When it is said
The Russian prayer book sets it for every day of Bright Week, from Pascha until Saturday morning, in place of the morning and evening prayers said at home. It is best sung, but it may be read.
In church it takes the place of each of the Hours, the short services through the day. It replaces Compline and the Midnight Office too.
In that week the prayers before Communion also begin with it. The canon of Pascha follows: the long hymn of the Easter night service.
In church a priest begins it with “Blessed is our God” and ends it with a blessing. At home it opens and closes with the prayers given here.
Where it comes from
No author known
Hours with no psalms
Unlike the usual Hours, which are built on psalms, this order has none at all. It is much shorter, and the whole of it is meant to be sung. The Greek service book says to repeat it at each of the Hours, at Compline (the service before sleep) and at the Midnight Office.
The Greek service of Pascha, on the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America’s liturgical texts site; Wikipedia, Paschal Hours
Hymns from Jerusalem
The Paschal Hours gather the hymns of the feast. They are printed in the Pentecostarion, the service book for the season from Easter to Pentecost. The first two hymns, “Christ is risen” and “Having beheld the resurrection”, are known from Jerusalem’s ancient hymn book, the Iadgari, which survives in a Georgian translation.
Isabel F. Hapgood, Service Book (1906); Wikipedia, Paschal troparion; Deacon Vladimir Vasilik, on Pravoslavie.ru
What the words mean
In the tomb, in Hades, in Paradise
One short hymn puts Christ in four places at once. His body lay in the tomb. With His soul He went down to Hades, the place of the dead: Peter writes that He preached to the spirits in prison. He was in Paradise with the thief, as He had promised him on the cross that very day. And He was on the throne with the Father and the Spirit. Paul says the One Who went down also rose above the heavens, to fill all things.
1 Peter 3:18-19; Luke 23:43; Ephesians 4:10
“Rejoice!”
One of its hymns, the kontakion, has the risen Christ greet the women who came to the tomb with spices for His body. He says one word: “Rejoice!” It is His word in Matthew’s Gospel, when He met them on their way from the empty tomb. Matthew’s Greek and the hymn’s Greek use the same word. The Berean Bible gives it as “Greetings!”
The Scripture in it
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women came to the tomb, bringing the spices they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were puzzling over this, suddenly two men in radiant apparel stood beside them. As the women bowed their faces to the ground in terror, the two men asked them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen! Remember how He told you while He was still in Galilee:”
Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” They came to Him, grasped His feet, and worshiped Him.
It was the first day of the week, and that very evening, while the disciples were together with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them. “Peace be with you!” He said to them.
And Jesus said to him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
He Who descended is the very One Who ascended above all the heavens, in order to fill all things.
In a loud voice she exclaimed, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!”
Bible text: Berean Standard Bible, public domain.
In Church Slavonic
Моли́твами святы́х оте́ц на́ших, Го́споди Иису́се Христе́, Бо́же наш, поми́луй нас. Ами́нь.
Христо́с воскре́се из ме́ртвых, сме́ртию смерть попра́в и су́щим во гробе́х живо́т дарова́в.
Воскресе́ние Христо́во ви́девше, поклони́мся Свято́му Го́споду Иису́су, еди́ному безгре́шному, Кресту́ Твоему́ покланя́емся, Христе́, и свято́е Воскресе́ние Твое́ пое́м и сла́вим. Ты бо еси́ Бог наш, ра́зве Тебе́ ино́го не зна́ем, и́мя Твое́ имену́ем.
Прииди́те вси ве́рнии, поклони́мся Свято́му Христо́ву Воскресе́нию, се бо прии́де Кресто́м ра́дость всему́ ми́ру. Всегда́ благословя́ще Го́спода, пое́м Воскресе́ние Его́: распя́тие бо претерпе́в, сме́ртию смерть разруши́.
Предвари́вшия у́тро, я́же о Мари́и, и обре́тшия ка́мень отвале́н от гро́ба, слы́шаху от А́нгела: во све́те присносу́щнем Су́щаго с ме́ртвыми что и́щете, я́ко челове́ка? Ви́дите гро́бныя пелены́, тецы́те и ми́ру пропове́дите, я́ко воста́ Госпо́дь, умертви́вый смерть, я́ко есть Сын Бо́га, спаса́ющаго род челове́ческий.
А́ще и во гроб снизше́л еси́, Безсме́ртне, но а́дову разруши́л еси́ си́лу и воскре́сл еси́, я́ко Победи́тель, Христе́ Бо́же, жена́м мироно́сицам веща́вый: ра́дуйтеся! И Твои́м апо́столом мир да́руяй, па́дшим подая́й воскресе́ние.
Во гро́бе пло́тски, во а́де же с душе́ю я́ко Бог, в раи́ же с разбо́йником и на Престо́ле был еси́, Христе́, со Отце́м и Ду́хом, вся исполня́яй, неопи́санный.
Слава Отцу и Сыну и Святому Духу
Я́ко Живоно́сец, я́ко рая́ красне́йший, вои́стину и черто́га вся́каго ца́рскаго показа́ся светле́йший, Христе́, гроб Твой, исто́чник на́шего воскресе́ния.
И ныне и присно и во веки веков. Аминь
Вы́шняго освяще́нное Боже́ственное селе́ние, ра́дуйся. Тобо́ю бо даде́ся ра́дость, Богоро́дице, зову́щим: благослове́нна Ты в жена́х еси́, Всенепоро́чная Влады́чице.
Го́споди, поми́луй
Сла́ва Отцу́ и Сы́ну и Свято́му Ду́ху, и ны́не и при́сно и во ве́ки веко́в. Ами́нь.
Честне́йшую Херуви́м и сла́внейшую без сравне́ния Серафи́м, без истле́ния Бо́га Сло́ва ро́ждшую, су́щую Богоро́дицу, Тя велича́ем.
Христо́с воскре́се из ме́ртвых, сме́ртию смерть попра́в и су́щим во гробе́х живо́т дарова́в
Го́споди Иису́се Христе́, Сы́не Бо́жий, моли́тв ра́ди Пречи́стыя Твоея́ Ма́тере, преподо́бных и богоно́сных оте́ц на́ших и всех святы́х, поми́луй нас. Ами́нь.