The answer
In Greek, they are called έθαπθου, ριπδιου, ριπιου (hexa-pterygium) or “six-winged.” Each fan has the figure of the Seraphim with six wings. The use of the liturgical fans is still prevalent in the East, especially in Upper Egypt. According to the Apostolic Constitutions of the fifth century, two deacons use fans of linen, fine skin or peacock feathers as they stand by the altar to drive away insects and keep them from touching the sacred vessels. These fans came to have a symbolic meaning. According to the Coptic rite, these fans are used during the recitation of the Hymn of the Cherubim symbolizing the presence of the Cherubim as they partake in our praise to God.
According to a Coptic manuscript in the Vatican on the making of the Myron oil, twelve deacons carry fans in a procession. In the Greek Church, seven deacons carry liturgical fans during the Good Friday service and during the prayers for the Chrism.1254 Some Orthodox Churches attach small bells to the fans so that they can make a sound when moving, symbolizing the sound of the Seraphim’s flying wings. In the Coptic Church, there are now only two metal fans in the form of a circle, somewhat like the halo around a saint’s head. Each fan has a long handle and in the middle of the circle, a Seraph is represented. These fans are used in the church processions.
Fr. Tadros Yacoub Malaty
Notes
1254 Alfred J. Butler, The Ancient Coptic Churches of Egypt, Volume 2 (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1884): p. 50.