Prayers and Music for the Nativity Season

Prayers and Music for the Nativity Season
Quick links to material for prayer at home and in church

For liturgical use, you should always check with the Archdiocese Department of Liturgics. DOWAMA.org and the Diocese of Los Angeles Liturgics page are also helpful resources.

Appropriate services during the Nativity Fast are:

• Advent Paraklesis
• Akathist to the Nativity of Christ
• Evening Service for the Nativity Fast (Text)
• Evening Service for the Nativity Fast (Music)
• Evening Service for the Nativity Fast (Readings)

For services on Thanksgiving Day, visit the Online Liturgical Guide.

Many parishes and individuals celebrate Thanksgiving with the Akathist of Thanksgiving. The Antiochian Women of the East have also provided a printable version of the Akathist organized for devotional reading throughout the Nativity Fast.

The Department of Sacred Music provides musical settings in PDF format for the major feasts of the Nativity season:

• Music for the Feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos (PDF)
• Nativity of Our Lord Pre-Feast Series (PDF)
• Sunday of the Forefathers (Second Sunday before Nativity) Vespers (PDF)
• Sunday of the Forefathers (Second Sunday before Nativity) Orthros (PDF)
• Sunday before Nativity Vespers (PDF)
• Sunday before Nativity Orthros (PDF)
• Nativity of Our Lord Series (PDF)
• Nativity of Our Lord Post-Feast Series (PDF)

Following the Nativity season, the Department of Sacred Music provides musical settings for the Feast of Theophany:

• Theophany of Our Lord Pre-Feast Series (PDF)
• Theophany of Our Lord Series (PDF)

From His Grace Bishop Basil:

• The Order of Theophany House Blessing

Paraliturgical Hymns

The Department of Sacred Music also has a collection of Carols of the Nativity by Richard Toensing, based on Orthodox hymnography (PDF format, not for liturgical use)

• First Set 
• Second Set

Other Paraliturgical Hymns are also available in the PDF Library under section P.

Nativity Section Home