So the ancient Poles were singing Faure's Pie Jesu?
Fascinating.

The Poles listened to the Pie Jesu. He also included a recording of Szymanowski's Stabat Mater in this prayer service.

This Lord's Burial Liturgy was in addition to Morning Prayer, 12 Noon Stations, 3PM (English) 5:30 PM(Polish)

Well, the tradition of the Lord's sepulchre is a BIG medieval one, one that in many places was swept out with the Tridentine reforms.

Chonak

They are different strands of a larger tradition, but the Western tradition was rationalized away in the modernizations of the Counter-Reformation, with some folkways preservation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_Sepulchre

Then think about the afikomen of Pesach....


Then there are things like the spectacular Holy Spirit-dove that shoots out of the Duomo in Florence during the bell-ringing of the Gloria during the Mass of the Easter Sunday liturgy to set off fireworks:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LT5qr1xqbKo

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scoppio_del_carro

Costanzod, might I suggest that you avoid publicly airing grievances against your former pastor? You've posted about this para-liturgy, his banning of hymns, and other rather specific complaints you have with his decision-making. I and many of us here sympathize and mourn over your recent misfortune, but you run the risk that you may either cause scandal in your former parish if someone finds this or that you may damage your own reputation as an agreeable person to work with.

Whatever silly liturgical decisions your former boss may have made are now moot and irrelevant to you and the rest of us. It's good to highlight how the liturgy should be celebrated and avoid the pitfalls of "creativity". But there comes a point when we risk glorying in the failings of another. For your own sake, move on.

I hesitate to post this publicly, except that others here (you may or may not know who you are...) are prone to similarly air grievances with former or current employers. I suspect I have been guilty of it myself. So I say this to encourage us all: let's say what we will at the bar over whiskeys (or ice cream cones for Ben), but here let's avoid pointing out bad decisions for the sake of showing how perfect we are. And if we do have complaints with priests, let's address the priest directly, or seek settling of more serious issues through the proper channels.

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Melo, that's what I was thinking. If it was an addition to Good Friday, and not replacing the "normal" Liturgy of the Lord's Passion, well... many places have extra devotional activities on that day (stations, Tenebrae, etc) and so as long as the people are well catechized that this is not intended to be the same as the Liturgy of the Lord's Passion, then, well... it might be ok locally and worthwhile even (even if it sounds weird to some people!)

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In Polish traditions that I have seen at several parishes where I worked, there is an actual tomb of Christ set up in the church from HT to past Easter Sun. There is a stone in front of the tomb and the exposed Blessed Sacrament in a monstrance. The tomb is guarded round the clock until the Vigil, then again until the Dawn mass of the Resurrection whereupon the beginning the Monstrance is carried in procession followed by Mass. The tomb-guarders take their job very seriously, are dressed in ethnic Polish costumes (usually men guard the tomb). The statue body of Christ is placed in the tomb laying down and covered then becomes the same statue placed (standing victoriously) on top of the tomb on Easter morning with a banner in His right hand.

Thus it seems to me that the experience described by Adam has its origins in ethnic Polish culture and in the end it may have resembled something close to it.

"I think it's surprising how quickly traditions develop and escalate."

I disagree. I think it's unfortunate how eager people are to quickly set something in stone and then call it a tradition. My favorite quote comes from a Lutheran ex-girlfriend: "only Americans could be dumb enough to call something less than a generation old a 'tradition.'"

Not that I have a problem with new devotions. But people can be too quick to ossify them. "We did it this way the last 5 years" quickly turns into "our TRADITION is to do this!" When said tradition only has gone on for 6 years.

At my Episcopal parish, they hang curtains over these big floor-to-ceiling windows at the back of the Sanctuary, a completely practical practice that happened because the morning sun is literally blinding at certain times of the year.

But, of course, they put them up whether it's that time of year or not, and even when it is overcast. It's just one of the things the altar guild does as part of "setting up."

I have often joked that in another generation, those curtains will have been elevated to "tradition," and that in another generation there will be deep theological explanations for the use of the curtains. If we move to another building that has no such windows, I half expect to the see the curtains adorning the solid wall.

Vatican Council IV in 2567 will decree that the rites be simplified to remove accretions. The Manum Sanitatio will be abolished, as will be the minor order of Armflapper, and the Opening Rites will have removed that ancient and venerable dialog:

P: Good morning everyone! C: Good morning, Father. P: How about this weather? (Here the congregation must chuckle twice, symbolizing the two natures of Christ.)

The Council will remind everyone that the acoustic guitar has "pride of place" in the Roman liturgy, but sadly theremins will permeate churches everywhere, as the "spirit of Vatican IV" outpaces the letter.

The FSSBXVI will split from the church, only celebrating the Missal of 2562, particularly because of the watered-down offertory rites. "What good Catholic doesn't know that the Manum Sanitatio reminds us of the Gel of the Holy Spirit coming down upon our palms, and removing 99.99% of our sins!"

(This post may be a less serious prediction, though it is a commentary on what passes for "tradition.")

The Resurrection procession is what I mentioned in my last post. Wesoly (what they sing in the video) is THEE Most traditional and first hymn sung Easter morning in Every Polish church! (This I know having played for many in Chicago)