Day of All Dead Faithful in Orthodoxy. All Souls Day

In the Roman Catholic Church, celebrated on November 2, following All Saints' Day. Unlike All Saints' Day, this is primarily a commemoration of deceased relatives and friends. On this day in different countries it is customary to go to cemeteries, clean graves with greenery and flowers, light candles on them, and have a common family meal.

Origin

All Souls' Day was introduced by Abbot Odilon of Cluny in all churches of the Benedictine Abbey of Cluny in France. His decree, dated 998, has survived to this day. Soon this tradition spread throughout the entire Catholic Church. In Rome, this holiday appeared at the beginning of the 14th century. From a theological point of view, this day is associated with purgatory, where the dead undergo purification, receiving support from the living through prayer, fasting and alms.

Associated with the celebration of this day is a legend about how a pilgrim returning from the Holy Land was thrown by a storm onto a deserted island. The hermit who lived there told him that in the middle of the rocks there was a crack leading to purgatory, from where the groans of the souls of sinners were heard. He also claimed to have heard demons complain about the power of prayers to save their victims, especially those offered for the dead by the monks of Cluny Abbey. Returning home, the pilgrim told Abbot Odilon of Cluny about this, who established November 2 as the day of intercession for the souls of all those who died in purgatory before God.

All Souls' Day is celebrated in the Roman Catholic Church only once a year, while in Orthodoxy there are several such days. The service of this day depends on the structure of the liturgical year, and if it falls on a Sunday, it is transferred to the next day, as happened, for example, in 2008.

Slavic traditions of the day

"Dushechki" in Slovakia

In popular perception, the two dates of church memorial holidays practically did not differ; in many places, All Saints' Day was considered as the eve of the main “suffocating” day (November 2), which included the main set of rituals. In its composition, the main and most obligatory were the customs of preparing ritual dishes intended for the souls of the dead. Polish church teachings of the 17th century contain evidence of attempts to eradicate the pagan tradition of bringing funeral food to graves and churches.

Traditional beliefs about the coming of souls from the “other world” to earth are timed to coincide with different dates of the annual cycle, but autumn suffocations were considered special days for commemorating relatives and friends. The Catholic Slavs had a strong belief that at this time deceased family members came to their homes, that they wandered in the yard, gathered under the windows of the house or to the left of the front door; entering the house, they try to warm themselves near the stove, looking for the funeral food left for them; Before returning to the “other world,” they all come together for the night service, which is served for them in the local church by the spirit of the deceased priest. People were strictly forbidden to see such a service and spy on the dead, otherwise this would threaten the daredevil with severe punishment. Very popular among the Western Slavs were the beliefs that the soul of a deceased mother certainly comes at night on the eve of death to look at her children. In Silesia, it was claimed that the souls of young children participate in mass processions of people to the cemetery in the form of a flock of birds flying after them.

Days of remembrance in the Orthodox Church

In the Orthodox and Greek Catholic churches there are several days of remembrance of the faithful departed, usually falling on Saturdays. In Orthodox churches, the day of remembrance is the 9th and 40th days after death and the day of death itself, as well as the annual general days of remembrance of the faithful: Meat Saturday (before Meat Sunday), Trinity Saturday on the eve of the Holy Trinity Day, Parental Saturdays during Lent ( 2, 3 and 4 weeks), Radonitsa - Tuesday on St. Thomas Week and Dmitrievskaya Saturday. Commemoration on Meat Saturday has been going on since the time of the apostles, on Radonitsa - since the times of John Chrysostom and Ambrose of Milan, on Demetrius Saturday - since 1380; it was established, according to church tradition, by Dmitry Donskoy in memory of Russian soldiers killed in battles with the Mongols.

In the Roman Catholic Church, celebrated on November 2, following All Saints' Day. Unlike All Saints' Day, this is, first of all, the commemoration of deceased relatives and friends. On this day in different countries it is customary to go to cemeteries, clean graves with greenery and flowers, light candles on them, and have a common family meal.

Origin

The celebration of this day is associated with a legend about how a pilgrim returning from the Holy Land was thrown by a storm onto a deserted island. The hermit who lived there told him that in the middle of the rocks there was a crack leading to purgatory, from where the groans of the souls of sinners were heard. He also claimed to have heard demons complain about the power of prayers to save their victims, especially those offered for the dead by the monks of Cluny Abbey. Returning home, the pilgrim told Abbot Odilon of Cluny about this, who established November 2 as the day of intercession for the souls of all those who died in purgatory before God.

Slavic traditions of the day

Days of remembrance in the Orthodox Church

In the Orthodox and Greek Catholic churches there are several days of remembrance of the departed faithful, which usually fall on Saturdays. In the Orthodox Churches, the day of remembrance is the 9th and 40th days after death and the day of death itself, as well as the annual general days of remembrance of the faithful.

All Souls Day(lat. In Commemoratione Omnium Fidelium Defunctorum) is the day of remembrance of the dead in the Roman Catholic Church, traditionally celebrated on November 2, following All Saints' Day. Unlike All Saints' Day, this is, first of all, the commemoration of deceased relatives and friends. On this day in different countries it is customary to go to cemeteries, clean graves with greenery and flowers, light candles on them, and have a common family meal.
Origin
All Souls' Day was introduced by Abbot Odilon of Cluny in all the churches of the Benedictine Abbey of Cluny in France. His decree dated 998 has survived to this day. Soon this tradition spread throughout the entire Catholic Church. In Rome, this holiday appeared at the beginning of the 14th century. From a theological point of view, this day is associated with purgatory, where the dead undergo purification, receiving support from the living through prayer, fasting and alms.

All Souls' Day by Adolphe Bouguereau

All Souls' Day is celebrated by the Catholic Church only once a year, while Orthodoxy has several such days.
This day belongs to the liturgical year, and if it falls on a Sunday, it is transferred to the next day, as happened in 2008.
In Austria, this day is not an official holiday, but schools and universities do not hold classes.

Memorial Day in the Orthodox Church
Orthodox churches and Eastern Catholics have several days of remembrance, usually falling on Saturdays. In the Orthodox Church, memorial days are the 9th and 40th days after death and the day of death itself, as well as annual general memorial days: Ecumenical Parental Saturday (before Forgiveness Sunday), Trinity Parental Saturday on the eve of Pentecost, Parental Saturdays during Great Lent (2, 3 and 4th week), Radonitsa - Tuesday in St. Thomas week and Dimitrievskaya Saturday. Commemoration on Ecumenical Parental Saturday has been going on since the time of the apostles, on Radonitsa - from the time of John Chrysostom and Ambrose of Milan, on Demetrius Saturday - since 1380, it was established by Dmitry Donskoy in memory of Russian soldiers killed in battles with the Tatars.

In China, a similar day is called the Hungry Ghost Festival, in America - Day of the Dead, in Mexico - Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead), in Ancient Rome - Lemuria (May 9).

A cemetery is a burial place for the dead, where, according to legend, the souls of the dead and demons reside; a “holy” place where funeral rites are performed. As part of the mythologized space, the Cemetery is opposed to the village, i.e. world of the living.
The first deceased buried in the new Cemetery is considered the ancestor of the entire cemetery community of “ancestors”. General etiquette at the Cemetery is strictly observed. Among the Eastern Slavs, when meeting at the Cemetery, you cannot say “good afternoon”, “goodbye” (they say: “farewell”), so as not to meet at the Cemetery in the future. You cannot sing songs near the Cemetery; Newlyweds during a wedding and returning from a christening with a child should walk past the Cemetery. All Slavs consider it a serious crime to desecrate the Cemetery, the graves of their ancestors. Old cemeteries cannot be plowed up, just as tombstones cannot be moved, otherwise the family will die out; remove anything from the Cemetery (for example, clothes left on crosses). At the Cemetery, it is prohibited to break branches, pick flowers, or even inhale their aroma, so as not to lose your sense of smell. According to Polesie beliefs, the housewife who breaks a green branch at the Cemetery and sweeps the ash from the stove with it will have dead people wandering around in the house and under the window all night. The Serbs are prohibited from cutting down trees in the Cemetery, because... the souls of the deceased will not be able to rest in the shade of trees and eat their fruits.
Graves in the Cemetery are dug in a place chosen in advance by relatives or the deceased himself during his lifetime. Close people are usually prohibited from digging the grave. In Belarus, for example, old people or beggars did this for free, and they avoided talking about the deceased; Having finished the work, they announced to the women who were cleaning the deceased so that they would pour water into the grave, with which they washed the body. If, when digging a grave, earlier burials are discovered, the gravediggers throw money and other valuables there so that the disturbed dead do not “drive away” the newcomer. If the grave turned out to be too small for the coffin and had to be expanded, this meant that a new deceased, usually his relative, would go there after the person being buried. If the grave was too large, it was believed that one victim was not enough and the next one would soon appear. Particularly dangerous were such incidents as the crumbling of the edges of the grave and the fall of one of those accompanying the deceased into it.
In many regions of Ukraine and Belarus, the custom of “sealing a grave” was widespread: a Ukrainian priest, under special chants, drew a cross sign over the grave with an iron shovel and threw earth onto the coffin in a cross-shaped motion; Belarusians, before lowering the coffin into a hole or on an already filled mound, knocked crosswise from the four corners with a shovel. A burial without such a “seal” was considered incomplete: it was this that did not allow the deceased to leave the grave. The grave, as the place of eternal residence of the deceased, is landscaped and often designed in the form of a house. Thus, Belarusians installed rectangular wooden structures on their graves. This “butt” resembled the lid of a coffin; it had windows and covered the entire mound; it was often called a “hut”. The Russians installed “chapels” on their graves - crosses with a gable cover and an icon. In the Russian North, in addition to the usual cross on the K., you can see an oblong quadrangular structure (“cabbage roll”), open at the top or covered with a flat roof, on which a cross is placed. They also make a kind of “garden” at the grave: they plant flowers and fruit trees. In Gomel Polesie, on Radunitsa, for example, a tree should have been planted on the grave, and birch twigs should have been stuck around it.
According to the ideas of the Western Slavs, souls living in the Cemetery retain the habits of people during their lifetime. According to the beliefs of the Bulgarians and Macedonians, the dead come out of their coffins at midnight, walk around the Cemetery and visit each other. All Slavs know the belief that at certain hours (mainly at midnight) and holidays (more often on memorial days) the souls of the dead can be seen in the Cemetery. When the deceased is carried to the Cemetery, he is greeted by the souls of those whom he accompanied on his last journey: they hang on the coffin, making the coffin incredibly heavy, as they believe in Polesie.
On memorial days (see Zadushnitsa, Zadushki, Radunitsa) and calendar holidays before Maslenitsa, St. Thomas Week, Trinity Sunday, etc., special bread is baked for souls and food is left at the Cemetery; bring them clothes; clean and decorate graves. They are greeted as if they were alive, they are invited to a meal: (in white) “Holy radzitseli! Khodzitsa come and eat some bread and salt for us.” In Ryazan province. The funeral food, which was brought to the Cemetery on Radunitsa, was eaten together by the living and the dead, supposedly emerging “from prison” and invisibly present with the living until sunset.
Fire or lights seen in the Cemetery are considered to be signs of the souls of the dead. According to Serbian beliefs, if lights or fires appear, you should not go to the Cemetery, because. at this time the souls of the dead wander there; Bulgarians believe that you should not look at such lights, otherwise you will go blind.
The Cemetery is often considered a place where demons gather - the souls of evil, unrighteous people, unbaptized children, people of other faiths, etc. “Evil” souls attack passers-by, appearing in the form in which they were buried, in white clothes that should not be touched, or in the form of a column of steam or air. According to Polish and Polesie beliefs, demon spirits appear near the Cemetery, foreshadowing death to those who see them; mermaids making frightening sounds in the Cemetery at night. In various Slavic traditions, there are known beliefs and stories about vampires living in the Cemetery, who crawl out of holes in graves, saddle night passers-by, etc. (see Vampire). People try to avoid the cemetery, especially at night. When passing by the Cemetery at night, you should read prayers, cross yourself (V.-Slav., Yu.-Slav.), raise your voice, “so that your parents will hear and not frighten you.”
At the Cemetery, magical actions and rituals are carried out with the aim of curing illness or infertility, expelling evil spirits from the village, as well as for a person to acquire miraculous knowledge or to cause damage. Particular significance in these actions is attributed to earth, sand, plants from the Cemetery, found bones and other objects. In northern Russian villages, they rubbed their chests with this earth, kept it in their bosom, and put it in water, which they doused after the funeral, so that the longing for the deceased would go away. Many Slavic peoples considered this land very dangerous: for example, the Serbs were careful not to bring it home; people digging graves were forced to take off their shoes and shake the earth out of their shoes; none of the family dared to touch her.
To drive out illness, in Polesie they boil sand from the Cemetery in water and bathe sick children, after which it is returned to the place from which it was taken. A patient with a fever is sent to spend the night in the Cemetery. Grave soil, as one of the powerful witchcraft means, was used by witches for magical purposes: for example, in Polesie, cemetery soil and sand are thrown on the path of the newlyweds in order to ruin the lives of the young people or cause their death.
Among the southern Slavs, rituals of separating “one-month-olds” and concluding twinning are also performed at the Cemetery.

One-monthers, “one-dayers” - among the Balkan Slavs, children from the same family (zadrugi, village), born in the same month (day of the week), and therefore considered by the people to be “connected” by the same fate, like twins. The most dangerous manifestation of a common destiny is the death of one of them, entailing the death of the other. According to beliefs from eastern Serbia, “One Monthers” can be a person and an animal (bear, wolf, dog), therefore the illness (death) of a supposed “One Monther” is associated with the illness (death) of an animal born in the same month or day. It is believed that, like twins, “One-month-olds” acutely feel each other’s troubles and troubles, without even knowing about them. After the death of one of the “One Monthers”, they resort to various means of protecting against the death of another “One Monther”: a ransom from the deceased, a symbolic substitution of a person (for example, they put a measure of a living “One Monther” or a stone of equal weight, a doll made of rags in the coffin), “deception” » fate and death (for example, Bulgarians tie a red thread to the fingers of a deceased person, a black thread to a living person, and replace the threads during burial). Among the Serbs, various forms of symbolic ransom from the deceased “One Month” are common. The living person throws half of a coin cut on the threshold of the house into the coffin of the deceased; a yellow flower with the words: “I am yellow to you, and you are white light to me.” They also resort to a symbolic connection with the fate of a third person, suitable by age and gender. For example, the Serbs insert the leg of the deceased and the living “One Month” into the fetter (or chain them), then the “One Month” turns to a peer present and asks: “You are my God’s brother, let me go.” He frees him, and they become sworn brothers (see Twinning). Among the Bulgarians, the future brother (the first or last child; a child whose parents are alive) lies in the coffin, depicting the deceased, and then gets up and hugs the living “One-month-old” with the words: “The deceased is not your brother (sister), from now on I am yours brother (sister)". Similar forms of “liberation” from the deceased were also resorted to in the event of a serious illness of the surviving “One-month-old”.
Twinning- the institution of ritual kinship (along with nepotism, consanguinity, etc.) and the very ritual of concluding Twinning, known in the folk tradition of all Slavs, but preserved longest in the Balkans (among the Eastern Slavs - among the Cossacks). It is perceived as a connection mediated (or bestowed) by God (cf. Serbian formulas for God brother/sister, God brother/sister) and therefore stronger, sacred, in contrast to blood kinship, which is not divine, but “human” in nature. In customary law, it is equated to consanguinity and is protected by the same prohibitions (primarily the taboo on marriage) and the same penalties for their violation as consanguinity.

The hour comes when the remains of the deceased are buried in the earth, where they will rest until the end of time and the general resurrection. But the love of the Mother of the Church for her child who has departed from this life does not dry out. On certain days, she makes prayers for the deceased and makes a bloodless sacrifice for his repose. Special days of commemoration are the third, ninth and fortieth (in this case, the day of death is considered the first). Commemoration on these days is sanctified by ancient church custom. It is consistent with the teaching of the Church about the state of the soul beyond the grave.

The third day. The commemoration of the deceased on the third day after death is performed in honor of the three-day resurrection of Jesus Christ and in the image of the Holy Trinity.

For the first two days, the soul of the deceased is still on earth, passing along with the Angel accompanying it through those places that attract it with memories of earthly joys and sorrows, evil and good deeds. The soul that loves the body sometimes wanders around the house in which the body is laid, and thus spends two days like a bird looking for a nest. A virtuous soul walks through those places in which it used to do the truth. On the third day, the Lord commands the soul to ascend to heaven to worship Him - the God of all. Therefore, the church commemoration of the soul that appeared before the face of the Just One is very timely.

Ninth day. The commemoration of the deceased on this day is in honor of the nine ranks of angels, who, as servants of the King of Heaven and representatives to Him for us, petition for pardon for the deceased.

After the third day, the soul, accompanied by an Angel, enters the heavenly abodes and contemplates their indescribable beauty. She remains in this state for six days. During this time, the soul forgets the sorrow that it felt while in the body and after leaving it. But if she is guilty of sins, then at the sight of the pleasure of the saints she begins to grieve and reproach herself: “Woe is me! How much I have become fussy in this world! I spent most of my life in carelessness and did not serve God as I should, so that I too would be worthy of this grace and glory. Alas for me, poor one!” On the ninth day, the Lord commands the Angels to again present the soul to Him for worship. The soul stands before the throne of the Most High with fear and trembling. But even at this time, the Holy Church again prays for the deceased, asking the merciful Judge to place the soul of her child with the saints.

Fortieth day. The forty-day period is very significant in the history and tradition of the Church as the time necessary for preparation and acceptance of the special Divine gift of the gracious help of the Heavenly Father. The Prophet Moses was honored to talk with God on Mount Sinai and receive the tablets of the law from Him only after a forty-day fast. The Israelites reached the promised land after forty years of wandering. Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself ascended into heaven on the fortieth day after His resurrection. Taking all this as a basis, the Church established commemoration on the fortieth day after death, so that the soul of the deceased would ascend the holy mountain of Heavenly Sinai, be rewarded with the sight of God, achieve the bliss promised to it and settle in the heavenly villages with the righteous.

After the second worship of the Lord, the Angels take the soul to hell, and it contemplates the cruel torment of unrepentant sinners. On the fortieth day, the soul ascends for the third time to worship God, and then its fate is decided - according to earthly affairs, it is assigned a place to stay until the Last Judgment. That is why church prayers and commemorations on this day are so timely. They atone for the sins of the deceased and ask for his soul to be placed in paradise with the saints.

Anniversary. The Church commemorates the deceased on the anniversary of their death. The basis for this establishment is obvious. It is known that the largest liturgical cycle is the annual circle, after which all the fixed holidays are repeated again. The anniversary of the death of a loved one is always marked with at least a heartfelt remembrance by loving family and friends. For an Orthodox believer, this is a birthday for a new, eternal life.

UNIVERSAL MEMORIAL SERVICES (PARENTAL SATURDAYS)

In addition to these days, the Church has established special days for the solemn, general, ecumenical commemoration of all fathers and brothers in faith who have passed away from time to time, who have been worthy of Christian death, as well as those who, having been caught by sudden death, were not guided into the afterlife by the prayers of the Church. The memorial services performed at this time, specified by the statutes of the Ecumenical Church, are called ecumenical, and the days on which the commemoration is performed are called ecumenical parental Saturdays. In the circle of the liturgical year, such days of general remembrance are:

Meat Saturday. Dedicating the Meat Week to the remembrance of the Last Last Judgment of Christ, the Church, in view of this judgment, established to intercede not only for its living members, but also for all those who have died from time immemorial, who have lived in piety, of all generations, ranks and conditions, especially for those who died a sudden death , and prays to the Lord for mercy on them. The solemn all-church commemoration of the departed on this Saturday (as well as on Trinity Saturday) brings great benefit and help to our deceased fathers and brothers and at the same time serves as an expression of the fullness of the church life that we live. For salvation is possible only in the Church - the community of believers, the members of which are not only those living, but also all those who have died in the faith. And communication with them through prayer, their prayerful remembrance is an expression of our common unity in the Church of Christ.

Saturday Trinity. The commemoration of all dead pious Christians was established on the Saturday before Pentecost due to the fact that the event of the descent of the Holy Spirit completed the economy of human salvation, and the deceased also participate in this salvation. Therefore, the Church, sending up prayers on Pentecost for the revival of all living by the Holy Spirit, asks on the very day of the holiday that for the departed the grace of the all-holy and all-sanctifying Spirit of the Comforter, which they were granted during their lifetime, would be a source of bliss, since by the Holy Spirit “every soul is given life.” " Therefore, the Church devotes the eve of the holiday, Saturday, to the remembrance of the departed and prayer for them. Saint Basil the Great, who composed the touching prayers of Vespers of Pentecost, says in them that the Lord especially on this day deigns to accept prayers for the dead and even for “those kept in hell.”

Parental Saturdays of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th weeks of the Holy Pentecost. On Holy Pentecost - the days of Great Lent, the feat of spirituality, the feat of repentance and charity to others - the Church calls on believers to be in the closest union of Christian love and peace not only with the living, but also with the dead, to perform prayerful commemorations of those who have departed from this life on designated days. In addition, the Saturdays of these weeks are designated by the Church for the remembrance of the dead for another reason that on the weekdays of Great Lent no funeral commemorations are performed (this includes funeral litanies, litias, memorial services, commemorations of the 3rd, 9th and 40th days by death, sorokousty), since there is no full liturgy every day, the celebration of which is associated with the commemoration of the dead. In order not to deprive the dead of the saving intercession of the Church on the days of the Holy Pentecost, the indicated Saturdays are allocated.

Radonitsa. The basis for the general commemoration of the dead, which takes place on the Tuesday after St. Thomas Week (Sunday), is, on the one hand, the remembrance of the descent of Jesus Christ into hell and His victory over death, connected with St. Thomas Sunday, and, on the other hand, the permission of the church charter to perform the usual commemoration of the dead after Holy and Holy Weeks, starting with Fomin Monday. On this day, believers come to the graves of their relatives and friends with the joyful news of the Resurrection of Christ. Hence the day of remembrance itself is called Radonitsa (or Radunitsa).

Unfortunately, during Soviet times, the custom was established of visiting cemeteries not on Radonitsa, but on the first day of Easter. It is natural for a believer to visit the graves of his loved ones after fervent prayer for their repose in the church - after a memorial service has been served in the church. During Easter week there are no funeral services, for Easter is an all-encompassing joy for believers in the Resurrection of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, during the entire Easter week, funeral litanies are not pronounced (although the usual commemoration is performed at the proskomedia), and memorial services are not served.

CHURCH FUNERAL SERVICES

The deceased must be commemorated in the Church as often as possible, not only on designated special days of remembrance, but also on any other day. The Church makes the main prayer for the repose of deceased Orthodox Christians at the Divine Liturgy, offering a bloodless sacrifice to God for them. To do this, you should submit notes with their names to the church before the start of the liturgy (or the night before) (only baptized Orthodox Christians can be entered). At the proskomedia, particles will be taken out of the prosphora for their repose, which at the end of the liturgy will be lowered into the holy chalice and washed with the Blood of the Son of God. Let us remember that this is the greatest benefit we can provide to those who are dear to us. This is how it is said about commemoration at the liturgy in the Message of the Eastern Patriarchs: “We believe that the souls of people who fell into mortal sins and did not despair at death, but repented even before separation from real life, only did not have time to bear any fruits of repentance (such fruits could be their prayers, tears, kneeling during prayer vigils, contrition, consolation of the poor and expression in actions of love for God and neighbors) - the souls of such people descend into hell and suffer punishment for the sins they have committed, without, however, losing hope for relief. They receive relief through the infinite goodness of God through the prayers of priests and charity done for the dead, and especially through the power of bloodless sacrifice, which, in particular, the priest makes for every Christian for his loved ones, and in general the Catholic and Apostolic Church makes for everyone every day.”

An eight-pointed Orthodox cross is usually placed at the top of the note. Then the type of commemoration is indicated - “On repose”, after which the names of those commemorated in the genitive case are written in large, legible handwriting (to answer the question “who?”), and the clergy and monastics are mentioned first, indicating the rank and degree of monasticism (for example, Metropolitan John, schema-abbot Savva, archpriest Alexander, nun Rachel, Andrey, Nina).

All names must be given in church spelling (for example, Tatiana, Alexy) and in full (Mikhail, Lyubov, and not Misha, Lyuba).

The number of names on the note does not matter; you just need to take into account that the priest has the opportunity to read not very long notes more carefully. Therefore, it is better to submit several notes if you want to remember many of your loved ones.

By submitting notes, the parishioner makes a donation for the needs of the monastery or temple. To avoid embarrassment, please remember that the difference in prices (registered or plain notes) only reflects the difference in the amount of the donation. Also, do not be embarrassed if you did not hear the names of your relatives mentioned in the litany. As mentioned above, the main commemoration occurs at the proskomedia when removing particles from the prosphora. During the funeral litany, you can take out your memorial and pray for your loved ones. The prayer will be more effective if the one commemorating himself on that day partakes of the Body and Blood of Christ.

After the liturgy, a memorial service can be celebrated. The memorial service is served before the eve - a special table with an image of the crucifixion and rows of candlesticks. Here you can leave an offering for the needs of the temple in memory of deceased loved ones.

It is very important after death to order the sorokoust in the church - continuous commemoration during the liturgy for forty days. After its completion, the sorokoust can be ordered again. There are also long periods of commemoration - six months, a year. Some monasteries accept notes for eternal (as long as the monastery stands) commemoration or for commemoration during the reading of the Psalter (this is an ancient Orthodox custom). The more churches where prayer is offered, the better for our neighbor!

It is very useful on the memorable days of the deceased to donate to the church, give alms to the poor with a request to pray for him. On the eve you can bring sacrificial food. You cannot just bring meat food and alcohol (except for church wine) to the eve. The simplest type of sacrifice for the deceased is a candle that is lit for his repose.

Realizing that the most we can do for our deceased loved ones is to submit a note of remembrance at the liturgy, we should not forget to pray for them at home and perform acts of mercy.

MEMORY OF THE DECEASED AT HOME PRAYER

Prayer for the departed is our main and invaluable help to those who have passed into another world. The deceased, by and large, does not need a coffin, a grave monument, much less a memorial table - all this is just a tribute to traditions, albeit very pious ones. But the eternally living soul of the deceased experiences a great need for constant prayer, for it cannot itself do good deeds with which it would be able to appease the Lord. Home prayer for loved ones, including the dead, is the duty of every Orthodox Christian. St. Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow, speaks about prayer for the dead: “If the all-discerning Wisdom of God does not forbid praying for the dead, does this not mean that it is still allowed to throw a rope, although not always reliable enough, but sometimes, and perhaps often, saving for souls who have fallen away from the shores of temporary life, but have not reached eternal refuge? Saving for those souls who waver over the abyss between bodily death and the final judgment of Christ, now rising by faith, now plunging into deeds unworthy of it, now elevated by grace, now brought down by the remains of a damaged nature, now ascended by Divine desire, now entangled in the rough, not yet completely stripped of the clothes of earthly thoughts..."

Home prayerful commemoration of a deceased Christian is very diverse. You should pray especially diligently for the deceased in the first forty days after his death. As already indicated in the section “Reading the Psalter for the Dead,” during this period it is very useful to read the Psalter about the deceased, at least one kathisma per day. You can also recommend reading an akathist about the repose of the departed. In general, the Church commands us to pray every day for deceased parents, relatives, known people and benefactors. For this purpose, the following short prayer is included in the daily morning prayers:

Prayer for the departed

Rest, O Lord, the souls of Your departed servants: my parents, relatives, benefactors (their names), and all Orthodox Christians, and forgive them all sins, voluntary and involuntary, and grant them the Kingdom of Heaven.

It is more convenient to read names from a commemoration book - a small book where the names of living and deceased relatives are written down. There is a pious custom of keeping family memorials, reading which Orthodox people remember by name many generations of their deceased ancestors.

FUNERAL MEAL

The pious custom of remembering the dead at meals has been known for a very long time. But, unfortunately, many funerals turn into an occasion for relatives to get together, discuss news, eat delicious food, while Orthodox Christians should pray for the deceased at the funeral table.

Before the meal, a litia should be performed - a short rite of requiem, which can be performed by a layman. As a last resort, you need to at least read Psalm 90 and the Lord’s Prayer. The first dish eaten at a wake is kutia (kolivo). These are boiled cereal grains (wheat or rice) with honey and raisins. Grains serve as a symbol of resurrection, and honey - the sweetness that the righteous enjoy in the Kingdom of God. According to the charter, kutia must be blessed with a special rite during a memorial service; if this is not possible, you need to sprinkle it with holy water.

Naturally, the owners want to provide a tasty treat for everyone who came to the funeral. But you must observe the fasts established by the Church and eat permitted foods: on Wednesdays, Fridays, and during long fasts, do not eat fasting foods. If the memory of the deceased occurs on a weekday during Lent, then the commemoration is moved to the Saturday or Sunday closest to it.

You must abstain from wine, especially vodka, at the funeral meal! The dead are not remembered with wine! Wine is a symbol of earthly joy, and a wake is an occasion for intense prayer for a person who may suffer greatly in the afterlife. You should not drink alcohol, even if the deceased himself liked to drink. It is known that “drunken” wakes often turn into an ugly gathering where the deceased is simply forgotten. At the table you need to remember the deceased, his good qualities and deeds (hence the name - wake). The custom of leaving a glass of vodka and a piece of bread at the table “for the deceased” is a relic of paganism and should not be observed in Orthodox families.

On the contrary, there are pious customs worthy of imitation. In many Orthodox families, the first to sit down at the funeral table are the poor and the poor, children and old women. They can also be given clothes and belongings of the deceased. Orthodox people can tell about numerous cases of confirmation from the afterlife of great help to the deceased as a result of the creation of alms by their relatives. Moreover, the loss of loved ones prompts many people to take the first step towards God, to begin living the life of an Orthodox Christian.

Thus, one living archimandrite tells the following incident from his pastoral practice.

“This happened in the difficult post-war years. A mother, tearful with grief, whose eight-year-old son Misha drowned, comes to me, the rector of the village church. And she says that she dreamed of Misha and complained about the cold - he was completely without clothes. I tell her: “Are any of his clothes left?” - "Yes, sure". - “Give it to your Mishin friends, they’ll probably find it useful.”

A few days later she tells me that she again saw Misha in a dream: he was dressed in exactly the clothes that were given to his friends. He thanked him, but now complained of hunger. I advised to organize a memorial meal for the village children - Misha's friends and acquaintances. No matter how difficult it is in difficult times, what can you do for your beloved son! And the woman treated the children as best she could.

She came for the third time. She thanked me very much: “Misha said in a dream that now he is warm and nourished, but my prayers are not enough.” I taught her prayers and advised her not to leave acts of mercy for the future. She became a zealous parishioner, always ready to respond to requests for help, and to the best of her ability she helped orphans, the poor and the poor.”

All Souls Day(Latin: In Commemoratione Omnium Fidelium Defunctorum) is celebrated on November 2nd in the Latin church calendar. On this day it is customary to remember all deceased relatives and friends. It is customary to go to church mass and light a candle for the untimely dead, as well as visit the cemetery, clean the graves of your loved ones, and gather for a memorial meal at a family meal.

All Souls' Day was first introduced in France. Initially, it was introduced in all churches of the Benedictine Abbey in Cluny. The man credited with inventing this holiday was named Abbot Odilon of Cluny. A decree dated 998 has even survived to this day. Very soon this holiday spread throughout the Catholic world. It has a very interesting theological basis. It was believed that this day is associated with purgatory, where the souls of the departed await cleansing from sins. It is interesting that the living could also influence the cleansing of the dead with their prayers and alms.

Many legends are traditionally associated with this day. One of them tells about a pilgrim who, returning by sea from the holy land, was caught in a storm and thrown onto a deserted island. On this island he met a hermit, from whom he learned about a crack existing nearby leading to purgatory and from which the groans of sinners can be heard. Also from this crack, the pilgrim heard the complaints of demons about the power of prayers, which snatched the souls of the unfortunate from their claws. Having somehow managed to get out of this terrible island, the pilgrim went to Odilon of Cluny and told him this amazing story. The shocked abbot, impressed by this story, established November 2 as a day of intercession for the souls of sinners who ended up in purgatory.

It is noteworthy that in the Catholic Church, November 2 is the only day of the year when the souls of the departed are remembered. It is also worth noting that All Souls' Day belongs to the so-called liturgical year. This means that if November 2nd falls on a Sunday, the celebration is automatically postponed to the next day.

In some countries, such as Austria, there are no classes at schools or universities on this day.