One of the most well-known services in the Orthodox Christian world, the Akathist Hymn, is the most pleasing for its chanting and texts, as it addresses the Mother of Christ with reverent familiarity. This is the Akathist Hymn or the Salutations to the Most Holy Theotokos, because the word "Rejoice" is often repeated, along with the so-called refrain, "Rejoice, Bride unwed," both in the introduction and in the odd (single) houses of the service.

The Akathist Hymn is a service that is chanted in parts on the Friday evenings of the first four weeks of Holy and Great Lent, and in its entirety on the Friday of the Fifth Week (the Orthros of Saturday).