Funeral signing a hymn from 6th century Byzantine empire
What is the Russian Kontakion of the Departed and what are the words?
The kontakion or Kondakion is a form of hymn performed in the Orthodox and Eastern Catholic traditions.
Originating in the Byzantine Empire around the sixth century CE, the Kontakion dates back several thousand years.
The word Kontakion comes from the Greek word, kontax, meaning pole, specifically the pole which holds a scroll together.
The word was originally used to describe an early form of poetry, where each part is divided into strophes (or verses/stanzas) and begins with a prologue that gives background to the poem.