Selections from Forgiveness Vespers at St. Tikhon's, 2015

At Forgiveness Sunday vespers you will hear Paschal hymns. The reason for singing Paschal hymns is because many of the monks of Palestine, where the tradition developed, would go out into the desert - as we see in the Life of St. Mary of Egypt - for the 40 Days of Lent and some would not return, so the Paschal hymns were sung for those monks who would die in the wilderness. However, if the Irmosi of the Paschal Canon are sung during the Rite of Forgiveness, the "Christ is Risen" refrains are not sung because there are no troparia for the refrains to introduce.

(Paschal Sticheria at 15:07)