How to commemorate the dead on the joystick. Radonitsa, the day of special commemoration of the dead, what needs to be done at the cemetery and at home on this day

It is customary to celebrate some holidays in our country on a grand scale, while others - focusing on church foundations. Among them are Radonitsa; only a few know what to do on this day. The holiday follows Easter, nine days later, and then the dead are invited to share the joy of the Resurrection of Christ with the living. Sometimes this day is called Easter for the dead.

What is Radonitsa?

Radonitsa is a Spring memorial day. It comes on Tuesday of the Radonitskaya (or Fomin) week, immediately following Easter. Those who "departed forever into heaven" are usually remembered kind word and also visit the graves of their ancestors. These commemorations are joyful, cheerful. In ancient times, the word Treznamy and Radonitsy were called deities that kept the souls of dead people. The Slavs brought them generous gifts and arranged feasts, which could be watched by the dead, in other words - Navi.

A special day that fell in the spring months was called the New Day. And when all commemorations began to be called feasts, the second name went to the holiday. He also has many other nicknames: Radunitsa, Radovnitsa, Radolnitsa, etc. According to some historians, the name is borrowed from the Baltic peoples: the word "raudine" means prayer for the dead. Other common names for Memorial Day:

• Hospitable or Redomny Sunday;
• Parental (accepted in Belarus);
• Coffins (in Ukraine).

Radonitsa - what kind of holiday is it, customs

Believers observe some customs on any church holiday and on Parents' Saturday. At this time of the final departure of winter and the heyday of spring, it is customary to coax the dead with flowers, gifts and never yearn. Best of all, what needs to be done on Radonitsa is described by an ancient proverb. According to her on Radonitsa:

• “Plow in the morning” - that is, believers have every right to work until noon;
• “Crying during the day” - you need to go to the grave to your loved ones and clean up there;
• “they jump in the evening” - by the end of the day, God himself ordered to melt the bathhouse, set the table and call the guests.

What to cook for Radonitsa at home?

Radonitsa is a bright celebration, and what needs to be done on this day is to have fun and not indulge in sad thoughts. According to old traditions, on memorial Tuesday it is customary to set a rich table, and in some regions not only for the living (guests, relatives), but also for the dead. For example, there was a custom to say the words of a prayer and pour wine on the ground, thus sharing their happiness with the ancestors.

And today people carry goodies to the cemetery to share a meal with dead relatives and friends. The dishes are baptized in the church in the morning. What is cooked for Radonitsa? Traditional dishes and drinks are as follows:

• pancakes and pancakes;
• pies;
• kutya;
• boiled meat and aspic;
• eggs;
• beer and wine.

Do I need to paint eggs for Radonitsa?

A question that interests many people: are eggs painted for Radonitsa? They don't paint. Church traditions they say that you need to do this at Easter, but a little more than a week passes from one holiday to another, so sometimes people re-dye the eggs to take them to relatives to the graves as a treat or put them on the table. This is allowed, but not necessary, because the food consecrated in the church will lie quietly from Easter to Radunitsa. If the question arose of what to bring to the church on Radonitsa, colored eggs are perfect, just like the traditional Easter cake.

Radonitsa - how to commemorate the dead?

Christians believe that a person remains a parishioner of the Church even after death. Kind words are what the dead really need, and the goodies left on the graves are remnants of paganism. Any prayer will be more effective if the one who remembers on the solemn day takes communion himself, tastes the bread and wine - the Body and Blood of Christ. In Rus' they said: “On Radonitsa, the dead are waiting at the gate.” It was believed that before returning to afterworld, the dead wish to receive alms from relatives near the cemetery gates.

Before you go to the cemetery, you need to go to the temple. A memorial note is served there, a candle is lit, and a prayer is read on Radonitsa for the departed. It begins with the words: “Remember, O Lord our God, in faith and hope of the life of the eternal reposed of your servant, our brother…”. You can read prayers:

• parents about deceased children;
• children about deceased parents;
• widows and widowers.

Is it possible to commemorate the suicidal on Radonitsa?

Memorial day Radonitsa is a bright holiday, but it also has its own prohibitions. For example, all Orthodox are forbidden to commemorate suicides without special permission from a priest. For this there is a day preceding church holiday Trinity - Trinity parent saturday. There are exceptions to the rules, for example, cases are specifically stipulated when a person died voluntarily, but through euthanasia.

How to commemorate the dead on Radonitsa if they committed suicide? This should be done very carefully, both on a holiday and any other day. Those who commemorate are obliged to ask the blessing of the priest, and pray for the restless soul with special zeal. It is very difficult for such people to, and the lot of relatives is to help them in every possible way in finding peace.

Is it possible to bury on Radonitsa?

Praying and commemorating the Parental is the duty of every Christian, but the performance of other rites raises a number of questions. For example, is it possible to make burials and bury the dead on Radonitsa? There are no special indications for this case, because death cannot be predicted and, moreover, "adjusted" to church calendar. Therefore, funerals and burials are allowed and carried out. The funeral is not trying to move to another day.

Is it possible to knit on Radonitsa?

Orthodox Radonitsa is an ordinary day for a secular person, which does not include weekends and days off, so people can and should work: work is not forbidden, you just need to set aside time to go to church and pray. However, different regions of the country have their own Radonitsa, and people interpret what needs to be done on this day in different ways:

1. For example, there is a belief that all needlework is prohibited on the holiday: knitting and especially embroidery. People say: "so as not to sew up the eyes of the dead."
2. The liturgical calendar recommends refraining from any work on the eve of the holiday. And by the end of Memorial Tuesday, it is already allowed to sew and knit.

Is it possible to work on Radonitsa in the garden?

People who honor Christian customs and at the same time are gardeners and gardeners are interested in whether it is possible to work on personal plots on this day: plant, weed, dig. Of course, when choosing what to do on Radonitsa, it is advisable to stop at spending the day in prayers, and postpone planting for another day, but you can work in the garden. Before lunch, while worship is going on in the churches, it is not worth doing work on the ground, as there is an opinion that the dead are able to hear and feel everything that happens. In the afternoon, you can start the planned work.

Is it possible to clean up on Radonitsa at home?

On the holiday of Radunitsa, everyone tries to visit temples and cemeteries in order to clean up the graves of loved ones. The Church does not prohibit minor cleaning around the house, that is, “working in the morning,” as the people say. The celebration does not deviate from the accepted canons, according to which the entire homework preferably completed the day before. To sit down at a clean table on a bright day, to be in a clean room. What can be done on Radonitsa:

• iron;
• sweep floors;
• sort things out;
• wash dishes, etc.

Is it possible to wash in Radonitsa?

Daily household chores are not prohibited by the church, although if time permits, all usual work should be postponed. There is no laundry on the list of what not to do on Radonitsa. If baby diapers are dirty, that is, an urgent matter, it is allowed to perform the necessary manipulations, but in another case, a person will not become a sinner. He just has to find time for prayer in the midst of domestic chores.

Is it possible to wash on Radonitsa?

For most people, hygiene is a necessary daily procedure that cannot be dispensed with. Believers are concerned about the question: is it possible to wash your hair on Radonitsa and perform other water procedures? The Church does not forbid these actions. However, it is recommended to wash on the eve of the holiday in order to meet it “fully armed”. It is all the more indecent to come to church in an inappropriate state: with an unwashed head, in dirty clothes.

For many centuries, the bright Radonitsa has been celebrated - what people need to do on this day is discussed for just as long. Those who are far from faith do not trouble themselves to observe church canons, but there are also parents of absurd assertions and superstitions. But even when a person is not an ardent Christian, on Memorial Tuesday he must find time to pray for all relatives and friends who have rested in peace.

The first day after Easter, the day of commemoration of the dead - Radonitsa, whose name etymologically goes back to the words "kind" and "joy", existed in pagan times. This memorable date is also called Radunitsa, Mogilki, Radozhnoe, Radunets, Joyful, Joyful Sunday Navi Day.

Radonitsa is celebrated on the 9th day after Easter. In 2020, the date of this parent's day falls on Tuesday 28 April.

According to legend, in the old days, deities who were the guardians of the souls of the dead were called Radonitsy. People brought sacrificial offerings to these spirits, arranging memorial feasts - feasts in cemeteries.

However, the meaning of this holiday in Christianity has changed: Orthodox believers remember on this day the descent into hell of Christ, who brought out people who believed in him, thereby saving them from spiritual death.

According to the clergy, the victory over death due to the resurrection of the Savior should displace sadness due to separation from relatives, so the priests ask the faithful not to indulge in deep grief for their loved ones.

It is customary to call people who have passed away not dead, but deceased. After all, according to church ideas, only the body is subject to death, and the soul remains immortal, which Christ proved with his resurrection.

Therefore, we commemorate the deceased loved ones - those who left only for a while. Even after death they do not cease to be members of the Church of God, who "is not the God of the dead, but of the living" (Matthew 22:32).

How to commemorate the dead on Radonitsa?

We will talk about the traditions that have developed in Orthodoxy that are associated with this memorable date. On the eve of it, many people go to graveyards to put in order the graves of relatives for the holiday.

It is the sacred duty of relatives to monitor the cleanliness and safety of burials. Cleaning at the cemetery is done from Thursday on bright week, although in temples throughout this week, according to church rules, the commemoration of the dead is not performed.

If a person dies on Easter, he is buried according to a special Easter rite. After all, this bright holiday is a time of joy, victory over death and over all sorrow and sorrow.

What should be done on Radonitsa? On the ninth day after Easter, on Tuesday, believers need to visit the temples where the memorial service is taking place. No matter how busy you are, try to plan your time so that you attend worship services.

Before the funeral liturgy, parishioners are lowered into special urns or handed over to the priest notes with the names of relatives or friends who need to be remembered on this day. In this case, it is enough to write only the name, and preferably in the Old Slavonic style. For example, not "Sergey", but "Sergiy", not "Tatiana", but "Tatiana", etc.

You also need to put a memorial candle on the eve (a quadrangular table with cells for candles, in front of which is an image of the Crucifixion or removal from the cross).

At the proskomedia, the part of the divine service before the liturgy, the priest prepares bread and wine for the Eucharist. For the deceased, a piece is taken out of a special prosphora, and then, as a sign of the ablution of his sins, they are lowered into a bowl with Holy gifts.

After the Divine Liturgy, a parental memorial service is served, at which the deceased baptized Orthodox believers are commemorated. It is also called universal, because all believers are commemorated on it.

When visiting temples, people, according to an old tradition, leave here food for the needy (bread, sweets, fruits, vegetables), flour for prosphora, Cahors for the celebration of the liturgy, etc., serve alms - commemoration.

Why is it necessary to commemorate deceased relatives on Radonitsa? There is a sign that if a person does not visit the graves of loved ones on Radonitsa, then no one will remember him after death. And the family that will be the first to come to the cemetery on this day will be the happiest of the year.

Visit the graves of loved ones, pray for them, because prayer for the departed is the main thing that we can do for those who have departed to another world:

“God give rest to the souls of your departed servants: my parents, relatives, benefactors (their names) and all Orthodox Christians, and forgive them all sins, free and involuntary, and grant them the Kingdom of Heaven.”

There are other prayers designed for specific occasions (prayer for deceased parents or children). Optionally, you can read an akathist about the repose of the dead.

Before praying, light a candle, placing it in front of the cross and the icon, but not in front of the photograph of the deceased. Prayer will be more effective if the one who commemorates the Radonitsa himself partakes of the Body and Blood of Christ.

You can invite a priest to serve on the grave of lithium - a short memorial service, the name of which means "intensified prayer."

How to celebrate Radonitsa correctly?

What can not be done on Radonitsa? As church ministers say, the tradition of leaving products (for example, colored eggs and Easter cakes) in cemeteries is a pagan relic, so you should not do this.

Noisy picnics in places of peace and tranquility should also not be arranged. Initially, such a ritual existed in paganism, but it has nothing to do with Christianity. IN Orthodox families such a custom should not be observed. It is better to distribute these products to the poor near the temple, asking them to pray for the soul of the deceased.

Also, on Radonitsa you can’t swear, shout, swear and speak badly about the departed. Remembering them at home, serve traditional ritual dishes (kutya, which can be pre-consecrated in the church or sprinkled with holy water) and pancakes.

Eggs are dyed on this day, but unlike Easter, the traditional colors are green and yellow. Alcoholic drinks, contrary to popular belief, should be excluded from the menu.

There are other traditions of this day: on Radonitsa, they don’t arrange house cleaning, they don’t wash clothes, they don’t work in the garden and garden. According to signs, plants should not be planted, otherwise the harvest will be poor. It is believed that if seeds are planted on this day, crop failure and drought will follow.

Our ancestors believed that if it rains in the morning that day, and a strong wind blows in the afternoon and evening, then the deceased are worried that they are not visited at the cemetery. Rain in calm weather promised a good harvest.

It was also considered a good omen if the weather is good on Radonitsa. People believed that the deceased relatives sent them warmth, wishing them all the best.

May 10, the second Tuesday after Easter, the Orthodox Church dedicates to the remembrance of the dead, and this parental day itself is called Radonitsa, or Radunitsa. Neither on Easter, nor on Bright Week (week), the dead are not commemorated in the Church: they don’t serve special services for the dead, the so-called requiems, they don’t go to the cemetery. And if someone happened to die on Easter, then the person is even buried according to a special Easter rite.

This is due to the fact that the Bright Resurrection of Christ is a holiday of victory over death, a holiday of joyful news that by His Resurrection from the dead, Christ not only defeated death, but also gave life to "those in the tombs" - that is, the dead. The Church tactfully gives us all the opportunity to be filled with Easter joy, to establish ourselves in it, and only then sets aside a special day so that we can commemorate our dead, and the commemoration day itself has a surprisingly life-affirming name - Radonitsa.

But what does it mean to remember the dead? First, let's pay attention to the fact that in the Church they talk about the dead, and not about the dead - this is because God does not have the dead, with God everyone is alive. Secondly, let us fix one more important point: the commemoration of the departed in the Church differs from the days of remembrance, from the remembrance of a person. Commemoration in the Church is, first of all, prayer. But why should we pray for the dead?

Here is how one of the most revered elders of the Russian Orthodox Church, the spiritual father of the three Russian patriarchs, Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov): “Most people go into eternity with sins, not having time to cleanse themselves of them due to unexpected death or illness and infirmity, so that they turn out to be guilty before the Justice of God,” says the famous elder. "And at the same time, we know that in the future there will be only two places for people to stay: hell and paradise. The deceased, who have not been cleansed of sins for themselves, can no longer offer prayers, they cannot help their situation. All hope is placed by them only on the living left on earth. They can help them and change their fate in the future life. If the gates of eternity suddenly opened before our eyes, we would see how millions of souls stretch out their hands to those living on earth, silently asking for their help in easing his fate in other world". The two-thousand-year experience of the Church testifies: the afterlife of man before doomsday is not definitively decided, and the prayer of the living, a prayer filled with ardent and sincere love, is capable of changing this fate.

How to spend Radonitsa correctly? On Radonitsa they certainly try to come to the cemetery. But since our prayer is more important for the soul of the deceased than any ritual around the grave, the day must begin with a visit to the Divine Liturgy. Arriving at the beginning of the service in the temple, the faithful submit a note with the name of the deceased for his prayerful commemoration in the altar during the liturgy. It is believed that no more effective than prayer than the one uttered in an undertone by a priest during the sacrament of the Eucharist. Therefore, the so-called magpies are often ordered for the deceased - prayer commemorations during the sacrament of the Eucharist, performed for forty days.

After the Divine Liturgy, an ecumenical or parental memorial service is served in churches on Radonitsa. During the memorial service, we, trusting in the mercy of God, ask the deceased for forgiveness of his sins and blessed eternal life. Memorial services are special funeral services performed both before the burial of the deceased and after - on the 3rd, 9th, 40th days after death, on the days of his birth and the anniversary of death. It is important not only to defend the memorial service, but also prayerfully participate in it.

In addition to the magpie, memorial services, home prayers for the dead, another means of commemorating them is alms. Alms should be understood not only as giving to the poor in memory of the deceased, but also more broadly - any kind deed, a good deed. St. John Chrysostom taught: "A luxurious burial is not love for the deceased, but vanity. If you want to condole for the deceased, I will show you another way of burial ... worthy of him and glorifying him: this is almsgiving." The experience of the Church shows that both constant prayer for the deceased and alms given in his memory can change the fate of a person after death. The saints testify: good deeds done in memory of our relatives also facilitate their posthumous fate. If, for example, a loved one died from alcoholism, help the patient, tormented by this pernicious passion, do everything so that he does not repeat the path of your loved one. If you could not save your loved one, save the far one, and your act, committed in memory of the deceased, will also ease his posthumous torment.

Orthodox Christians, eight days after the celebration of Easter, commemorate their deceased relatives. On this day, the holiday Radonitsa is celebrated, which appeared in pagan times.

Radonitsa is a special day when everyone can pray to the Higher Powers for the repose of the souls of those who left the world of the living. The very desire to pay tribute to your loved ones is quite understandable, because funeral rites exist in all cultures of the world and appeared in ancient times. IN Orthodox tradition There are several rules that must be followed when remembering the dead.

How to remember the dead

The culture of commemoration of deceased relatives is replete with various rituals and beliefs. Some of them belong to the church, while others are echoes of the pagan beliefs of our ancestors. According to church covenants, on Radonitsa, believers first come to a memorial service, then visit the graves of their loved ones, pray for the repose of their souls, and also serve memorial alms.

A divine liturgy is held in the church, after which the priests serve a parental memorial service. During it, all the names submitted before the service by parishioners on special sheets are read out. This memorial service is also called universal, since during the memorial service all believers who left the world of the living are commemorated at once.

On Radonitsa, a visit to the cemetery is a must. It is necessary to clean up the graves, put in order the monuments, fences, change wilted flowers for fresh ones, be sure to offer a prayer Higher Powers. Many believers go to churchyards the day before to have time to put in order the graves of their relatives. Prayer can be said aloud or silently. Words can be anything, because your sincere grief and bitterness from loss will find a way out themselves during the commemoration of people dear to your heart. The clergy urge not to sink into despondency, because the Kingdom of Heaven awaits the departed, which means they need help to ascend to the Lord.

Commemoration of suicides and unbelievers

The priests answer this delicate question as follows: it is not only possible, but necessary, to commemorate such people. You can’t just pass little notes with their names during the service of the memorial service. However, it is imperative to pray for the cleansing of the souls of the dead from sins. You can also give a memorial, asking believers to pray for your loved ones who left the world of the living. Every person has a soul, and even if he does not believe in the Lord or decides to take his own life, you need to pray for him, helping him find peace in the afterlife.

“Lord Almighty, have mercy on the soul of Your sinful servant (name), who departed from life in apostasy from the holy church and You. Do not impute to me as a sin a sincere prayer for the soul of Your servant, and do not leave him in eternal wanderings after death. May Your will be done both on earth and in heaven. Amen".

Unbaptized people are also commemorated with a prayer to St. Paisios, who helps souls to ease eternal torment after death without repentance:

“Reverend Paisios, I appeal to You! Do not leave the soul of God's servant (name) without repentance. Pray to the Lord that he does not leave her without his forgiveness and blessing. Be fair to my dear person and send me your blessing. Amen".

Radonitsa is a holiday for everyone. At this time, a bright memory of people close to you is preferable to despondency and grief. Remember the dead with a kind word, leave treats for them on the graves and be sure to give alms to those in need. Happiness and prosperity to you, and do not forget to press the buttons and

17.04.2018 04:16

WITH memorial days connected important rules and prohibitions, violating which you can bring trouble on yourself. ...

In 2019, Radonitsa (parents' day) falls on May 7 - on the second Tuesday after Easter. This is a special day that evokes reverent feelings for the departed person.

How to commemorate the dead on Radonitsa correctly - in church and at home? The very desire to remember, to pay tribute to the deceased is quite natural and understandable. After all, it is no secret that funeral rites exist in all cultures of the world, and they come from ancient times.

How to commemorate the dead on Radonitsa according to the Orthodox tradition? And what folk customs not approved by the church? There are detailed answers to these questions - they are discussed below.

The culture of commemoration is replete with various traditions, beliefs and rituals. Some of them are directly related to the church, including the Orthodox. And there are others - folk, the trace of which has been lost since time immemorial (they are sometimes also called pagan).

If we are talking about how to correctly commemorate the dead on Radonitsa precisely according to the Orthodox tradition, we can say this. First we come to worship, then we visit the cemetery, and most importantly, we pray and give alms.

Do I need to go to church on Radonitsa

Unfortunately, we cannot always get to church even on the day of Radonitsa, and there are a lot of objective reasons for that. But it is better to plan your time in advance so that you can attend the service.

It may turn out that our loved one was not Orthodox (and perhaps did not believe in God). But this does not mean that he does not have the right to a blessed memory - the last right of any person.

The key difference is only that a note is submitted for the Orthodox in the temple, which indicates the name of the deceased. It is enough to write only the name, and preferably in the Old Slavonic style. For example, not "Sergey", but "Sergiy", not "Tanya", but "Tatiana", etc.

How to commemorate and what to do in the temple

The next morning, after the Divine Liturgy, a parental memorial service is served. This is a complete commemoration of all the deceased baptized Orthodox - the priest commemorates all the names that were submitted in notes (in large churches it is better to bring it the night before). That is why this memorial service is often also called universal, thus emphasizing the scale of the service: the memory of all believers.

DEAD OR DEAD?

Interestingly, the church and many people talk about the commemoration of the departed, and not the dead. And if you think about it, can you find any difference? In fact, this question has its own deep, even essential meaning.

It is not entirely correct to call a person dead, and here's why. According to church ideas, only the body is subject to death, so it can be called dead.

But man himself is a living, immortal soul. This is what Christ proved with his resurrection. Therefore, we commemorate not the deceased, but the deceased loved one - the one who left only for a while.

The question arises: if the deceased is not baptized, is it necessary to attend the service? Everyone can answer it only for himself. In any case, you need to act according to your conscience, and if there is no sincere desire in visiting the temple, then you should not go against your will. Here you can pay attention to general recommendations.

For example, the fact that if a person is in the assembly of believers, it is much easier for him to calm his thoughts. This is especially important for those who have recently suffered the burden of loss. The doors of the church are open to everyone - why not take advantage of this opportunity on the holy day of Radonitsa?

It is quite clear how to commemorate the dead on Radonitsa in the church. Another thing - how to do it at the cemetery? On parental day, it is customary to visit the grave and put things in order there.

It might even be better to arrive the day before. Especially when there is a lot of work to be done - to replace or paint the fence, touch up the cross, clean the mound of grass, lay an artificial lawn, wash the monument, etc.

However, the very commemoration of deceased loved ones is allowed no earlier than the second Tuesday after Easter - i.e. exactly on Radonitsa. According to Orthodox tradition, as you approach the grave, you need to light a candle, and then read an akathist or prayer, as your heart tells you.

Whether a person does it mentally, or aloud, is his business. Again, the main thing is sincerity and personal desire. Well, after the prayer, you can restore complete order on the spot and stay a little in silence.

Sorrowful feelings cover at such moments - the bitterness of loss, perhaps even resentment, a spiritual wound. But the world is not black and white, and there are an infinite number of different tones and halftones in it. The light wave of the Radonitsa also, undoubtedly, makes itself felt. Man is immortal, and one day he will be resurrected.

Of course, we should not indulge in immeasurable sorrow - life is stronger than death, and Christ showed this long ago. Such a bright echo of Easter makes itself felt even in these moments.

Often people also ask the question of whether it is necessary to pray for the departed? After all, they are no longer with us, and is there any benefit to them from our remembrance? The answer here is unequivocal - yes, it is absolutely necessary to pray, give alms, remember a loved one.

It may seem that we are doing this as if for ourselves - to console ourselves and distract ourselves from sad thoughts. If there is some truth in this, then so be it.

But our commemoration also makes sense for the soul of the deceased. The fact is that this is the only channel that connects a person with the other world. We, for example, pray to Christ, who has not physically been on earth for almost 2,000 years. But we firmly believe that his spirit is alive - we communicate with him.

It is impossible to communicate directly with the dead, but you can say a prayer for them almost any day and at any time. When we commemorate the deceased, it means that we are trying to help his soul.

And of course, the main attention should be paid to the spiritual, which is understandable even on an intuitive level. The church teaches the same.

What prayers for the dead should be read

Also, the question of how to correctly commemorate the dead on Radonitsa is also connected with specific prayers that are said in a cemetery, in a church or at home (as your heart tells you). Here are some examples of exactly how to pray.

Give rest, Lord, to 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.

Here's how children should pray for their dead parents: Children's Prayer for Deceased Parents

And this is how parents pray for deceased children: Prayer of parents for deceased children

And so they pray for those who died in the line of military duty: Prayer for the repose of Orthodox soldiers

Here is another example of a prayer for the dead - A widower's prayer for his wife

And so the widow prays for her deceased husband

Of course, a person can pronounce his own words. There is no sin in that everyone will pray exactly as he feels. There are no "wrong" prayers - there is only a sincere heart and our conscience.

How to remember unbelievers and suicides

This is another very delicate issue related to how to commemorate the dead on Radonitsa. Of course, these two groups of people can in no way be combined into one.

Fates develop in different ways: can someone accuse a person of having different views? And who among us knows how hard it was for someone who once laid hands on himself?

Therefore, the church teaches that although it is impossible to file notes for unbelievers, as well as suicides, it is possible and necessary to pray for them. Also, give charity.

Here it is important to understand that by such actions we not only commemorate a person, but also help his immortal soul, which is impossible to lose. Yes, maybe someone led a not entirely righteous life, and sin took him away from God. But this does not mean that the person has disappeared into oblivion. His soul is alive, which means that we can and must remember her blessed memory.

Prayer for suicide

For those who voluntarily passed away, they pray like this (Prayer for a suicide from Reverend Elder Lev Optinsky):

“Have mercy, Lord, on the soul of Your servant (servant) (Your) /name/, who has departed into eternal life in apostasy from Your holy Orthodox Church. Your destinies are unsearchable. Do not put me in the sin of this prayer of mine. But Thy holy will be done.”

Also, the holy elders recommended to contact more often Mother of God with requests for help to a suicide and read the prayer “Our Lady of the Virgin, rejoice ...” (as many times as you have strength: from 30 to 150 times a day). At the beginning and at the end of this rule, a request is added to the Mother of God for help to the soul of a deceased person.

Prayer for the repose of an unbaptized person

For those who died unbaptized or without repentance (or excommunicated), they pray to the Monk Saint Paisios: Prayer for the weakening of eternal torment for those who died without repentance

Prayer for Radonitsa - for all people

You can and should pray for all people. Christ repeatedly taught that God does not have "superfluous" people - he forgave the sins of all those in need, without making out their faces.

One day the Savior said:

“He who comes to me I will not cast out” (John 6:37).

This suggests that in the divine eyes there is no one on whom you can simply put an end to it and say: "fallen." That is why prayer and alms are ways of remembrance that can be applied to ALL people.

And of course, almost everyone knows that The best way to remember is to give alms. Here many questions arise at once: how, to whom, what to submit?

But to pay attention to the elderly, orphans, single women with children would be nice. Suddenly they lost faith in good deeds and think that life is a continuous struggle without bright gaps?

You can serve both friends and strangers. Moreover, alms can be understood as more than just a coin in a glass or a gift with eggs.

In fact, this is any help, a good deed that really helps a person. For example, if a relative died of alcoholism, why not help someone suffering from this disease? Perhaps this will be the first step towards recovery - then you will become a second parent for such a person.

Whether to serve dubious people - a commentary of the priest

Often people do not give alms because they are worried that it will not be used for harm - simply spent on alcohol. Priests believe that it is possible to make a donation for any person. If there is a suspicion that he is simply misusing your kindness, give a gift in the form of food and other necessities.

Saint John Chrysostom speaks of the benefits of commemorating alms:

There are, there are, brethren, means to alleviate the torment of the soul of a sinner, if we wish. If we make frequent prayers for him, if we distribute alms, then even if he was not worthy of God's mercy, God will be pleaded with us.

If He saved others for Paul's sake, if He spared many for the sake of others, how can He not do the same for us? From his possessions, from his own possessions, from where to ascend, help. How big sins your brother is guilty, the more he demands alms for himself.

Charity can be varied - money, food, and the fact that you distribute the clothes of the deceased to the poor.

Earnest help to your neighbors, people around you also propitiates our Lord Jesus Christ and is imputed by Him as alms for the deceased.

Here, for example, is a commentary by Priest Alexei Shlyapin, rector of the Church of the Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica (the village of Ivakino, Mozhaisk District, Moscow Region):

THIS IS INTERESTING

Another Archbishop of Constantinople John Chrysostom, who lived in the 4th-5th centuries. AD, said that prayer and alms have much more benefit for the deceased than his luxurious burial. Of course, there is no sin in the fact that the relatives of the deceased found the desire and opportunities for the funeral to be worthy. But the most important thing is spiritual help to the departed soul.

“A luxurious burial is not love for the deceased, but vanity. If you want to condole with the deceased, I will show you a different way of burial and teach you to put on robes, decoration worthy of him and glorifying him: this is alms."

We can find not so many everyday situations when the church takes a fairly definite, even categorical position on the prohibitions of certain actions. The case of Radonitsa fully fits this description. Yes, we know quite a lot of folk ideas about the “correct” commemoration, but Christian views here differ significantly.

Food and vodka at the cemetery

Orthodoxy does not consider it necessary to organize a commemoration, as is customary among the people, with the help of food and alcohol, which are brought and placed on the grave. This tradition has long pagan and partly Soviet roots - then a faceted glass of vodka was placed at the burial place of the dead soldiers, on which a piece of bread was placed. There is nothing reprehensible in this gesture itself, because people express their respect in this way - they commemorate a loved one.

On the other hand, it is no secret that if a glass is poured, someone will certainly drink it. It is possible that the drinker himself will drink alcohol, and after the commemoration, an outsider may even look at the grave. In addition, dogs can come running for food, or worse, rats.

It turns out that we are trying to act from the bottom of our hearts - to commemorate a person, to pay him the last tribute of respect. But the consequences of using food and especially alcohol (and strong alcohol) on the grave do not quite correspond to our noble goal.

However, this does not make it impossible to donate all the food to those in need, which may also be in the cemetery. Give the eggs and the apiary to any person, as your heart tells you. Perhaps he will ask about it himself, or maybe everything will be clear without words - this is the most convenient situation.

There are no specific recommendations and rules here, there is only one condition: alms are given from pure heart. And of course, we are not talking about alcohol. We are talking about the needy, about his urgent need. And alcohol, whatever one may say, is a false need, something without which it is quite possible to live healthy and happy, and even more so on the day of Radonitsa.

Official representatives of the Orthodox Church willingly share their point of view on how to properly commemorate the dead on Radonitsa. The priests are unanimous that the tradition of commemoration with alcohol and leaving food on the grave has nothing to do with Orthodoxy.

Therefore, if there is a desire to correctly commemorate the deceased person, then it would be wise to listen to the point of view of the Orthodox Church.

This is another question that is often asked in connection with how to properly commemorate the dead on Radonitsa. Of course, the people live and, obviously, the custom will live for a long time to arrange a memorial table, on which there is also alcohol. It often happens that they start drinking vodka at the grave, after which they continue drinking at home.

Of course, a strong drink relaxes a person. As a result, whether he wants it or not, self-control begins to gradually weaken. Situations can be all sorts - someone will say too much, someone will react to the remark with some resentment.

Of course, these situations are imaginary, but they can become real. Not to mention that alcohol amuses both the body and the soul. And this energy certainly completely contradicts the mournful day of Radonitsa.

world of the living and world of the dead separated by a barrier, but one day each of us will overcome it. This eternal law of nature can be treated differently. However, in any case, the immortal essence of man, that same indestructible particle, continues to live. Her name is Soul.

And we commemorate her both on Radonitsa and on other days, as our heart tells us. And in order not to overshadow the memory of the deceased, we will act in a Christian and, if you like, human way: this is the main answer to the question of how to properly commemorate the deceased relatives.

Media news

Partner news

You can rent a cafe for commemoration at this site.