Kontakion of the Nativity of Christ
At the Vesperal Liturgy of St. basil on the eve of Christmas, we begin singing the Kontakion of the Nativity of Christ:
Today the virgin gives birth to the Transcendent One and the earth offers a cave to the Unapproachable One. Therefore rejoice, O earth, at the message; with the angels and shepherds give glory to Him Who shall appear by His own will as a new Child: He Who is from eternity God.
But that familiar hymn is only the first verse of the original kontakion written by St. Romanos the Melodist. Originally, a kontakion was an extended homily in verse. The kontakia were so long that the text was rolled up on a pole for use in the services — the origin of the name kontakion, which means “from the pole” in Greek.
The monk Ephrem (Lash) has translated the full Kontakion of the Nativity of Christ into English.