Rejoice, rejoice, O full of grace! You do not abandon us in your dormition!

We use the shrouds to honor our Lord and Most Holy Theotokos. 

Shrouds are not just fabric. They are expressions of deep faith and veneration. The Epitaphios is carried in solemn procession, as the Church mystically follows Christ into the tomb, preparing to rejoice in His Resurrection. Later, at Pascha midnight, the same congregation will pass beneath the shroud, entering the light of the risen Christ.

 

In monastic and parish life alike, shrouds are also used to cover the Holy Table on the altar, symbolizing the swaddling cloths of the Infant Christ — and His burial wrappings. Even at the end of life, Orthodox Christians are buried in simple white shrouds, echoing the humility and hope of the Resurrection.

 

From cradle to grave, and from altar to tomb, the shroud weaves through the Orthodox life .—. not as a symbol of sorrow, but of sacred beauty, reverence, and eternal hope.