What to cook for parents' day. Orthodox traditions: what they do on Parents' Day at the cemetery

Parents' Saturdays are days of special remembrance of the dead, when with our prayers we can provide great help to our family and friends who have passed on from earthly life. Five of them are reserved for commemorating deceased relatives, two more and the memorial services performed at the same time are called ecumenical. Parental Saturdays require the observance of certain rules that all believers should be aware of.

The deep meaning of parental Saturday

Please note that strong alcoholic drinks, such as vodka or cognac, are not accepted as donations.

If desired and possible, you can order a memorial service and after the prayers are completed, you are allowed to visit the cemetery, tidy up the grave, replace the flowers, thereby showing that you are preserving the memory of your loved one.

How to spend the rest of the day on Parents' Saturday and is it possible to clean up? Archpriest Alexander Ilyashenko for the online publication “Orthodoxy and Peace” answers this question this way: the ban on cleaning the house on this day is nothing more than superstition, the day, of course, needs to start with visiting the temple, performing prayers, visiting the cemetery, and then If necessary, you can perform your usual household chores.

Another important question that concerns believers is whether it is possible to baptize a child on parental Saturday? Hegumen Alexy (Vladivostok diocese) and other priests of the Russian Orthodox Church remind us of a simple rule - you can baptize a child on all days without restrictions.

During the period of Lent in 2020, the following parental Saturdays fall:

• March 14 - Parental Ecumenical Saturday of the second week of Lent
• March 21 - Parental Ecumenical Saturday of the third week of Lent
• March 28 is the Parental Ecumenical Saturday of the fourth week of Lent.

P.S. Prayer for the deceased is the sacred duty of every Christian. A great reward and great consolation awaits the one who, with his prayers, helps a deceased neighbor receive forgiveness of sins.

Radonitsa, which in 2018 fell on April 17, is considered a special parent’s day in Orthodoxy. Every year the day of this holiday is different, as it is counted from the date of Easter and falls on the 9th day after the Resurrection of Christ.

It is on April 17 that the Orthodox Church remembers the dead. People come to the temple to light a candle for the repose.

But most modern believers on this parent’s day go to the cemetery and there they remember their loved ones in their own way. Today, not all Orthodox Christians know how to properly remember the dead, what is allowed and what is prohibited by the church.

According to Orthodox canons, a cemetery is the resting place of the dead until their resurrection. Since ancient times, all peoples have revered this place and treated it as sacred. If previously huge mounds were poured at the burial site, today the grave is made of a small mound or tomb, near which there is a monument or cross.

In Orthodoxy, it is customary to call those who have left the world of their neighbors not dead, but deceased or departed. It is generally accepted that at a certain moment they will be able to rise from the coffin, as if they were sleeping.

Based on this, it turns out that the grave is a place from which loved ones will resurrect in the future. Therefore, the church strongly recommends keeping it clean and tidy.

The cross is the preacher of eternal immortality and resurrection. One end of it is immersed in the ground - as a sign that the body rests in the ground, and the other end rises to the sky - a symbol of the soul that has risen to heaven. It must be at the feet so that the deceased is placed facing the Crucifixion on the day of the Resurrection.

How to remember the deceased on Parents' Day, April 17, 2018

All souls are waiting for relatives to pray for her, since she can no longer do a good deed on her own. It is important to pray not only at home for Radonitsa, but also at the cemetery. It would be best to go to the temple and submit a note for the liturgy with the baptismal name of the deceased. A relative who came to church to remember should also confess and receive communion, as this will help the soul.

However, what to do if a relative passed away of his own free will. Priests recommend praying for them at home, because commemoration of suicides in the liturgy is prohibited.

In the modern world, it is customary to take food and alcohol with you to the cemetery - and this is strictly prohibited by the church. These are the remnants of paganism, in which it is believed that the dead also eat and have fun.

The correct commemoration is prayer, not drinking alcohol at the grave. In this way, people show disrespect for the deceased, and not vice versa, as many believe.

It is better not to eat at the cemetery, but to distribute food to those in need - orphans, the poor and the disabled with the words “Remember the servant of God...”. And the one who remembers, in turn, must answer “The Kingdom of Heaven...” and name the name of the person being remembered. A good deed will be counted not only to the living, but also to his deceased relatives.

In a home environment, it is allowed to gather relatives and friends of the deceased. During the meal, you need to remember only good moments, character traits, as well as the instructions and wishes of a relative.

Today is a sad day,

and the holiday is not easy,

All people remember those who have passed on to another world,

This day is called parenting day, friends,

And we all cannot forget our roots.

Let us pray for the souls who have left us,

And may they feel better in heaven at this hour,

We'll clean up the graves in the sad cemetery,

And remembering your loved ones,

Let's breathe quietly...

One queen of antiquity, they say, left a will, according to which her successor, who will be most in need of money for the needs of the state, has the right to open her tomb and use the hidden treasures.

Years and decades passed.

Kings and queens on the throne changed. Each reign had its own problems, but no one dared to open the mentioned coffin. Finally, one of the kings considered that his difficulties were the most difficult, and gave the order to open the tomb.

What did you see?

There were no treasures, but there was an inscription: “Apparently you are a completely worthless person, since you dared to disturb the peace of the dead.”

Cemeteries are sacred places where the bodies of the dead are buried until a future resurrection.

Even according to the laws of pagan states, tombs were considered sacred and inviolable.

From deep pre-Christian antiquity there is a custom of marking burial places by building a hill above it.

Having adopted this custom, the Christian Church decorates the grave mound with the victorious sign of our salvation - the Holy Life-Giving Cross, inscribed on the tombstone or placed above the tombstone.

We call our dead departed, not dead, because at a certain time they will rise from the grave.

The grave is the place of future resurrection, and therefore it is necessary to keep it clean and orderly.

The cross on the grave of an Orthodox Christian is a silent preacher of blessed immortality and resurrection. Planted in the ground and rising towards the sky, it signifies the faith of Christians that the body of the deceased is here in the earth, and the soul is in heaven, that under the cross is hidden a seed that grows for eternal life in the Kingdom of God.

The cross on the grave is placed at the feet of the deceased so that the Crucifix is ​​facing the face of the deceased.

We must especially ensure that the cross on the grave is not askew, that it is always painted, clean and well-groomed.

A simple, modest cross made of metal or wood is more appropriate for the grave of an Orthodox Christian than expensive monuments and tombstones made of granite and marble.

How to behave in a cemetery

Arriving at the cemetery, you need to light a candle and perform a lithium (this word literally means intense prayer. To perform the rite of lithium in commemoration of the dead, you must invite a priest. A shorter rite, which can also be performed by lay people, is given below “The rite of lithium performed by a layman at home and to the cemetery").

Then clean up the grave or simply remain silent and remember the deceased.

There is no need to eat or drink in a cemetery; it is especially unacceptable to pour vodka into a grave mound - this insults the memory of the deceased. The custom of leaving a glass of vodka and a piece of bread at the grave “for the deceased” is a relic of paganism and should not be observed in Orthodox families.

There is no need to leave food on the grave; it is better to give it to the beggar or the hungry.

How to properly remember the dead

“Let us try, as much as possible, to help the departed, instead of tears, instead of sobs, instead of magnificent tombs - with our prayers, alms and offerings for them, so that in this way both they and we will receive the promised benefits,” writes St. John Chrysostom.

Prayer for the departed is the greatest and most important thing we can do for those who have passed on to another world.

By and large, the deceased does not need either a coffin or a monument - all this is a tribute to traditions, albeit pious ones.

But the ever-living soul of the deceased experiences a great need for our constant prayer, because it itself cannot do good deeds with which it would be able to appease God.

That is why prayer at home for loved ones, prayer in the cemetery at the grave of the deceased is the duty of every Orthodox Christian.

Commemoration in the Church provides special assistance to the deceased.

Before visiting the cemetery, one of the relatives should come to the church at the beginning of the service, submit a note with the name of the deceased for commemoration at the altar (it is best if this is commemorated at a proskomedia, when a piece is taken out of a special prosphora for the deceased, and then in a sign of the washing away of his sins will be lowered into the Chalice with the Holy Gifts).

After the liturgy, a memorial service must be celebrated.

The prayer will be more effective if the person commemorating this day himself partakes of the Body and Blood of Christ.

On certain days of the year, the Church commemorates all fathers and brothers in faith who have passed away from time to time, who have been worthy of Christian death, as well as those who were overtaken by sudden death and were not guided into the afterlife by the prayers of the Church.

Complete collection and description: a prayer read on parent’s day for the spiritual life of a believer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Orthodox prayers for the remembrance of the dead

Prayers for the deceased are considered an important church ritual that helps the soul of the deceased find peace. What prayer to read for the deceased up to 40 days every day, what prayer for the repose of the soul up to 1 year for parents, relatives, husbands, wives should be read in order to correctly remember a newly deceased (recently departed to another world) loved one, a long-dead father, mother?

For up to 40 days, the souls of the departed need prayer. Prayers for the deceased, as a rule, are read by relatives at home or in church; the texts of the prayers can be short or long; on memorial days, prayers spoken in one’s own words are suitable.

For the first 3 days after death, according to the narration of the Holy Fathers, the soul is near the body. After 3 days, the soul of the newly departed deceased passes from earthly life to the spiritual world, where each soul has the opportunity to bear responsibility for the earthly deeds committed, to answer for the sins committed. On the 40th day, God's Judgment ends, and the soul moves to heaven or hell. The first 40 days are very important for the souls of the departed; prayers are especially necessary during these days.

Razgadamus considers it educational. The most important prayers for Orthodox Christians are prayers for the departed; an Orthodox prayer is read at the Liturgy in the church during the service, during the memorial service by the priests. At home, in addition to prayer, you can read the Psalter - this is the sacred book of psalms, which is read collectively, individually in church or at home in front of icons. Psalms for the departed can be read on the anniversary of the death of parents, husband, wife, or on any other day; they should be read correctly at home with a burning candle or lamp.

How to pray on the days of remembrance, what prayers for the departed should Orthodox Christians have? We offer the most powerful Orthodox prayers of remembrance, which can be read on Parental Memorial Saturdays, after the death of parents (father, mother) for up to 40 days, or of a deceased wife, husband, relative every day. After Easter, according to the Orthodox church calendar, every year Orthodox Christians celebrate the holiday of Radonitsa or Parents' Day (in 2017 the date is April 25); We hope that the accessible texts published in this article will be used by many believers on the approaching day of remembrance.