The deeply devotional Akathist Hymn, meaning the “unseated hymn”, will be recited today, Friday, at Orthodox Cathedrals around the world.
The name derives from the fact that during the chanting of the hymn, all able-bodied congregants are expected to remain standing, in reverence to the Theotokos, the Virgin Mary.
The Akathist Hymn is recited a week before the Passion of Jesus, when Easter Holy Week commences on Palm Sunday.
The hymn is considered as a masterpiece of Byzantine ecclesiastical music and one of the most beloved hymns of the Greek Orthodox tradition.