The morning service of the Church is called Matins. It opens with the reading of six morning psalms and the intoning of the Great Litany. After this, verses of Psalm 118 are sung: God is the Lord and has revealed himself unto us. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

The Holy Week “reversal”

In the Orthodox Church the services of Holy Week often appear “upside down” because many of them are liturgically celebrated in anticipation of the following day. In other words, the Church begins the liturgical day the evening before, and during Holy Week this anticipation becomes even more pronounced.

This pattern comes from the biblical understanding of time. In Genesis the creation account repeatedly says that evening comes before morning (Gen 1:5 etc.). The Jewish and early Christian liturgical day therefore begins at sunset. Christianity inherited this rhythm, which is why Vespers traditionally marks the start of the next day.

During Holy Week the Church intensifies this pattern so that the faithful can enter the events of Christ’s Passion liturgically before they happen.

For example:

• Matins of Holy Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday are usually served the evening before (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday evenings). These are the Bridegroom Matins services.

• The Matins of Holy Friday (the service with the Twelve Passion Gospels) is celebrated Thursday evening.

• The Matins of Holy Saturday (the Lamentations at the Tomb) is served Friday night.

• Paschal Vigil begins late Saturday night and flows directly into Pascha.

So what looks “upside down” is actually the Church moving forward into the next day’s mystery ahead of time.

Why the Church does this

There are several reasons:

1. To live the Gospel events liturgically.
The Church does not simply remember the Passion historically. The services allow the faithful to enter the unfolding drama of Christ’s suffering, burial, and resurrection.

2. To gather the faithful.
In monasteries Matins belongs to the early morning, but parish life makes that difficult. Celebrating them the evening before allows people to attend.

3. To create a continuous narrative.
Holy Week services are designed so that the story of salvation unfolds step by step across the week, with each evening preparing us for the next day’s event.

St John Chrysostom often speaks about worship as participation in the saving events of Christ, not mere remembrance. The structure of Holy Week embodies exactly that vision.

So the services are not truly “upside down”.
They follow the ancient biblical day beginning in the evening, and during Holy Week the Church uses that rhythm to draw us ahead into the mystery of the Cross and Resurrection.