Editing Orarion

{{Short description|Orthodox church vestment}}
{{Refimprove|date=April 2007}}

[[Image:Orthodox Deacon.jpg|thumb|[[Greek Orthodox]] [[deacon]] in the [[Church of the Nativity]] in [[Bethlehem]], wearing the double orarion over his [[sticharion]]. On his head he wears the clerical [[kamilavka]].]]

The '''Orarion''' (Greek: {{lang|grc|ὀράριον}}; Slavonic: орарь, ''orar'') is the distinguishing vestment of the [[deacon]] and [[subdeacon]] in the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]], [[Oriental Orthodox Churches]] and [[Eastern Catholic Churches]].  It is a narrow [[Stole (vestment)|stole]], usually {{convert|4-5|in|cm|order=flip|abbr=off}} wide and of various lengths, made of brocade, often decorated with [[Christian Cross|crosses]] (three, five or seven) [[embroidery|embroidered]] or [[appliqué]]d along its length. It is usually trimmed with decorative [[Trim (sewing)|banding]] around the edges and [[fringe (trim)|fringe]] at the two ends.

==Deacon==
The deacon wears the orarion over his left shoulder with the front portion draped over his left forearm.  He will take this portion in his right hand when leading [[ektenia|litanies]] or drawing attention to a particular liturgical action. This single orarion is the oldest form, as illustrated in traditional and older [[icon]]ography.

[[Archdeacon]]s and [[protodeacon]]s are awarded the much longer double orarion, which is worn over the left shoulder, wrapped around the chest and back, and brought back over the left shoulder to the front. The Archdeacon's orarion may also have the word "Holy" embroidered three times on it in large letters, using [[nomina sacra]] where customary, in reference to the [[Trisagion]]. In modern [[Greek Orthodox]] practice, all deacons usually wear the double orarion.
 
When preparing for [[Eucharist|Communion]], the deacon will wrap the orarion around his waist, bringing the ends up over his shoulders (forming a cross in back) and then straight down in front, tucking them under the section around the waist.

[[Armenian Orthodox|Armenian]] usage is identical to the [[Byzantine Rite]], except that their deacons wear the single orarion, which they call ''urar''.

[[Eastern Catholic Churches|Eastern Catholics]] follow the same tradition as do their Orthodox counterparts. Sometimes in [[Greek Byzantine Catholic Church|Greek Catholic]] practice, the double orarion is worn only over the left shoulder (folded to make up for length) over a [[cassock]] if the deacon in question is preaching, but not participating otherwise. This use of the orarion on top of a cassock is most often seen among Greek-Catholics of the [[Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church|Ukrainian]] and [[Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church|Ruthenian]] tradition; this is a marked departure from general Byzantine practice, in which there is no tradition of wearing the orarion without [[sticharion]].

==Subdeacon==
The [[subdeacon]] also wears the orarion, but always wrapped around his body in the manner described above.  In the [[Greek Orthodox Church|Greek]] tradition, [[tonsure]]d [[taper-bearer]]s wear the orarion similarly crossed in back, but with the ends hanging parallel in front. In the same Greek tradition, altar-servers will sometimes be given a blessing to wear the orarion with the ends hanging parallel in front.

In Slavic Orthodox use, no one below the rank of subdeacon is usually permitted to wear the orarion.  However, [[Reader (liturgy)|readers]] and [[altar server]]s are sometimes given a blessing by the [[bishop]] to vest in the orarion and perform some limited functions of a subdeacon.  This is usually in cases where a man has been discerned to have a vocation to the subdiaconate and plans to marry but has not yet done so.  The [[Canon law|canons]] require that if a man is to marry, he must do so before ordination to the subdiaconate, and that anybody who marries after subdiaconal ordination is to be deposed.<ref>[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf214.xvii.iv.html Apostolic Canon 26] and Canons [http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf214.xiv.iii.iii.html 3] and [http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf214.xiv.iii.vi.html 6] of the [[Third Council of Constantinople|Sixth Ecumenical Council]]</ref>
==References==
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[[Category:Eastern Orthodox liturgy]]
[[Category:Oriental Orthodoxy]]
[[Category:Eastern Christian vestments]]
[[Category:Byzantine clothing]]