The Lamentations at the Tomb Matins of Holy and Great Saturday

On Friday night, the Matins of Holy and Great Saturday, a unique service known as the The Lamentations at the Tomb (Epitáphios) is celebrated. Much of the service takes place around the tomb of Christ in the center of the nave. A unique feature of the service is the chanting of the Lamentations or Praises which consist of verses chanted by the clergy, choir, and chanters interspersed between the verses of Psalm 119 (which is, by far, the longest psalm in the Bible).

At the end of the Great Doxology, while the Trisagion is sung, the epitaphios is taken in procession around the outside the church, and is then returned to the tomb. Some churches observe the practice of holding the epitaphios at the door, above waist level, so the faithful most bow down under it as they come back into the church, symbolizing their entering into the death and resurrection of Christ.