One of the main folk traditions at Easter is the commemoration of deceased relatives in the cemetery. On this holiday, millions of people, instead of going to church in order to praise the Resurrection of God, go to remember the dead. Does the Orthodox Church support visiting a cemetery on Easter?
To answer the question, Is it possible to go to the cemetery on Easter?, we need to remember the meaning of this holiday. Easter is a holiday of freedom, the liberation of souls, the day of the victory of light over darkness. Originally it is a holiday of joy. And visiting the graves of relatives in a cemetery implies grief, melancholy and sadness. In this sense, when visiting a cemetery on Easter, believers are removed from the essence of the holiday.
On the other hand, according to the clergy, Easter is the "day of the dead", since on this day, according to the gospel, Jesus descended into hell to free the souls of the dead and proclaim eternal life and salvation. Not a single Christian can argue that Easter is the holiday of the resurrection of all living things, of all human nature.
The Orthodox Church does not prohibit going to the cemetery on Easter. There is no prohibition for a person, day, or circumstance due to which he would not be able to visit the graves of his relatives. But we should not forget that Easter is a day of joy, light and there is no place on this day for sadness, tears and sorrow. Meanwhile, in the church calendar there is a special day for commemorating the dead - Radonitsa, Parents' Day. In 2015, Radonitsa is celebrated on April 21, 9 days after Easter. It is on this day that priests advise coming to the graves of their relatives and having a funeral meal.
Interestingly, the tradition of visiting cemeteries on Easter appeared after the split of the Russian Orthodox Church in the 17th century and during the persecution of the Old Believers. They had to pray in secret from everyone, in special rooms. Thus, it was the Old Believers who developed the custom of going to the cemetery on Easter. We wish you good luck and don't forget to press the buttons and
04.04.2015 09:54
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"Christ is Risen!" - you hear this exclamation on the first day of Easter, and your soul is filled with such incredible joy that you have no strength to keep it within yourself. I want to run away and share it with the living and the dead. But is it possible to visit the graves of relatives and friends on a bright holiday, if a separate day is set aside for this in the religious calendar - Radonitsa?
Catholics are not prohibited from visiting a cemetery on Easter. Many on this day, having attended services in the church, rush to the graves. We will not find a ban on visiting a cemetery on any day in the Charter of the Orthodox Church. But, taking into account human psychology, the Orthodox Church still advises refraining from commemorating the departed on this day. It’s not for nothing that Easter is called the Bright Holiday, and the week after it is called Bright Week. This is a time of joy and rejoicing, even during worship we hear mostly only songs. And in all this there is no place for sadness and regret about what happened. And when we come to the cemetery, especially to the graves of those who recently left us, we will probably shed a tear and be sad that a loved one is not with us on this day.
According to one version, the folk tradition of going to graves on Easter appeared in Soviet times. Since believers did not have the opportunity to visit churches, but there was a desire to share the joy of the holiday, they began to gather at the cemetery, which partly replaced the church for believers. However, times have changed. Of course, no one will be driven away from the graves today on Easter Day. After the Easter service, you can go to the cemetery to congratulate those who have passed on to another world on the holiday. But it should be remembered that both on Easter Day and throughout Bright Week, the church does not remember the dead and does not serve memorial services, that is, it will not be possible to “communicate” with the dead in the usual way. The church charter allows for the usual commemoration of the dead after Holy and Bright Week, starting on St. Thomas Monday.
We come to Radonitsa to visit the graves of our loved ones not just for the purpose of another visit, but with the joyful news of the Resurrection of Christ. It is joy that underlies the name of this day. It is quite natural, when recalling the image of a person dear to us, to cry a little, but we should not sob inconsolably over the grave. With His Resurrection, the Lord shows that there is a future life, so we must come to the graves of loved ones with the faith that our separation is relative and temporary. However, since we are all not without sin, we must understand that our loved ones may need help to get to a better place in that other world. And our duty is to pray for them, do good deeds in memory of them and give alms. This is what the departed saints long for from us. And not sweets left at the monument, or a red egg buried in the ground of a grave.
The Church is categorically against bringing any food products to the cemetery. Indirectly, this can serve to desecrate graves. Birds and animals, attracted by the smell of food, will begin to tear it apart at the graves and leave their mark on the burial sites. It’s even worse when they start pouring alcohol on the graves. These are all remnants of paganism, says Archpriest Evgeniy Svidersky. - Everyone understands that the deceased do not need material food. They need spiritual food much more - prayer.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW
Five rules for those celebrating Radonitsa
Before visiting the cemetery, come to the temple. Submit a note with the names of deceased loved ones, stay at the service, serve a memorial service.
You can light candles for the repose - they are placed near a crucifix, large or small. The small one is on a special table called “eve”. There are small candlesticks on it, where the candles purchased in the church shop should be lit.
It is worth lighting a candle when you come to the cemetery. Perform litia (literally means “intense prayer”) - a rite that can be found in the Orthodox prayer book.
Clean up the grave, just be silent and remember the deceased.
Do not have a meal in a cemetery, do not leave food on graves - it is better to give the excess to the poor or needy. Donations in the form of food can also be left on the funeral table in the church. Subsequently, they will be distributed to temple employees, the poor, or sent to orphanages and other institutions that are cared for by one or another temple.
Easter is the greatest Christian holiday. On it, around the passion of Christ and his resurrection, the main pillars of Christianity rest.
Many people are surprised to hear that even on Easter the church prescribes a number of prohibitions and restrictions for parishioners. There are many official church rules and folk beliefs about what you should not do on Easter - we previously introduced our readers to them.
Easter is the time for the meeting of the dead and the living
One of the most ancient Christian beliefs says that the souls of dead people return from Paradise and walk the Earth with us. This happens throughout the week during which Easter is celebrated.
The bright Resurrection of Christ means the triumph of life over death and victory over evil, therefore this holiday is bright and cheerful, despite the fact that Jesus Christ gave his life for us and for our sins.
The Savior returned from heaven to be with his disciples and complete the work he had begun, passing on the remaining knowledge. Since ancient times, many have believed that for this reason all the dead are allowed to leave Paradise during the holiday so that they can meet their loved ones. You should not be afraid of this ancient legend, because only from Paradise do people come to us. Those who were wicked and went to hell remain there forever.
Cemeteries are empty at this time, as people’s souls return home, so it was not customary to go to churchyards before Easter, disturbing someone’s peace. When Christianity was persecuted in our country, this belief was erased from the memory of the people. But now that everything is in order, tradition is again paramount.
Signs for Easter about the dead
- There are many folk signs associated with the belief about the return of our loved ones. We talked about the most important signs for Easter earlier.
- If the dead return and they are sad, it is usually rainy weather on such a Resurrection of Christ.
- If you have a weak appetite during the festival, it is better to designate some dishes for the dead, without removing them, but leaving them, for example, on the windowsill.
- If you feel depressed and you think a lot about what you might have done wrong in the past, then this is not by chance. This sign says that one of the dead is trying to ask you for forgiveness.
- If you go to the cemetery on Bright Sunday, do not take food with you to remember the deceased, as this promises you great bad luck. Try to just clean up and put things in order at the grave, but nothing more.
- In conclusion, I would like to note one interesting sign - if you dream of a deceased person on Easter, then everything he tells you or everything he does happens as if in reality. This is a real dialogue. Many people at Easter see their deceased mothers or fathers, who give them instructions or simply tell them that they love them.
Easter is the time when the departed come to us to see how we live, and not vice versa. According to folk sages, this is a gift from God to those who are not with us, and a reminder that the two worlds are interconnected. Everyone who is alive now, sooner or later, will meet their loved ones in heaven.
The connection between us and those who have died is strengthened not only at Easter. Whether this is good or bad is up to you to decide. You can find out what the deceased dreams about on ordinary days from our dream book: it will tell you the interpretation of such a dream. May the real world and the world of dreams be filled with love and kindness for you on any day, and not just during Easter. Good luck, and don't forget to press the buttons and
28.04.2016 02:13
Parents' Saturdays are widely known among the people. These days it is customary to go to cemeteries and remember...
Although the church calendar allocates for visiting cemeteries, some people go to the cemetery on the days of the holidays themselves. Many people want to visit the cemetery at Easter. How correct is this, and is it possible to go to a cemetery on Easter?
Why can't you go to the cemetery on Easter?
As you know, the second Sunday after Easter is Radonitsa. On this day you need to visit cemeteries and remember the dead.
The Resurrection of the Lord and the entire week following it are holidays. At this time, you need to have fun and rejoice, and not think about sad things. That's why you shouldn't go to the graves of your dead loved ones on Easter.
Where did the tradition of going to the cemetery on Easter come from?
The fact is that in the 16th century in Russia, churches were not built in every village. Temples were built in large villages, and villagers went there on Easter to celebrate services and bless food. Often the cemetery was located not far from the church.
After serving in the church, people did not go straight home, since the road to their native village was not close. And so they went to the graves of their relatives. There, having laid out the blessed food, they ate and talked. This happened year after year.
With the advent of Soviet power, churches and monasteries began to be destroyed everywhere. Many people remembered the tradition of going to the cemetery on Easter, and began to consider it Christian. Actually this is not true.
Why you can’t go to the cemetery on Easter: the priest’s answer
There is no strict and direct prohibition in the holy books that you cannot go to a cemetery on Easter. But the clergy agree that you should not go to the churchyard on this day. After all, there are specially designated days for these purposes. Only during Lent, which lasts 48 days before Easter, are there three parental days to visit the churchyard. The second Saturday after Easter is the next suitable day.
Christians have a tradition of visiting graves on certain days. If a person is a believer, observes Lent and lives according to church laws, then he should not go to the cemetery on Easter. If you believe only formally, then if you wish, you can visit the graves of your deceased loved ones. After all, this is not considered a great sin.
If you still want to visit the cemetery on this day, then first go to the church for a service, and only after that go to the cemetery. You should not cry or grieve at graves on this day. After all, Easter is a day to rejoice and have fun.
Video: Is it possible to go to a cemetery on Easter?
Easter is the most important holiday of the year.
The Church, taking into account the psychology of people, separates days of celebration and days of sadness. The joyful rejoicing that the Church communicates to believers at Easter is separated from the mood of sadness that accompanies the remembrance of the dead. Therefore, on Easter Day you are not supposed to go to the cemetery and not perform a funeral service.
If someone dies, and death on Easter is traditionally considered a sign of God’s mercy, then the funeral service is performed according to the Easter rite, which includes many Easter hymns.
To visit the cemetery, the Church appoints a special day - Radonitsa (from the word joy - after all, the Easter holiday continues), and this holiday is celebrated on the Tuesday after Easter week.
On this day, a funeral service is served and believers visit the cemetery to pray for the departed, so that the Easter joy will be passed on to them.
IT IS IMPORTANT! People began to visit cemeteries on Easter only during Soviet times, when churches were closed. People who felt the need to gather and share joy could not go to churches, which were closed, and went to the cemetery on Easter instead of going a week later. The cemetery seemed to replace a visit to the temple. And now that churches are open, so this Soviet-era tradition cannot be justified, it is necessary to restore the church tradition: to be in church on Easter Day and celebrate the joyful holiday, and to go to the cemetery on Radonitsa.
We must remember that the tradition of leaving food and Easter eggs on graves is paganism, which was revived in the Soviet Union when the state persecuted the right-wing faith. When faith is persecuted, severe superstitions arise. The souls of our departed loved ones need prayer. From a church point of view, it is unacceptable from a church point of view a ritual when vodka and black bread are placed on the grave, and next to it is a photograph of the deceased: this, in modern language, is a remake, since, for example, photography appeared a little over a hundred years ago: this means that this is a tradition new.
As for commemorating the dead with alcohol: any kind of drunkenness is unacceptable. The Holy Scriptures allow the use of wine: “Wine makes glad the heart of man” (Psalm 103:15), but warns against excess: “Do not get drunk with wine, for there is fornication in it” (Eph. 5:18). You can drink, but you can't get drunk. The deceased need our fervent prayer, our pure heart and sober mind, alms given for them, but not vodka.
How the dead are remembered on Easter
On Easter, many people visit the cemetery where the graves of their loved ones are located.
Unfortunately, in some families there is a blasphemous custom of accompanying these visits to the graves of their relatives with wild drunken revelry. But even those who do not celebrate pagan drunken funeral feasts at the graves of their loved ones, which are so offensive to every Christian feeling, often do not know when on Easter days it is possible and necessary to remember the dead. The first commemoration of the dead takes place on the second week, after St. Thomas Sunday, on Tuesday.
The basis for this commemoration is, on the one hand, the remembrance of the descent of Jesus Christ into hell, connected with the Resurrection of St. Thomas, and, on the other, the permission of the Church Charter to carry out the usual commemoration of the dead, starting with St. Thomas Monday. According to this permission, believers come to the graves of their loved ones with the joyful news of the Resurrection of Christ, hence the day of remembrance itself is called Radonitsa.
How to properly remember the dead
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 eternally 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. But commemoration in the Church provides special help to the deceased.
Before visiting the cemetery, you should come to the church at the beginning of the service, submit a note with the names of your deceased relatives for commemoration at the altar (it is best if this is a commemoration at the proskomedia, when a piece is taken out of a special prosphora for the deceased, and then as a sign of washing away 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 one commemorating on this day himself partakes of the Body and Blood of Christ. It is very useful to donate to the church, give alms to the poor with a request to pray for the departed.
How to behave in a cemetery
Arriving at the cemetery, you need to light a candle, perform a lithium (this word literally means intense prayer. To perform the rite of lithium when remembering the dead, you need to invite a priest. Then clean the grave or just be silent, remember the deceased. There is no need to eat or drink in the cemetery, especially It is unacceptable to pour vodka into the grave mound - this insults the memory of the dead. The custom of leaving a glass of vodka and a piece of bread on 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.
When can you go to the cemetery:
*on the day of the funeral;
*on the 3rd, 9th and 40th day after death;
*every year on the day of a person’s death;
*on memorial days - Monday and Tuesday of the week following Easter;
*Meat Saturday, the week preceding Lent;
*2nd, 3rd and 4th Saturdays of Lent;
*Trinity Saturday - the day before the feast of the Holy Trinity;
*Dmitrov Saturday is the first Saturday in November.
When not to go to the cemetery:
*Orthodoxy does not encourage visiting the graves of relatives on Christian holidays such as Easter, Annunciation and Christmas;
*Trinity is also not celebrated in the cemetery. On Trinity they go to church;
*it is believed that there is no need to go to the churchyard after sunset;
*women are not advised to visit the place of the dead during pregnancy or menstruation. But this is a personal choice of each representative of the fair sex.
Some sources report that it would be wrong to go to his tomb on the birthday of the deceased. You can simply remember him with a kind word, among the family and loved ones of the deceased.
Upon arrival at the grave, a positive action would be to light a candle and remember the deceased. You should not drink or eat near the gravestone. Host a memorial dinner at home.
Do not step on or jump over graves. There is no need to touch other people's graves or restore order there, unless the relatives of the person buried there have asked you to do so.
In the case when you dropped something on the dead ground, it is better not to pick up this thing. If the fallen object is very important to you, when you pick it up, put something in its place (candies, cookies, flowers).
When leaving the cemetery, do not turn around, much less do not return. When you come home, wash your hands thoroughly (or better yet, do this at the cemetery), be sure to wash off the cemetery soil from your shoes, and wash the tools you used to clean the grave.
Based on materials from the news agency "Orthodoxy and Peace"
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