Constantinople, Rite of
Constantinople, Rite of
Followed by all Orthodox churches, by Melchites in Syria and Egypt, Balkan Uniats, Italo-Greeks in Calabria, Apulia, Sicily and Corsica, by over 100,000,000 Christians . It is of Antiochene origin. It employs the Greek, Arabic, Old Slavonian, and Rumanian languages, and follows the Julian Calendar (Old Style), the liturgical year beginning 1 September . There are four great fasts: of Christ’s Birth, 15 November to 25 December ; of Easter, seven weeks before the feast; of the Apostles , first Sunday after Pentecost to 28 June ; of the Mother of God, 14 days from 1 August . Instead of a Missal and Breviary , it has many service books, 20 in number. The liturgy followed is that of Saint Chrysostom but, except Palm Sunday, on all Sundays in Lent, Maundy Thursday and Holy Saturday, the Eves of Christmas and Epiphany, the Liturgy of Saint Basil is used.