Churches

There seems to be a degree of superstitious mysticism in Russian culture, and it can be seen especially in the Orthodox Church. There is a tremendous amount of ritual that must be followed before, during, and after being inside. At the threshold, believers will cross themselves (the Orthodox cross-motion is the reverse of the Cathol/Protestant- top, bottom, right, left). Inside, men must remove hats and women must put on headscarves. Women must also be dressed in conservative attire, that is, skirts or loose-fitting trousers. Believers scurry about the dark rooms perfumed with incense, busily crossing themselves and bowing to the gilded portraits of saints.
The whole atmosphere inside the churches plays to the senses: elaborate icons, golden alters and paintings on every bit of wall and ceiling overwhelm the eyes. The strong smell of incense permeates everything, and the warm stuffiness of the sanctuaries contrast sharply with the cold outside. The room is either full of chanting or, more commonly, so quiet that you have to make an effort to stifle the sound of your footfall. This all creates an environment that emphasizes the mysterious and the spiritual, which goes a long way in explaining the raw and emotional form of worship in the church. It is not uncommon to see women weeping before the image of a saint, and most every one of the faithful kisses the saints’ pictures on the walls. In some churches there are the remains of long-dead saints encased in tremendous sarcophagi with transparent glass over the top. I have seen people stand in line to bend over and kiss the glass, which is always smudged with the collective lip-gunk of the faithful.
I should mention that the bodies of the saints are covered in linens, so it’s not like you can see a decomposing face staring back up at you. But, I wonder if people would be so keen on kissing the glass if that were so?
The Russian Orthodox Church is so fundamentally different than the Protestant tradition that I am more familiar with. As far as I can tell, Russian Orthodox services lack sermons in favor of much chanting, singing, incense swirling, and prostration before the Lord (who stares down with a stern face from the ceiling). This worship is much more transcendent and spiritual than the typical Protestant variety, and without much organization or structure. People come in and out, praying to whichever saint they choose and all bowing and crossing whenever they feel like it. I haven’t seen the blank back-and-forth between priest and congregation of the Episcopal tradition, nor have I seen anyone taking communion in any form, or really any interaction between the priests and the people. That’s not to say that it’s not there, but not in a form familiar to me.
Really, it reminds me much more of the type of worship I’ve seen in mosques or synagogues. A great deal of chanting and recitation of prayer in Russian, Hebrew, or Arabic, respectively, with lots of ritualistic bowing, crossing, prostrating, and rocking. From what I can tell, the Orthodox priest plays a similar role to the imam. He leads prayer during a service, and is a spiritual adviser after hours. Unlike Islam, there is a lot more pomp and show in the Orthodox Church and with plenty of pictures of Jesus, God and the saints (strictly forbidden in Islam). So, in that sense, an Orthodox church is also similar to the synagogues that I’ve seen. There is a lot of decoration and they both have big elaborate versions of their holy books, to point out a few things. Well, naturally they will all be a bit similar since they come from the Abrahamic tradition.
There is a lot of formality in church, and being unfamiliar with it can get you in trouble. I was in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and some бабушка ran up from behind, slapped my arm and issued some reprimand for an unknown violation. In another church, I mistakenly put my hat back on before being all the way outside. I was approached by a youngish man who gestured to me to take it off. It’s difficult to know how to behave inside exactly, but I just try my best to be unassuming and inoffensive.