Liturgical fan in Eastern Christianity

The ripidion, or hexapterygon is a ceremonial fan used in Eastern Christian[note 1] worship.

A fan is generally made of metal, round, having the iconographic likeness of a six-winged seraphim and is set on the end of a pole.

"[3] Fans are carried by the altar servers at all processions with Eucharistic gifts and the Gospel Book.

[citation needed] Fans used in the Maronite and Oriental[note 2] traditions are distinctive, having little hoops of metal or bells all around the circumference of the disks, symbolizing the hymns of the angels to God.

Pseudo-Dionysius Areopagita, De coelesti hierarchia, [Patristische Texte und Studien 36.

Eastern Christian ripidion , 19th century ( Pskov museum).
Armenian silver ripidion, with six-winged seraphim