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What is the proper way to kiss an icon?

How do you kiss your icons in church? at home?

Christ is in our Midst!

The way I was taught was two make two metanys (bow and touch the floor, or a prostration on weekdays), then kiss the icon (and if desired to then touch the forehead to the icon) and then one more metany.

For an icon of Christ or the Trinity, the foot is kissed if there, otherwise the hand. An icon of the Trinity is kissed once, not once for each Person, since there is One God. For the Theotokos or a saint, one kisses the hand, usually the right hand. For any icon, it is highly improper to kiss the face. On the burial shroud of Christ (epitaphios) used during Holy Week, one kisses the five wounds of Christ, but never His Head. That is one reason why in the Russian typicon the Gospel book is placed directly over the face of Christ--too many people were kissing His Head.

I hope this helps.

Justin

jbosl<< That is one reason why in the Russian typicon the Gospel book is placed directly over the face of Christ--too many people were kissing His Head.>>

Justin, I don't believe I've ever seen the Gospel Book placed over the face of Christ on the plaschanitsa. If anything, one of the smaller veils (not the aer) used for the chalice or the discos is placed there with the matching veil, both veils being usually purple or another dark somber color, placed on Christ's feet. The Gospel Book is normally placed in the *center* of the Shroud, in the same place where it rests when the Shroud is placed on the Holy Table for the 40 Days from Pascha to Ascension.

OrthodoxEast

"Practice makes perfect" is key here. So let's overview by practicing before we try and execute.

Okay, so first you peel an orange...

LOL just kidding. Don't know what it is with me tonight.

Logos Teen

You're right, it is a chalice veil. Sometimes my memory fails me off the cuff! :p Although, I've never seen anything placed over Christ's feet. Looking at my typicon (the abridged typicon from the St. Tikhon's Press), it only mentions the veil on Christ's head. Then again, what the typicon says and what many parishes do.... Thanks for setting me straight.

Justin

Orthodox East is right. The Gospel Book is place in the center of the Shroud, and the face is covered with a chalice veil, but I don't remember ever seeing the feet covered as well. According to one OCA book (probably the little booklet from that series of booklets for Holy and Great Week) one should kiss the wounds of Christ on the Shroud.
Arvid.

Orthodox East is right. The Gospel Book is place in the center of the Shroud, and the face is covered with a chalice veil, but I don't remember ever seeing the feet covered as well. According to one OCA book (probably the little booklet from that series of booklets for Holy and Great Week) one should kiss the wounds of Christ on the Shroud. According to Robert Taft the Gospel Book was the original icon of Christ in this service but was wrapped in the Aer veil as Christ's Body was wrapped in a shroud. From this developed the custom of depicting Christ's Body or even his the entire burial scene on the Aer which then eventually came to be the principal icon of Christ in popular devotion and liturgical practice. The placing of the Gospel Book on the Shroud itself in Russian tradition is a holdover from the original practice.
Arvid.

I once read somewhere that one should kiss the feet of Christ (when shown on the icon), the hands of the Theotokos and the face of a saint, although some feel one should kiss the beard of a male saint and the veil of a female saint rather than the face proper.
Arvid

Sorry, Justin, I missed your origin message. You are probably right. Do you know what part of the Trinity icon to kiss. I sometimes kiss the eucharistic chalice in the centre of the table and sometimes the feet of the Angels.
Arvid.

Happy Feast of the Transfiguration!

Dear friends,

I have seen both practices. Our Russian Greek Catholic pastor does not place the aer over the face of Christ. He does place the Gospels on the shroud and we form a line and make multiple prostrations, usually three, and kis the wounds of Christ. A local Russian Orthodox priest does place the aer over the face of Christ.

Holy RusOrthCath New Martyrs and Confessors, pray to God for us.

Arvid Nybroten<<The Gospel Book is place in the center of the Shroud, and the face is covered with a chalice veil, but I don't remember ever seeing the feet covered as well. >>

To be honest, Arvid, I've seen only two OCA priests also cover the feet with a veil, and both of these priests were born in Russia, one in Moscow, the other in Tula. But covering the face with the inner chalice veil seems to be a fairly consistent practice among the Russians. I don't recall seeing the face (or feet) veiled on the Epitaphios in Greek Orthodox churches on Great and Holy Friday though.

OrthodoxEast

In the Greek Orthodox communities I've visited, the epitaphios has nothing on it. (Boston Diocese). The people venerate, and many kiss one of the tassel ends of the shroud after being reminded to remove any and all lipstick.

As for other icons, I was taught to make the metany - twice - , kiss the lower right corner of the icon (some touch the forehead to the icon thereafter), and then follow with one more metany. I've also seen some older folks touch the base of their candle to the base of the icon before placing it in the holder/sand. (Just DON'T drip wax anywhere or the Praetorian Guard (=Ladies' Guild) will follow you home and make your life miserable!)

Blessings!