CBGardner
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« on: August 01, 2011, 11:35:11 PM » |
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So I saw a man that, while venerating an icon, kissed it and then tapped his forehead to the icon as well. Not to pigeon hole anyone but the gentleman looked Ethiopian though he was in the OCA parish I attend. He did it multiple times and on each icon. Has anyone heard of this practice of tapping the forehead on an icon? Is it an OO practice? What is the significance?
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Authentic zeal is not directed towards anything but union in Christ, or against anything but our own fallenness.
"Beardliness is next to Godliness."- Asteriktos
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Severian
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« Reply #1 on: August 01, 2011, 11:49:44 PM » |
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So I saw a man that, while venerating an icon, kissed it and then tapped his forehead to the icon as well. Not to pigeon hole anyone but the gentleman looked Ethiopian though he was in the OCA parish I attend. He did it multiple times and on each icon. Has anyone heard of this practice of tapping the forehead on an icon? Is it an OO practice? What is the significance?
Tapping the forehead? I am not sure. But in Coptic parishes sometimes the faithful will touch an icon with their fingers and then kiss their fingers, rather than kissing the icon directly. Otherwise, sorry, I don't know....  |
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Christ is risen! !المسيح قام Χριστός ἀνέστη! ⲠⲓⲬⲣⲓⲥⲧⲟⲥ ⲁϥⲧⲱⲛϥ! Christus resurrexit! Come and join OCnet's new book club! |
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CBGardner
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« Reply #2 on: August 01, 2011, 11:57:30 PM » |
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Doing a google search showed that Muslims tap there forehead on the Koran after kissing it but nothing on the Orthodox, Oriental or otherwise ....
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Authentic zeal is not directed towards anything but union in Christ, or against anything but our own fallenness.
"Beardliness is next to Godliness."- Asteriktos
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NicholasMyra
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« Reply #4 on: August 02, 2011, 12:23:20 AM » |
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Probably similar to touching your head to the ground during a prostration. Doesn't a metanya symbolize touching the ground with your forehead?
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Aram
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« Reply #5 on: August 02, 2011, 12:28:04 AM » |
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So I saw a man that, while venerating an icon, kissed it and then tapped his forehead to the icon as well. Not to pigeon hole anyone but the gentleman looked Ethiopian though he was in the OCA parish I attend. He did it multiple times and on each icon. Has anyone heard of this practice of tapping the forehead on an icon? Is it an OO practice? What is the significance?
I do this. I don't know why, I don't know if I was ever taught to do it, I've just always done it. And it is not uncommon in the least, in my experience. I've seen people do it in OO and EO parishes. I've also seen people kiss their fingers and then touch objects like hard-to-reach icons or crosses. |
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« Last Edit: August 02, 2011, 12:28:23 AM by Aram »
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Hiwot
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« Reply #6 on: August 02, 2011, 12:37:19 AM » |
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Hi dear,  I am just a laywoman of the church, by no means an authoritative voice, yet here is what I know and understand it to be. It’s a way of showing reverence and asking for blessing with this way of connecting the forehead to the icon, to the hand cross, while prostrating to the ground, or when one is encountering a holy relic that can be kissed, one connects the forehead then kisses or sometimes vice versa. The Amharic word for the act of lowering oneself in humility ‘ rasin ziq madreg’ ras meaning head. The geez is’ atseneno re’es ’ in Amharic when one says myself one says ‘ rase’ himself ‘erasu’ this ofc has a lot of variation . as it applies here though is lowering oneself in humility , asking blessing with reverence with the involvement of the forehead. I hope others will add to this. |
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Salpy
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« Reply #7 on: August 02, 2011, 12:41:10 AM » |
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Also the priest's hand. We kiss it and then touch our foreheads to it.
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Severian
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« Reply #8 on: August 02, 2011, 12:42:23 AM » |
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Also the priest's hand. We kiss it and then touch our foreheads to it.
Yes, I do that sometimes. |
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Christ is risen! !المسيح قام Χριστός ἀνέστη! ⲠⲓⲬⲣⲓⲥⲧⲟⲥ ⲁϥⲧⲱⲛϥ! Christus resurrexit! Come and join OCnet's new book club! |
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Aram
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« Reply #9 on: August 02, 2011, 12:46:27 AM » |
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Also the priest's hand. We kiss it and then touch our foreheads to it.
Yes, this as well. |
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88Devin12
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« Reply #10 on: August 02, 2011, 12:48:30 AM » |
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So I saw a man that, while venerating an icon, kissed it and then tapped his forehead to the icon as well. Not to pigeon hole anyone but the gentleman looked Ethiopian though he was in the OCA parish I attend. He did it multiple times and on each icon. Has anyone heard of this practice of tapping the forehead on an icon? Is it an OO practice? What is the significance?
I've seen this done in our OCA church as well. |
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ag_vn
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« Reply #11 on: August 02, 2011, 02:27:50 AM » |
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So I saw a man that, while venerating an icon, kissed it and then tapped his forehead to the icon as well. Not to pigeon hole anyone but the gentleman looked Ethiopian though he was in the OCA parish I attend. He did it multiple times and on each icon. Has anyone heard of this practice of tapping the forehead on an icon? Is it an OO practice? What is the significance?
Something similar is done in the Syriac Orthodox Church. In this video people are venerating probably the Gospel, kissing it and touching their foreheads to it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bb7Dp6aELzMThe Antiochian Orthodox parish in Vienna. Metropolitan John is distributing icons to the faithful at the end and they kiss his hand and touch their foreheads to it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqzlGs5VGJg |
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CBGardner
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« Reply #12 on: August 02, 2011, 10:51:41 AM » |
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Interesting. Thanks for the responses!
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Authentic zeal is not directed towards anything but union in Christ, or against anything but our own fallenness.
"Beardliness is next to Godliness."- Asteriktos
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lost
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« Reply #13 on: August 14, 2011, 04:33:06 PM » |
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Hi dear, I am just a laywoman of the church, by no means an authoritative voice, yet here is what I know and understand it to be. It’s a way of showing reverence and asking for blessing with this way of connecting the forehead to the icon, to the hand cross, while prostrating to the ground, or when one is encountering a holy relic that can be kissed, one connects the forehead then kisses or sometimes vice versa. The Amharic word for the act of lowering oneself in humility ‘ rasin ziq madreg’ ras meaning head. The geez is’ atseneno re’es ’ in Amharic when one says myself one says ‘ rase’ himself ‘erasu’ this ofc has a lot of variation . as it applies here though is lowering oneself in humility , asking blessing with reverence with the involvement of the forehead. I hope others will add to this. hello Hiwot, nice icon... what is it of? |
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Hiwot
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Job 19:25-27
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« Reply #14 on: August 16, 2011, 01:45:31 PM » |
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Selam,Lost:) Thank you.It depicts the Transfiguration of Our Lord on Mt Tabor. General hint on the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church iconography: when they do not have the halo around the saints one way to differentiate the saints from the nonbelievers is by looking at the manner their face is depicted, the saints always are shown with both eyes and their full face mostly visible, while the nonbelievers are depicted always with half of their face invisible. Why is this? Well the iconography is meant to show those who do not believe in Christ are not fully human, those who are in union with Our Lord are fully human those that have their humanity restored to them in Christ, they become fully human both in the likeness and image of God. while the nonbelievers retain only the image and not the likeness since they did not believe in the Incarnation and refused to unite themselves with Christ. Selam |
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To God be the Glory in all things! Amen!
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Alpo
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« Reply #15 on: August 16, 2011, 02:18:50 PM » |
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Some Finns do it. It must be a Russian custom.
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