Orthodox Parables and Stories: "Processions in the village"

In the Lithuanian villages, processions were made in exceptional cases, eg. in the case of epidemic fatal disease and high drought.

In the latter case, the priest, seeing the great need and hearing many calls for a procession, announced that the procession would be held on this day.

Many prepared with fasting and prayer. On the day the liturgy was done, the bell rang and the whole village gathered in the church. A decent procession was formed.

In front was the cross, the six-wing cherubims, the icons, the chanters, the priest dressed in his vestments and the whole people behind him. They followed a well-marked itinerary, a long one.

They went to "Gugouses", they went all the way to Stavros and went back to the village. They chanted the rule, and when they made stops, the priest read the blessings for the solution of the drought.

 In the words of all of them, they answered with "Lord have mercy" The procession was followed by the young children with their compassionate voices asking for mercy and rain.

And indeed, as the old ones tell, it rained. During the next years, there were 3-4 processions and then it was always raining.

Excerpt from the book "Tradition - worship in a Greek village (at Aira Kalambaka)" pp. 80-81.