Little Hours

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Little Hours

The Little Hours are a set of short daily prayers in Christian worship. They are the “minor” hours that come between Lauds (morning prayer) and Vespers (evening prayer). The standard Little Hours are Terce (the third hour), Sext (the sixth hour), None (the ninth hour), and Compline (the end-of-day prayers). These brief services help sanctify different parts of the day and the workday.

History in brief
From the earliest days of the Church, Christians prayed at several fixed times each day. Early sources describe seven regular prayer times, tied to parts of the day and events in Jesus’s life. Over time this practice was organized into a fixed system called the canonical hours, often collected in a breviary. The Little Hours grew out of this tradition as shorter, simpler prayers to be said between the major hours.

Western Christian practice
In Western Christianity, private daily prayers helped imitate the early Church and led to formal liturgical hours. The Little Hours (Terce, Sext, and None) stayed part of daily life because of their connection to Jesus’s Passion. In the West, Prime (the first hour of daylight) was added by some monks but was later suppressed in the Latin Church after the Second Vatican Council. In English-speaking churches, the morning, midday, and afternoon hours are now commonly called midmorning, midday, and midafternoon or simply “the daytime hours.” Those who lead the Liturgy of the Hours are usually required to say at least one of these hours, especially to keep the day’s work spiritually oriented.

Eastern practice
In Eastern Christianity, the Little Hours are set out in the Horologion. Much of the service is read aloud by a reader, with only a few parts varied day by day. The fixed portions include the Troparion and Kontakion of the day. The structure of the Little Hours is related to Compline and the Midnight Office, and the services are guided by the Typicon. Priests and deacons wear different vestments depending on the occasion, and the Holy Doors of the iconostasis remain open during many parts of the service.

Structure of the hours
All Little Hours share the same basic pattern:
- A usual opening
- Three psalms (constant for each Hour)
- Troparia (one or two short hymns) and the Theotokion (a hymn to Mary)
- A short Psalm verse
- Trisagion and the Lord’s Prayer
- Kontakion
- Lord, have mercy (often 40 times)
- The Hour’s prayer and concluding prayers
- Dismissal by the priest

Lenten and festive variations
During Great Lent, the Little Hours change on weekdays: extra readings from the Psalter, special Lenten hymns, and additional prayers. On Holy Week, certain readings and chants replace the usual hymns, and the Gospels may be read in full during some hours. In Easter (Paschal) time, the Paschal Hours are joyful and different from ordinary hours, often focusing on hymns from the Paschal Vigil rather than psalms.

Eastern and other traditions
In some Oriental Orthodox churches (like the Syriac and Indian Orthodox) the Little Hours are tied to specific day times and local customs, sometimes called the 3rd, 6th, and 9th hours (Tloth sho`in, Sheth sho`in, Tsha’ sho`in). The general idea—praying at set times during the day to stay connected with God—remains the same.

See also
Related liturgical hours include Matins (All-Night Vigil), Lauds, Vespers, and Nocturns, as well as the broader practice of the Liturgy of the Hours.