Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

Liturgical fan, normally made in pairs of metal and mounted on poles. Rhipidia usually bear images of the seraphim and often have small bells attached. Rhipidia are now normally carried at the Great Entrance in the Divine Liturgy. Traditionally the deacon waved or twirled the rhipidion above the holy table to keep insects away from the sacred elements. On athos their use is rare, but they are twirled above the holy table at certain moments during the prote anastasis service. The rhipidia , representing iconographically angels of the presence, both proclaim the presence of God and the heavenly court in the sacred action and identify the Divine Liturgy with the eternal heavenly liturgy. See also cherubikon ; communion of the apostles . ( 1993 ), ‘ Remarks on the Liturgical Fan, Flabellum or Rhipidion ’, in , The Age of Migrating Ideas . Edinburgh : National Museums of Scotland Publishing . ... log in or subscribe to read full text