The Podruchnik (Russian: "подручник", literally "something under an arm") is a small prayer rug , once used in prayer by all Russian Orthodox Christians in the Tsardom of Russia before the schism of 1653 but currently in use only by the Old Believers .
5-602: Measuring roughly 40 cm by 40 cm, the Podruchnik takes the form of a small cushion, often with patchwork decoration which varies from region to region. Its sole function is to keep the worshipper's hands and face clean during the frequent prostrations that occur in church services, as it is felt that the fingers used to make the Sign of the Cross must remain clean during prayers. During church services , when prostrations are made, as
10-441: The drawing below. Strict rules exist as to which type of a bow should be used at any particular time. The rules are very complicated, and are not always carried out in most parishes . Old Believers are generally much more punctilious about bows in comparison with the official Orthodoxy. Kneeling , standing on one's knees, is rarely prescribed or practiced. An exception is that the ordinand "bending both knees places his palms in
15-513: The form of a Cross, and lays his forehead between them on the Holy Table" when a bishop is consecrated or a priest is ordained . In the 20th century in some western countries, some Eastern Orthodox churches have begun to use pews and kneelers and so have begun kneeling in some parts of the service. The First Council of Nicaea 's decree "that prayer be made to God standing" from Pascha (Easter) through Pentecost , and on all Sundays throughout
20-710: The kerchief. When a floor may be dirty, prostrations can be done as low kneeling without touching the floor with hands or head. This article about Russian culture is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Eastern Orthodox Christianity –related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Zemnoy poklon Autocephaly recognized by some autocephalous Churches de jure : Autocephaly and canonicity recognized by Constantinople and 3 other autocephalous Churches: Spiritual independence recognized by Georgian Orthodox Church: Semi-Autonomous: The different kinds of bows one could encounter at an Eastern Orthodox service are shown in
25-592: The worshipper lowers his torso, he flips the Podruchnik onto the ground in such a way that when he is kneeling and prostrate on the ground, the Podruchnik protects his hands and forehead from the dirt and grime of the floor. When not in use, they are stored at the side of the church, stacked up in such a manner that the dirty sides touch each other and the clean sides only touch other clean sides. Some Spiritual Christians ( Dukh-i-zhizniki , Pryguny and Molokane ) bring their own handkerchief for similar prostration rituals, usually performed on clean floors while holding
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