In the Christian Orthodox liturgical tradition, the festive matins are celebrated with special solemnity. This is achieved by the choir performing certain hymns that are sung exclusively at the festive divine services of Matins.
The festive matinee as part of the all-night vigil begins with the chant that the angels sang during the Nativity of Christ. “Glory to God in the highest places and on earth peace, goodwill to man” - these are the words the choir sings three times before reading the sixth psalm.
After the performance of the troparia on matins (the main short chants of the holiday, reflecting the essence of the celebrated event), the church choir performs the main hymn of the matinee, called the polyeleum. It is a poem from the 134th and 135th psalm. The hymn begins with the words "Praise the name of the Lord." From the ancient Greek language polyele can be translated as "a lot of mercy." This means that the verses proclaim solemnly the great mercy of God to people.
On Sunday matins, after the polyeleos, there is the chant "Angel Cathedral", which consists of several troparia telling about the event of the resurrection of Christ, as well as proclaiming the history of the holy myrrh-bearing women who came to the tomb of the Savior.
Another solemn anthem of the festive matins are sedate. These are a few short chants called antiphons), in which all the greatness of God is displayed and requested by believers from the Lord for intercession in the spiritual struggle against sins.
The service of the festive matins ends with the fulfillment of a hymn of great glorification, beginning with the words "Glory to God in the highest place and peace on earth, good will in man. Praise thee, bless thee, bow to thee, praise thee, thank the great one for the sake of thy mercy." The chant reflects the gratitude of the believer to God and seeks help in preserving the night time in spiritual purity and holiness.
