What is the practice when we put our hands together and go around and grab each other's hands during the liturgy?

By CopticBot.ai (Coptic Space Inc.) · Last reviewed 2026-10-08

What you are describing is a beautiful and distinct Coptic liturgical practice known as the Handclasp of Peace or the Greeting that occurs during the Prayer of Reconciliation (ⲡⲓⲉⲩⲭⲏ ⲛⲧⲉ ϯϩⲓⲣⲏⲛⲏ) in the Divine Liturgy.

When the deacon proclaims, "Greet one another with a holy kiss" (ⲁⲥⲡⲁⲥⲁⲥⲑⲉ ⲁⲗⲗⲏⲗⲟⲩⲥ ⲉⲛ ⫽ ⲫⲓⲗⲏⲙⲁⲧⲓ ⲁⲅⲓⲱ), we do not literally kiss one another as in ancient days; instead, we perform this symbolic gesture of joining hands.

Here is why we perform this specific movement:

1. The Transfer of Peace From the Altar

The peace starts at the Altar. The priest touches the Altar, then touches the hands of the other clergy. From there, it is passed to the deacons, and finally to the congregation. When you receive the hands of the person next to you and then pass it to the person on your other side, you are symbolically "passing the peace" that originated from Christ (the Altar) throughout the entire Body of the Church. You are a link in a chain that connects every member of the congregation back to the Altar.

2. Reconciliation Before the Sacrifice

The Coptic Church is very literal about the commandment of Christ: "If you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift" (Matthew 5:23-24). We cannot proceed to the Anaphora (the Liturgy of the Faithful) if there is any division or hatred among us. By joining hands, we are testifying that we are at peace with everyone in the building.

3. The Symbolism of the Gesture

In the Coptic rite, the gesture is specific: you place your palms inside the palms of the person next to you, and then you bring your own hands to your lips or your heart.

• The Touch: Represents the "holy kiss" mentioned by St. Paul in his epistles.
• The Connection: It shows we are "limbs of one another."
• The Flow: It creates a physical circle of unity. Generally, it moves from the front of the church to the back, ensuring that no one is left out of the circle of love and forgiveness.

4. Direct Rejection of Heresy and Division

History reminds us that heretics often sought to divide the Church. By physically joining hands, we demonstrate that we are "of one mind and one heart." We are not a collection of individuals; we are the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.

When you do this, you are participating in a tradition that has survived for centuries, signifying that through the ⲑⲉⲟⲧⲟⲕⲟⲥ (Mother of God) and the work of the Holy Spirit, we have been made one through the Blood of ⲓⲏⲥⲟⲩⲥ ⲡⲭⲣⲓⲥⲧⲟⲥ (Jesus Christ).