the ancient Slavic prayers were not a canon, turning to God was not considered an obligatory event, this had to be done only when a desire arose. For example, if a person wanted to praise God for a good day, then he did it. Very often glorified Perun for the victory over enemies.

Ancient Slavic prayers are very diverse. It is important to choose the right prayer appeal. The words must be pronounced very sincerely and it is absolutely not necessary to follow the existing texts. It is allowed to replace in your own way both individual words and individual phrases. It is important that prayer comes from the depths of the soul.

There is no such thing as "the main ancient Slavic prayer". The prayers of the ancient people are distinguished by their individuality. In order to understand how ancient Slavic prayers were read, you need to get acquainted with the folklore and ethnography of the Slavs.

Video: prayer of the old monk Julia Slavyanskaya