Zmirotho :  is the plural form for the Syriac word ܙܡܝܪܬܐ which means a chant, hymn, song.

        Zmirotho.org is dedicated to provide Syriac hymns that are chanted during the Syriac Orthodox Divine Liturgy's ecclesiastical cycle year. The webpage allows the faithful to easily locate and view the weekly hymns of the Syriac Orthodox liturgical year. These hymns were written hundreds of years ago by the Church Fathers who were inspired by the Holy Spirit, especially St. Ephraim who established choirs in the church for the first time in the history of Christianity. The hymns are encompassed with rich meaning and tradition especially since they were written during the early times of Christianity.

         We have translated these hymns into Arabic and English in order for the faithful to be able to comprehend their rich theological context. We have also provided the pronunciation of the hymns in Arabic and English. Additionally, we are also working to record the hymns so there may be an audio link for our faithful to listen to the tunes.

        It is important to note that the hymns are organized according to the Syriac Orthodox Church Calendar and Rite. For each Sunday of the year, there are three hymns: one to be sung after the reading of the Holy Bible, the second during the Divine Liturgy, and the third at the conclusion of the Liturgy.
       
        In addition to the Sunday hymns, Zmirotho.org presents hymns and prayers recorded and chanted by deacons of our church, and provides the recorded Divine Liturgy as well as the Shhemo (the daily prayers). There are also PowerPoint presentations which include the Divine Liturgy in Arabic and English. The purpose of the PowerPoint slideshows is to provide our faithful the interpretation of the Syriac hymns in order to obtain a better understanding of their antiquity and beauty.

        We hope to continue providing various resources for our Syriac faithful in order to cultivate our faith within us and with one another.

Zmirotho Team:

Mor Clemis Eugene Kaplan Archbishop, Western USA Patriarchal Vicarate Burbank, California Director and Editor of Zmirotho

Rev. Father Louis Jacob St. Ephraim Cathedral Burbank, California Choir Director. Collects the hymns according to the ecclesiastical cycle year. Some of the hymns that are posted on Zmirotho are sung by him.

Rev. Father Ephraim Edde St. Ephraim Cathedral Burbank, California   Translates all hymns that are posted on Zmirotho from Syriac to Arabic and English.

Deacon Emanuel Aynaz St. Ephraim Cathedral Burbank, California Musical Director of Zmirotho. Plays the Keyboard and the Oud.

Deacon Jimmy Daly St Ephraim Cathedral Burbank, California Webmaster of Zmirotho Some of the hymns that are posted on Zmirotho are sung by him.