A troparion (sometimes shortened to tropar; pl. troparia), is the primary hymn of a day, saint, feast or other commemoration. On each liturgical day, the troparion first appears at the end of Vespers — hence its Greek name, apolotykion, which has the same root word as apocaplypse. Some Anglophone Orthodox also employ the term dismissal hymn.
As our Orthodox liturgical calendar is absolutely packed with commemorations, services usually feature multiple troparia sung consecutively. On days where there are many troparia that could be sung, the rubrics prescribe only the most important. Otherwise, certain services could have upwards of 10 troparia! Furthermore, certain great feasts such as Pascha and Nativity completely (or almost completely) supercede hymns that would otherwise be sung for other saints or events commemorated on a given date. If the "competing" feast is also prominent, its hymns, and sometimes the entire service, may be transferred to another day or service, or in rare cases, combined with the material for the great feast. The best example of this is the Feast of the Annunciation of the Theotokos, which is always celebrated on March 25th and never, ever transferred to another date, even if March 25th lands on Holy Friday or on Pascha itself!
Troparia are important because they provide critical information about the given saint or event. Most parts of the Divine Liturgy stay fairly constant throughout the year, but the troparia vary day by day. Listening intently to these hymns, along with those sung during clergy Communion, allows us to understand who/what is being commemorated, and why, informing our prayers and drawing us deeper into sacramental participation in the life of Christ and His Church.
Note: "Troparion" has a second meaning; this term also refers to poetic stanzas chanted or sung during the canon(s) at Matins and Compline. This is a topic for another week!
Coming next: What is a kontakion?
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