Many people know the word "katavasiya", which usually serves as a brightly colored, expressive definition of something like confusion or disharmony. But not everyone knows about the origin of this term. This question we will cover in this article, we will try to give an answer to the question of what katavasiya really is.
Origin
Some people think that the word is Russian and it consists of the word “cat” and the name Vasya, that is, it is a kind of reference to the domestic cat and the qualities that it personifies. In fact, this and all such interpretations are based solely on random similarity. In fact, Greek is the true source of the term katavasia. What is it, the charter of the Orthodox service will help us understand. As you know, in Orthodoxy there are several public religious ceremonies. One of them is matins, which, accordingly, should be performed in the morning. However, in Russia it is most often served in the evening. The ceremony of this ceremony includes the singing of the so-called canon - a sequence of eight songs consisting of small verses called troparia. Each such song begins with the so-called irmos - also a small text sung in a special way. The irmos text can also be duplicated, and after the song, and in this case, it is called "katavasiya". What is this, you can easily understand, if you take in your hands the order of matins. However, it does not explain the essence of the term, since its literal translation is "descent, descent."
Here you need to learn something else about the traditions of the Orthodox ceremonial. The fact is that all the chants and hymns during the service are performed by a choir called a choir. And although there can be only one choir, the traditional worship involves two choirs, which are located to the right and left of the altar. Such their placement makes it possible to create certain effects, for example, sing anthems.
So katavasiya - what is it? Initially, this was the name of the practice, when both choirs leave their places on the sides of the altar and descend into the nave, that is, into the zone for the laity, where they unite and sing chants as a single choir. Later, this practice began to be performed less and less, until it completely came to naught. And her name was assigned to that chant, which was performed in this form.
Types of catavasia
There are various types of catavasia. Most often, it is performed after each of the songs of the canon and is called in this case ordinary. There is a festive catavasia. What it is is easy to feel with a direct presence at the service. It is performed in the manner of irmos, but only after the 3rd, 6th, 8th and 9th songs of the canon.
Secular meaning
We have already said that this word is used in the secular world, as well as that its meaning here is exclusively figurative. Katavasia is called any confusion or chaos. Such popularity is due to the Russian seminarians, who, during the singing and gathering of the choirs, were many and very false, creating a cacophony of sound.