Funeral customs and traditions of the Orthodox. Divine Liturgy from Jerusalem. Farewell to the deceased

Blagovest Publishing House Moscow 2001

End of human life

burial rite

Commemoration of the dead

memorial meal

What you need to know about burial (Main mistakes affecting the afterlife of the dead)

God is all alive

What does it mean to die like a Christian

Of the questions that you can ask yourself about our life on earth, perhaps the most important is how best to prepare for death. Of the questions that you can ask yourself about our life on earth, perhaps the most important is how best to prepare for death.

Father! Into Your hands I commend My spirit (Luke 23:46) — these were the last words of the Lord from the Cross. Will these be our last words? And what will we get before our death? We must always be ready for death and try to move away from this world so that our death itself would be a testament to our faith and love for the Lord and, if possible, an edification for our neighbors.

Our Savior has given us the best example. Did he not suffer on the Cross? Was his death not terrible and even diarrheic in the eyes of the whole world? And despite what patience, what love for one's neighbor, what infinite forgiveness, devotion to the will of God! Like this, each of us must die.

When we feel the approach of death, we will try to find the courage to end our life with dignity.

While we have not yet been completely twisted by a cruel illness, weakness, let's think about our past life, remember that shameful thing, which, perhaps, we have forgotten to repent of or have not yet decided. And then we will make a decision to fast for at least three days (or one day for the seriously ill), read (or so that we read) prayers of repentance, and prepare for Communion.

Before Communion, let us reconcile with those who were our enemies, ill-wisher, and ask for forgiveness from those whom we have offended ourselves.

If you still have the strength to reach the nearest church in order to repent of your sins, gather together, partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, then you definitely need to do this.

In the Sacrament of unction (anointing with oil) sins committed out of ignorance or forgotten are forgiven.

St. Elijah Minyatiy (near 1714) speaks of the significance of Communion before death in his sermon “The Greatness of the Sacrament of Holy Communion”: “A star in heaven does not shine as much as the soul of a Christian shines from the light of the grace of God at the hour when he takes communion. And this is because when we partake, then we become members of the Body of Christ, we unite with Christ. And if our soul were separated from the body at this hour, then it would have received a place for itself with the martyrs, virgins and saints ... My God! My redeemer! May I die, if it be Thy holy will, whether in a deaf forest or in some other deserted place, this is all for me for a long time, if only before death I would be vouchsafed the Communion of Thy most pure Body and Blood! After all, if at that hour You will be with me, then I am not afraid of death: with such parting words as Your Body and Blood, I strongly hope to reach Your Heavenly Kingdom.

If we become seriously ill, we will ask our relatives to invite a priest to our house.

Let us try, in anticipation of our death, to get rid of grumbling, indignation, envy of those who remain alive. This will manifest our courage, and our dignity, and our hope in the Lord, and surrendering ourselves entirely to the will of God.

Let's give our children and grandchildren the last instruction on how to live, talk with them about how to pray for us after death, what to read at our very death, how to bury us, what to wear.

We will divide our property between relatives so that there will be no grievances between them later. We will give (or leave) a part of our wealth to a donation to a temple or monastery, to alms in our name.

But all this is before the very end. In the meantime, we are still alive, even if we are full of strength and healthy, let's not forget about death. “The memory of death gives rise to prayer, tears, repentance before God,” the holy fathers teach us.

End of human life

How to pray for the dying. How to pray for the dying.

When a person leaves this world for eternity, a special canon is read over him, “The Canon of Prayer for the Exodus of the Soul,” which is written on behalf of a dying person, but can be read by a priest or someone close to him. Among the people, it is also called “the departure prayer.” When a person leaves this world for eternity, a special canon is read over him, “The Canon of Prayer for the Exodus of the Soul,” which is written on behalf of the dying, but can be read by a priest or someone close. In the people it is also called the "waiting prayer."

It does not have to be read next to the dying. If a person dies in a hospital, the canon can be read at home. The main thing is to support the soul with prayer in the most difficult moments for it. If a Christian breathes his last breath while reading the canon, then he is finished reading with a funeral refrain:

"Rest, O Lord, to the soul of your departed servant..."

In cases where the near-death illness lasts a long time, bringing severe suffering to both the patient himself and his relatives, then with the blessing of the priest, another canon can be read - “The rite that happens to separate the soul from the body, when a person suffers for a long time.” It contains petitions for a speedy and peaceful death of the afflicted. The texts of the canons are placed in Orthodox prayer books.

Why is the retreat prayer read? At the moment of death, a person experiences a painful feeling of fear, languor. According to the testimonies of the holy fathers, a person is afraid when the soul is separated from the body and during the first three days outside the body. When leaving the body, the soul is met both by the guardian angel given to it at Holy Baptism, and by evil spirits (demons). The sight of the latter is so terrible that the soul rushes about and trembles at the sight of them.

The canon, read by relatives or friends over a dying person, is designed to make it easier for his soul to leave the body.

Relatives and friends of a dying person need to muster up the courage to say goodbye to a loved one and try to alleviate not so much bodily as mental suffering with prayer.

burial rite

Washing and dressing the deceased. Not a single nation left the bodies of their dead without care, and burial was always accompanied by appropriate rites. Washing and dressing the deceased. Not a single nation left the bodies of their dead without care, and burial was always accompanied by appropriate rites.

The holy faith of Christ teaches us to look with reverence at a Christian person even when he has completed his earthly journey. The dead Christian is the prey of death, the victim of corruption, but still he is a member of the Body of Christ (see: 1 Cor. 12, 27). His body is sanctified by the communion of the Divine Body and Blood of Christ the Savior. Is it possible to despise the Holy Spirit, whose temple was the deceased? Sooner or later, the dead and corruptible body of a Christian will come to life again and will be clothed with incorruption and immortality (see; I Cor. 15:53). Therefore, our Orthodox Church does not leave her child without maternal care even when it has passed from this world to a distant and unknown land of eternity.

The rites performed by the Holy Church after the death of an Orthodox Christian have a deep meaning. Based on the suggestions of the holy faith, they originate from the God-enlightened apostles and the first Christians. The body of the deceased is washed immediately after death, and the washing should extend to all parts of the body, starting from the head. It is performed as a sign of the spiritual purity and purity of the life of the deceased, and also so that he can stand before the Lord in purity, but on the Resurrection. When the body is washed, the Trisagion is read: “Holy God, Holy Strong, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us” or "Lord have mercy". A lamp or a candle is lit in the house, which burns as long as the deceased is there. Water for washing the body should be warm, but not hot, so as not to steam it. In this case, you need to use soap, a soft cloth (or sponge). Usually older people perform ablution, and if there is no such person, then a woman can also wash. After ablution, the body of a Christian is dressed in new and clean clothes. New clothes, as it were, point to the new attire of our incorruptibility and immortality. If a person did not have a cross, then they must put on a cross.

The mouth of the deceased must be closed, eyes closed, arms folded crosswise on the chest, right over left. The Christian woman's head is covered with a large scarf that completely covers her hair. and its ends can not be tied, but simply folded crosswise. A tie should not be worn on a deceased Orthodox Christian. An icon (or cross) is placed in the left hand of the deceased, for men - the image of the Savior, for women - the image of the Mother of God, it is possible in the left hand - a cross, and on the chest of the deceased - a holy image. This is done as a sign that the deceased believed in Christ and surrendered his soul to Him, that in life he foresaw (always had) the Lord before him, and now he is moving on to the blessed contemplation of Him with the saints.

Before putting the body of the deceased in the coffin, they sprinkle with holy water both the body itself and his ark (coffin), outside and inside. You can also douse the coffin with incense. A whisk is placed on the forehead of the deceased. It is given in the church when the deceased is brought for a funeral service. The deceased Christian is adorned with a crown as a symbol of the reward of the Kingdom of Heaven for the hardships of earthly life. The aureole depicts the Lord Jesus Christ, the Most Pure Mother of God and John the Baptist with the inscription "Trisagion". This shows that the one who has completed his earthly path hopes to receive a crown for his exploits (see: 2 Tim. 4, 7, 8) only through mercy: the Triune God and the intercession of the Mother of God and Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John.

A pillow is placed under the shoulders and head of the deceased, which is usually filled with consecrated willow or birch leaves from the feast of the Trinity. The body is covered with a sheet.

The coffin with the body is placed in the middle of the room in front of the home icons (in the front corner), facing the exit. Candles are lit around the coffin (or at least one near the head) as a sign that the deceased has passed into the Kingdom of Light.

How to pray for a person in the first days after his death. After the body of the deceased is washed and dressed, they begin to read the canon called "Research on the Exodus of the Soul from the Body." Regardless of where a person died, at home or outside, this canon is still read on the day of his death. The reading of the canon should begin with the preparatory prayers, then Psalm 90, and then in order.

The canon is read "for one who died," that is, only for a person who died on that day. Therefore, when reading the refrain: "Peace, Lord, the soul of your departed servant (name of the deceased)", pronounce the names of other deceased acquaintances, relatives, etc.

At the end of the "Following" there is a special prayer appeal to God with the pronunciation of the very name of the deceased: "Remember, Lord our God, in faith and hope of the belly of your eternally reposed servant, our brother (name) ...". After this prayer, they read: “Eternal memory to Your servant (Your servant) (name), Lord.”

“Following” is read from the face of the deceased with the aim that God’s mercy, through our prayer for the deceased, eases the soul’s bitterness at parting with the body and the first moment of the soul’s stay outside the body. Then, for three days, the Psalter is read over the deceased, which they begin to read with a petition: “Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us. Amen". Further, the initial prayers and those that precede the psalms are read.

The Psalter is divided into twenty large parts - kathisma. Before each kathisma, the call to bow to God is repeated three times: “Come, let us bow to our Tsar God. Come, let us bow down and bow down to Christ, our King God. Come, let us worship and bow down to Christ Himself, the King and our God.”

After this call, the kathisma is read. At the end of several psalms, separated by the word "Glory", it says: "Alleluia! (Thrice) Glory to Thee, O God! and the prayer request for the deceased from the "Following" is repeated: "Remember, Lord our God ..." After this prayer, the reading of the psalms, the 1st kathisma (or then the 2nd, 3rd, etc.) continues. There are three “Glories” in each kathisma, therefore, three times during the reading of the kathisma, an appeal to God follows with a special petition for mercy on the deceased.

The Psalter is read continuously (day and night) over the tomb of a Christian for the entire time until the deceased is buried. Since the relatives of the deceased in the first three days have a lot of worries about organizing the funeral, one of the friends and acquaintances is invited to read the Psalter. Any pious layman can read the Psalter for the deceased.

It is no coincidence that the Church from ancient times decided to read the book of psalms over the coffin of the deceased. The Psalter reproduces all the diverse movements of our soul, so vividly sympathizes with both our joy and our sorrow, sheds so much consolation and encouragement in our grieving heart. Reading the Psalter serves as a prayer to the Lord for the deceased and at the same time assuages ​​the grief of his loved ones.

Removal of the body. Shortly before the removal of the coffin from the house (or the issuance of the body in the morgue), “Following the outcome of the soul from the body” is read again. Removal of the body. Shortly before the removal of the coffin from the house (or the issuance of the body in the morgue), “Following the outcome of the soul from the body” is read again.

The coffin is carried out, turning the face of the deceased towards the exit. When the body is carried out, the mourners sing a song in honor of the Holy Trinity: “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us”, in commemoration of the fact that the deceased confessed the Life-Giving Trinity during his lifetime and now passes into the realm of incorporeal spirits surrounding the Throne of the Almighty and silently singing To him the Trisagion. Church funeral. In the temple, the coffin with the body of the deceased is placed in the middle of the church facing the altar and candlesticks are placed on the four sides of the coffin. According to the teachings of the Church, the soul of a person on the third day after death, at a time when his body lies lifeless, goes through terrible ordeals and has a great need for the help of the Church. To facilitate her transition to another life, the canon and the Psalter are read over the grave of an Orthodox Christian, and a funeral service is performed in the church.

The funeral service consists of chants in which the whole fate of a person is briefly depicted for the crime of the commandment, he again turns into the earth from which he was taken: “You yourself, the Creator and Creator of man, are alone immortal; but we are all earthly, created from the earth and will return to the same earth, as You, the Creator, commanded: “You are the earth and you will return to the earth.” That's where all of us, earthly, will go, with grave sobs, proclaiming the song: alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

But, despite many sins, a person does not cease to be “an image of the glory of God,” and therefore the Holy Church prays to the Lord and the Lord, by His inexpressible mercy, to forgive the deceased for sins and to honor him with the Kingdom of Heaven.

“With the saints, give rest, O Christ, to the soul of Your servant, where there is no sickness, sorrow or suffering, but eternally blessed life.”

After reading the Apostle (1 Thess. 4, 13-17) and the Gospel of John (John 5, 24-30), the priest reads a permissive prayer, testifying to the forgiveness of all prohibitions and sins that were on the deceased, in which he repented (or during repentance could not remember), and the deceased is released in peace into the afterlife. The sheet with the text of this prayer is immediately put into the right hand of the deceased by his relatives or friends.

The last kiss, or farewell to the deceased, is performed while singing touching stichera (prayers): "Come, let's give the last kiss, brethren, to the deceased, thanking God ..."

Relatives and friends of the deceased go around the coffin with the body, with a bow ask for forgiveness for involuntary insults, kiss the deceased for the last time (the crown on his head or the icon in the coffin). After that, the body is completely covered with a sheet, and the priest sprinkles it crosswise with earth (or pure river sand) with the words: “The Lord’s earth and its fulfillment (everything that fills it), the universe and all who live on it.” The coffin is closed with a lid. If the relatives of the deceased want to say goodbye to him at the cemetery, then the coffin is not nailed up in the temple, and the priest blesses one of the relatives to sprinkle the body with earth immediately before burial.

When the coffin with the body is taken out of the temple, feet first, an angelic song is sung - "Trisagion".

Absentee funeral. In the event that it is not possible to bury the deceased in the temple, an absentee funeral is performed for him. Relatives of the deceased, as a rule, order a funeral service at the nearest church. After the funeral service, relatives are given a whisk, a permissive prayer and earth from the funeral table. At home, a permissive prayer is put into the right hand of the deceased, a bzazhny halo is placed on the forehead, and after parting with him. in the cemetery, his body, covered with a sheet from head to toe, crosswise, from head to feet, from the right shoulder to the left, is sprinkled with sand to make a regular cross.

If the funeral service is performed in absentia some time after the funeral, the burial ground should be scattered over the grave, and the aureole and prayer should be buried in the grave mound to a shallow depth. If the grave is very far away or in an unknown place, then the aureole and prayer are burned, and the earth is scattered on any grave on which an Orthodox cross is installed.

The funeral service, as for Baptism, is performed once. But if it is impossible to truly establish whether a person has been buried, one must, without embarrassment, order an absentee funeral service, and the sooner the better. Burial. In the grave, the deceased is placed with a linden to the east for the same purpose with which we pray to the east - in anticipation of the onset of the Morning of eternity, or the Second Coming of Christ, and as a sign that the deceased is moving away from the west of life towards the east of eternity.

When the coffin with the body is lowered into the grave, the Trisagion is sung again. All those who see off the deceased on their last journey, before burying the grave, throw a handful of earth into it. Thus, the deceased is buried in the earth as a sign of obedience to the Divine determination.

The cross, a symbol of salvation, should rise above the grave of every Christian (it is placed at the feet). The deceased believed in the Crucified on the Cross and rests in the sleep of death under the shadow of the cross. The cross is placed eight-pointed, from any material, but always of the correct form. For the grave of an Orthodox Christian, a simple cross made of wood, concrete or metal is more suitable than expensive monuments made of granite and marble. It is unacceptable to place a photograph or portrait of the deceased on the headstone. If relatives want to write an epitaph, then it is best, according to tradition, to use words from the Holy Scriptures or from famous prayers, and not phrases invented by themselves.

Cremation. The custom of burning bodies, now so popular in Russia because of its relative cheapness, came to us from the pagan East. The Orthodox Church disapproves of cremation and allows it only under special circumstances - the lack of places in cemeteries or the extreme scarcity of funds for burial.

Cremation is not approved by the Church, primarily because for those who burn their loved ones, this action is not edifying: it instills despair in the soul rather than hope for the resurrection. The posthumous fate of each deceased is in the hands of God and does not depend on the method of burial.

All funeral prayers, including the funeral service, are performed over the cremated without changes. Before burning the body, the icon or the Crucifixion must be removed from the coffin, and the aureole and leaf with the permissive prayer should be left. If the urn with the ashes is later buried in the grave, the Trisagion must be read. All funeral prayers, including the funeral, are performed over the cremated without changes. Before burning the body, the icon or the Crucifixion must be removed from the coffin, and the aureole and leaf with the permissive prayer should be left. If the urn with the ashes is subsequently buried in the grave, the Trisagion must be read.

Commemoration of the dead

Special days of commemoration of the dead. The Holy Church constantly prays for all “our fathers and brothers who have died before,” but she also makes a special prayerful commemoration for each deceased, if there is our pious desire and need for it. Such a commemoration is called private, it includes thirds, nineties, forties or anniversaries. The commemoration of the dead on the third day after death is an apostolic tradition. It is performed because the deceased was baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the One God in the Trinity. In addition to the theological meaning of the commemoration of the deceased on the third day, it also has a mysterious meaning, relating to the afterlife state of the soul. Special days of commemoration of the departed. The Holy Church constantly prays for all “our fathers and brothers who have died before,” but she also makes a special prayerful commemoration for each deceased, if there is our pious desire and need for it. Such a commemoration is called private, it includes thirds, nineties, forties or an anniversary. The commemoration of the dead on the third day after death is an apostolic tradition. It is performed because the deceased was baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the One God in the Trinity. In addition to the theological significance of the commemoration of the deceased on the third day, it also has a mysterious meaning, relating to the afterlife state of the soul.

For the first two days, the soul is still on earth and, with the Angel accompanying it, visits those places that attract it with memories of earthly joys and sorrows, good and evil deeds. On the third day, the Lord commands the soul to ascend to Heaven to worship Himself.

For six days, from the third to the ninth, the soul, returning from the Face of God, accompanied by Angels, enters the heavenly abodes and contemplates their inexpressible beauty. On the ninth day, the Lord commands the Angels to again present the soul to Him for worship. After the second worship of God, the Angels lead the soul to hell, where it contemplates the cruel torments of unrepentant sinners. On the fortieth day after death, the soul ascends for the third time to the Throne of the Lord, where its fate is decided - a place is assigned, which she was honored by her deeds.

That is why we must offer especially intense prayers for the dead on the third, ninth and fortieth days after death. But these terms have another meaning. The commemoration of the deceased on the third day is performed in honor of the three-day Resurrection of Jesus Christ and the image of the Holy Trinity. Prayer on the ninth day is a retribution of honor to the nine angelic ranks, which, as servants of the King of Heaven, intercede for mercy on the deceased.

The days of mourning for the dead in the deepest antiquity lasted forty days. According to the establishment of the Holy Church, it is supposed to make a commemoration for the dead for forty days (magpie) and especially on the fortieth day (magnitude). Just as Christ defeated the devil, spending forty days in fasting and prayer, so the Holy Church brings prayers, alms and bloodless sacrifices for the deceased, asks him for grace from the Lord, helps him defeat the enemy, the airy prince of darkness, and receive the Kingdom of Heaven.

What can we do for loved ones within forty days of their death? As soon as a person has died, it is necessary to immediately take care of the magpie, i.e. daily commemoration during the Divine Liturgy. If possible, it is good to order forty dinners and even in several churches.

If a person's death happened during Great Lent, then on Wednesday and Friday of each week, memorial services are ordered, and on Saturdays and Sundays - Mass for the repose of the soul of the deceased. Sorokoust is not ordered during Great Lent, since there is no Divine Liturgy every day.

During the Easter week (the first week after Easter), memorial services are not served, for Easter is an all-encompassing joy for those who believe in the Resurrection of our Savior Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, during the whole week, neither mass for the dead nor memorial services are ordered. Only from Tuesday of St. Thomas Week (the second week after Easter) do churches begin to accept orders for magpies and masses for the repose. This day is called Radoniya (see about it in the section "Private Parental Days".

The day of the death of a Christian is the day of his birth for a new, better life. Therefore, we celebrate the memory of our loved ones after the expiration of a year from the day of their death, imploring the goodness of God to have mercy on their souls, to grant them the longed-for fatherland as an eternal heritage.

On the third, ninth and fortieth days, as well as on the anniversary of death, it is necessary to order a Mass for the repose of the deceased in the church. At home these days, his relatives and friends gather at a meal in order to ask the Lord for forgiveness of sins and the repose of his soul in the Kingdom of Heaven in a joint prayer for him. It is also good to send a donation to monasteries so that they pray forever for the repose of the soul of the deceased. The dead should also be commemorated on the days of their earthly birth, on the days of their name days (the day of memory of the saint whose name they bore). On the days of their memory, you need to order a mass for their repose, a memorial service in the church, pray for them at home, commemorate them at your meal.

Why and how our prayers can be beneficial for the dead. Some souls after forty days find themselves in a state of anticipation of eternal joy and bliss, while others tremble in anticipation of eternal torment, which will intensify after the Last Judgment (the Second Coming of the Lord, when He will judge all the living and the dead). But before that, changes for the better are possible in the "afterlife" "fate of the soul, especially thanks to the offering of prayers to the Church for it and the creation of good deeds in memory of the deceased."

The benefits of prayer, both public and private (at home), for souls, even those in hell, are written in the lives of saints and ascetics, in patristic traditions.

Our prayers can directly affect the souls of the dead only if they died in the right faith and with true repentance, being in communion with the Church and with the Lord Jesus. Then, despite the apparent distance from us, they continue to belong with us to the Church: to the same Body of Christ (see: Eph. 1, 23; Col. 1, 18). Those who died in the right faith and true repentance transferred to another world the beginning of goodness or the seed of a new life, which they themselves did not have time to open here. But under the influence of our minds, with the blessing of God, it can gradually develop and bear fruit.

Nowadays, many people, even when they are baptized, do not go to church, do not go to confession, do not partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, or do so very rarely. For them, as well as for all those who died suddenly and did not have time to properly prepare for their death, the canon is read to the Monk Paisios the Great, a saint to whom the Lord granted special grace to intercede for the dead without repentance.

How to Pray on Memorial Day

Meaning of the 17th kathisma. During all forty days after the death of a person, his relatives and friends should read the Psalter. How many kathismas a day depends on the time and strength of the readers, but reading must certainly be daily. After reading the entire Psalter, it is read from the beginning. One should not just forget after each "Glory ..." reading a prayer petition for the commemoration of the deceased (from "Following the Exodus of the Soul from the Body"). The meaning of the 17th kathisma. During all forty days after the death of a person, his relatives and friends should read the Psalter. How many kathismas a day depends on the time and strength of the readers, but reading must certainly be daily. After reading the entire Psalter, it is read from the beginning. One should not just forget after each "Glory ..." reading a prayer petition for the commemoration of the deceased (from "Following the Exodus of the Soul from the Body").

Many relatives and friends of the deceased, referring to various circumstances, entrust this reading to others (readers) for a fee or order it in monasteries (the so-called “indestructible Psalter”). Of course, God hears such a prayer. But it will be stronger, sincere, purer, if a relative or close to the deceased person himself asks God to have mercy on the deceased. And don't waste your time or energy on it.

On the third, ninth and fortieth days, a special kathisma should be read according to the deceased (it includes the 118th psalm). It is called a commemoration, and in liturgical books it is called “Unblemished” (according to the word found in its first verse: “Blessed are the undefiled on the way, who walk in the law of the Lord”).

The Jews had a custom during the Passover supper and at the end of it to sing psalms, and especially psalm 118, dedicated to their exodus from Egypt. According to legend, Christ and his disciples left the house where the Last Supper was being celebrated, while singing a psalm, apparently on the 118th: “And having sung, they went to the Mount of Olives.”

With the verse “Blessed be this one, Lord, teach me Thy justification,” the Lord buried Himself, going to suffering and death. This verse is always sung by the Church at the burial of the dead, and kathisma a is read on the days of their special commemoration. This kathisma depicts the blessedness of those who walked in the Law of the Lord (that is, the blessedness of righteous people who tried to live according to the commandments of God).

At home, it is read just like any other.

Kathisma verses: 1, 2, 12, 22, 25, 29, 37, 58, 66,73, 88 are read with the refrain: “Remember, Lord, the soul of Thy servant (Thy servant).”

The final verses of the first half of the kathisma (92, 93): “If it were not for your law to be my consolation, I would perish in my distress. I will never forget your commandments, for by them you give me life,” they sing three times. After that, the chorus is repeated again.

In the second part of the kathisma (after the word "Wednesday"), verses: 94, 107, 114, 121, 131, 132, 133, 142, 153, 159, 163, 170 - are read with the refrain: "God rest, Lord, the soul of Thy servant ( thy servants). In conclusion, the final verses of the 118th psalm (175, 176) are sung three times: “May my soul live and praise You, and may Your judgments help me. I have gone astray like a lost sheep: seek thy servant, for I have not forgotten thy commandments. After them, the refrain is repeated again with a request to repose the soul of the one for whom they pray.

After "Glory..." a prayer petition is read.

After the kathisma, the prescribed troparia are read (they are immediately indicated after the 118th psalm in the prayer book), and after them - the 50th psalm and the troparia are immaculate, or the troparia for the repose (number 8) with a refrain to each verse from the 118th psalm: “ Blessed art Thou, O Lord, teach me Thy justification."

After these troparions, the canon "Following the Exodus of the Soul from the Body" is read.

It should be noted that in the church during the memorial service, the 17th kathisma is divided into two halves (articles) and it is read somewhat differently.

Days of special remembrance for all dead Orthodox Christians

There was a custom among the Russian people to call the dead, their own and others, old and small, parents. The expression "to go to the parents" meant visiting the graves of the dead. The Russian people had a custom to call the dead, their own and others, old and small, parents. The expression "go to parents" meant visiting the graves of the dead.

Representation of all the dead by "parents", i.e. already belonging to the family of the fathers to whom they have departed, arouses in us reverence for their memory. On some days, especially Saturdays, an ecumenical commemoration of the dead is performed. These days are called parental Saturdays.

It is on Saturday that it is necessary to pray for the dead, because it is established by the Holy Orthodox Church: on every Saturday of the week, on the day of rest, to commemorate the dead relatives and friends.

How to remember? In every "Orthodox prayer book" at the end of the morning prayers, prayers for the living and the dead are placed. We will not be too lazy to read this small commemoration for our deceased relatives, naming their names, adding to them a prayer petition from “Following the Exodus of the Soul from the Body”.

The days of the special (special) commemoration of the dead are five ecumenical Saturdays.

Meatless Parental Ecumenical Saturday is celebrated two weeks before Lent. On this day, the Holy Church prays for all Orthodox Christians, including those who died a sudden death during a flood, an earthquake, a warrior, etc.

Instead of the daily commemoration of the dead during the Divine Liturgy, which does not happen during Great Lent. The Holy Church has decided to make an intensified commemoration on the next three days, the parental second, third and fourth Saturdays of Great Lent.

Trinity Ecumenical Parental Saturday is celebrated before the day of the Holy Trinity (on the 49th day after Easter). On this day, the memory of all the departed pious Christians is celebrated.

Private parenting days. Tuesday of St. Thomas' week. The week is called Thomas because the Apostle Thomas is remembered on it. This very day, when the living rush to the cemetery to greet the dead parents with the joyful news of the Resurrection of the Lord, is usually called Radonia. The living christen with the dead, taking painted eggs with them to the graves. This is the ninth day after Easter (Tuesday is the second week after Easter).

On September 11 (according to New Style), on the day of the Beheading of John the Baptist (a strict fast is required), a commemoration of Orthodox soldiers is performed, for faith and the fatherland, those killed on the battlefield.

This commemoration was established in the Russian Church under Empress Catherine II (by decree of 1769), during the war with the Turks.

Demetrius parental Saturday takes place a week before November 8 (according to New Style; Commemoration Day of Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica). It was established by Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy. Having won the famous victory at the Kulikovo field on September 8 (21st) September 1380, Prince Dmitry Donskoy commemorated the fallen soldiers before the day of his Angel.

Subsequently, on the day of the Beheading of John the Baptist and on Demetrius Saturday, they began to commemorate not only Orthodox soldiers, but also all the dead.

Finally, by the decision of the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1994, Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War (May 9) became the day of a special annual commemoration of the deceased soldiers, who laid down their lives for their faith, the Fatherland and the people, and all those who died suffering during the Great Patriotic War. These days, order a Mass or commemoration at the proskomedia (translated from Greek as an offering) for your loved ones, relatives. This is a sheet with the heading "On the Repose", which lists the names of the dead (baptized and not committed suicide).

On such days, it is good to visit the graves of the dead, to pray in church during a memorial service for their repose, and at home to read the 17th kathisma. Do not forget to remember the dead during the meal. It is very important to involve your children in the commemoration of the deceased loved ones. If they are small, take out an album with photographs and remember, together with the children, the deceased grandfather, grandmother, and other relatives. tell about them. Teach the children to turn to God at least in a short prayer: “God rest the souls of the departed Thy servants, all our relatives and friends, and grant them the Kingdom of Heaven.”

When there is no commemoration of the dead. Requiem services, correspondence funerals and any prayers for the dead, except for commemoration with notes on the proskomedia, are not performed in churches from Thursday of Holy Week (the last week before Easter) to Antipascha (the first Sunday after Easter). In-person funeral services are allowed these days, except for the Easter holiday itself. The rite of the Easter funeral differs from the usual one in that it contains many joyful hymns.

On the Nativity of Christ and other twelfth feasts, the prayer for the dead is abolished by the Charter, but can be performed at the discretion of the rector of the temple.

memorial meal

The pious custom of commemorating the dead at a meal has been known for a very long time. It is described by the prophet Jeremiah, from which it is clear that the ancient Jews used to break bread for them as a consolation for the dead (Jer. 16:7). The pious custom of commemorating the dead at a meal has been known for a very long time. It is described by the prophet Jeremiah, whence it is clear that the ancient Jews used to break bread for them as a consolation for the dead (Jer. 16:7).

But how exactly at the dinner table to commemorate the deceased relatives and friends? Unfortunately, the commemoration often turns into just an occasion to get together, discuss the latest news, and have a delicious meal, while Orthodox Christians should also pray for their brothers in faith at the commemoration meal.

This chapter summarizes the experience of people living an Orthodox life, bringing disparate advice and wishes together.

During Great Lent, if the commemoration (third, ninth, fortieth days, anniversary) falls on its first, fourth and seventh week, the relatives and friends of the deceased do not invite anyone. These weeks are especially strict. Let only the closest ones be at the table: mother or father, wife or spouse, children or grandchildren.

If memorial days fall on weekdays of other weeks of Great Lent, then they are transferred to the next (upcoming) Saturday or Sunday. This commemoration is called counter. This is done because Saturdays and Sundays are considered to be the feast days of Great Lent, when the Divine Liturgy is celebrated.

In the first eight days after Pascha, prayers for the dead are not read, no requiem services are performed for them. The Easter canon is sung in the Church. The Holy Orthodox Church allows to commemorate the dead only from Tuesday of St. Thomas' week, Radonitsa, which was mentioned above. From this day on, in the temple for the deceased, you can order magpie, mass, proskomidia and memorial service. From the day of Pascha until Tuesday of St. Thomas' week, only the Paschal canon is read for the deceased.

You should not commemorate the deceased at the table with vodka or other strong alcoholic drinks. Commemorations are days of grief, days of intense prayer for the soul of the deceased, which, perhaps, is very difficult. So will it really be easier for the soul in that world if we drink wine here?

The memorial meal, which is arranged by the relatives and friends of the deceased, is a kind of almsgiving for everyone who is present at it. Hence the desire of the owners to treat those who came more tasty and satisfying. But at the same time, fasting days must be observed. established by the Holy Church. The dead are commemorated with the food that is laid on the day of the commemoration: on Wednesday, Friday, on the days of long fasts, fasting in meat-eating.

Before the memorial meal, the 17th kathisma or rite of lithium performed by a layman is read. Prayers are read in front of holy icons with a lighted lamp or candle. At this time, a petition to have mercy on the deceased should sound with special force.

Immediately before meals, the prayer "Our Father" is read. Kutya is the first dish, which, by right of kinship and closeness to the deceased, is first tasted by his closest relatives and friends. These are boiled grains of wheat (rice) mixed with honey (raisins). Grains serve as a symbol of the Resurrection, and honey (or raisins) are sweets enjoyed by the righteous in the Kingdom of Heaven, Kutya: blessed in the temple during a memorial service. Then it is tasted by all those present. They serve her. according to custom, on the third, ninth, pancakes and jelly are considered traditional funeral dishes in Russia.

After the meal, thanksgiving prayers are read: “We thank Thee, Christ our God...”, “It is worthy to eat...”.

But the most important thing is a prayer for the repose and mercy of the soul of a deceased person. Even if it happens that there is nothing left in the house but water and crackers, the commemoration will not be worse from this. If there is no prayer book in the house, then we will read those prayers that we know from memory, we will turn to God in our own words, if only sighing for the souls of the dead would come from our hearts.

During the commemoration, it is customary to leave a place, a plate, a dinner set, some of the dishes in the name of the deceased; this is a very ancient custom.

During the funeral, there is another custom to cover the mirrors in the house with cloth. This is done out of a sense of piety, so that nothing superfluous dispels grief and sorrow for the deceased.

It is better for a Christian invited to the funeral of a loved one in an unbelieving family not to reject the invitation. Since love is higher than fasting, you need to be guided by the words of the Savior: Eat what is offered to you (Luke 10:8), but observe moderation in eating and talking.

What you need to know about burial

(Basic errors affecting the afterlife of the dead)(Main errors affecting the afterlife of the dead)

It is necessary to draw the attention of the Orthodox to some important features that complement the knowledge of believers about the rite of burial and about the commemoration of the dead.

The custom to commemorate the dead on Easter at the cemetery is secular. Until Radonitsa, the Church does not openly pray for the dead, only secretly, at the proskomedia.

You can not leave the dead in the temple for more than one day: the church is not a mortuary.

You can’t make a quick memorial table during fasts and on Wednesdays and Fridays, and also on these days bring a quick meal to church on the eve. In no case should you commemorate the dead with vodka, because this gives them great torment.

You can put and light candles on the grave of the deceased only in front of a cross or an icon, but not in front of a monument. In general, erecting monuments on the grave is not an Orthodox custom; the deceased themselves are close and say that they put a weight (monument stone) on the grave, and the wreaths are like collars. It is impossible to interfere with the photograph of the deceased on the tombstone, and even more so on the Holy Cross.

It is impossible to funeral, as well as to make any church commemorations, of unbaptized people, as well as those of other faiths. You can give alms for them without naming them.

The Church does not pray for a person who deliberately commits suicide. But if the suicide was under the supervision of a doctor before his death and committed this act in an insane state, then you need to bring a certificate of his illness. Alms can be given, but without naming the suicide. God knows and sees for whom such a sacrifice is made.

It is very good to give spiritual alms for the departed (especially spiritual books). Spiritual charity is as much more valuable than bodily charity in the eyes of God, as much as the soul is more precious than the body. In any intractable cases, it is necessary to turn to the priests or to the diocesan administration.

God is all alive

God has no dead, but all are alive. The Savior Himself speaks of this. Have you not read what God said to you: I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living (Matthew 22:31-32). Many of us, "philosophizing" about the objects of faith and about the afterlife of the dead, forget or evade the deeds of real help to our dead. Many do not know at all or refuse the Orthodox burial rite and at the same time willingly resort to various pagan cult actions and rituals (abundant feasts - feasts, marble tombstones, wreaths, etc.). God does not have the dead, but everyone is alive . The Savior Himself speaks of this. Have you not read what God said to you: I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living (Matthew 22:31-32). Many of us, "philosophizing" about the objects of faith and about the afterlife of the dead, forget or evade the deeds of real help to our dead. Many do not know or refuse the Orthodox burial rite and at the same time willingly resort to various pagan cult actions and rituals (abundant feasts - feasts, marble tombstones, wreaths, etc.).

Meanwhile, our deceased relatives and friends are waiting for our help. They need her! From my priestly practice, I know many cases (according to the stories of parishioners) when the deceased appeared to their living relatives (in a dream) and directly expressed their needs, spoke about their errors during their lifetime or gave instructions, warned us about something. The Holy Fathers teach us not to trust dreams, since most of us do not have the spiritual reasoning to determine the nature of sleep, i.e. whether it is a reflection of real events and experiences in life or a consequence of the movements of the flesh (passions, illnesses, etc.) is it the influence of the dark world of fallen spirits or, finally, is it really spiritual communication with the afterlife, hidden for us until the time . In any case, if the dream seemed to be significant, important, warning about something, you should first of all consult with your confessor, parish priest, or at least a spiritually experienced person.

I will tell you about several events that I remember, related to the topic of our conversation. A fellow villager appeared in a dream to one of my parishioners. During his lifetime, he was a convinced unbeliever, a persecutor of faith and the Church. She dreamed that this man stood near the ruins of the chapel, which was once on the edge of the village, and said, pointing to them: “If earlier, during my life, I would at least occasionally look at this holy place, at least once I would hold my eyes now it would be easier for me."

That is the power of the sacred! Even broken and desecrated...

My uncle in his youth and middle years was a believer, visited the temple of God, read the Holy Scriptures. But, succumbing to the spirit of the times, he lost faith in God. He stopped going to church, removed the holy icons from the house. Moreover, even in his thoughts he became an atheist, preaching atheism. Instead of praying, he began to do gymnastics. But death came to him. Being eighty years old, he is blind. On his deathbed, he tossed about, croaked, trying to say something, and all the time pointed with his hand to the holy corner where the icons should have been hanging (but the icons were not hanging. Something terrible surrounded him, approached, crushed, and there was no his defenders, intercessors, intercessors to God, for he himself once voluntarily abandoned them.

A relative of one of my parishioners died. He was unbaptized. Moved by a feeling of compassion, this woman came to me and asked how to alleviate his afterlife. Church prayer for the unbaptized is unacceptable, so I advised her to give alms for the deceased, namely, soul-saving books: maybe someone, after reading such a book, will accept the Sacrament of Baptism, change their life for the better, and this will be the most charitable sacrifice for the deceased unbaptized. After some time, this woman came to me and told me that she saw the deceased in a dream. He sat and read one of those books that she handed out, which means that the Lord accepted this sacrifice. Many people, even believers, have confused and distorted ideas about our duty towards the departed. It is believed that first of all it is necessary to arrange a magnificent commemoration with a plentiful feast overflowing with vodka and rare dishes, then put an expensive monument on the grave so that friends do not condemn for stinginess. How wrong these people are and, moreover, what harm they bring to their dear and beloved dead, relatives and friends. Think about the fact that vodka, drunk for the repose of the souls and the deceased, flows like a stream onto that scales on which the burden of his sins already lies, and yet it is so heavy! Instead, you need to make it easier. Like a Church Prayer - Mass, magpies. prayer at home - reading the Psalter, alms: There were such cases in my official practice. Once a woman came up to me and told me that they had recently buried their relative and put a granite monument on the grave. And now the deceased appears to her in a dream and complains that this heavy gravestone presses and torments him very much. I explained to her that the grave is consecrated by a cross, preferably a wooden one. After all, the cross is the instrument of our salvation, our redemption. During life, we wear a cross on our chest, venerate ourselves on the cross in the temple of God, overshadow ourselves with the sign of the cross, and after death, the place of our rest should be sanctified with a cross, but not with a piece of granite or marble. Another of my parishioners appeared in a dream, shortly after the funeral, He said: "Everything is fine, but only the clamps bother me a lot." Collars are wreaths with which we fill up the graves of our dead. But this is a legacy of pagan rites, the Orthodox burial rite does not require this.

There was another case. Once I served a lithium for the deceased. After that, at night she appeared in a dream to her sister and thanked her. She said: “Until now, it’s as if a stone lay on me, but now it has been removed.” That's the meaning of lithium!

One day they invited me to perform trebu at home. This village, where I should have gone, was located five kilometers from our parish. I was able to get out only in the evening, it was already getting dark. Finished quite late, so had to stay overnight. At dawn I was awakened by a knock on the door. A young woman came from the village. She seemed to be in a state of great agitation. At first, when she saw me, Oka froze, as if shocked by something, then she quickly began to explain. And here's what happened. At night, her father-in-law, who had died several years ago, appeared to her in a dream and said: “A priest came to the village, he is there and there (named the place where I spent the night), go. ask him to bury me, otherwise I am lying unburied with you. The woman told me that at the time when her father-in-law died, they did not have a priest, so they buried him without a funeral. And what was especially surprising, this woman saw her father-in-law only once - when he was already lying in a coffin, during his life she did not know him and never talked to him. I must say that I don’t like funerals in absentia, but there was a special need here (God’s Providence about the deceased was seen), so we buried him on the same day.

One Friday during Bright Week, a woman catches up with me and says with tears: “Father, shouldn’t I sing my daughter’s funeral again?” And the following happened: at the time when this woman was away, a dead man was arbitrarily buried in the grave of her daughter. The woman came home and on the first night she sees in a dream a daughter who died ten years ago, who tells her: “Mom, I myself am a sinner, but why did you put a drunkard in my grave?”

“Indeed, it turned out later that a woman was buried, to death; drunk with vodka). In the morning, the mother rushed to the cemetery and was surprised to see a fresh grave. I explained to this woman that her daughter's funeral was not required a second time. but it is necessary to serve a memorial service. One ninety-year old woman said that on the fortieth day after her death, a familiar psalmist appeared to her in a dream. During her lifetime, she helped him with the housework: she washed floors, dishes, and did laundry. He sadly said: “Why do you pray so little, because there is no better help for us than reading the Psalter.” Once a girl came to me to be baptized with her sister, a girl. After receiving Holy Baptism, they told that their mother twice had a dead husband in a dream and said: "Baptize the children."

Archpriest Valentin (Morbasob)

From the answers of Fr. Valentina (Mordasova) to parishioners' questions

There is a belief that until the fortieth day nothing can be given away from the things of the deceased. Is this true?

This is a belief inspired by the devil. On the contrary, it is necessary to do good for the deceased. Donate Cahors wine (for the Holy Mysteries), flour (for prosphora), wax (for candles), distribute from the things of the deceased, buy sacred books (and distribute to believers) before the fortieth day, and not after. When is it necessary to intercede for the accused - before the trial or after the trial? So here the soul goes through ordeals, judgment is made, it is necessary to intercede for it to pray and do works of mercy, but people do not do this.

Is it possible to place a photograph of the deceased on the grave or grave cross? Should I take care of the grave? Is it possible to put tables, benches, eat?

Under no circumstances is a photo allowed. Pious believers put a case with an icon and a lamp. Also, you can not put tables, benches, and eat. This is a pagan custom. Believers commemorate the dead with a prayer, some read the Seraphim Rule.

Is it possible to put a monument on which a cross is carved on the grave?

On the grave there should be only a cross.

There is a custom to light candles or lamps on the grave. Is it correct?

You can put candles on the grave provided that these candles burn in front of the icon, and not in front of a monument or photograph of the deceased.

Who and by whose blessing can use those left from the eve? Who are these products for?

This is the job of the priest who blesses. The bad thing is that we are busy in the temple “not with JESUS ​​.. but. KUSOM".

Is it allowed to bring fast foods on the eve of fasting days?

Better fast.

Many people go to the cemetery on the first day of Easter .. Is this custom correct?

This is a modern custom. Believers know that the commemoration of the dead begins after Antipascha. Now there are such customs that there is no seeing off a dead person without vodka. And a folk proverb says: “Whoever commemorates the dead with vodka, prepares them for great torment.”

Is it necessary to leave for forty days in the church the icon that was on the deceased during the funeral, and where to put it then?

There is a custom that the icon remains until the fortieth day in the temple, and on the fortieth day (or after) it is taken home. The icon is not placed in the coffin, Theophan the Recluse writes about this.

How often and on what better days should one visit the graves of loved ones and what is desirable to do there? Can you bring dogs with you?

On the days of remembrance of the dead, if it does not distract from the temple, otherwise visit the graves on another day. Read from the Psalter a kathisma or the Seraphim Rule. Dogs are not allowed in the cemetery, especially in the fence where the temple is located.

Is it good to decorate the graves of loved ones?

Decorating the graves of the departed does not bring any benefit to the departed, but even harms their souls.

What is more important on the day of remembrance of loved ones: to visit the cemetery or serve mass in the Church?

Serving mass in the temple is more important than visiting the graves of relatives.

What is most important when commemorating the dead: almsgiving, memorial service, mass?

Everything is good and pleasant for the deceased, but if the deceased did not believe much or died without a cross, then almsgiving is better for him than prayer.

Is it good to invite a priest to serve a memorial service at the grave?

There was a case when, after the service at the grave, the deceased appeared to a relative and said: “Until now, it’s like a stone lay on me, but as soon as you served lithium for me, it was as if the stone was removed from me.”

I heard that those who died in the Bright Week are worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven. Is it so?

This is correct, but not for everyone. Those who wore the cross, communed during Great Lent, repented, lived piously, they are truly worthy of a blessed life. And who did not have it, he will not receive it.

Can a priest, in the absence of a church nearby and the impossibility of transportation, perform a funeral service at home or necessarily in a church?

Of course, it can, but the deceased is brought to the temple in order to be prayed for at the Liturgy.

Is it possible to put candles for the repose of the throne?

There is a special place for this - the eve, and it should be set there.

Is it possible to commemorate the dead in the temple as a result of an illness caused by drunkenness?

It is possible if they were Orthodox and believers and did not die from drunkenness itself (did not get drunk to death).

V. Perov. The return of the peasants from the funeral in winter

Very often, the lack of understanding of the meaning of Orthodox rituals and traditions leads to the fact that people, instead of helping the soul of a deceased loved one, begin to believe in all sorts of superstitions and observe customs that have nothing to do with Christianity. In this article, we will tell you how to bury a person in accordance with Orthodox traditions.

After the baptism of Russia and the adoption of Orthodoxy, the funeral rite has changed. In some places in Russian villages (especially northern ones), a custom arose to make one's own coffin, just as some saints did.

In a Russian peasant family, the deceased was washed under any circumstances, dressed in clean, sometimes very expensive clothes. They laid the deceased on a bench, with his head in a red corner (there were icons in the red corner), covered him with a white canvas (shroud), folded his hands on his chest, giving a white handkerchief to his right. The funeral took place on the third day, the especially revered dead were carried in their arms to the very cemetery. All this was accompanied by cries and lamentations ...

The death of a deep old man was not considered grief, lamentations and lamentations in this case were rather formal. A hired crying woman could instantly transform, interrupt the crying with some ordinary remark and scream again. Another thing is when close relatives lament or when death happened prematurely. Here the traditional form took on a personal, emotional, sometimes deeply tragic coloring.

After the baptism of Russia, the dead began to be buried with their heads to the west. The general Christian rule to lay the dead with their heads to the west is directly related to the tradition that the body of Christ was buried with the head to the west and therefore facing east. In one spiritual work of the XIV century, it is said about this as follows: “Everyone should be buried so that his head is turned to the west, and his feet are directed to the east. At the same time, as if by his very position, he prays and expresses that he is ready to hasten from west to east, from sunset to sunrise, from the world to eternity.
Funerals always ended with a commemoration, or feast, for which special funeral dishes were prepared. Even at the cemetery, the deceased was commemorated with kutya - steeply boiled rice, to which raisins were added. Among the obligatory dishes at Russian wakes are pancakes.
All nights after death and before the funeral, a specially hired reader read the Psalter and prayers for the dead. Together with her, in the room where the deceased was, the local old men and old women were awake. After the funeral, the reader was presented with a towel on which the Psalter lay. After the funeral, the custom was established to celebrate the ninth and fortieth day (fortieth) after death.

The Slavs had a ritual of special funeral clothes. The East Slavic peoples had a custom to bury in the same clothes in which a person got married, and if a young unmarried girl or a single guy died, then the deceased was dressed up as if for a wedding. In Ukraine, a girl was placed in a coffin with her hair loose, with a wreath of gilded periwinkle on her head, the coffin was decorated with flowers, and two wedding candles were placed. Among the Hutsuls, one wreath was put on the head, and another, larger one, made of periwinkle, cornflowers, carnations, was placed around the body.

At the same time, girlfriends (friends) imitated the wedding ceremony - they chose the elders, the matchmaker, the boyars. The elders and the elders were tied up with towels, the matchmaker was handed a candle and a sword. Girlfriends tied their heads with black ribbons. One young man was chosen for the role of "widower". A wax ring was put on the girl’s finger, having previously gilded it. By the day of the funeral, a wedding loaf was baked, it was placed on the lid of the coffin, and distributed to relatives at the cemetery.

The deceased child among the Eastern Slavs, as a rule, was girdled. This custom is associated with a naive religious idea that God will distribute apples to children on the Savior, and it is necessary that the child be able to hide the apple in his bosom.

In the history of Slavic funeral rites, archeology identifies a number of critical stages due to major changes in a person's awareness of the surrounding world, in views on the fate of the deceased. The early form of the burials of the ancient Slavs - the burial of a corpse in a twisted form, that is, the position of the embryo - is associated with the idea of ​​​​reincarnation, the reincarnation of the deceased, his second birth on earth, the transition of his life force (soul) into one of the living beings
At the turn of the Bronze and Iron Ages, a method of burying the dead already in a straightened form appeared, and then cremation - the burning of a corpse on a funeral pyre. This ritual was also associated with the idea of ​​the indestructibility of the life force. New was the idea of ​​the abode of invisible souls - the sky, where souls fell with the smoke of a funeral pyre. Both forms of the funeral rite constantly coexisted, although at different times and in different proportions. The ashes of the burned dead were also buried in the ground, placing it in urns-pots or simply in pits. Initially, over each grave, a tomb structure was built in the form of a residential building - domina, “to chill”.
It is from here that the custom, which is still found in some places (in particular, among the Old Believers) originates, to make a pommel over the grave cross, similar to a gable roof. It has not only a utilitarian purpose to protect the cross from rain and snow, but is also a symbol of the Russian hut - a home for the deceased.
A cemetery of several hundred dominoes among the ancient Slavs was a "city of the dead", a place of worship for the ancestors of the family. The cult of ancestors was divided: some magical actions were associated with ideas about invisible and intangible ancestors hovering in heavenly space, others were tied to a cemetery, a place of burial of ashes, the only place on earth really connected with the deceased.

According to the teachings of the Orthodox Church, the purpose of the funeral rite is to facilitate the soul of the deceased on the path to the Kingdom of Heaven, to drive away “evil spirits” from him, to pray for his sins before God. However, the Christian interpretation of death as a blessing, a messenger of peace and joy, has always been opposed by the popular idea of ​​it as a hostile force, a fatal inevitable evil. The deep psychological roots of understanding death as a tragedy are due to the tragedy of the event itself - the irreparable loss of a loved one, leaving him in oblivion. The phenomenon of death at all times shocked the feelings and imagination of people, made us once again turn to the question of the chain and meaning of life, the purpose of man on earth, the moral duty to the dead and the living.
The question of the causes of death is the most important issue, riveting the unflagging interest of people. It is human nature to desire to know one's destiny, to lift the veil of the future.
The theme of death is embodied in a whole cycle of folk signs, divination, predictions, fatal signs. Their focus is to find out the causes and essence of death, to get rid of the fear of it, to determine the fate of a person in order to prepare for it, to intensify their actions in the fight against it. In all signs, an attempt is made to understand and explain the cause-and-effect relationships of the surrounding world, to predict the future.
Negative signs and fortune-telling, that is, those that foreshadowed death, trouble, impending misfortune, accompanied a person’s entire life in the past: birth, maturation, marriage, the appearance of children in the family, illness, death, funerals of the dead. Their object was, first of all, the person himself, his state of health, personal life, home, way of life, natural environment. The main theme of these signs is the definition of vitality, longevity, a happy or unsuccessful fate of a person.
So, at the birth of a child, they already wondered whether the baby would survive after birth, whether he would live at all. The signs of the wedding and wedding cycle measured out to the newlyweds the segment of the life path that they would live after the wedding, guessed which of the young would live longer, who would die earlier; signs during illness - whether the patient will recover or not. A special group of signs is associated with the condition of the patient before death and the funeral itself. The onset of the hour of death was recognized by a number of common signs: the smell of the patient’s body (“it smells of earth”), the appearance of dark spots on it, a change in the color of the metal cross lowered into the water that the patient drank, etc. Signs either predicted death, or sent to prevent it: if two people died in a house in a short time, then you need to wait for a new death; if someone died with open eyes, then he “looks out” for another victim. In divination and signs, some objects (a knife, a needle, a pin, as well as a belt, a broom and some others) acquired the functions of a magical symbol of death, which, apparently, is explained by the possibility of being used as a deadly weapon or symbolically sweeping a person out of the house. “If you find a needle, a pin, and in general, do not pick up anything sharp, misfortune will befall.”
The interpretation of "prophetic dreams" was widespread, some of them meant death in the house; tooth loss, especially with blood, meant the death of a blood relative (by analogy, a row of teeth is a family, one tooth is a member of a related group); to see eggs in a dream - to the dead.
The theme of personal life and fate in divination about death is inextricably linked with the theme of the life of the surrounding nature, flora and fauna. In predictions of death, the traditional symbolism of the ancient animal epic, bearing echoes of totemic beliefs, was widely used. These are images of animals and birds - or wonderful helpers of a person, or prophets of misfortune. The symbol of death is always birds of prey, harbingers of death: a raven, a hawk, an owl, an owl, with sinister power. They fly in and sit on the house, as if anticipating their prey - carrion: "The raven croaks - to the dead."
And today, the main symbol of death is still embodied in a bird: it is a sparrow, a chicken, a chicken, etc. A bird knocks on a window, sits on a person’s shoulder, flies into a house - all these are signs of impending death. Fortune-telling is widely known - the calculation of life expectancy by the cuckoo cuckoo. In the images of good, desired birds - swallows, doves, as well as winged insects - moths, butterflies - the soul of the deceased was personified. Their arrival in the house was considered as a visit to the soul of the deceased or the arrival of God's messengers for the soul of a person. That is, in any case, it portends a new death. Sensitive harbingers of death were and are domestic animals - a dog, a cat, a horse, a cow, chickens. A sure sign of the death of a family member was considered howling a dog and digging a hole with it.
Russian divination and omens reflect the theme of "construction sacrifice" - the death of a person in a newly built house. Therefore, the old man was usually the first to enter the new house, since the young member of the family was more valued than the living one. And so that not a person, but an animal turned out to be the first victim of death, a rooster or a cat was locked in a new house for the night. And now, many people are trying to be the first to let a cat in at the entrance to a new apartment, not realizing that this is an echo of an ancient safety sign.
The belief about a broken mirror is still widely known: a mirror is a reflection of the soul, a double of a person; a broken mirror is a broken life. The folk custom to hang mirrors in the house when one of the household dies is also connected with this.
The near death of a person was always also indicated by an indoor flower, which never bloomed, but suddenly bloomed unexpectedly.
The influence of natural elements also did not remain out of sight of folk signs about death. The symbolic meaning of a star falling from the sky, which means the sunset of a person's life, is well known. The howling of the wind, the howling of the storm prophesied death: it was believed that during the storm the dead howled, as they were dissatisfied with living people and demanded sacrifices from them.
And, finally, a very common sign, which has very ancient roots, is to see in a dream an already deceased person who calls to himself - also to death.
Death superstitions can hardly be considered only vanishing remnants of ancient beliefs. There is evidence that these beliefs are not only transformed, but also revived in new conditions, in reality they find ground for further existence. Each specific case, individual everyday details of life, which no one paid attention to in ordinary times, in a tragic combination of circumstances, retroactively acquire the symbolism of a sign. If a person has died, then they remember some unusual event, natural phenomenon, loss (in a dream or in reality) preceding death: “It was not for nothing that the flower bloomed at the wrong time”, “It was not for nothing that the hen crowed like a rooster”, etc.
The cessation of earthly existence, the inconceivability of the afterlife always frighten a person. The folk customs reflected the attempts of the ancestors to interpret the inexplicable nature of death, say, by the machinations of sorcerers. The natural feeling of self-preservation led to the search for means of counteracting death, which manifested itself with particular force at the moment of its approach. Hence the custom to close windows, doors, the same mirror immediately after death (as a special magical means of penetration), so that evil spells do not enter the house and do not affect the living.
The imprint of Christian ideas is carried by ideas about "good" and "bad", "difficult" and "easy" death. It seemed desirable in the past and present to die in the circle of relatives and friends without a long and painful illness. As a duty of prime necessity, the presence of close relatives at the bedside of the patient at the time of death was considered. This was connected, firstly, with the desire to receive the dying man's blessing for later life, and secondly, with the need to take measures to alleviate his dying agony and help his soul in search of a path to the afterlife. According to popular beliefs, at the last breath of a person - the exhalation of the spirit - the soul leaves the body and there is a struggle for the soul between the "unclean" force and the angel sent by God for the soul of the dying. The suffering before death was explained not by the severity of the illness, but by the fact that the dying person is tormented at the last minute by an “unclean” force (hell, the devil), as if she does not give her soul to an angel. Trying to make the path to God easier for the soul, they put a candle into the hand of the dying "God" and burned incense around him.
Death was considered good on Easter, on the day of Christ's Resurrection, when, according to legend, the "doors of paradise" are open, by analogy with the royal gates in the temple. An easy death was regarded by the people as a reward for a pious life, a difficult one as the lot of sinners.

Indestructible Psalter

The indestructible Psalter is read not only about health, but also about repose. From ancient times, the ordering of a commemoration on the Unsleeping Psalter is considered a great almsgiving for the departed soul.

It is also good to order the Indestructible Psalter for yourself, support will be vividly felt. And one more important point, but far from the least important,
There is an eternal commemoration on the Indestructible Psalter. It seems expensive, but the result is more than a million times more than the money spent. If this is still not possible, then you can order for a shorter period. It's also good to read for yourself.

Funeral preparation

In the folk customs associated with the funeral, three main stages can be distinguished.
Pre-funeral ceremonial actions: preparing the body of the deceased for burial, washing, dressing, positioning in the coffin, night vigils at the coffin of the deceased.
Funeral rites: removal of the type, funeral service in the church, road to the cemetery, farewell to the deceased at the grave, burial of the coffin with the body in the grave, return of relatives and friends back to the house of the deceased.
Wake: after the funeral and at the house of the deceased on the third, ninth, twentieth, fortieth days, six months, the anniversary after death, with the ordering of funeral services in the church, memorial meals and home prayers for the dead.
Many pre-funeral actions, in addition to practical necessity, have an ancient, ritual origin. Death was conceived as a road to the afterlife, and washing, dressing the deceased and other actions to prepare him for the funeral were, as it were, preparations for a long journey. Ablution had not only a hygienic chain, but was also considered as a cleansing rite. According to church doctrine, the deceased must go "to the Lord with a pure soul and a pure body." The religious and magical nature of the washing was emphasized by the fact that it was performed by a special professional category of people - the washers. This profession more often became the lot of old maids and old widowers, who no longer “have sin”, that is, intimate relationships with people of the opposite sex. If a girl did not marry for a long time, then she was frightened that she would "wash the dead." The girls who were engaged in "collecting" the dead and reading the Psalter over them wore dark clothes. For labor they received linen and clothing of the deceased. If there were no specialists - washers, it has long been customary for the washing of the dead to be carried out by people who were not related to the deceased. According to church teaching, a mother was not supposed to wash her dead child, since she would certainly mourn him; and this was condemned as a departure from the belief in the immortality of the soul: according to Christian doctrine, the child acquires a heavenly life, and therefore his death should not be mourned. The people have a belief that a mother's tear "burns the child."
In the past, the washing procedure had a ritual character, a magical focus. It was performed on the floor at the threshold of the hut. The deceased was laid on the straw with their feet to the stove. Washed two or three times with warm water and soap from a clay, usually new, pot. The attributes of washing - a pot, water, soap, a comb - were transferred to the properties of a dead man, his deadly power. They tried to get rid of them as soon as possible. The water with which the deceased was washed was called “dead”, it was poured into the corner of the yard, where there were no plants, where people did not walk, so that a healthy person could not step on it. The same was done with the water that was used to wash the dishes after the commemoration. Such was the fate of clay pots for ablution: they were taken out into the ravine, to the "border" of the field, to the crossroads, where, as a rule, there was a cross, a pillar, a chapel, they were broken there or simply left. The purpose of these actions is to prevent the return of the deceased, so that he "is not" alive and "does not frighten" them. These places were considered terrible among the people, and there were few daredevils who would dare to pass by them at dead midnight. The properties of ablution objects to “death” the living were used in the practice of harmful magic: sorcerers used “dead” water to spoil the newlyweds, carpenters nailed a piece of shroud into the door frame when building a house when they wished trouble to the owner they did not like. The soap used to wash the dead was used in home medicine for a different purpose - to suppress, moderate undesirable phenomena: wives gave it to evil husbands for washing, so that their “malice died away”, and the girls washed their hands so that the skin on them would not sag.
Currently, the washing of the deceased is most often done in the mortuary. However, there are still, especially in villages, old women-washers. Of the ancient customs associated with this rite, many have already been forgotten, in particular, few people remember the magical properties of ablution objects.
When dressing the deceased, those who see them off sometimes experience difficulty in choosing the color of clothing, and most often they prefer dark lengths for men and light ones for women. But it is interesting that in medieval Russia they were buried, as a rule, in white. This can be explained not only by the influence of Christianity, which associated this color with the spiritual, infantile purity of the Christian soul - the soul goes to God the way it came to earth at birth. The white color of the clothes of the deceased is the natural color of homespun canvas, since ancient times the main material for the clothes of the Russian population.
Magical properties have always been attributed to women's hair, which is why in the old days it was considered sinful for a married woman to walk with bare hair, and in the church everyone - from baby girls to old women - was supposed to be in a headdress (which is usually observed even now). This was also reflected in the funeral costume. It was customary for women to be buried in headscarves: the young - in light, the elderly - in dark.
In general, the clothes of the deceased girl and the funeral itself were special in Russia. This is due to the popular understanding of the essence of death. The death of a young girl was a rare event. It was perceived not only as a transition to a new state, a new form of being, already beyond the grave, but also as a special stage of this being, similar to the earthly one. The death of young unmarried and unmarried people in earthly life coincided with marriageable age, with a turning point in earthly life - marriage. This served as the basis for comparing and combining the funeral rite with the wedding one.
Not only Russians, but many peoples had a custom to dress a girl who died in the prime of her youth in a wedding dress, to prepare her for burial, like a bride for a wedding. At the funeral of a dead girl, they even imitated a wedding ceremony, sang wedding and wedding songs. A wedding ring was put on the ring finger of the right hand for both the girl and the guy, while the ring was not put on for a married man and a married woman.
Now there is also a custom to bury young girls in a wedding dress, and drink champagne at their wake, imitating a failed wedding.
In the past, the method of making funeral clothes emphasized its specific function - destination to the underworld. The clothes were, as it were, not real, but only its replacement, not sewn, but only swept. It was sewn necessarily on the hands, and not on a typewriter, the thread was fixed, the needle was kept away from you forward; otherwise the dead man will again come for someone to his family. The shoes of the deceased were also imitations: as a rule, they did not bury in leather shoes, but replaced them with cloth shoes. In cases where boots were worn, iron nails were pulled out of them. Onuchi, worn with bast shoes, tied on the legs so that the cross formed by the laces falls in front, and not behind, as in the living. Thus, the movement of the deceased was given, as it were, a reverse direction so that he could not return back to the house.
It used to be a custom to place the bed of the deceased and the clothes in which he died under a chicken roost and keep them there for six weeks (while the soul of the deceased, according to legend, is at home and needs clothes). The location of the clothes testifies to the connections of the soul with the image of the bird. Nowadays, this belief is rarely remembered. Some relatives of the deceased keep clothes and bedding until this time, but most of the things belonging to the deceased are burned or buried.
At present, in the custom of burying in new, not yet worn clothes, there is an echo of the belief that the newness of the clothes of the dead is a synonym for purity, the sinlessness of the soul, which should be pure in the next world. Many older people prepare their “death outfit” in advance.
Although now, most often due to economic reasons, it happens that they are buried in the old one - men usually in a dark suit, a shirt with a tie, women - in a dress or skirt with a jacket, as a rule, in light colors, but the use of special slippers as shoes is a ubiquitous phenomenon. They are included in the set of funeral accessories (as well as a cover imitating a shroud) of ritual offices. Slippers without hard soles, like shoes not intended to be worn, reflect the aforementioned custom of dressing the deceased in "fake" shoes and clothes.
Previously (and sometimes even now) when the deceased was placed in a coffin, magical precautions were taken. The body of the scolding was not with bare hands, but put on mittens. The hut was constantly fumigated with incense, rubbish was not taken out of the hut, but swept under the coffin, directing towards the deceased. These actions reflect part of the fear of the dead, the perception of him as the embodiment of a harmful deadly vulture, from which one must protect oneself.
While the coffin was being prepared, the washed deceased was placed on a bench covered with straw in the front corner of the hut so that his face was turned to the icons. Silence and restraint were observed in the hut. The coffin was accordingly regarded as the last real home of the deceased. An important element in the gathering of the deceased for the next world was the manufacture of a coffin - a "domovina", the likeness of a real house. Sometimes they even made glazed windows in the coffin.
In areas rich in forests, they tried to make coffins hollowed out of a tree trunk. Various types of trees were used, but not aspen. The coffins were lined with something soft inside. The custom of making an imitation of a bed out of a coffin has been preserved everywhere. Soft upholstery covered with white material, pillow, bedspread. Some older women collect their own hair during their lifetime to stuff their pillows.
The rules of Orthodox burial provide for laymen to put in the coffin, in addition to the pectoral cross, an icon, a halo on the forehead and “manuscript” - a written or printed prayer that forgives sins, which is put into the right hand of the deceased, as well as candles.
The easily explainable custom is still preserved to put things in the coffin that could allegedly be useful to the deceased in the next world, its roots obviously go back to pagan times.

This type of commemoration of the dead can be ordered at any hour - there are no restrictions on this either. During Great Lent, when a full liturgy is performed much less often, in a number of churches commemoration is practiced this way - in the altar, during the entire fast, all the names in the notes are read and, if they serve the liturgy, then they take out the particles. It is only necessary to remember that people baptized in the Orthodox faith can participate in these commemorations, as well as in the notes submitted for the proskomedia, it is allowed to enter the names of only the baptized deceased.

Seeing the dead

If the first stage of a traditional Russian funeral was preparations for the journey to the afterlife, then the second stage was, as it were, the beginning of this journey. The complex of rituals of this stage (removal of the body, funeral service in the temple, funeral procession to the cemetery, burial, return of the relatives of the deceased to the house) is multifunctional. It includes both the fulfillment of Christian requirements and a series of protective magical actions based on fear of the dead.
The first include reading and praying "for the exodus of the soul." Although now in the city they most often try to transport the deceased to the morgue on the day of death, in Orthodox families, and in small towns and villages where there are no morgues, the tradition of night vigil near the deceased is preserved. In cases where a priest is not invited, the Psalter or other sacred books are read by the believing laity. It often even happens that the nightly vigils of old women near deceased peers are not accompanied by the reading of Christian texts, but take place in the most ordinary memories or conversations - “I sat at the coffin, and they will sit with me.”
To this day, such a detail of the funeral ritual has been steadily preserved: immediately after death, a glass of water covered with a piece of bread is placed on the shelf next to the icons or on the window.
At a memorial dinner, a glass of vodka is left in a similar way, covered with a piece of bread, and sometimes this symbolic device is placed at the symbolic place of the deceased at the table. The most typical explanation for this is "the soul stays up to six weeks at home."
The origins of this custom are probably as follows: it is a food sacrifice inherent in all ancient beliefs. In this case, however, it is difficult to determine to whom initially - the spirit of the deceased, the ancestors, God, or this is a ransom from the evil spirit. Now this common element of the rite, like others, is more of a means of alleviating the loss, relieving the stressful psychological state of loved ones, maintaining the belief that, following tradition, they pay the last debt to the deceased.
One of the elements of a home mourning ritual is the lighting of candles at the head of the deceased, they are attached to the corners of the coffin, placed in a glass on the foot, and lamps are placed in front of the icons.
At present, the exact dates for the removal of the tepa, funeral, funeral, which are consistent with church rules, are rarely observed, and the clergy who perform funeral services usually do not insist on accuracy. There is an opinion among the people that it is impossible to take the deceased out of the house before twelve o'clock and after sunset.
It is curious that many folk rituals associated with the removal of the body, seeing off to the cemetery, bear the imprint of pagan protective magic.
In the very psychology of the picture of death, the presence of a corpse among the living, there is a contradiction between life and death, hence the fear of the dead, as already belonging to an incomprehensible world.
The dead man's danger to the living was that he could allegedly return to the house and "take away" someone close to him. Measures that protect the living include the custom of taking the body out of the house with notes forward, trying not to touch the threshold and door jambs in order to prevent the deceased from returning in his wake.
There is also such a custom as “replacing the place” of the deceased. On the table or chairs on which the coffin stood in the house, after the removal of the deceased, they sit down, and then this furniture is turned upside down for a while. The meaning of this rite is the same as the method of taking out the coffin - an obstacle to the return of the deceased.
In the past, at a Russian funeral, as soon as the coffin was taken out, one of the relatives of the deceased fell to the place where he stood, or the mistress of the house herself sat down. In the north, in Siberia, as soon as the deceased was carried out, a stone or log was placed on the front corner of the hut, or a sourdough was placed so that another member of the family would not die. There was also such a custom; one of the relatives went around the coffin three times with an ax in his hands, holding it with the blade forward, at the last round he hit the coffin with a butt. Sometimes, when carrying out a dead person, they put an ax on the threshold. Archaeological materials testify that the superstitious attitude to axes goes back to ancient times. Among the ancient Slavs, the ax was a symbol of Perun and was associated with thunder and lightning, and therefore was an amulet, a talisman against evil spirits harmful to humans. In later times, he also played a frightening role for the deceased from "unclean" forces or for the house from the deceased himself.
The group of customs under consideration includes the custom, widespread among many peoples, including the Slavs, to take out the deceased not through the front door that serves the living, but through a window or a specially made hole. Its meaning is to deceive the deceased in order to "confuse his trail"; according to beliefs, the dead can return to the house only by the way known to him during his lifetime. But now this custom, especially in the city, is very rare.
Since ancient times, in the Slavic rural communities - the source of our ritual traditions - death had a social character. The perception of the death of one of the members of the rural collective in the public consciousness was reflected not as a narrow family event, but as a socially significant one that disrupted the course of village life, and the more significant the personality of the deceased was, the wider the district was drawn into the orbit of ritual actions aimed at neutralizing the deadly force, emanating from the deceased, preventing the evil that he could cause in the future, ensuring his goodwill and help.
The deep ideological basis of this phenomenon, which goes back to the cult of ancestors and its connection with agrarian cults, was later rethought and turned out to be correlated with the social environment of the rural community. The motive for ensuring the goodwill of the deceased was that the deceased in the next world would meet the souls of the people who accompanied him on earth. In accordance with the norms of customary law, funerals were the business of the entire rural society; participation in them was obligatory for all fellow villagers; their conduct was controlled by the community.
The funeral rite had a certain moral and ethical aspect. When the body of the deceased was taken out of the house, it was customary for the people to cry loudly, openly dressing up their grief with lamentations. They showed a public assessment of the life of the deceased, his reputation was manifested. Over the coffin, not only close relatives of the deceased, but also neighbors lamented. If the relatives did not cry, the neighbors questioned the feeling of affection of relatives for the deceased. In laments, there was an impact on public opinion regarding the living. "Howling" was considered a tribute of respect and love for the deceased. By the number of howling women (not relatives) it was possible to determine what were the relations of the deceased with the neighbors.
Even the ancient Russian church imposed a ban on people's cries and cries - "do not cry for the dead." Funeral lamentation was regarded as a manifestation of pagan ideas about the fate of the soul after the grave, the lack of Christian faith among the people in the immortality of the soul. As already mentioned, mothers were not supposed to cry for dead children. In folk religious stories, the mournful fate in the next world of dead children, mourned by their mothers, was depicted in visual images: dead children were depicted either in clothes weighed down by mother's tears, or sitting in a swamp, or carrying tears shed by their mother in heavy buckets. However, the church ban was not respected in everyday life.
Peter I, with his characteristic passion for administration, even issued a special decree forbidding crying at funerals, which had no effect.
The procedure for organizing and following a funeral procession in various regions of Russia in the past was basically the same. The funeral procession was led by someone carrying a crucifix or an icon framed with a towel. Then followed one or two people with a coffin lid on their heads, followed by the clergy. Two or three pairs of men carried the coffin, followed by close relatives. The funeral procession was closed by neighbors, acquaintances, and curious people.
Interestingly, the custom of carrying a coffin in one's hands is relatively late. In Russian villages in the last century, for superstitious reasons, they often tried to carry the coffin in mittens, on towels, on poles, on a stretcher.
The same kind and method of transporting the coffin to the cemetery. In some places, they tried to deliver the dead man to the burial place on a sleigh, even in summer. The sleigh was then either burned or left up to the fortieth day with its runners lying up. In this custom, one can notice the interweaving of the pagan rite of burning a corpse, along with a means of afterlife transportation and a magical obstacle to the return of the dead.
When a dead person was taken out of the house, in the past, the rite of the “first meeting” was performed, symbolizing the close connection between the dead and the living. It consisted in the fact that the person who was the first to meet the funeral procession on the way was handed a loaf of bread wrapped in a towel. The gift served as a reminder that the "first comer" would pray for the deceased, and the deceased, in turn, would be the first to meet in the next world the one who accepted the bread.
On the way to the temple and from the temple to the cemetery, grain was scattered to feed the birds, which is another confirmation of the dual idea of ​​the posthumous existence of the soul in the form of its zoomorphic image or in the form of an incorporeal substance.
The funeral procession, according to the Church Charter, was supposed to stop only in the church and near the cemetery, and, as a rule, it stopped in the most memorable places for the deceased in the village, near the house of a deceased neighbor, at crossroads, at crosses, which in some areas were called "deceased". Here, part of the mourners stopped, followed mainly by relatives. The initial meaning of this rite, apparently, was to confuse the tracks so that the deceased could not return to the living, and later this was interpreted as the farewell of the deceased to those places with which his life was connected.
At modern funerals, a ban is sometimes carried out - the custom does not allow children (sons) to carry the coffin with the body of their parents and bury the grave. In the past, the prohibition was due to the fear of another victim in the family, fear of the magical ability of the deceased to take a blood relative with him to the grave. Currently, the coffin is often carried by workmates, distant relatives.
In general, the rite of carrying the coffin has now changed significantly compared to the past. At socially significant funerals, famous people, with a large gathering of relatives, friends, colleagues of the deceased, they try to carry the coffin in their arms where conditions allow, as long as possible as a sign of respect for the memory of an irretrievably departed person.
The composition of a modern funeral procession is usually as follows: first they carry wreaths, then the lid of the coffin - the narrow part forward, the coffin with the deceased. Behind the coffin, relatives and friends go first, then all the mourners.
The well-established civil ritual of the funeral also determines the composition of the funeral procession with elements that were impossible in the past and in the Orthodox ritual: mourning music from a brass band, carrying a portrait of the deceased in a black frame in the procession, carrying pillows with orders and medals, farewell speeches. It is interesting to note that in our day there is often a bizarre mixture of civil ritual with church ritual. For example, the installation on the grave at the same time of an Orthodox cross and a portrait of a deceased person.

memorial service

The memorial service begins with the usual exclamation: "Blessed be our God always, now and forever, and forever and ever." Then the Trisagion is read according to the Our Father. Lord have mercy 12 times. Glory now. Come, let us worship... Psalm 90: "Alive in the help of the Most High...". In this psalm, before our spiritual gaze, there is a gratifying picture of the transition to eternity of a truly believing soul along the mysterious path leading to the abodes of the Heavenly Father. In the symbolic images of asps, lions, skimms and dragons, the psalmist expresses the ordeals of the soul along this path. But here the psalmist also depicted for us the Divine protection of the faithful soul of the deceased: "He will deliver you from the snare of the hunter, from the fatal ulcer; He will overshadow you with His feathers, and under His wings you will be safe; His shield and fence are His truth." The faithful soul says to the Lord: "My refuge and my protection, my God, in whom I trust."

The funeral

The burial ceremony was performed before sunset, when it is still high, so that "the setting sun could take the deceased with it"
This, as well as, for example, lowering, together with the coffin, into the grave of church candles that burned during the funeral, does not contradict the legal provisions of Orthodoxy. As well as the last kissing of the deceased by relatives and relatives that still exists, as well as the custom on the part of the mourners to throw handfuls of earth into the grave with the wishes: "Let the earth rest in peace." However, instead of this phrase, you can briefly pray: “God rest the soul of Your newly-departed servant (name), and forgive him all his sins, free and involuntary, and grant him the Kingdom of Heaven.” This prayer can also be performed before proceeding to the next dish during the commemoration.
There was and in some places remains such an archaic element of ritual as the custom of throwing small money into the grave. There were several popular interpretations of this custom. One - as a ransom of a place in the cemetery for the deceased, which is additional evidence of the connection of the deceased with the place of his burial - the grave, the earth. If the place is not bought, the deceased will come to living relatives at night and complain that the “owner” of the underworld is driving him out of the grave. According to another option, money was put in so that the deceased could buy a place for himself in the next world.
According to the popular Christian interpretation, money placed in a coffin or thrown into a grave was intended to pay for transportation across a fiery river or to pay for free passage through ordeals. This rite remains stable and is performed regardless of which age, socio-professional group the deceased belonged to during his lifetime.
Sometimes a “tear” handkerchief is thrown at the grave. After the grave is covered, wreaths are placed on the grave mound, flowers in the center. Sometimes they immediately put a cross or a temporary obelisk, a memorial plaque with a last name, first name, date of birth and death.
It is considered a rule not to install a permanent monument on the grave earlier than a year after death.
The tragedy of parting with him at the funeral, natural for those who loved and lost a loved one, is accompanied by weeping, lamentations of women. But few people imagine that lamentations like “Oh, mommy, to whom did you leave me ...”, “Why did you get together so early, my beloved husband” contain elements of the formulas of pagan grave lamentations, which are at least two thousand years.
The traditional treat of cemetery diggers, a short memorial meal at the graveyard with a drink “for the remembrance of the soul”, with kutya, pancakes, with the scattering of leftover food on the grave for birds (the souls of the dead) exists everywhere now.
In the past, a special way of commemorating the soul was "secret" or "secret" charity. She obligated the neighbors to pray for the deceased, while the one praying assumed part of the sins of the deceased. The “secret” charity consisted in the fact that the relatives of the deceased for forty days laid out on the windows, porches of the poorest neighbors (beans, old people, etc.) alms, bread, pancakes, eggs, boxes of matches, sometimes larger things - scarves, pieces of cloth and others. Like all commemorations were sacrifices, so almsgiving was sacrificial food. In addition to the "secret" almsgiving, there was an obvious, open almsgiving - "as a sign of memory" - the distribution of pies, cookies, sweets to the poor and children at the cemetery gates. During the funeral service, they also handed out a roll and a lit candle to those present. In many places, each participant in the commemoration was given a new wooden spoon, so that when eating with this spoon, they would remember the deceased. To save a sinful soul, they made a donation for a new bell so that it would “ring out” the lost soul from hell, or they gave a rooster to the neighbors so that it sang for the sins of the deceased.
Now, in addition to the distribution of alms to the cemetery and church beggars, there is also a special form of alms-commemoration - distribution of handkerchiefs at funerals to some relatives. These scarves are supposed to be carefully stored.

Mourning and commemoration

In the past, in accordance with popular ethical standards, members of the family of the deceased were required to observe certain forms of mourning. The requirement to observe mourning extended both for a long period - a year, and for a shorter period - six weeks after death. The most common forms of mourning are the wearing of mourning clothes, the prohibition on marrying a widow and marrying a widower, and marrying adult children. The original meaning of mourning clothes - changing the usual appearance in order to prevent the return of the deceased - has long been lost, but the custom continues to this day.
Mourning also meant the rejection of entertainment, dances, songs. As mourning clothes, ordinary work clothes were used by people of poor people. But in some, especially in the northern provinces of Russia, an old national dress was worn during the period of mourning.
Mourning, "anxiety" on the occasion of the loss of a breadwinner, a hostess, always lasted longer than mourning for the elderly. And now, observance of mourning for the deceased has not lost its significance: wearing a dark dress, a black scarf for up to 40 days, frequent visits to the cemetery, a ban on entertainment and participation in secular holidays, etc. It is impossible not to notice that here, too, there is a simplification, erosion of tradition . A longer period of wearing a black or dark dress (a year or more) is due to the severity of the loss. They are worn more often by mothers who have lost adults to untimely dead children.
Up to one year, sometimes widows also observe mourning. Daughters who bury their elderly parents reduce the period of wearing mourning clothes to six weeks, or even to one week. Men put on a dark suit only to participate in the funeral ritual, and subsequently they do not observe external signs of mourning.
As a sign of mourning, mirrors are hung in the house, the clock is stopped; from the room where the coffin with the body of the deceased stands, they take out the TV.
Traditionally in Russia, funerals have always ended with a commemoration, a memorial dinner. A joint meal consolidated the funeral rite, was and remains its not the saddest, but, on the contrary, sometimes even life-affirming part.
The funeral rite, to a greater extent than other family rites, has the function of family and social psychological unification. It manifests itself in the fact that the rite forms a feeling of closeness with one's family, kindred team, rural community - through rallying in grief, overcoming misfortune, sharing the loss of a family, uniting in support.
At the same time, the ceremony carried the idea of ​​a historical connection between the living and the dead, the continuity of life in the alternation of generations. The meaning of the commemoration is the awakening and maintenance of memory, memories of deceased ancestors. The funeral rite always retained the memory that the dead were once alive, and that remembrance was conceived as an action in which the deceased is embodied and becomes, as it were, a participant in it.
In some forms of commemoration, which have preserved the tradition of inviting a wide public circle, it is possible to restore the idea of ​​the connection of the tribal team. In this regard, the composition of the participants in the memorial table immediately after the funeral and on the fortieth day is indicative. In the 19th century, commemoration was a family ritual, gathering mainly relatives and friends. The veneration of the dead was of a domestic nature. But in some places, a tradition that comes from the depths of centuries was maintained that anyone can come to the wake. The clergy were invited as guests of honor.
There was a strong idea among the people that prayer alleviates the fate of the sinful soul behind the grave, helps it to avoid hellish torment. Therefore, the relatives of the deceased ordered a funeral service (mass) in the church with the remembrance of the deceased for six weeks after death - magpie. Whoever was poorer ordered a magpie reader, who for forty days at the home of the deceased read the canon. The names of the dead were recorded in the annual commemoration - synodic.
The traditional srons of commemoration of the dead within the framework of family rituals were focused on the dates set by the church. In addition to the church, one of the ways to disseminate religious information about memorial dates was popular literature intended for popular understanding, in particular, the running "Remembrances" telling about the fate of souls in the afterlife. The following memorial days were celebrated among the people: the day of the funeral, the third and sixth days after death - rarely, the ninth and twentieth - not always, the fortieth - necessarily. Then they "celebrated" half a year, an anniversary, and then - already within the framework of the calendar ritual - parental days followed.
In the act of a joint funeral meal, a certain sign of ritual dishes was preserved: they were more symbolic than ritual. Ethnic flavor can be traced in the set of dishes, the order of their change, the time of the ritual meal. The basis of the Russian diet was bread. Bread in its varieties has always been used for ritual purposes. The memorial meal began and ended with kutya and pancakes, which were complemented by pancakes. At the commemoration, archaic types of food were used - kutya, porridge, which were distinguished by their ancient origin and ease of preparation. Kutya in different areas was prepared differently from wheat grains boiled in honey, from boiled rice with sugar and raisins. As a funeral dish, porridge (barley, millet) was also used, with which the Russians had an idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe special power contained in it. The serving of food was strictly regulated. According to the sequence of dishes, the memorial meal was in the form of a dinner. The first - stew, cabbage soup, noodles, soup. The second is porridge, sometimes fried potatoes. Snacks - fish, jelly, as well as oatmeal jelly and honey were served at the table. On fasting days, the memorial table included mainly lenten dishes; on fasting days, meat soup and chicken noodles were traditionally included in the dishes. Wine (vodka) was used at the wake, but not everywhere.
Of the series of commemoration dates, the fortieth day was the culminating one. According to the popular explanation, this term is connected with that. that for forty days the soul of the deceased is on earth. God does not “determine” her either to hell or heaven, angels carry the soul of the deceased to the places where the deceased sinned, and his soul atones for sins. On the fortieth day, God's judgment takes place and the soul leaves the earth completely. According to popular belief, the soul of the deceased on the fortieth day “appears” in his house for the whole day and leaves only after the so-called “vacation” of the soul, or “wiring”. If the "wire" is not arranged, then the deceased will suffer. In the wires of the soul, the concern of the living for the afterlife of the dead was expressed.
Sometimes the traditions of the fortieth day were touching and naive. They prepared in advance for the arrival of the deceased: they washed the house, in the evening they covered the bed with a white sheet and a blanket. No one could touch the bed, it was intended exclusively for the deceased. In the morning they prepared a plentiful dinner, at which there was a lot of wine. By noon, the table was laid, relatives and friends gathered. A visiting priest served the lithium. At the table, he occupied the main place, on the right side of him an empty place was left for the deceased. In this place, under a napkin, they put a plate, a glass of wine, vodka, put bread. Bowing to this place, the owners, as it were, turned to the invisible dead man: “Eat, darling.” After dinner, "eternal memory" was proclaimed and farewell to the dead began, accompanied by weeping. The eyes of relatives turned towards the church and the cemetery, as it was believed that before leaving forever, the deceased says goodbye to his grave.
A special role in the funeral rite was played by a towel - a symbol of the way, a sign of the way home. Usually, a towel was hung in the corner of the house near the window, which was there, and for forty days it was intended for the soul of the deceased, who, according to legend, walks around “his places” for forty days and, arriving at the house, wipes his face with a towel.
The commemoration, held in the next period after death - until the fortieth day, and then after six months and a year, was performed as a family rite, a rite of the life cycle, a family sacred rite. They were characterized by a closed character, the presence of a narrow circle of relatives, close family members. It is aimed at a specific person, a specific family member. Their goal is to maintain blood ties with the dead.
Commemorations on parental Saturdays have always been observed by the people with special care. Yes, and in the funeral services that happened on other days, many tried to submit a note about praying for the repose of the soul. In view of the low literacy of the population, almost every family had a synodik compiled for the family by the priest with lists of the names of the dead, who should have been commemorated in the church.
To this day, commemorations are not only one of the traditional forms of expressing pity and compassion, but also a stable form of communication between the population, as evidenced by the participation in them of usually a large number of relatives, acquaintances, neighbors, colleagues who come to them without a special invitation. They are one of the powerful means of transmitting folk traditions from one generation to another. This is the most important reason for the preservation of their existence among the people. At the memorial meal, ritual food and drink are preserved, and not individual dishes are kept, but often their traditional set.
Most often, a funeral table is an ordinary ceremonial table, only with a more modest decoration of dishes. However, it has been noted that many consider it more decent to use homemade compote or jelly, which is typical for Russian cuisine, rather than purchased lemonade: from strong drinks - vodka and Cahors (“church wine”), and not cognac, champagne, etc.
Now, visiting the graves of the dead on Orthodox holidays - Easter and Trinity - is gaining in importance. The primary role in the non-church side of the modern ritual of Easter is played by a joint meal with the dead, which goes back to pagan sacrifice. Offerings in different sets are placed on the graves (on plates, on paper), for example, several colored eggs, a piece of Easter cake, an apple, sweets or crumbled Easter cake; peeled eggs; or on the table near the grave, millet, a few pieces of biscuits.
Sometimes they leave a glass of alcohol “for the dead” on the grave. Or, if the family arranges an impromptu meal at the cemetery, a glass of vodka is poured onto the grave.
On Easter and Trinity, it is customary to repair, tint a cross, a monument, a fence (spring repair of the "house of the deceased"), decorate the grave with flowers. On Trinity, the custom of using wild flowers and wreaths of birch branches hung on crosses and fences is especially touching.
So, in the Russian funeral rite, despite the sad, sometimes even tragic nature of its cause - the death of a person - many very old traditions are preserved that serve to unite the family and unite our entire people, the bearer of an ancient and great culture.

Those who have Christian names are remembered for health, and only those baptized in the Orthodox Church are remembered for repose.

Notes can be submitted to the liturgy:

At the proskomedia - the first part of the liturgy, when for each name indicated in the note, particles are taken out of special prosphora, which are subsequently lowered into the Blood of Christ with a prayer for the forgiveness of sins

Days of special commemoration of the dead (parental days)

Every day of the week in the Orthodox Church is dedicated to a special remembrance (of the Most Holy Theotokos, John the Baptist, etc.). Saturday is dedicated to the memory of all the saints and the dead. On Saturday (meaning in Hebrew - rest), the Church prays for all those who have passed from the earth to the afterlife, both perfect (saints) and imperfect, whose fate has not yet been finally decided. In addition to daily prayers and Saturdays, there are separate days in the year, mainly dedicated to prayers for the departed. These are the so-called parental days (in Russia, it was customary to call all the deceased ancestors parents):
1. Meatless ecumenical parental Saturday - a week before Lent. This Saturday got its name from the day following it - "Meat-Feast Week", i.e. the day on which meat is allowed for the last time.
2. Parent ecumenical Saturday of the 2nd week of Great Lent.
3. Parent ecumenical Saturday of the 3rd week of Great Lent.
4. Parent ecumenical Saturday of the 4th week of Great Lent.
5. Radonitsa - Tuesday of the second week after Easter. This day is called Radonitsa to commemorate the joy of the living and the dead about the Resurrection of Christ.
6. May 9 is the day of commemoration of all those who died during the Great Patriotic War (the resolution on commemoration was adopted at the Bishops' Council, held in November-December 1994).
7. Trinity Ecumenical Parental Saturday - Saturday before the day of the Holy Trinity. (At present, it is an incorrect custom to consider the feast of the Trinity itself as a parental day).
8. Demetrius Saturday - Saturday a week before the feast of the memory of the Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica (November 8, according to a new style) - the Heavenly Patron of the Right-Believing Grand Duke Demetrius of the Don. Having won a victory on the Kulikovo field, Prince Dimitri made a commemoration by name of the soldiers who fell on the battlefield on the eve of his day of the Angel. Since then, the Church has commemorated on this day, called by the people the Demetrius Saturday, not only the soldiers who died for the Fatherland, but also all the deceased Orthodox Christians.
9. In addition, on the day of the Beheading of the head of the Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John (September 11, according to a new style), the Church commemorates the Orthodox soldiers who were killed on the battlefield for Faith and Fatherland. Commemoration on this day was established in 1769 during the war with the Turks and Poles by decree of Empress Catherine II.
On parental days, Orthodox Christians visit churches where funeral services are performed. These days, it is customary to make a sacrifice on the memorial table (eve) - various products (with the exception of meat). After the memorial service, the products are distributed to the temple employees, those in need, sent to orphanages and nursing homes. Products are also brought to the funeral table on other days when a memorial service is ordered, as this is almsgiving for the dead.
On spring and summer parental days (Radonitsa and Trinity Saturday), it is customary to visit the cemetery after the church: correct the graves of deceased relatives and pray next to their buried bodies. The custom of leaving various foodstuffs on the graves has nothing to do with Orthodoxy. These are all echoes of pagan feasts. In some places, there is a custom to bring to the cemetery on Radonitsa and leave colored eggs and sweets there, as if symbolically christening with the dead. But it is better not to do this, but, having mentally christened with the deceased, eat the egg yourself. Otherwise, this food will simply be pecked and eaten by birds and dogs, in addition to getting dirty on the grave.
It is a great sin to drink alcohol in the cemetery where our loved ones are buried. The best thing you can do for them is to make a prayer, even if it is so brief: “God give rest to the souls of your departed servants, all our relatives and friends, and forgive them all their sins, free and involuntary, and grant them the Kingdom of Heaven ".

Home prayers for the dead

The Holy Church considers prayer for the deceased to be a necessary part of not only worship in the temple, but also the rule of the home. Of course, the main thing is the church commemoration of the dead, together with the pastors. But prayer at home is also our duty to the departed, proof of our love for them. All the more necessary is home prayer on the days of remembrance of the dead, if it was impossible to commemorate them in the temple.
On the third, ninth, fortieth days and anniversaries (where it is customary, also on the twentieth day and half a year), the memory of the deceased should be honored by reading a Panikhida. For all forty days after the death, the time of special commemoration, when the fate of the soul of the deceased is decided, the Canon of the deceased should be read daily. All these successions can be read both at home and in the cemetery. On other days, you can read either the Memorial Service, or separately the Canons about the deceased, the deceased. They also commemorate the dead on the Psalter and read the commemoration in the morning (and, if desired, in the evening) prayers. On Saturday, you can read for all your relatives one of the Canons about the departed.
The great canon about the departed in the church takes place only twice a year - on Meat and Trinity Ecumenical parental Saturdays. But in home prayer, you can read it at any other time - at will and according to your strength, with the blessing of the confessor. This is a commemoration of all the deceased Orthodox Christians from the century. There is a pious custom - once a year to make a commemoration of all their relatives both in home prayer and at a memorial meal. You can choose for this either a memorial day for one of your relatives, or just some convenient day for commemoration, when, according to the Charter, home prayer for the dead is allowed, that is, not on holidays and not on Sundays. It should be specially noted that one should definitely consult with the priest, and most importantly, with one's spiritual father, about the composition and limits of one's home prayer.

Very often, the lack of understanding of the meaning of Orthodox rituals and traditions leads to the fact that people, instead of helping the soul of a deceased loved one, begin to believe in all sorts of superstitions and observe customs that have nothing to do with Christianity. In this article, we will tell you how to bury a person in accordance with Orthodox traditions.

PREPARING FOR THE FUNERAL

If the body of the deceased before the funeral will be at home

• The body is washed with warm water, while reading the "Trisagion" * or "Lord, have mercy."
• After washing, the body of a Christian is dressed in clean and, if possible, new clothes.
• Then the body of the deceased is laid on the table, covered with a white veil - a shroud.
• Before the position of the deceased in the coffin, the body and the coffin (outside and inside) are sprinkled with holy water.
• The deceased is placed in the coffin face up, a pillow stuffed with straw or sawdust is placed under the head.
• The eyes of the deceased must be closed, the mouth closed, the hands folded crosswise, the right hand on top of the left. The hands and feet of the deceased are tied (untied just before the body is brought into the temple).
• A pectoral cross must be put on the deceased.
• Then the deceased is covered with a special consecrated cover (funeral cover) with the image of a cross, images of saints and prayer inscriptions (sold in a church shop).
• When the body of the deceased is washed and dressed, they immediately begin to read the canon called “Following after the departure of the soul from the body” **. If it is not possible to invite a priest to the house, then the next of kin and acquaintances can read the Follow-up. ***
• When the body is washed and dressed, a lamp or a candle is also lit, which should burn as long as the deceased is in the house.
• A funeral cross is placed in the hands of the deceased, a holy icon is placed on the chest: for men - the image of the Savior, for women - the image of the Mother of God (it is better to buy in a church shop, where everything is already consecrated).
• A chaplet is placed on the forehead of the deceased, which is a symbol of the observance of the faith by the deceased Christian and his accomplishment of a Christian life feat. The chaplet is placed in the hope that the one who dies in the faith will receive a heavenly reward and an incorruptible crown from God after the resurrection.
• The coffin is usually placed in the middle of the room in front of domestic icons, with the head towards the icons.
• It is advisable to order immediately after the death of a person in the temple or monastery of Sorokoust **** - commemoration at the Divine Liturgy for 40 days. (In churches where Divine services are not performed daily, the deceased is commemorated during 40 Divine Liturgies (see link 5). If desired and possible, you can submit notes with the name of the deceased in several churches. It is desirable to do this even before the funeral and burial.

If a person died not at home, and his body is not in the house

• After all the formalities have been completed and the body has been taken to the morgue, one must begin to read in the red corner in front of the icons the canon called “Following the Exodus of the Soul from the Body” **, and then read the Psalter for the deceased. If it is not possible to invite a priest to the house, then the next of kin and acquaintances can read the Follow-up. ***
• The next day, clean and, if possible, new clothes and other necessary things must be taken to the morgue (more details can be found here "What to do when a person dies"), as well as a pectoral cross (if it was not on the deceased), a funeral cross in hands and an icon: for men - the image of the Savior, for women - the image of the Mother of God (it is better to buy in a church shop where everything is already consecrated).
• It is necessary to ask the morgue workers to prepare the body for burial, taking into account Orthodox traditions (usually morgue workers know them very well).
• On the very first day after death, it is imperative to take care of the church commemoration of the deceased. It is advisable to immediately order in the temple or monastery of Sorokoust **** If desired and possible, you can submit notes with the name of the deceased in several churches. It is desirable to do this even before the funeral and burial. But you should not forget to order Sorokoust **** even after 40 days.

THE FUNERAL

• If the funeral starts from home , then an hour and a half before the removal of the coffin from the house, over the body of the deceased, “Following the Exodus of the Soul” *** is read again. If the ritual starts from the mortuary , then you can read the “Following the Exodus of the Soul” *** before the start of the ritual anywhere (in the temple, at the mortuary).
• The coffin is taken out, turning the face of the deceased towards the exit, i.e. feet forward. The mourners sing the Trisagion*.
• According to church rules, contrary to existing superstition, the coffin with the body should be carried, if possible, to close relatives and friends.. An exception exists only for priests, who should not carry the coffin of a layman, no matter who he is. If a priest is present at the funeral, then he goes in front of the tomb as a spiritual shepherd.
• In the grave, the deceased is supposed to face the east. As the coffin is lowered, the Trisagion* is sung again. All the mourners throw a handful of earth into the grave. Cremation should be avoided whenever possible (More on this in the article "On the attitude of Orthodoxy to cremation and the possibility of the resurrection of bodies").
• The grave cross is set at the feet of the deceased, turning it with its face to the west, so that the face of the deceased was directed to the holy cross.
• It is not allowed to invite an orchestra for the funeral of an Orthodox Christian.
• Burial should not be performed on the day of Holy Pascha and on the day of the Nativity of Christ.

FUNERAL

• On the third day after death (in practice, due to various circumstances, it can be any other day), the deceased Orthodox Christian is honored with a church funeral and burial. This service is not performed only on the day of Holy Pascha and on the day of the Nativity of Christ.
• The funeral service is performed for the sake of the deceased only once, unlike memorial services. (see link 6) and lithium (see link 7) which can be repeated multiple times.
• The funeral service is not performed at the burial of the unbaptized (i.e. those who do not belong to the Church), heterodox (people of the non-Orthodox faith).
• The Church also does not bury those baptized, but those who have renounced the faith. In this case, relatives and friends themselves should pray for them in home prayers, give alms for their sake, (More on this in the article “How to make a “bank transfer” to the next world to help the soul of a loved one”) to repent at confession that they did not contribute to their conversion to faith.
• The Church does not bury suicides either, except in special cases (for example, in case of insanity of the one who committed suicide), but even then only with the blessing of the ruling bishop (see link 8).
• For the funeral, the coffin with the body of the deceased is brought into the temple with their feet forward and placed facing the altar, i.e. feet to the east, head to the west.
• When performing the funeral service, relatives and friends should stand at the coffin with lit candles and pray intensely together with the priest for the soul of the deceased.
• After the proclamation of "Eternal Memory", the priest reads a permissive prayer over the deceased. This prayer forgives the oaths and sins that were on the deceased, in which he repented at confession (or forgot to repent due to forgetfulness or ignorance). But those sins for which he did not intentionally repent (or did not repent at all at confession) are not forgiven by a permissive prayer. The text of the permissive prayer is placed by the priest in the hands of the deceased.
• After that, the mourners, having extinguished the candles, go around the coffin with the body, ask the deceased for forgiveness, kiss the halo on the forehead and the icon on the chest. The body is completely covered with a veil, the priest crosswise sprinkles it with earth. After that, the coffin is covered with a lid and no longer opens.
• With the singing of the "Trice Saint)" * the coffin is taken out of the temple facing the exit (feet forward).
• If it is not possible to bring the body of the deceased to the temple, and it is also not possible to invite a priest to the house, then an absentee funeral may be performed in the temple. After him, relatives are given earth (sand) from the requiem table. This earth is crosswise sprinkled on the body of the deceased. If by this time the deceased is already buried, then his grave is sprinkled crosswise from the memorial table with earth. (If the urn is buried in a columbarium, then in this case the consecrated earth is poured onto any grave of an Orthodox Christian, but it is not placed (scattered) in the cell of the columbarium).

Wake

• After the funeral service in the church and the burial of the body in the cemetery, the relatives of the deceased arrange a memorial meal - this is a kind of Christian alms for the audience.
• Such a meal can be arranged on the third day after death (the day of the funeral), the ninth, fortieth days, six months and a year after death, on the birthday and day of the angel of the deceased (name day, name day).
• There should be absolutely no alcohol on the memorial table. Drinking alcohol at a wake harms the souls of dead people. This is an echo of pagan feasts.
• If the commemoration is performed on fast days (see link 9), then the food should be lean.
• On weekdays of Great Lent, commemorations are not performed, but are transferred to the next (forward) Saturday and Sunday. This is done because only on Saturday and Sunday are the Divine Liturgies of John Chrysostom and Basil the Great celebrated, and particles for the dead are taken out at the proskomedia, and memorial services are performed.
• Memorial days falling on Bright Week (see reference 10) and on Monday of the second Easter week are transferred to Radonitsa. (see reference 11)
• It is important on the days of commemoration of the dead and for 40 days to intensively distribute alms to the poor and needy in the name of the soul of the deceased. It is also good to distribute the things of the deceased to those in need. But even after the expiration of 40 days, you should not stop this charitable deed, which greatly helps the soul of the deceased.

You can read more about the meaning and meaning of commemoration in interview"Merry commemoration or How we harm the souls of the dead."

1. Full text of this prayer: Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.

2. "Following the outcome of the soul from the body". A special prayer, which is usually recited immediately after death, is reserved for such an exceptional occasion. The follow-up has an exceptional structure, different from the memorial service.

If death occurred within eight days from Easter to Tuesday of St. Thomas Week (Radonitsa), then in addition to the “Following the Exodus of the Soul”, the Easter Canon is read. In the Orthodox Church, there is a pious custom of continuous reading of the Psalter for the deceased until his burial. The Psalter is also read in the future on the days of remembrance, and especially strenuously in the first 40 days after death. During the Easter week (eight days from Easter to Radonitsa) in the Church reading Psalms replaced by reading Easter Canon. At home, reading the Psalter over the deceased can also be replaced by the Paschal canon. But if this is not possible, then you can read the Psalter.

3. Following the Exodus of the Soul from the Body can be read not only by priests, but also by laity. For reading by the laity exists.

4. Sorokoust- daily prayer commemoration at the Divine Liturgy for 40 days. In churches where Divine services are not performed daily, the deceased is commemorated during 40 Divine Liturgies.

5. Liturgy(Greek λειτουργία, “service”, “common cause”)- the main Christian service among the Orthodox, Catholics and in some other churches, in which the sacrament of the Eucharist is performed. The Liturgy is a prototype of the Last Supper.

It is performed in large churches daily, in most others - every Sunday. The beginning of the Liturgy is usually at 7-10 o'clock in the morning, in churches where there is more than one throne, an early liturgy can also be performed.

6. Funeral service- a funeral service established by the Church, which consists of prayers in which those praying rely on God's mercy, asking for the forgiveness of the sins of the deceased and granting him blessed eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven. During the service of memorial services, the assembled relatives and friends of the deceased stand with lighted candles as a sign that they also believe in a bright future life; at the end of the memorial service (when reading the Lord's Prayer), these candles are extinguished as a sign that our earthly life, burning like a candle, should go out, most often not burning down to the end we imagine. It is customary to perform memorial services both before the burial of the deceased, and after - on the 3rd, 9th, 40th day after death, on the days of his birth, namesake (name day), on the anniversary of death. But it is very good to pray at a memorial service, as well as submit notes for remembrance on other days. This greatly helps the souls of the departed and comforts those who pray. In churches, panikhidas are usually served on Saturday after the Liturgy.

7. Lithium(from the Greek "zealous prayer") - in Orthodox worship, part of the all-night vigil. Today, litiya, in addition to the pre-holiday vigils, is performed in cases of social disasters or in remembrance of them, usually outside the church, combined with a prayer service, and sometimes with a procession.

A special kind of lithium is established for praying for the deceased, performed when he is taken out of the house, and also, at the request of his relatives, during church commemoration of him at any other time in another place. Litiya can be read not only by priests, but also by laity. (). It is very good to read the lithium and pray when visiting the cemetery.

8. Funeral for suicides held only with the blessing (permission) of the ruling bishop (bishop). In order to receive this blessing, after the suicide, it is necessary to immediately contact the diocesan administration (in the regional center) with a request to allow the funeral (and church commemoration). To do this, you must provide the diocesan administration with the necessary documents (certificates from the neuropsychiatric dispensary, drug dispensary, hospital, clinic, etc.) and evidence (psychologist, psychiatrist, neighbors, teachers, etc.) that could explain what happened suicide by insanity, mental illness of the suicide, affect during the commission of suicide, etc. mitigating factors. You should also contact the bishop if there is any doubt that the deceased committed suicide himself (for example, it could be an accident, death by negligence, etc. But relatives know that if a suicide committed suicide in the absence of factors that the Church recognizes as mitigating, then you should not try to get the blessing of the bishop by deceit and manipulation. After all, even if the bishop, misled, gives permission, God cannot be deceived. He knows exactly what was in the heart of the suicide and those people who misled the hierarchy. Much better in In this case, do not deceive, but pray intensely, do works of mercy for the sake of the suicide, give alms for him, fast, and also do everything that can bring comfort to his soul.

9. Fast days are fasting days, as well as Wednesdays and Fridays. Fasting is the abstinence of the body from food of animal origin, as well as from oversaturation and enjoyment of fasting food (it should be borne in mind that fast days are different in terms of the severity of fasting. Information about the severity of fasting can be obtained from the Church calendar. Fasting is a time for the soul to refrain from evil thoughts , deeds and words, a time of deep repentance and sobriety.Lent is a means of combating passions and acquiring virtues.

10. Bright Week 7 days of the celebration of Holy Easter are called - from Easter itself to the Week of St. Thomas. On Bright Week, fasting on Wednesday and Friday, as well as prostrations are cancelled. Morning and evening prayers are replaced by the singing of the Easter Hours.

11. Radonitsa- a day specially established by the Church for the remembrance of the dead, which takes place on the 9th day after Easter, on Tuesday of St. Thomas' week, which follows Bright Week. The day has been established so that believers can share the joy of Easter with the souls of relatives and friends who died in the hope of the Resurrection and Eternal life. On Radonitsa, unlike the days of the Bright Week, it is customary to visit cemeteries where loved ones are buried, clean up the graves (but do not have a meal in the cemetery) and pray.

The following publications were used in the preparation of this material:

1. “To the path of all the earth. Funeral service, burial and commemoration of the dead”, the publication of the Sretensky Monastery in Moscow.
2. “The last way of all the earth. Questions and answers about the rite of burial, published by the Danilov Monastery in Moscow.
3. "Orthodox commemoration of the dead" edited by Melnikov V.G.
4. How can we help the dead. The doctrine of posthumous fate. Orthodox burial rite. Prayers for repose”, publication of the society

span style="text-decoration: underline;" You can read more about the meaning and meaning of the commemoration in

If the body of the deceased before the funeral will be at home

Attention! Preparations for the funeral can begin only after the completion of all official procedures (examination by the district police officer, doctor, etc. (You can read more about this in the article)

• The body is washed with warm water, while reading the "Trisagion" * or "Lord, have mercy."
• After washing, the body of a Christian is dressed in clean and, if possible, new clothes.
• Then the body of the deceased is laid on the table, covered with a white veil - a shroud.
• Before the position of the deceased in the coffin, the body and the coffin (outside and inside) are sprinkled with holy water.
• The deceased is placed in the coffin face up, a pillow stuffed with straw or sawdust is placed under the head.
• The eyes of the deceased must be closed, the mouth closed, the hands folded crosswise, the right hand on top of the left. The hands and feet of the deceased are tied (untied just before the body is brought into the temple).
• A pectoral cross must be put on the deceased.
• Then the deceased is covered with a special consecrated cover (funeral cover) with the image of a cross, images of saints and prayer inscriptions (sold in a church shop).
• When the body of the deceased is washed and dressed, they immediately begin to read the canon called “Following after the departure of the soul from the body” **. If it is not possible to invite a priest to the house, then the next of kin and acquaintances can read the Follow-up. ***
• When the body is washed and dressed, a lamp or a candle is also lit, which should burn as long as the deceased is in the house.
• A funeral cross is placed in the hands of the deceased, a holy icon is placed on the chest: for men - the image of the Savior, for women - the image of the Mother of God (it is better to buy in a church shop, where everything is already consecrated).
• A chaplet is placed on the forehead of the deceased, which is a symbol of the observance of the faith by the deceased Christian and his accomplishment of a Christian life feat. The chaplet is placed in the hope that the one who dies in the faith will receive a heavenly reward and an incorruptible crown from God after the resurrection.
• The coffin is usually placed in the middle of the room in front of domestic icons, with the head towards the icons.
• It is advisable to order immediately after the death of a person in the temple or monastery of Sorokoust **** - commemoration at the Divine Liturgy for 40 days. (In churches where Divine services are not performed daily, the deceased is commemorated during 40 Divine Liturgies (see link 5). If desired and possible, you can submit notes with the name of the deceased in several churches. It is desirable to do this even before the funeral and burial.

If a person died not at home, and his body is not in the house

• After all the formalities have been completed and the body has been taken to the morgue, one must begin to read in the red corner in front of the icons the canon called “Following the Exodus of the Soul from the Body” **, and then read the Psalter for the deceased. If it is not possible to invite a priest to the house, then the next of kin and acquaintances can read the Follow-up. ***
• The next day, clean and, if possible, new clothes and other necessary things must be taken to the morgue (more details can be found here What to do when a person dies), as well as a pectoral cross (if it was not on the deceased), a funeral cross in hands and an icon: for men - the image of the Savior, for women - the image of the Mother of God (it is better to buy in a church shop where everything is already consecrated).
• It is necessary to ask the morgue workers to prepare the body for burial, taking into account Orthodox traditions (usually morgue workers know them very well).
• On the very first day after death, it is imperative to take care of the church commemoration of the deceased. It is advisable to immediately order in the temple or monastery of Sorokoust **** If desired and possible, you can submit notes with the name of the deceased in several churches. It is desirable to do this even before the funeral and burial. But you should not forget to order Sorokoust **** even after 40 days.

THE FUNERAL

• If the funeral starts from home , then an hour and a half before the removal of the coffin from the house, over the body of the deceased, “Following the Exodus of the Soul” *** is read again. If the ritual starts from the mortuary , then you can read the “Following the Exodus of the Soul” *** before the start of the ritual anywhere (in the temple, at the mortuary).
• The coffin is taken out, turning the face of the deceased towards the exit, i.e. feet forward. The mourners sing the Trisagion*.
• According to church rules, contrary to existing superstition, the coffin with the body should be carried, if possible, to close relatives and friends. An exception exists only for priests, who should not carry the coffin of a layman, no matter who he is. If a priest is present at the funeral, then he goes in front of the tomb as a spiritual shepherd.
• In the grave, the deceased is supposed to face the east. As the coffin is lowered, the Trisagion* is sung again. All the mourners throw a handful of earth into the grave. Cremation should be avoided whenever possible (More on this in the article "On the attitude of Orthodoxy to cremation and the possibility of the resurrection of bodies").
• The grave cross is set at the feet of the deceased, turning it with its face to the west, so that the face of the deceased was directed to the holy cross.
• It is impossible to invite an orchestra for the funeral of an Orthodox Christian.
• Burial should not be performed on the day of Holy Pascha and on the day of the Nativity of Christ.

FUNERAL

• On the third day after death (in practice, due to various circumstances, it can be any other day), the deceased Orthodox Christian is honored with a church funeral and burial. This service is not performed only on the day of Holy Pascha and on the day of the Nativity of Christ.
• The funeral service is performed for the sake of the deceased only once, unlike memorial services. (see link 6) and lithium (see link 7) which can be repeated multiple times.
• The funeral service is not performed at the burial of the unbaptized (i.e. those who do not belong to the Church), heterodox (people of the non-Orthodox faith).
• The Church also does not bury those baptized, but those who have renounced the faith. In this case, relatives and friends themselves should pray for them in home prayers, give alms for their sake, (More on this in the article “How to make a “bank transfer” to the next world to help the soul of a loved one”) to repent at confession that they did not contribute to their conversion to faith.
• The Church does not bury suicides either, except in special cases (for example, in case of insanity of the one who committed suicide), but even then only with the blessing of the ruling bishop (see link 8).
• For the funeral, the coffin with the body of the deceased is brought into the temple with their feet forward and placed facing the altar, i.e. feet to the east, head to the west.
• When performing the funeral service, relatives and friends should stand at the coffin with lit candles and pray intensely together with the priest for the soul of the deceased.
• After the proclamation of "Eternal Memory", the priest reads a permissive prayer over the deceased. This prayer forgives the oaths and sins that were on the deceased, in which he repented at confession (or forgot to repent due to forgetfulness or ignorance). But those sins for which he did not intentionally repent (or did not repent at all at confession) are not forgiven by a permissive prayer. The text of the permissive prayer is placed by the priest in the hands of the deceased.
• After that, the mourners, having extinguished the candles, go around the coffin with the body, ask the deceased for forgiveness, kiss the halo on the forehead and the icon on the chest. The body is completely covered with a veil, the priest crosswise sprinkles it with earth. After that, the coffin is covered with a lid and no longer opens.
• With the singing of the "Trice Saint)" * the coffin is taken out of the temple facing the exit (feet forward).
• If it is not possible to bring the body of the deceased to the temple, and it is also not possible to invite a priest to the house, then an absentee funeral may be performed in the temple. After him, relatives are given earth (sand) from the requiem table. This earth is crosswise sprinkled on the body of the deceased. If by this time the deceased is already buried, then his grave is sprinkled crosswise from the memorial table with earth. (If the urn is buried in a columbarium, then in this case the consecrated earth is poured onto any grave of an Orthodox Christian, but it is not placed (scattered) in the cell of the columbarium).

You can learn more about the issues related to the funeral service in the article “Is the funeral service a “pass to heaven?””

Wake

• After the funeral service in the church and the burial of the body in the cemetery, the relatives of the deceased arrange a memorial meal - this is a kind of Christian alms for the audience.
• Such a meal can be arranged on the third day after death (the day of the funeral), the ninth, fortieth days, six months and a year after death, on the birthday and day of the angel of the deceased (name day, name day).
• There should be absolutely no alcohol on the memorial table. Drinking alcohol at a wake - harms the souls of dead people. This is an echo of pagan feasts.
• If the commemoration is performed on fast days (see link 9), then the food should be lean.
• On weekdays of Great Lent, commemorations are not performed, but are transferred to the next (forward) Saturday and Sunday. This is done because only on Saturday and Sunday are the Divine Liturgies of John Chrysostom and Basil the Great celebrated, and particles for the dead are taken out at the proskomedia, and memorial services are performed.
• Memorial days falling on Bright Week (see reference 10) and on Monday of the second Easter week are transferred to Radonitsa. (see reference 11)
• It is important on the days of commemoration of the dead and for 40 days to intensively distribute alms to the poor and needy in the name of the soul of the deceased. It is also good to distribute the things of the deceased to those in need. But even after the expiration of 40 days, you should not stop this charitable deed, which greatly helps the soul of the deceased.

1. Full text of this prayer: Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.

2. "Following the outcome of the soul from the body". A special prayer, which is usually recited immediately after death, is reserved for such an exceptional occasion. The follow-up has an exceptional structure, different from the memorial service.

If death occurred within eight days from Easter to Tuesday of St. Thomas Week (Radonitsa), then in addition to the “Following the Exodus of the Soul”, the Easter Canon is read. In the Orthodox Church, there is a pious custom of continuous reading of the Psalter for the deceased until his burial. The Psalter is also read in the future on the days of remembrance, and especially strenuously in the first 40 days after death. During the Easter week (eight days from Easter to Radonitsa) in the Church reading Psalms replaced by reading Easter Canon. At home, reading the Psalter over the deceased can also be replaced by the Paschal canon. But if this is not possible, then you can read the Psalter.

3. Following the Exodus of the Soul from the Body can be read not only by priests, but also by laity. For reading by the laity exists.

4. Sorokoust- daily prayer commemoration at the Divine Liturgy for 40 days. In churches where Divine services are not performed daily, the deceased is commemorated during 40 Divine Liturgies.

5. Liturgy(Greek λειτουργία, “service”, “common cause”)- the main Christian service among the Orthodox, Catholics and in some other churches, in which the sacrament of the Eucharist is performed. The Liturgy is a prototype of the Last Supper.

It is performed in large churches daily, in most others - every Sunday. The beginning of the Liturgy is usually at 7-10 o'clock in the morning, in churches where there is more than one throne, an early liturgy can also be performed.

6. Funeral service- a funeral service established by the Church, which consists of prayers in which those praying rely on God's mercy, asking for the forgiveness of the sins of the deceased and granting him blessed eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven. During the service of memorial services, the assembled relatives and friends of the deceased stand with lighted candles as a sign that they also believe in a bright future life; at the end of the memorial service (when reading the Lord's Prayer), these candles are extinguished as a sign that our earthly life, burning like a candle, should go out, most often not burning down to the end we imagine. It is customary to perform memorial services both before the burial of the deceased, and after - on the 3rd, 9th, 40th day after death, on the days of his birth, namesake (name day), on the anniversary of death. But it is very good to pray at a memorial service, as well as submit notes for remembrance on other days. This greatly helps the souls of the departed and comforts those who pray. In churches, panikhidas are usually served on Saturday after the Liturgy.

7. Lithium(from the Greek "zealous prayer") - in Orthodox worship, part of the all-night vigil. Today, litiya, in addition to the pre-holiday vigils, is performed in cases of social disasters or in remembrance of them, usually outside the church, combined with a prayer service, and sometimes with a procession.

A special kind of lithium is established for praying for the deceased, performed when he is taken out of the house, and also, at the request of his relatives, during church commemoration of him at any other time in another place. Litiya can be read not only by priests, but also by laity. It is very good to read the lithium and pray when visiting the cemetery.

8. Funeral for suicides held only with the blessing (permission) of the ruling bishop (bishop). In order to receive this blessing, after the suicide, it is necessary to immediately contact the diocesan administration (in the regional center) with a request to allow the funeral (and church commemoration). To do this, you must provide the diocesan administration with the necessary documents (certificates from the neuropsychiatric dispensary, drug dispensary, hospital, clinic, etc.) and evidence (psychologist, psychiatrist, neighbors, teachers, etc.) that could explain what happened suicide by insanity, mental illness of the suicide, affect during the commission of suicide, etc. mitigating factors. You should also contact the bishop if there is any doubt that the deceased committed suicide himself (for example, it could be an accident, death by negligence, etc. But relatives know that if a suicide committed suicide in the absence of factors that the Church recognizes as mitigating, then you should not try to get the blessing of the bishop by deceit and manipulation. After all, even if the bishop, misled, gives permission, God cannot be deceived. He knows exactly what was in the heart of the suicide and those people who misled the hierarchy. Much better in In this case, do not deceive, but pray intensely, do works of mercy for the sake of the suicide, give alms for him, fast, and also do everything that can bring comfort to his soul.

9. Fast days are fasting days, as well as Wednesdays and Fridays. Fasting is the abstinence of the body from food of animal origin, as well as from oversaturation and enjoyment of fasting food (it should be borne in mind that fast days are different in terms of the severity of fasting. Information about the severity of fasting can be obtained from the Church calendar. Fasting is the time for the soul to refrain from evil thoughts , deeds and words, a time of deep repentance and sobriety.Lent is a means of combating passions and acquiring virtues.

10. Bright Week 7 days of the celebration of Holy Easter are called - from Easter itself to the Week of St. Thomas. On Bright Week, fasting on Wednesday and Friday, as well as prostrations are cancelled. Morning and evening prayers are replaced by the singing of the Easter Hours.

11. Radonitsa- the day of commemoration of the dead, specially established by the Church, which takes place on the 9th day after Easter, on Tuesday of St. Thomas' week, which follows Bright Week. The day has been established so that believers can share the joy of Easter with the souls of relatives and friends who died in the hope of the Resurrection and Eternal life. On Radonitsa, unlike the days of the Bright Week, it is customary to visit cemeteries where loved ones are buried, clean up the graves (but do not have a meal in the cemetery) and pray.

The following publications were used in the preparation of this material:

1. “To the path of all the earth. Funeral service, burial and commemoration of the dead”, the publication of the Sretensky Monastery in Moscow.
2. “The last way of all the earth. Questions and answers about the rite of burial, published by the Danilov Monastery in Moscow.
3. "Orthodox commemoration of the dead" edited by Melnikov V.G.
4. How can we help the dead. The doctrine of posthumous fate. Orthodox burial rite. Prayers for repose”, publication of the society

In the life of every person there comes a moment when the path of his earthly life ends, physical existence ceases. Someone dies as a result of the natural aging of the body, someone due to illness or an accident, someone is ready to consciously give his life for his ideals and beliefs. One way or another, but regardless of age and position in society, any of us will suffer death.

The law of death is common to all mankind, and mankind knows two truths about it: the first, that we will die, and the other, no one knows when. Death comes to a person when he has reached the limit of life, which is predetermined for him by the righteous judgment of God for the accomplishment of the work destined for him. And the death of infants and children in general, as well as sudden death from an accident, seem to us completely meaningless, terrible and incomprehensible.

Throughout earthly history, man has tried to penetrate the mystery of death. St. Anthony the Great once turned to God with this prayer: "Lord! Why do some people die at a young age, while others live to a ripe old age?" And he received the following answer from God: "Antony, pay attention to yourself! And it is not useful for you to try the ways of God."

Despite the frightening inevitability of death and the uncertainty of its time, for an Orthodox Christian, death is not a tragically hopeless fact. From the first days of its existence, the Church taught and teaches that our dead brothers are always alive with the Lord.

Here is what St. John Chrysostom about death: “Death is terrible and terrible for those who do not know the highest wisdom, for those who do not know the afterlife, for those who consider death to be the annihilation of being; of course, for such death is terrible, its very name is deadly. But we, who by the grace of God have seen the secret and unknown His wisdom, and those who regard death as transmigration, should not tremble, but rejoice in good humor, because we leave the corruptible life and pass on to another life, never-ending and incomparably better" (Conversation 83. Commentary on the Gospel of John).

Thus, for a Christian, bodily death is only repose, a transition to a more perfect form of being. That is why the ancient Christians celebrated not the day of bodily birth, but the day of the death of the deceased. "We celebrate," says Origen (c. 185-254), "not the birthday, but the day of death, as the cessation of all sorrows and the driving away of temptations. We celebrate the day of death, because those who seem dead do not die."

Similarly, instead of saying "died," Christians said "born." "This tomb," reads one tombstone found in the Roman catacombs, "was built by parents for their son Mercury, who lived 5 years and 8 months, and after that was born in the Lord in February."

The theological meaning of such an attitude towards death is revealed in the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead, of victory over death. The beginning of this victory is the death of Christ. Having assumed our nature, Christ became involved in death not only in order to unite with us to the end. Being the head of the new humanity, the new Adam, He enclosed us all in Himself, dying on the Cross. The love of Christ embraces us, reasoning thus: if one died for all, then all died (2 Corinthians 5:14).

However, it is necessary that this death become an effective reality for each person. This is the meaning of baptism: as a sacrament, it unites us with the crucified Christ - "those who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death" (Rom. 6:3). In Christ we die for all that through which the power of death manifested itself in the world: we die for sin, for the old man, for the flesh, for the "elements of the world" (Col. 2:20). For man, death with Christ is therefore the death of death. In sin we were dead, in Christ we are alive, "raised from the dead" (Rom. 6:13).

From this perspective, bodily death takes on a new meaning for the Christian. She is not merely an inevitable fate to be submitted to; a Christian and dies for the Lord as he lived for Him. The hope for immortality and resurrection, which springs from the depths of antiquity, has found a firm foundation for itself in the mystery of Christ. Thanks to communion with the death of Christ, we not only now live a new life, but are confident that "He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your dead bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you" (Rom. 8:11). In the resurrection we will enter the Kingdom of God, where "there shall be no death" (Rev. 21:4).

The posthumous fate of man

The afterlife before the general resurrection is not the same for everyone. The souls of those who died in faith and holiness are in a state of light, peace and anticipation of eternal bliss, while the souls of sinners in a different position are in darkness, restlessness and expectation of eternal torment. This state of the souls of the dead is determined at a private court, which is so called in contrast to the universal Last Judgment because it happens immediately after death, and because it only predetermines the fate of everyone, but does not assign a full and final retribution. That such a judgment is taking place is quite clear evidence from the Holy Scriptures. So St. Apostle Paul says: "It is appointed for a man to die once, and then judgment" (Heb. 9:27), that is, everyone must die and after death be brought to judgment. It can be seen that here we are not talking about the universal Judgment at the second coming of Christ, when the souls will appear together with the resurrected bodies (2 Corinthians 5:10; 2 Timothy 4:8). The Lord Himself in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus pointed out that the righteous Lazarus immediately after death was taken by angels to the bosom of Abraham, while the unmerciful rich man ended up in hell (Luke 16:22-23). And to the repentant thief, the Lord said: “Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43), that is, not at the time of the second coming, but today, immediately after death.

We have seen and know what happens to the human body after death; we do not see what happens to an invisible soul, but we know from the Tradition of the Holy Church that for 40 days after death the soul is in various states.

Exodus of the soul and what is happening around it at this time St. the fathers describe it this way: “Good and evil angels will appear to the soul. The possession of the latter will confuse the soul to the extreme: from birth it is in the knowledge and protection of good angels. Then good deeds and a clear conscience serve as a great help to a person. help the soul, and it, accompanied by angels, goes to the Savior in great joy. But the passionate, sin-loving soul is taken by evil spirits to hell for torment" (St. Theodore the Studite).

Two angels once appeared to St. Macarius of Alexandria and said: “The soul of both a pious person and an impious one is frightened and frightened by the presence of terrible and formidable angels. She hears and understands the tears and sobs of the people around her, but cannot utter a single word She is embarrassed by the long journey ahead, the new way of life and separation from the body."

St. John of Damascus writes: “God saves the creation of His hands, excluding only those who clearly belong to the number of outcasts who have trampled on the right faith, so that the left side of the scales overtightens the right one too much. would be weighed on the scales, and if, firstly, the right side takes precedence over the left, that person will obviously emit a soul between the host of good Angels; secondly, if both are in balance, then God’s philanthropy wins without a doubt; in "Thirdly, if the scales bow to the left, but not enough, then God's mercy will even then make up for the deficiency. These are the three Divine judgments of the Lord: just, philanthropic and most good. Fourthly, when evil deeds take a great advantage."

The 3rd, 9th, 40th days after death are especially distinguished by the Church. The custom to make a commemoration on these days dates back to ancient times, although the general church institution appears in the 5th century in the 7th book of the apostolic decrees.

What do the 3rd, 9th, 40th days mean? St. Macarius of Alexandria gives us the following angelic revelation about the state of the souls of the dead in the first 40 days after death. “When the soul is separated from the body, it stays on earth for the first two days and, accompanied by Angels, visits those places where it used to work the truth. It wanders around the house in which it was separated from the body, and sometimes stays near the tomb, in which the body is located. On the third day, in imitation of the Resurrection of Christ, which took place on the 3rd day, the soul ascends to worship God. That is why on this day an offering and prayer is made for the soul of the deceased. The body on the 3rd day is committed to the earth, and the soul must ascend to heaven: "And the dust will return to the earth, which it was, and the spirit will return to God, Who gave it" (Eccl. 12:7).

"... After worshiping God, He is commanded by Him to show the soul the various and pleasant abodes of the saints and the beauty of paradise. All this is considered by the soul for 6 days, wondering and glorifying the Creator of all God. Contemplating all this, she changes and forgets the sorrow that she had, being but if she is guilty of sins, then, at the sight of the pleasures of the saints, she begins to grieve and reproach herself, saying: Alas, how vain I have become in that world! as it should, so that I could also be rewarded with this grace and glory. Alas, poor me!.. After considering all the joys of the righteous for six days, she is again ascended by the Angels to worship God... After the second worship, the Lord of all commands to take the soul to hell and show her the places of torment that are there, the various divisions of hell, and the various unholy torments in which, being in, the souls of sinners ceaselessly weep and gnash their teeth. the soul rushes about for 30 days, trembling, so as not to be itself condemned to imprisonment in these. On the fortieth day, she again ascends to worship God; and then the Judge already determines a place of detention appropriate for her according to her deeds ... So, the good Church has a habit .., it does well .., it does the right thing, making offerings and prayers on the 3rd day .., on the ninth .., and in the fortieth". (Word of St. Macarius of Alexandria on the Exodus of the Souls of the Righteous and Sinners).

In some places, both in the East and in the West, instead of the 9th and 40th days, the commemoration was performed on the 7th and 30th days.

Commemoration on the 7th day corresponds to the Old Testament prescription: "Weeping for the dead for 7 days" (Sirah.22.11), "Joseph made weeping for his father for 7 days" (Gen.50.10). The commemoration of the 30th day also had a basis in the Old Testament practice. Both Aaron (Numbers 20:29) and Moses (Deut. 31:8) the sons of Israel mourned for 30 days. Gradually, in the East, the 3rd, 9th, 40th days were adopted to commemorate the dead, and in the West - the 7th and 30th.

Preparing the deceased for burial

Proceeding from the belief in bodily resurrection and regarding the body as a temple of the soul, which is consecrated by the grace of the sacraments, St. From the very first times of its existence, the Church has shown special concern for the remains of the deceased brothers in the faith. The historical basis for the burial of the dead is given in the order of the burial of Jesus Christ, which corresponded to the Old Testament rite. Following the example of pious antiquity, the burial of the dead is still preceded by various symbolic actions, the order of which is as follows.

The body of the deceased is washed with water (see Acts 9:37: "It happened in those days that she fell ill and died; they washed her and laid her in the upper room"). The bodies of the deceased bishops and priests are not washed with water, but wiped with a sponge soaked in wood oil. This is done not by the laity, but by the clergy (priests or deacons). After washing, the deceased is dressed in new clean clothes, which expresses faith in the future renewal of the body after the resurrection. At the same time, in the choice of clothing, compliance with the title and ministry of the deceased is observed, since everyone will have to give an answer at the future judgment not only as a Christian, but also for the service that he performed. In the modern world, the correspondence of clothing to rank and service has been preserved only in the army and among the priesthood, therefore bishops and priests are clothed in sacred clothes, a cross is put in their right hand, and the Gospel is placed on their chest. As a sign that the priest was “the performer of the mysteries of God and especially the holy mysteries of the body and blood of Christ,” his face is covered with air after death (a special board), which is not customary to raise. A censer is placed in the deacon's hand.

The dead layman, in addition to ordinary clothes, relies on a shroud - a white cover, reminiscent of the purity of the baptismal clothes. The washed and clothed body rests on the prepared table, and then is placed in a coffin, as if in an ark for preservation. Before being placed in the coffin, the body and coffin are sprinkled with holy water. In the coffin, the deceased is placed face up, with eyes and mouth closed, in the likeness of a sleeping person. Hands are folded crosswise on the chest, as evidence of the faith of the deceased in the crucified Christ. The forehead is decorated with a chaplet as a reminder of the crown that the apostle Paul desired and which is being prepared for all believers and leading a worthy Christian life. “And now there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who love His appearing” (2 Tim. 4:28). The whole body is covered with a sacred veil as a sign of the Church's faith that the deceased is under the protection of Christ. A mantle is placed on the coffin of the bishop, and the cover is placed over the mantle. In the hands of the deceased, an icon or cross is placed as evidence of faith in Christ. Candles are lit at the coffin. One candlestick is placed at the head, the other - at the feet and two - on the sides of the coffin, depicting a cross. Candles in this case remind of the transition of the deceased from the dark earthly life to the true light.

Reading the Psalter for the Dead

In the Orthodox Church there is a pious custom of reading the Psalter for the deceased both before burial and in memory of him after burial. This custom has existed since ancient times and is based on the fact that the Holy Scriptures of both the Old (to which the Psalter belongs) and the New Testaments, being the word of God, have prayer power.

Saint Athanasius of Alexandria wrote that the book of psalms is a mirror in which the sinful human soul with all the passions, sins, iniquities, ailments is not only reflected in its present form, but also finds healing in the psalms.

The book of psalms is not a work of art that has come down to us from time immemorial, although beautiful, but alien and extraneous, no, the book of psalms is very close to us, it is a book about all of us and about every person.

“In my opinion,” wrote St. Athanasius, “in the book of Psalms, all human life and spiritual dispositions and movements of thoughts are measured and described in words, and nothing more can be found in a person beyond what is depicted in it. Is repentance and confession necessary, have they comprehended anyone sorrow and temptation, whether we persecute or are delivered from misfortunes, whether they become sad and embarrassed and endure anything like the above, or see themselves prosperous, and the enemy put to inaction, or intend to praise, give thanks and bless the Lord - for all this there is instruction in the divine psalms ... Therefore, even now, every one, pronouncing the psalms, let him be sure that God will hear those who ask with the psalm word.

Reading the psalter for the dead undoubtedly brings them great comfort - both in itself, as a reading of the word of God and as a testament to the love for them and the memory of their living brethren. It also brings them great benefit, since it is accepted by God as a pleasant propitiatory sacrifice for the cleansing of the sins of those who are commemorated: just as any prayer, any good deed is accepted by Him.

There is a custom to ask the clergy or persons who are specially engaged in this to read the psalter in memory of the departed, and this request is combined with the giving of alms for those who are commemorated. But it is very important to read the psalter by the commemorators themselves. For those who are commemorated, this will be even more comforting, as it testifies to the great degree of love and zeal towards them of their living brethren, who themselves personally want to work in their memory, and not replace themselves in work by others.

The feat of reading will be accepted by the Lord not only as a sacrifice for those who are commemorated, but also as a sacrifice for those who bring it themselves, those who labor in reading. And, finally, those who read the psalm themselves will receive from the word of God both great edification and great consolation, which they lose when they entrust this good deed to others and most often are not present at it themselves. But alms can and should be given independently, regardless of the reading of the psalter, and its value in this latter case will, of course, be higher, since it will not be connected with the imposition of obligatory labor on the receiver, but will be given free of charge according to the commandment of the Savior, and therefore it will be accepted by the Lord as almsgiving.

It is not the Psalter, but the Gospel that is read over the deceased bishop and priest, since in their ministry they were preachers of the Gospel word. Only clergymen read the Gospel over them.

Funeral service and litanies for the dead

Before and after burial, requiems and litias are served for the dead.

Panikhida, translated from Greek as "all-night singing," is the name of a church service, which in its composition is an abbreviated rite of funeral (burial).

This rite has such a name because historically it is connected by its similarity with matins, one of the parts of the all-night vigil, since the first Christians buried the dead at night because of the persecution of the Church.

Later, after the cessation of persecution, the funeral service was singled out as an independent one, but its name remained the same. Litiya - in Greek litai, which means "strengthened common prayer" - is an abbreviated form of a memorial service.

burial

The rite of burial includes both the funeral service and the burial of the body of the deceased to the earth. Only those deceased are buried whose bodies have passed a medical examination, and there is a death certificate.

Burial time

Burial takes place three days after death. The exceptions are cases of death from any contagious disease, if there is a threat of the spread of this disease between the living, and in case of extreme heat, leading to the rapid decomposition of the corpse.

Regarding the time of day, in ancient Russia there was a custom to bury the dead before sunset, and, moreover, when it was still quite high, because, as the Novgorod bishop Nifont (XII century) put it: "That is, the last sees the sun until the future resurrection"; but there was no direct prohibition to bury even after sunset, and there is not, if there are objective reasons for this.

The burial of the dead is not performed on the first day of Holy Pascha and on the day of the Nativity of Christ until Vespers.

Funeral place

The funeral service should be performed in the church, except in respectful cases with the permission of the local diocesan authorities; in morgues, for example, in the St. Petersburg diocese, funeral services are prohibited.

The funeral of the dead according to the prescribed order is very important for the dead and for the living: being the last prayerful parting words of the Church to its children, touching and touching hymns gives the right way out and direction of the grief of the living relatives and friends of the deceased. That is why it is desirable to solemnly and statutory performance of this rite in the temple, which, perhaps, was built or restored, maintained, decorated thanks to the donations of the parishioner, and in which he, being alive, often received the only consolation in the sorrows of his earthly life, the sanctifying grace of the sacraments, experienced the joy of conciliar prayer.

The body of the deceased is placed in the center of the temple, always with his head to the west, feet to the east, that is, facing the altar. This is done because, firstly, not only the servants, but the deceased himself prays for the repose of his soul, therefore his face should be turned to the east; secondly, according to the teachings of the Church, the deceased is brought to the church to pronounce a sentence on him about his fate in the afterlife, which is why his face should also be turned to God, who is invisibly present on the altar, on the throne; thirdly, the altar represents the sky, while the deceased cries out: "I will raise my eyes to heaven to Thee, the Word, have mercy on me."

Burial ranks

There are several burial rites in the Orthodox Church: the first is for the laity; the second is for infants under the age of seven; the third is for monks; the fourth is for priests; and the fifth - a special rite of burial at Easter.

The burial rite is colloquially called a funeral service because of the abundance of chants. It includes the reading of the Holy Scriptures, the permissive prayer, the farewell of loved ones to the deceased, and the burial of the body to the earth.

First, the hymns of the burial rite depict a picture of the transition into eternity of a truly believing soul, the bliss of the souls of the righteous who keep the law of the Lord, firm hope in God's mercy and quiet prayers for mercy.

Then follow the New Testament troparia with the refrain "Blessed be Thou, O Lord, teach me Thy justification", depicting briefly but truly the whole fate of man.

Then the canon is sung, in which the Church addresses the martyrs with a prayer, asking them to intercede for the deceased. Thus, the Church teaches us to look with the right eye at real life, which is depicted as a stormy sea, constantly agitated, and death as a guide to a quiet haven. The clergy pray to God to repose the dead with the saints, where there is no sickness, no sorrow, no sighing, but life is endless.

Then follow special funerary stichera compiled by St. John of Damascus. This is a sermon about the vanity of everything that seduces us in the world and leaves us at death; it is the cry of man over the perishable treasures of life. "I cry and sob when I think about death and see our beauty lying in the tombs, created in the image of God: ugly, inglorious, having no form ...".

Then the Holy Scripture is read, which consoles us, revealing the wondrous mysteries of the future transformation of the human body: "The time is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who have done good will come out into the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil - into the resurrection of condemnation. .." (John 5:28-29).

After reading the Gospel aloud, the priest repeats the last permission for all the sins in which the deceased repented or which he forgot to confess due to weakness of memory, and also removes from him all the penance and oaths that he could fall during his life. However, this prayer does not forgive sins that were deliberately hidden at confession.

The sheet with the text of the permissive prayer is placed in the right hand of the deceased. The exception is babies, for whom the permissive prayer is not read for the reasons indicated below, but a special prayer from the rite of the burial of babies is said. In Russia, the custom of giving this prayer into the hands of the dead began in the 11th century, namely, from the following incident.

Prince Simeon, desiring after death to receive permission for his sins, just as he received during his lifetime, asked the holy reverend Theodosius of the Caves, "may his soul bless him, as in his stomach, so after death," and begged by writing to announce his blessing .

The monk, deciding to give him this spelling, subject to the observance of the Orthodox faith, sent him the priestly farewell words of prayer. Preparing for death, Prince Simeon bequeathed that this permissive prayer be placed in his hands. His wish was granted.

From that time on, according to the testimony of St. Simon, Bishop of Vladimir, they began to put this prayer into the hands of all the dead after the funeral. According to legend, Saint Alexander Nevsky at his burial, when the words of the permissive prayer were sounded, unexpectedly with his right hand, as if alive, he accepted this prayer from the hands of the priest who performed the funeral.

Funeral for babies

Babies (children under seven years of age) who died after Holy Baptism are subjected to a special examination as immaculate and sinless creatures. In this ordination there are no prayers for the remission of the sins of the deceased, but only a request to vouchsafe the soul of the departed infant to the Kingdom of Heaven according to the immutable promise of the Lord: "...Let the children come to Me and do not hinder them, for of such is the Kingdom of God" (Mark 10, fourteen). Although the infant did not accomplish any feats of Christian piety, yet, having been cleansed in holy Baptism from the sin of his parents, he became an immaculate heir to the Kingdom of God. The rite of infant burial is replete with consolations to his grieving parents, the hymns testify to the faith of the Church that blessed infants, after their repose, become prayer books for those who love them and for all who live on earth.

Funeral service for clergy

Bishops, priests are buried in a special rank. A priest deprived of his dignity is buried in a lay rank. Deacons, although they are dressed as clergymen, however, not yet being priests, are buried according to the secular order.

Funeral for Easter

The rite of burial on Holy Pascha differs significantly from that usually performed. On the day of the glorious Resurrection of Christ, believers should forget about everything, even their own sins, and concentrate all thoughts on the joy of the Resurrection of the Savior. On this day, as well as during the entire Bright Week, there is no place for sobs, for crying over sins, for the fear of death. Everything that is repentant and salvific is excluded from worship. Pascha is a victorious remembrance of the trampling of death by the death of Christ, it is the most joyful and comforting confession of faith that life has been given to "those in the tombs."

Of all the prayers and hymns in the Paschal rite of burial, only litanies for the dead remain, even the Apostle and the Gospel are read during the holidays. The prayer for litanies and the permissive prayer are preserved.

There is no special burial order for priests, monks and infants in our liturgical books for Pascha, therefore it is assumed that on this day everyone is buried with one Paschal rite.

Seeing the bodies of the dead

According to the decree of the Holy Synod of 1747, the priests are obliged to accompany the body of the deceased from the house to the grave. In modern urban conditions, the implementation of this decree is practically carried out very rarely due to the remoteness of the cemeteries and because of the heavy workload of the priests. Therefore, seeing off is usually limited to a symbolic procession with the singing of the Trisagion to the car in which the coffin will be taken. The farewell to the body of the deceased is preceded by the farewell, which takes place after reading the permissive prayer.

At the moment of farewell, relatives make the last kiss of the deceased as a sign of unity and love for him, which does not cease even beyond the grave.

The last kiss is performed while singing touching songs: “Seeing me lying mute and lifeless, cry for me all brothers, and relatives, and acquaintances. Yesterday I talked with you, and suddenly the terrible hour of death overtook me; but come, all who love me, and kiss with the last kiss. I will no longer live with you or talk about anything; I go to the Judge, where there is no partiality: there is a slave and a master (together stand, king and warrior, rich and wretched in equal dignity; each from his own deeds will be glorified or ashamed. But I ask and implore everyone: pray for me unceasingly to Christ God, that I will not be brought down by my sins to a place of torment, but that I may dwell in the light of life.

When saying goodbye to the deceased, you need to kiss the icon lying in the coffin, and the rim on the forehead of the deceased. After parting, the icon should be taken from the coffin. You can keep it for yourself as a prayer memory, or give it to the temple. At the same time, one must mentally or aloud ask forgiveness from the person lying in the coffin for all the wrongs that were admitted to him during his lifetime, and forgive what he himself was guilty of.

After parting, the priest betrays the body to the ground. To do this, after parting, when the body is already covered with a shroud, the priest crosswise sprinkles the body with earth with the words: "The Lord's earth and its fulfillment, the universe and all who live on it." Strictly according to the charter, this is supposed to be done in the cemetery when lowering the coffin into the grave, but since this is often not possible, this is done in the temple. In the event that farewell to the deceased is performed for some reason not in the temple, but in the cemetery, then the priest gives the land to the relatives, and they themselves pour it into the grave on the coffin. This action is performed as a sign of obedience to the divine command: "Thou art the earth, and to the earth shalt thou depart."

The removal of the body from the temple is done with feet forward and is accompanied by a chime. which has no basis in church statutes, but nevertheless serves as an expression of Christian piety, notifying the faithful of the departure of the soul from the body and thus calling them to prayer for the deceased.

Burial place

Burial should take place in specially designated cemeteries. The deceased is usually placed in the grave facing the east, since we also pray to the east in anticipation of the second coming of Christ, and as a sign that the deceased goes from the west of life to the east of eternity. This custom was inherited by the Orthodox Church from antiquity. Already St. John Chrysostom speaks of the position of the deceased facing east in anticipation of the resurrection, as a custom that has existed since ancient times.

A cross is placed on the grave of the deceased. This custom first appeared around the third century in Palestine and especially spread after the establishment of the Christian faith under the Greek emperor Constantine the Great, who set an excellent example for his Christian subjects by placing a cross of pure gold on the tomb of the Apostle Peter. This custom came to us from Byzantium along with faith. Already St. Vladimir betrayed the destroyers of grave crosses to the church court.

Regarding the place of installation of the cross, the practice is different, but the cross should be placed at the feet of the buried person with the crucifix facing the face of the deceased.

It is necessary to take care of keeping the grave in order and cleanliness, remembering the dignity of the human body as a temple of God, which must be resurrected, and also out of respect for the memory of the deceased. About the reverent attitude to the graves, we have a huge number of examples from the Holy Scriptures.

The improvement of cemeteries, the construction of necropolises, even today testifies to reverence and respect for one's history, about love "for fatherly coffins." Or they expose the opposite, when you see negligence and outrage in cemeteries.

Burial of sectarians, Old Believers, Gentiles, unknown, unbaptized and suicides

Old Believers and sectarians perform burial according to their customary rites. If a person was Orthodox by birth and baptism, but subsequently deviated into schism, then burial is performed according to the usual order of the Orthodox Church, if before death he repented of his error and had a desire to join the Orthodox Church. An Orthodox priest can bury Old Believers according to the order of performing the burial of heterodox Christians.

The burial of non-Christians according to the rite of the Orthodox Church is prohibited, but if a non-Orthodox Christian confession dies and there is no priest or pastor of the confession to which the deceased belonged, then a priest of the Orthodox confession is obliged to take the body to the cemetery. The participation of the priest in this case is limited to the following actions: the priest puts on sacred clothes, but does not perform a funeral litia, but only with the chant "Holy God" escorts the body of the deceased to the grave, bypassing the Orthodox church. The body is lowered into the grave without the proclamation of eternal memory. When performing such a burial, neither a whisk nor a permissive prayer should take place.

The burial of the bodies of unknown people is currently carried out by state services. But if there were a need for a Christian burial, then it would be necessary for people about whom it is not known for certain that they were Christians, to be carried out according to the order established for the Gentiles.

According to the rite of the Orthodox Church, stillborn and unbaptized babies are not buried, as they have not entered the Church of Christ.

Intentional suicides are deprived of Christian burial. If suicide is committed deliberately and consciously, and not in a fit of mental illness, the Church recognizes it as a grave sin as taking the life of another (murder). The life of every person is the most precious gift of God, and the one who arbitrarily takes his own life blasphemously rejects this gift. This is especially important for the Christian, whose life is doubly the gift of God - both by physical nature and by the grace of redemption.

Thus, a Christian who kills himself offends God doubly: as the Creator and as the Redeemer. Such an action can only be the fruit of complete despair and disbelief in Divine Providence, without whose will, according to the Gospel word, "not even a hair will fall from the head" of the believer. And whoever is a stranger to faith in God and hope in Him is also a stranger to the Church, which looks at a free suicide as a spiritual descendant of Judas who betrayed Christ. After all, having denied God and rejected by God, Judas "went and strangled himself." Therefore, according to church laws, a conscious and free suicide is deprived of church burial and commemoration.

It is necessary to distinguish from suicides persons who have taken their own lives by negligence (accidental fall from a height, drowning in water, food poisoning, violation of safety standards, etc.), as well as persons who have committed suicide in an insane state. For the burial of a person who committed suicide in an insane state, the written permission of the ruling bishop is required.

In the Orthodox Church, it is customary to classify as suicides those who died during robbery, that is, those who committed a gangster attack (murder, robbery) and died from their wounds and injuries.

However, despite such a tough attitude of the Church towards suicides and the prohibition of church commemoration, it does not prohibit prayer at home for them. So the Optina elder Leonid, in the schema Leo, consoled and instructed one of his students (Pavel Tambovtsev), whose father committed suicide, with the following words: test the Highest destiny. Strive to strengthen yourself with humility within the limits of moderate sorrow. Pray to the All-Good Creator, thereby fulfilling the duty of love and the duty of filial, as follows:
Seek, Lord, the lost soul of my father, if it is possible to eat, have mercy.
Your destinies are unsearchable. Do not make me sin this prayer of mine, but Thy will be done ... ".

Of course, it was not the will of God for such a sad death of your parent: but now he is completely in the will of the Mighty and the soul and the body to cast into the fiery furnace, Who both humbles and exalts, mortifies and lives, brings down to hell and elevates. At the same time, He is so merciful, omnipotent and loving that all the good qualities of all earthly beings are nothing before His highest goodness. For this you should not be overly sad. You will say: "I love my parent, and therefore I mourn inconsolably." Fair. But God without comparison more than you loved and loves him. So it remains for you to present the eternal fate of your parent to the goodness and mercy of God, who, if he deigns to have mercy, then who can resist Him?" Another Optina elder, Ambrose, wrote to one nun: relatives can pray for him privately, as Elder Leonid allowed Pavel Tambovtsev to pray for his parent. We know many examples that the prayer transmitted by the elder Leonid calmed and comforted many and turned out to be effective before the Lord.

It is narrated about our native ascetic schema nun Afanasia that, on the advice of Blessed Diveevskaya Pelagia Ivanovna, she fasted three times and prayed for 40 days, reading daily 150 times the prayer “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice” for her drunkenly hanged brother and received a revelation that through her prayer, the brother is freed from torment.

Therefore, relatives of suicides should place their hope in God's mercy and pray at home, and not insist on a funeral service. Since the commemoration, in the humility and obedience of the holy Church, transferred to home prayer will be more valuable in the eyes of God and more gratifying for the departed than that performed in the church, but with violation and neglect of the church charter.

absentee funeral

In our time, it often happens that the temple is far from the house of the deceased, and sometimes even absent in the area. In such a situation, one of the relatives of the deceased should order an absentee funeral at the nearest church, if possible, on the third day. At the end of it, the priest gives the relative a whisk, a sheet of paper with a permissive prayer and earth from the requiem table. Prayer should be placed in the right hand of the deceased, the whisk should be placed on the forehead, and immediately before the body is lowered into the coffin, earth should be scattered crosswise on the body covered with a sheet: from the head to the feet and from the right shoulder to the left.

But it also happens that the deceased is buried without a parting word from the church, and after a long time, relatives still decide to bury him. Then, after the funeral service in absentia, the earth crumbles crosswise on the grave, and the aureole and prayer are either burned and also crumble, or buried in the grave mound.

Unfortunately, many now do not take the deceased to church due to increased transport costs. But it is certainly better to save money on a memorial meal than to deprive the deceased of the funeral service.

Cremation

"Dust you are, and to dust you shall return" (Gen. 3:19) - God said to Adam after the fall. The human body, created from the earth, must again turn into dust through natural decay. For hundreds of years in Russia, the dead were buried only in the ground. In the 20th century, the method of burning bodies (cremation) was borrowed from the pagan East, which became very popular in large cities due to the overflow of cemeteries.

This custom is completely alien to Orthodoxy. For Eastern mysticism, the human body is the prison of the soul, which must be burned and thrown away after the release of the soul. The body of a Christian is like a temple in which the Lord dwelt during his lifetime and which will be restored after the resurrection. Therefore, we do not throw the deceased relatives into the fiery abyss, but put them in an earthen bed.

However, sometimes Orthodox people also go to the cremation of the deceased, who are forced to do so by the incredible cost of traditional funerals. It is difficult to throw a stone at those who do not have money for a funeral, but if there is an opportunity to avoid cremation, it should be used.

There is a superstition that the cremated cannot be buried. This is not true. The Church does not deprive her children of funeral prayers because of the manner of burial. If the funeral service takes place before cremation (as it should be), then the icon must be removed from the coffin, and the earth should be scattered over the coffin.

If the funeral is performed in absentia, and the urn is buried in the grave, then the earth crumbles crosswise on it. If the urn is placed in a columbarium, then the grave earth can be scattered on any grave of a Christian. The chaplet and permissive prayer are burned along with the body.

Sometimes one hears a bewildered question: how will the bodies of those who were burned be resurrected? But after all, on the one hand, the bodies of buried people decompose, and far from each of them remains incorruptible, but on the other hand, it is appropriate to recall that many saints were martyred precisely through burning, and to consider that because of this they did not resurrected means to doubt the omnipotence of God.

memorial meal

There is a custom to arrange a memorial dinner in memory of the deceased after his burial. This custom has been known for a very long time, and the symbolism of the dishes eaten gives it a religious character.

Before the meal, one should serve a lithium - a short rite of requiem, which can be served by a layman. In extreme cases, you need to at least read the 90th psalm and the prayer "Our Father". The first dish that is eaten at the wake is kutya (kolivo). These are boiled grains of wheat (rice) with honey (raisins). Eating them is connected with the prayer for the departed soul and serves as symbols of this prayer. Grains are a symbol of resurrection, and honey is a sweetness enjoyed by the righteous in the Kingdom of God. According to the charter, kutya should be consecrated with a special rite during a memorial service, if this is not possible, it is necessary to sprinkle it with holy water.

You should not commemorate the deceased with alcohol, since wine is a symbol of earthly joy, and a commemoration is an occasion for intense prayer for a person who may suffer severely in the afterlife. You should not drink alcohol, even if the deceased himself liked to drink. It is known that "drunken" commemorations often turn into an ugly gathering, where the deceased is simply forgotten.

Commemoration of the dead

The custom of commemorating the dead is already found in the Old Testament Church (Numbers 20:29; Deut. 34:8; 1 Sam. 31:13; 2 Macc. 12:45). In the Christian Church, this custom is also preserved. The apostolic decrees testify with particular clarity to the commemoration of the departed. Here we find both prayers for the dead during the celebration of the Eucharist, and an indication of the days mentioned earlier, namely: the 3rd, 9th and 40th.

In addition to private commemorations, the Church commemorates all those who have died in the Orthodox faith on the days of ecumenical parental Saturdays, on Saturdays of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th weeks of Great Lent, on Radonitsa, on Dimitriev Saturday and August 29 (O.S.), on the day of the Beheading of the head of the Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John.

The commemoration of the dead is especially intensified on two ecumenical parental Saturdays - Meat and Trinity Saturdays. On Meatfare Saturday, prayer is aggravated because on the following Sunday, the Last Judgment is remembered, and the sons of the visible - earthly Church, preparing to appear themselves at this Judgment, ask for mercy from the Lord and to all the dead. And on the Saturday before Pentecost, on the day on which the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles and gave them grace-filled powers for the good news of the Kingdom of God, a prayer is raised that the dead also receive weakening and freedom and enter this Kingdom. The service these days is exclusively funeral.

The special prayers for the dead on the Saturdays of Great Lent are established in compensation for the fact that there are no commemorations at the liturgy on future days of Lent. Radonitsa has the same meaning - the first Tuesday after Antipascha (week of St. Apostle Thomas). And since in Russia our ancestors had the custom of spring commemoration even before the adoption of Christianity (“Naviy Day”), then on this day all the dead are commemorated. Christianity gave these commemorations a different character - the joy of the risen Lord, which is why it is called Radonitsa. On this day, believers come to the cemetery after the service and christen with the dead, bringing colored eggs with them. Some eggs are left on the grave, perceiving the dead as living, and sharing their joy with them.

Three times a year, the Russian Orthodox Church commemorates the soldiers, on the battlefield of those killed - on Saturday (October 25, old style) before the church memory of St. Demetrius of Thessalonica (October 26, old style) and on the day of the Beheading of John the Baptist (August 29, old style).

The first commemoration was established by the will of the holy noble prince Dimitry Donskoy to commemorate the soldiers who fell in 1380 on the Kulikovo field. It was connected with the memory of St. Demetrius of Thessalonica because St. Demetrius is considered by the Slavs to be their patron, besides, he was the heavenly patron of St. noble prince. The commemoration of the deceased soldiers is performed by the Church on April 26 (May 9, NS).

Prayer for all those who have died before is of great spiritual significance, a special hidden meaning. If Christians prayed only for their relatives and friends, then in their spiritual state they would not have gone far from pagans and sinners who greet their brothers and love those who love them (Matthew 5:46-47; Luke 6:32). In addition, there are those dying for whom there is no one to pray for already in the first days of their transition to the other world.

The commemoration of the dead has its own feedback. Those who have departed for the other world (not only the righteous) remember those who struggle in the earthly Church and intercede for them. Even in the Old Testament there was a belief in the help and intercession of all the dead. "Lord Almighty, God of Israel! - exclaimed the prophet Baruch. - Hear the prayer of the dead sons of Israel" (Var.3,4). Obviously, this refers to the multitude of the dead, and not just the righteous.

In the parable of Lazarus, the deceased rich sinner intercedes before the righteous Abraham for his living five brothers. If his intercession did not bring any benefit, it was only because his brothers were not able to hear the voice of God (Luke 16:19-31).

The Revelation of John the Theologian clearly states that the dead know about what is happening on earth and are not indifferent to its fate (Rev. 6:9-11).

In the Orthodox prayer for those who have departed to another world, there is no hopeless longing, let alone despair. The grief of separation, natural for a person, is weakened by faith in an ongoing mystical relationship. This is present throughout the content of prayers for the dead. This is also revealed in the sacred rites - abundant incense and burning of many candles, which we see both in the hands of the worshipers and on the eve - a rectangular candlestick with a small Crucifix, on which candles are placed in the temple for repose and offerings are relied on to commemorate the dead.

Attitude towards non-church tradition

The Orthodox burial rite from the very beginning of its appearance in Russia was accompanied by a number of superstitious customs from the pagan past. It is sad to see how modern people who consider themselves Christians, but who have only a minimal idea of ​​the innermost meaning of the burial rite, try to fulfill certain superstitious customs without fail.

Here are the most common ones:
- the custom of giving vodka to everyone who comes to visit the deceased at the cemetery;
- the custom of leaving a glass of vodka and a piece of bread for the deceased for 40 days. This custom is a manifestation of disrespect for the deceased and speaks of a misunderstanding that 40 days after death the soul is at the judgment of God and goes through ordeals;
- the custom to hang mirrors at the location of the deceased;
- the custom of throwing money into the grave of the deceased;
- there is a popular superstition among the people that the permissive prayer, put into the hand of the deceased, is an indispensable pass to the Kingdom of Heaven. In reality, prayer is put into the hand as a sign of visual confirmation of neighbors in the forgiveness of the sins of the deceased and his reconciliation with the Church.

All these customs have no basis in church rules, are rooted in paganism, distort the faith and contradict it, and therefore Orthodox Christians should not adhere to them.

In conclusion, let us cite the remarkable words spoken about the burial by the chief procurator of the Holy Synod K.P. Pobedonostsev: and there is no doubt that this warehouse reflected our national character, with a special outlook inherent in our nature. Terrible and disgusting are the features of death everywhere, but we dress them with a magnificent cover, we surround them with the solemn silence of prayerful contemplation. We sing a song over them in which the horror of a stricken nature merges with love, hope and reverent faith.We do not run away from our dead, we adorn him in the coffin, and we are drawn to this coffin - to peer into the features of the spirit that has left its home; we worship the body and not we refuse to give him the last kiss. And we stand over him for three days and three nights with reading, with singing, with church prayer. Our funeral prayers are full of beauty and majesty; they continue they are corpulent and in no hurry to give the earth a body touched by corruption - and when you hear them, it seems that not only the last blessing is pronounced over the tomb, but a great church triumph takes place around it at the most solemn moment of human existence! How understandable and how amiable this solemnity is for the Russian soul!

As a supplement, let us cite a number of instructive examples from the life of Christian ascetics, showing the inaccessibility of the ways of God for us, and that illness and death that befall someone do not always correspond to the degree of sinfulness or righteousness of a person. It happens that the righteous sometimes dies a painful death, and the sinner, on the contrary.

Saint Athanasius the Great says: "Many righteous people die an evil death, but sinners a painless, quiet one." To prove this, he relates the following incident.

One hermit monk, famous for miracles, lived with his disciple in the desert. One day it happened to a disciple to go to a city in which the leader was evil, not afraid of God, and he saw that this leader was buried with great honor, and a multitude of people accompanied his coffin. Returning to the desert, the disciple found his holy elder torn to pieces by a hyena and began to weep bitterly for the elder and pray to God, saying: “Lord, how gloriously that evil ruler died, and why did this holy, spiritual elder suffer such a bitter death, being torn to pieces by a beast? "

When he was crying and praying, an angel of the Lord appeared to him and said: “Why are you crying about your elder? That evil ruler had one good deed, for which he was rewarded with such a glorious burial, and after the transition to another life he has nothing more to expect.” but your mentor, an honest elder, pleased God in everything, and, being adorned with every kindness, he, however, as a man, had one small sin, which was cleansed and forgiven by such a death, and the elder departed to eternal life perfectly pure" (Prologue, July 21).

One day a certain man fell into the river and drowned. Some said that he died for his sins, while others said that such a death happened by chance. Blessed Alexander asked the great Eusebius about this. Eusebius answered: “Neither one nor the other knew the truth. If everyone received according to his deeds, then the whole world would perish. But the devil is not a seer of the heart. : excites him to a quarrel or to another evil deed, great or small.According to his intrigues, sometimes from a small blow or from another unimportant reason, a person dies;or puts the thought to cross the river during the flood or into another misfortune without any need tries to lead him. It happens that others are beaten without mercy, almost to death, or they are wounded with a weapon, and they die, and sometimes they die from a light blow. If, however, he sets off in good weather, and suddenly bad weather overtakes him on the road, from which there is nowhere to hide, then he dies a martyr's death.Or: if someone, relying on his strength and dexterity, wants to cross and the stormy river and drowned, subjected to death of his own free will. But if someone, seeing that the river is so bottomless, while others cross it safely, he himself follows in their footsteps, and at this time the devil stumbles on his feet, or otherwise stumbles and drowns, then such a person will die a martyr's death "(Prologue, 23 Martha).

In one Thessalonica monastery, a certain virgin, having been tempted by the devil, could not stand it, went into the world and lived dissolutely for several years. Then, having come to her senses, she decided to correct herself and return to her former monastery for repentance. But as soon as she reached the gates of the monastery, she fell and died. God revealed to one bishop about her death, and he saw how the holy angels came, took her soul, and the demons followed them and argued with them. The holy angels said that she served us for so many years, her soul is ours. And the demons said that she entered the monastery with laziness, how can you say that she repented? The angels answered: God saw that she bowed to the good with all her thoughts and heart, and therefore accepted her repentance. Repentance depended on her good will, and God owns life. The shamed demons departed (Prologue, July 14).

The Monk Athanasius of Athos became famous for his piety, holiness and miracles; but God, according to fates incomprehensible to us, appointed him an unfortunate, apparently unfortunate death, and revealed to him in advance that he and his five disciples would be crushed by the vault of the church building. St. Athanasius hinted at this in the last teaching of the brethren, as if saying goodbye to them, and, after the teaching, having risen with five chosen disciples to the top of the building, he was immediately crushed by a collapsed building (Cheti-Minei, July 5).

St. John Chrysostom says: “God allows one to be killed, easing the punishment there, or stops his sinfulness, so that, continuing his impious life, he does not collect more condemnation for himself. but if those who are taught are not corrected, it is not God who is to blame, but their heedlessness.

Priest Alexander Kalinin. About burial. Moscow Saint Petersburg 2001
"Ladder"
"Dioptra"