Byzantine Rite

Principal liturgical tradition of the Orthodox and Eastern Catholic churches. It originated in Constantinople, which was the city of Byzantium in ancient times. The heritage of the liturgy is Syrian and Palestinian, going back to the two great Syrian centers of Antioch and Jerusalem. The Byzantine Rite was adopted by the patriarchates of Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem during the middle ages. It was the rite of the ancient Byzantine Empire, and it displaced other eastern liturgies. It is characterized by grandeur, full ceremonial, and rich liturgical symbolism. The Kontakion and Ikos from the Byzantine Rite may be used for the anthem at the commendation in the BCP service for the Burial of the Dead, with the Kontakion repeated as an antiphon (pp. 482-483, 499).