How does the funeral service for the deceased take place? If a person is not inveterate, is it possible to order magpie?

Funeral service- the funeral rite performed by the priest; , through which he escorts the deceased into the world of other existence, prayerfully interceding for him, asking God to forgive him and grant him peace in. Funeral service is a popular name that was given to this rite because most of prayers are sung in it. The funeral service is called “following the dead.”

The liturgical books of the Russian Orthodox Church contain 6 types of following the dead:
1. infants - for Christians under 7 years of age;
2. worldly people;
3. monastic - for monks (including hieromonks);
4. priestly - for persons in the priestly rank, as well as bishops;
5. episcopal - according to the will of such (Holy Synod of December 13, 1963);
6. on the first week of Easter.

What is the meaning of a funeral service?

There are three main themes in a funeral service: the theme of obligatory prayer for the deceased, the theme of mortal memory, and the hope of resurrection. The Gospel reading at the funeral and the apostolic reading speak specifically about the resurrection!

On what day is the funeral service held?

The funeral service takes place in the church, usually on the third day after; The first day is considered to be the day of death itself (that is, if a person died on Wednesday, then it is customary to bury him on Friday).

According to a special rite, the funeral service is performed on the days of Bright Easter Week: instead of sad funeral prayers, joyful solemn chants of Holy Easter are sung.

On the day of the Holy Resurrection of Christ and on the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, the deceased are not brought into the church and funeral services are not performed, moving it to the next day.

How is the funeral service performed?

The funeral service for the deceased is performed once, on the day of his burial. If it is not known for sure whether a person who once died was buried or not, then it is possible to order an absentee funeral service. The rites include, reading and. The funeral service must take place in the church. Since ancient times, according to tradition, the deceased was not only buried in the temple, but also left there for three days. And during this time, right up to the funeral, they read the Psalter for the deceased (see).

When coming to church, you should remember, firstly, that the funeral service is needed for prayer. And those who truly loved the deceased usually pray sincerely, that is, people close to him, those who worry about the soul of the deceased. Secondly, it would be good if people standing in the church took the text of the rite (you can download it in advance on the Internet) and understood what the choir was singing. Understanding what is happening will strengthen prayer and help the soul of a loved one.

It is customary for Orthodox Christians to bury them in a coffin, which remains open until the end of the funeral service (if there are no special obstacles to this). The body of the deceased in the coffin is covered with a special white cover (shroud) - as a sign that the deceased, who belonged to the Orthodox Church and united with Christ in her Holy Sacraments, is under the protection of Christ, under the patronage of the Church - she will pray for his soul until the end of time . A paper crown on the head of the deceased is a symbol of the crown, a symbolic designation of the fact that the deceased has gone into Eternal Life as a warrior who has won a victory on the battlefield.

All those accompanying the deceased pray with lit candles, signifying the Non-Evening Light of eternity. When saying goodbye, the icon on the chest and the forehead () of the deceased are kissed. In the case when the funeral service takes place with the coffin closed, the cross on the coffin lid is kissed.

Who shouldn't have a funeral service?

A priest may refuse to perform a funeral service for a non-church person or. Non-believers, atheists, agnostics, occultists made their choice during their lifetime. And we must respect this choice, even if it seems terrible to us. Meeting the Holy God will only bring them torment.

The funeral service is not performed for the unbaptized (including infants), heterodox and non-Orthodox people, as well as those killed while committing a crime and suicides.

In the latter case, the deceased may be buried if he committed suicide in a state of insanity or madness. To do this, relatives can seek written permission from the ruling ruler by submitting a petition to him with an attached medical report on the cause of death of their loved one.

Is it possible to have a funeral service in the morgue?

Is it possible to perform the funeral service in absentia?

It is possible, but only in exceptional cases (when the body is not found, buried by other people, or before those wishing to perform the funeral service turn to God).

Does a funeral service provide a guarantee of salvation?

It makes no sense to perform a funeral service for a person who did not confess during his lifetime. The funeral service is not a “pass to Heaven,” a magical act in which the deceased’s sins are automatically forgiven or his soul will definitely enter the Kingdom of God. The simultaneous funeral of several deceased is not a violation of liturgical rules.

What else can you do to help the soul of the deceased?

How does a funeral service differ from “ordinary” prayer for the deceased?

Nowadays, we often have to deal with bewilderment: if God hears and answers our prayers in general, then, of course, he also answers prayers for the departed; Why then does the funeral service exist? Is “simple” prayers really not enough for God?

The consequence of a misunderstanding of the meaning and importance of funeral services for the dead is that many treat this action as just a formal, ancient, folk ritual, no more significant than, for example, a funeral feast or the custom of throwing change into the graves.

Others, on the contrary, approach this action mechanically or magically, believing that as soon as the funeral service is completed, the deceased will automatically be awarded the highest Heavenly Gifts.

In reality, neither the first nor the second judgment corresponds to the true nature and goals of the Christian funeral service.

By and large, the funeral service is a sacrament (although it is not called Church in the strict sense of the word). As a sacrament it involves a successive series of symbolic acts and prayers. In addition, during the funeral service, psalms, the Apostle, and the Gospel are read.

This helps the participants in the sacrament to better tune into a prayerful mood and promotes more sincere, concentrated, intense prayer. This is also facilitated by the presence (in front of the gathered relatives, friends, acquaintances...) of the coffin with the body of the deceased.

Unlike private prayers, prayers during a funeral service, which involves many farewells (seeing off), are conciliar in nature. And where at least two or three are gathered in the name of Christ, there He is in the midst of them ().

As a sign that the deceased was faithful (to one degree or another) to Christ and betrayed his soul to Him, a saint is placed on his chest. This is a symbol and sign that he is under the protection of Christ.

Covering the body of the deceased with a white cover - a shroud - has the same semantic meaning. Yet again, White color associated with the light of Christ, moral purity.

The paper aureole placed on the head of the deceased symbolizes the crown of a warrior of Christ.

All this together has a positive effect on the fate of the deceased, including during the passage of terrible tests by him (his soul).

In accordance with church tradition, it is appropriate to perform the funeral service on the third day after death. According to the teachings of a number of holy fathers, at this time the period of stay of the soul separated from the body on earth ends. However, as a rule, the duration of the ordeal reaches up to forty days (in the earthly dimension) (in the conditions of modern life, the period of burial of the dead is often postponed by several days due to various reasons, such as delays in the autopsy, drawing up a conclusion about the cause of death, etc. ).

At the end of the funeral service, loved ones give the deceased a final kiss and farewell. The priest then sprinkles earth on the body of the deceased; the coffin is closed and buried (if the coffin is closed, the cross on its lid is kissed).

When a person’s soul leaves for another world, it is difficult for loved ones, even if they are members of the Church, to survive the loss. At such moments, you want to do something for the deceased, help him go through the difficult path of ordeal and meet the Lord. Can this be done if the person is already dead?

In the Gospel of Luke we find words of consolation: “God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. For with Him all are alive.”

God created us for heavenly bliss and immortality, but man rejected the priceless gift of the Lord. The Fall that Adam and Eve committed doomed all of humanity to decay and death. The Holy Apostle Paul said that along with sin, death entered the world. A person is stricken with death, like a disease. But the Lord is merciful. To save humanity, He sent His Only Begotten Son into the world - our Lord Jesus Christ. Having endured suffering and death for the sins of mankind, the Savior entered into a new union of man with God, opening the path to Heaven for us through the symbol of victory over death - the Cross of the Lord.

We have hope for eternal life with God, and death for the Orthodox is only the beginning of a new path. “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain,” said the Apostle Paul.

Funeral service in church, types of funeral service

There are six types of funeral services:

1. infants - for Christians under 7 years of age;
2. worldly people;
3. monastic - for monks (including hieromonks);
4. priestly - for persons in the priestly rank, as well as bishops;
5. episcopal - according to the will of such (Holy Synod of December 13, 1963);
6. on the first week of Easter.

The essence of the funeral service

The rite of the Christian rite of burial of the dead is inextricably linked with the thought of a future meeting with Christ. The human body is the temple of his soul, and earthly life- just a door to future life, eternal life. A deceased person is called “deceased” because at the time of the Second Coming of Christ, the souls of people will be reunited with their bodies. The human body is covered with a shroud as a sign of fulfilling the vow of purity and purity of life that the person gave to the Lord during the Sacrament of Baptism. The body of the deceased is covered with a shroud, as a sign that he lived under the protection of the Church.

IN right hand the deceased is enclosed with a cross - a symbol eternal life, an icon of the Savior is placed on the chest, and a paper aureole with the image of Christ, the Mother of God and John the Baptist is placed on the forehead. The crown is a foreshadowing of the Heavenly Crown, which is given to all who have been faithful to God.

When praying for the repose of the deceased, loved ones read the Psalter over the coffin. When the body is transferred to the temple, the funeral service is performed over the deceased. In the temple, the coffin with the body stands in the middle of the church with its feet towards the altar. Candles are lit on four sides of the coffin.

At the grave of a Christian, a Cross is placed at the feet of the deceased. Relatives and friends of the deceased remember him over a joint meal.

On what day after death is the funeral service held?

The burial of a person takes place on the third day after death. The funeral service according to Orthodox custom is also performed on the third day from the moment of death.

The first day is considered to be the day of death itself (that is, if a person died on Wednesday, then it is customary to bury him on Friday).

According to a special rite, the funeral service is performed on the days of Bright Easter Week: instead of sad funeral prayers, joyful solemn chants of Holy Easter are sung.

On the day of the Holy Resurrection of Christ and on the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, the deceased are not brought into the church and funeral services are not performed, moving it to the next day.

How the funeral service is conducted

The funeral service consists of chants that reflect a person’s earthly path. For breaking the commandment of the Lord, a person is expelled from paradise and returns to the land from which he was taken. Nevertheless, man remains the image and likeness of the Creator, therefore the Church prays to forgive man his sins and accept him into the Kingdom of Heaven. The Holy Church prays for the departed, giving them hope for posthumous forgiveness of sins.

To perform a funeral service you need:

• know the will of the deceased himself (often people on their deathbed ask that their soul be sung by a certain priest in a particular church or they ask not to have a funeral service for them, in which case the question of a person’s free will comes to the fore. The Church does not perform a funeral service for those who themselves did not want it) ;
• make sure that the deceased was baptized;
• obtain a death certificate from the civil registry office;
• prepare all documents about the deceased;
• provide all documents at the church, agree on the date, time and place of the funeral service;
• Everything needed for a funeral service can usually be purchased in advance at the church store.

Is it possible to have a funeral service in the morgue?

If there is a chapel at the morgue that belongs to the Russian Orthodox Church, then the person’s funeral service can be performed there. Unfortunately, it often happens that a priest who does not have canonical status performs a funeral service for a person at a morgue. Before the funeral service, it is better to clarify whether the chapel at the morgue belongs to a particular diocese of the Church.

The funeral service usually follows a certain canon.

• After reading the Initial Prayers, the burial of the layman begins with Psalm 90: “He who lives in help will dwell in the blood of the heavenly God...”.

• After it, the entire 17th kathisma is read or sung: “Blessed art thou, O Lord, teach me by Thy justification...” with choruses. Psalm 119 is divided into three articles (parts), for each verse of the first article the refrain: “Alleluia”, for each verse of the second article the refrain: “Have mercy on Thy servant (or Thy handmaid)”, for each verse of the third article the refrain: “Alleluia”, between the articles, the priest pronounces a funeral litany (“Have mercy on us. God, according to the greatness of Your mercy...”). When singing Immaculate, those present at the funeral service stand with lit candles.

• After the 17th kathisma (Psalm 118), the troparia of the fifth tone are sung: “Blessed are You, O Lord, teach me by Your justification...”

• After the troparions of the fifth tone, the priest pronounces the funeral litany.

• After which sedalin for the repose is sung.

• Then the 50th Psalm is read.

• After reading Psalm 50, the funeral canon in tone 6 is sung; after each Irmos there are four troparions, the refrain to the first troparion: “Wonderful is God in His saints, the God of Israel,” to the second troparion: Rest, O Lord, to the soul of Thy departed servant (or the soul of Thy departed servant or Thy servant), to the third troparion: “Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”, to the fourth “And now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen". After the third song of the canon, the priest pronounces the funeral litany and the sedalion is sung:

and the Theotokos Sedalna is sung.

After the sixth song of the canon, the priest pronounces the funeral litany and the funeral kontakion is sung:

and funeral ikos:

• After the canon, the priest pronounces the funeral litany.

• Then the eight funeral stichera of John of Damascus are sung. Each stichera is sung in a different voice of the Osmoglasnik, starting with the first and ending with the eighth voice.

• After the funeral stichera come the Blessed.

• Prokeimenon: “Blessed is the path, you walk today, O soul, for a resting place has been prepared for you.” Verse: “To You, Lord, I will cry, O my God, do not keep silent from me.”

• The Apostle is read, 270 conceived (1 Thess. 4:13–17).

• The corresponding passage from the Gospel of John is also read, beginning 16 (John 5:24–30).

• After reading the Gospel, the litany of repose is pronounced: “Have mercy on us, O God, according to Your great mercy, we pray to You about this, hear and have mercy...”.

• After which the farewell to the deceased begins. The stichera of the second tone are sung, similar to “When from the tree”:

While singing the stichera, relatives and friends give the last kiss to the deceased - they come up to the coffin one by one and kiss the “corolla” lying on the forehead of the deceased and the icon in his hands, before the coffin with the deceased is closed and buried.

• Then the Trisagion and Our Father are read

• Troparions are sung in 4 voices:

• The litany of repose is pronounced, after which the priest says:

The choir sings three times: “Eternal memory.” After which the priest reads a farewell prayer.

With the singing of “Holy God...” the coffin with the body of the deceased is carried out of the temple. Before closing the coffin and placing it in the grave, the priest commits the body of the deceased to the earth - sprinkles earth in a cross shape on the body of the deceased, saying the words: “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulfillment of it, the universe and all who live on it.” Then the priest reads the Permissive Prayer. The coffin is closed with a lid, which is nailed or closed with other locks. After this, when the litiya is sung, the coffin with the body of the deceased is lowered into the grave, with its feet to the east, and while the troparions are chanted: “From the spirits of the righteous who have died, give rest to the soul of Thy servant, O Savior, keeping it in a blessed life,” the grave is covered with earth. A Cross is placed in the place under which the deceased’s feet are located.

Who can't have a funeral service

The Russian Orthodox Church does not perform funeral services for:

• unbaptized (if people themselves did not want to become members of the Church during their lifetime, you can always pray for them privately);
• Gentiles;
• God-fighters;
• those who renounced Christ;
• suicides (the exception is taking one’s own life during a mental illness, but this must be proven and permission to perform a funeral service obtained from the ruling bishop);
• Until recently, funeral services were not performed for unbaptized infants, but recently a special rite was prepared.

Is it possible to sing the funeral service in absentia?

You can also perform funeral services for the deceased in absentia. Funeral services in absentia are carried out in cases where:

• The deceased is buried in a hurry, for example, in a war situation, in a mass grave.
• When people died during an emergency, a major disaster or crash.
• After the funeral, if the funeral service was not performed at the right time.
• If there is no church of the Russian Orthodox Church available.

Does a funeral service provide a “guarantee of entry” into heaven?

A funeral service does not guarantee that a person will certainly go to heaven. There can be no guarantees in faith, but this is exactly what can be done on earth for a person who has already gone to another world. And hope for God’s mercy does not fade away with the death of a person.

The living can continue to pray for the deceased after the funeral service. The funeral meal brings together everyone who knew and loved the person at the table in joint prayer. One of the main dishes of the funeral table is kutia made from wheat or rice grains. Like grain, man is placed in the ground and decays in order to be born again to eternal life. Honey and sweets in kutya symbolize the sweetness of heavenly bliss.

The difference between a funeral service and an “ordinary” prayer for the deceased

Prayer for the departed carries the same mission as the funeral service, but in the case of the funeral service, the entire Church prays for the soul of a person, giving people hope for posthumous forgiveness of sins. Special days of remembrance are the third, ninth and fortieth days after the death of a person. On the third day, remembering the resurrection of Christ, the Church asks the Lord to resurrect a person for eternal life. On the ninth day, the Church asks for the deceased to be canonized among the saints of God. On the fortieth day, a prayer is made that Jesus, having ascended to Heaven, will ascend into the Kingdom of Heaven. At the request of relatives, a person can be remembered in prayer for forty days after his death. This commemoration is called forty-one.

Death is not the end of a person, but only the transition of his soul to eternal life. At the general resurrection, the dead will come to life from the sound of the archangel's trumpet.

Funeral service in absentia

If it is not possible to perform a funeral service for the deceased in a church, then an absentee funeral service can be performed. Relatives order a funeral service at a nearby church. After the funeral service, the relatives are given a whisk, a prayer of permission and earth (or sand) from the funeral table. A prayer of permission is placed in the right hand of the deceased, a paper whisk is placed on his forehead, and after saying goodbye to him in the cemetery, his body, covered from head to toe with a sheet, is sprinkled crosswise (from head to feet, from right shoulder to left, to make a cross) sand.

Remembrance of the dead. Days special commemoration

From ancient times there has been a custom to perform a special commemoration for each deceased person individually on especially important days closest to his death - memorial services (divine services for the deceased). These are the 3rd, 9th, 40th days after death (counting from the first day of death inclusive).
The Orthodox Church believes that thanks to its prayers, dead sinners can receive relief or liberation from afterlife torment. According to Christian belief, the Church has established a series of prayers for the “rest” of the dead and for the granting of “the mercy of God and the kingdom of heaven” to them. Farewell to the afterlife through the prayers of the Church is possible as a daily commemoration of the deceased, annual, even eternal. Usually, immediately after death, magpie is ordered. The main meaning of such a commemoration is that the deceased be remembered during 40 liturgies. Sorokoust is 40 liturgies. Therefore, if the commemoration did not begin on the very day of death, or if it was not performed continuously, then it continues after the 40th day. The 40th day itself is usually celebrated at its own time.
A memorial service and home prayer for the deceased, alms and donations to the church - everything is useful for the dead. But commemoration at the Divine Liturgy is especially useful for them. Many, the Church claims, who died in repentance, but failed to demonstrate it during their lifetime, were freed from torment and received repose.
To order a commemoration during the Divine Liturgy, you need to come to the church before the start of the service and order a mass of repose (state the full name of the deceased). After the service, take the prosphora and eat it at home on an empty stomach in memory of the deceased.
The commemoration of the departed on the third day after death is performed because the deceased was baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the One God in Three. In addition to the theological commemoration of the deceased on the third day, it also has a mysterious meaning, relating to the afterlife state of the soul. When St. Macarius of Alexandria asked the angel who accompanied him in the desert to explain the meaning of the church commemoration on the third day, the angel answered him: “When on the third day there is a commemoration in the church (for the soul of the deceased), then the soul of the deceased receives from the guarding angel relief in the sorrow that feels from separation from the body, receives because the praise and offering in the Church of God were made for her, from which good hope is born in her, for for two days the soul is allowed, together with the angels who are with it, to walk on the earth wherever it wants. ", loving the body, sometimes wanders around the house in which the body is laid, and thus spends two days, like a bird, looking for nests. The virtuous soul walks through those places in which it used to do justice. On the third day, the One who He himself rose from the dead on the third day and commands, in imitation of His resurrection, that the Christian soul ascend to heaven to worship the God of all.”
According to Macarius of Alexandria, during the first two days after death the soul still remains on earth and, accompanied by angels, visits its familiar places. And only on the third day does she ascend to heaven to worship God. On this day, which is called tretina, they commemorate the deceased, pray for his soul (serve a memorial service) and bury him. On the same day, the soul will have to go through the so-called “ordeal” - fallen spirits (“publicans”) try to intercept the soul ascending to God, convicting it of committed (and imperfect) sins. And everyone has a lot of sins - idle talk, lies, slander, gluttony, laziness, theft, greed, envy, arrogance, malice, murder, fornication, adultery, cruelty... During the awareness of one’s sins, falls and deviations - a kind of judgment on oneself - it is very important for the soul not to surrender in despair to fallen spirits - the mentors of all evil on Earth. That is why she so needs defenders, not only heavenly, but also earthly - people who love the deceased and remember his good deeds. Prayers of relatives and loved ones asking for forgiveness of the sins of the deceased help the soul to more easily pass these tests in the “heavenly land” - in the dwelling of evil spirits and demons.
Through sincere repentance, sins committed are destroyed and are no longer mentioned anywhere.
After such an arduous ascent comes the worship of God. According to His instructions, for the next six days the soul is pacified by viewing the “heavenly abodes,” forgetting for the time being the sorrows of its earthly existence. On the ninth day after separation from the body, she again appears before God. And thanks to their prayers, those remaining on Earth again act as “lawyers.” After the second worship of God, the soul is shown hell with all its torments for 30 earthly days. And finally, on the fortieth day, the soul appears before God for the third time, and the righteous Judge determines its further location based on its earthly affairs. Thus, the fortieth day, or “SOROCHINA,” is the day of private judgment, on which the fate of the soul in the afterlife is determined. In other words, on this day the deceased complete their life path and receive reward - their afterlife lot. And on this day, the help of the Church and relatives is very important to them.
The Church does not pray for a person who has committed suicide. If the suicide was under the supervision of a doctor before his death and committed this act in an insane state, you need to bring a document indicating his illness.
Only the mother, at home, is allowed to pray for a suicide. Alms can be given for such a person, but without naming the name of the deceased suicide.
At home you can pray for both the baptized and the unbaptized, but in church - only for the baptized.
It has long been a custom to call the dead - one's own and others', old and young - parents. And on some days - especially Saturdays - a universal commemoration of the dead is performed. These days are called parental Saturdays.
Orthodox Church It is established to remember deceased relatives and friends on every Saturday of the week.
The days of special (special) remembrance of the dead are 5 Ecumenical Saturdays: 1) Meat-free parental Saturday (Saturday 2 weeks before Lent). On this day, the Holy Church prays for all Orthodox Christians who died an unnatural death: during war, earthquakes, floods, etc. 2) Trinity Ecumenical Parental Saturday (Saturday before the Holy Trinity, on the 49th day after Easter). 3) Parents' 2nd, 3rd, 4th Saturdays of Great Lent. Instead of daily commemoration of the dead during the Divine Liturgy, which does not happen during Great Lent, the Holy Church performs enhanced commemoration on these three Saturdays.
Private parenting days
1) Tuesday of St. Thomas Week (Radonitsa) - the second Tuesday after Easter. 2) On September 11, on the day of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist (strict fasting is required), the commemoration of the soldiers who died for the fatherland on the battlefield is performed. Established by decree of Catherine II, during the war with the Turks. 3) Dimitrievskaya parental Saturday (taken a week before November 8 - the day of the Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessaloniki). Established by Grand Duke Dimitri Donskoy after the victory on the Kulikovo Field.
On these days, order mass or proskomedia (Greek - offering) for your loved ones. This is a piece of paper with the heading “On Repose”, which lists the names of the deceased (baptized and those who did not commit suicide).
These days, visit the graves, come to church, and pray during the funeral service for their repose. It will be good if you do all this together with your children. Take out an album with photographs, remember your grandparents and other relatives with your children. Teach your children at least short prayer turn to God.
“Rest, O Lord, the souls of Your departed servants, all our relatives and friends, and grant them the Kingdom of Heaven.”

Wake. Funeral table

After the burial and on days of remembrance, a memorial table was always held. The custom of remembering the dead at meals has been known for a very long time. Even the ancient Jews had the custom of “breaking bread for them as a consolation for the dead.”
In Russia, commemorations on the day of the funeral are a faint echo of the funeral feast. The funeral feast took many days and was a complex set of collective symbolic actions, including feasting, wakes, remembrances, chants and family council on various issues of inheritance or assistance to the family of the deceased.
Russians usually celebrated commemoration of deceased relatives on the 3rd, 9th, 20th, 40th days, on anniversaries and holidays. When celebrating funerals, the peasants believed that on the 9th, 20th, and 40th days after death the soul flies home, so it is necessary to please it. The peasants believed that commemoration eases the suffering of the deceased soul.
Everyone who took part in the funeral was invited to dinner. As a rule, there were a lot of people, so lunch was held in 2-3 doses. The funeral dinner began with prayer. At first, they treated church ministers, washers and diggers, relatives and friends. The table was set before prayer. It was believed that the deceased was invisibly present at the wake; For him, during the funeral dinner, they left a place at the table, put a spoon (sometimes under the tablecloth), a loaf of bread and usually a shot of vodka if a man was dying. It used to be that they left salt and bread on the table overnight and replaced it with fresh bread for forty days.
The indispensable dishes for lunch after a funeral were kutia, honey and oatmeal (cranberry) jelly, and in some areas - fish pie and pancakes.
It is well known that kutia is an obligatory part of funeral rites and wakes. Kutya, as a rule, was brewed from whole, uncrushed grains - most often wheat. (In cities it was replaced by rice). Grain has the ability to preserve and recreate life for a long time, multiplying it. Kutya was usually mixed with berries (bird cherry, in cities - raisins). It can be assumed that kutya marks the constancy of the rebirth of life, despite death. After all, kutya was also used at weddings, christenings, and birthplaces.
Kutya was usually prepared sweet, with honey or molasses. They said “the sweeter the kutya, the more pity the deceased is.”
Kutya had to be taken with a spoon three times.
In addition to rye, oatmeal or cranberry jelly, a bowl of honey diluted in water or mash was mandatory on the table. It was believed that they “made way for the dead man.”
Somewhere there were pancakes, somewhere there was fish pie. But, as a rule, pancakes were served on the 9th and 40th days, and on the day of the funeral (usually the 3rd day after death) pancakes were not placed on the table.
In some areas they also served flour - flour brewed with boiling water with milk or kulesh - porridge with lard.
In the west of the Pskov region, in addition to kutya, they also made kama:
“balls” of grated potatoes boiled in water with flour, lard and onions and topped with broth with meat, seasoned rye flour and onions. Kama was also prepared in Smolensk region. In the West, dumplings were a must-have dish.
The funeral table consisted of 7-8 dishes. The food was prepared depending on what day the funeral occurred (fast or fast). On the fast day, they served roast veal, jellied meat, porridge with milk, and scrambled eggs. On a fast day, they served a soup of dried mushrooms with vegetable oil, salted mushrooms, millet porridge, and jelly. Sweet pies and shangi were prepared any day.
It was not customary to serve potatoes and tea at funerals. They ate with spoons (knives and forks were not used at the funeral table for a very long time), and the pie was broken with their hands.
Today it is generally accepted that at wakes on the day of the funeral there was always a lot of drinking. This is not true. A lot of vodka, beer, wine and food were displayed at fortieth day commemorations, anniversaries, special parents' Saturdays, the 9th and 20th days were celebrated modestly, in a narrow family circle. They cooked kutya from rice or wheat with honey, molasses or sugar, baked pies and then distributed the pies and kutya throughout the village or neighbors, inviting each family to remember the deceased. Be sure to visit the cemetery and give alms to the poor. Gradually, the custom of remembering the dead on the 20th day was completely forgotten.
If the wake (3, 9, 40 days, anniversary) falls during Great Lent, then in the 1st, 4th and 7th week of Lent no one is invited to the funeral. Only those closest to you should be present at the table. If memorial days fall on weekdays in other weeks of Lent, they are moved to the next Saturday and Sunday. This is called counter commemoration.
The dead are remembered with the food that is provided on the day of the funeral: on Wednesday, Friday, on the days parent posts- lean, meat-eater - lean.
Funeral kutia
1. 1 cup rice, 2 cups water or milk, 1/2 cup raisins, 2 tbsp. spoons of sugar, salt to taste.
Rinse the rice, cook the crumbly porridge in water or milk with sugar, adding washed raisins halfway through cooking. Place in a heap on a plate.
2. 200 g rice, 100 g sultanas, 100 g fine sugar, 50 g walnuts, 100 g marmalade.
Rinse the rice and boil in water until soft, along with the sultanas, rinse with cold water, and let the water drain. Then transfer to a dish, pour over sugar boiled in hot water, mix with walnuts and remove with marmalade.
3. Kutya (Epiphany) is prepared in the same way as the previous one, but from wheat instead of rice and honey instead of sugar. Oatmeal jelly with honey 2 cups crushed oatmeal, 4 cups water, 2 teaspoons. spoons of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon. spoons of salt, honey and butter to taste.
Grind oatmeal in a mortar, add warm water and leave in a warm place for 1-1.5 days. Then stir, strain and squeeze. Add sugar and salt to the resulting liquid and cook, stirring, until it thickens. If you need a more liquid jelly, you can dilute it with 1 cup hot water or milk. Pour hot jelly into molds and cool. Serve with butter and honey. This jelly can be cooked from Hercules oatmeal.
A few tips: when cooking jelly, pour in starch diluted with water immediately, not in parts, and stir quickly. Pour the starch closer to the sides of the pan, not into the middle.
Lemon acid will improve not only the taste of the jelly, but also its color.
If you add vanillin, a little lemon zest, orange zest or cloves, cinnamon to hot jelly, it will be more aromatic.

Modern funeral and memorial rites taking into account past traditions

Funeral and memorial rites and associated customs occupy a special place in rituals life cycle and today. Many rituals have been forgotten and become a thing of the past. The modern funeral ritual is much simpler and shorter than even that of our great-grandparents.
A funeral meeting, a brass band, a tombstone instead of a cross - attributes of the Soviet era. In cities and large villages, preparations for the funeral were taken over by special ritual services, and relatives most often only have to arrive at the crematorium or accompany the deceased to the cemetery. But some customs and superstitions are still alive, connecting us with our ancestors.
In order to give everyone the opportunity to say goodbye to the deceased, a room in the apartment is vacated in which the coffin is installed. For older people it is upholstered with red fabric with a black border, for children - with pink fabric, for young people - with white fabric with a black border.
Wreaths and flowers are placed around the coffin and along the wall. The best flowers to buy for this occasion are chrysanthemums, daffodils, eryngium, carnations, and tulips. It is customary to make a bouquet of an even number of flowers.
The custom of covering mirrors in the house with thick dark fabric has also been preserved.
15-20 minutes before the removal of the coffin, only the closest and dearest remain with the deceased.
First, they bring out wreaths, then - a portrait of the deceased, tied with a mourning ribbon, then they bring out the coffin lid - with the narrow part forward - and the coffin.
They carry out the deceased, as before, feet first. The coffin is carried by men, but not by close relatives. Relatives and friends go first behind the coffin.
Before closing the coffin with a lid, the face is covered and fresh flowers are removed from the coffin.
Since time immemorial, there has been a custom of throwing a handful of earth into the grave; first of all, it is obligatory for relatives.
By ancient tradition While there is a dead person in the house, revenge is not accepted. After removing the coffin, women wash the floor in the house (apartment).
To this day, the custom of giving alms at funerals as a sign of the memory of the deceased has been firmly preserved.
Having lost a loved one, it is necessary to notify everyone you would like to see at the funeral. It is customary to respond to such a notification with an expression of condolences.
A funeral is, first of all, a purely family event, and if the deceased previously expressed any wishes regarding his funeral, then they should certainly be fulfilled. Relatives inform the deceased’s work colleagues about whether the funeral will be organized with the participation of a wide range of people or just relatives.
Do not think that you cannot talk to the relatives of the deceased about the deceased or that they do not want to. Loved ones sometimes feel an urgent need to talk to someone, trying to understand their state of mind - this helps them overcome the blow that has befallen them.
Work employees lay a wreath after relatives and friends.
If the funeral ceremony is of an official nature, the relatives of the deceased are to the left of him (as viewed from the head of the head), and the official representatives are to the right.
While laying wreaths, you can read the text of the inscription on the mourning ribbon. If farewell speeches are not made, then after the wreath is installed, you should linger in front of the grave for a few seconds, honor the memory of the deceased with silence, bow to his family and then leave.
It is customary to dress in black for a funeral, and although not everyone has strictly adhered to this rule lately, clothing of a provocative style or bright colors is completely inappropriate.
Death makes omissions and conflicts petty and funny, so people come to the cemetery even if the relationship with the deceased was not cloudless.
When expressing your condolences, do not forget that verbosity, even in consolation, will be unnecessary, that loud conversations and noisy movements near the coffin are unacceptable.
The tradition of organizing a memorial dinner immediately after the funeral, as well as on the 9th, 40th days and on the anniversary of death, is still alive. Increasingly, such dinners are ordered in a restaurant or canteen, which is why the main meaning of the memorial rite is lost - to gather together for the last time in the house of the deceased, where he seems to be invisibly present, where everything still remains the same as during his life.
After the funeral ceremony is over, someone close to the deceased invites those present to the wake. The difficulty usually lies in the fact that it is difficult to predict in advance how many people will come to accompany the deceased on his last journey. And everyone who came to the funeral should be invited to the wake. Here, the assistants preparing the funeral table sometimes have a difficult time.
It should be noted that tactful people, if they were not in a fairly close relationship with the deceased, refuse to participate in the wake. Among other things, with a large crowd of people, the atmosphere of sadness and grief, which is so necessary at a wake, is destroyed, when relatives and friends remember the deceased, pay their last respect to him, and try to support the family of the deceased. Instead, there is excessive fuss and nervousness, in which there is no longer any room for truly heartfelt words, deep, serious thoughts about life and death, about kindness.
It is good if one of the close friends of the deceased tactfully directs the entire memorial ceremony, because the relatives of the deceased are so grief-stricken and exhausted that they are unlikely to be able to do this.
Serving a funeral dinner should be strict and restrained. The tablecloth is pure white. Preferably white flowers - asters, gladioli, chrysanthemums, callas. It is necessary to designate the place where the deceased liked to sit, place his device here, a glass of vodka on a plate. None of those present sits in this place.
Funeral kutia, honey, jelly, pancakes are still an obligatory part of the funeral table.
The funeral dinner should not be plentiful: a minimum of cold appetizers and some of the main hot courses. The dessert is very light; cake is inappropriate here. Champagne is also inappropriate.
The atmosphere of the wake should be discreet. You should not make long toasts or remember jokes that the deceased loved.
People do not stay late at the funeral table, especially those who are not part of the deceased’s home.
New law Russian Federation“On burial and funeral business” for the first time establishes state guarantees of free burial of the dead.
From now on, the burial of the deceased will be carried out taking into account his will and wishes expressed during his lifetime. This means that any citizen of Russia during his lifetime has the right not to give consent to a pathological and anatomical autopsy, as well as express wishes about the burial place and according to what customs the ceremony should be carried out.
The law also defines a minimum list of free burial services provided by the state.
Nadezhda Pavlovich
When the elements are beyond
A wing touches you
Press your cross closer to your body,
May your heart be light!
Listen to distant calls!
That's not what a mother calls a child!
And - look around! Are you ready
To answer these calls?
I pray for one thing: in consciousness
Let me meet my death.
So that the last breath of repentance
Was the first breath in that land.
A. K. Tolstoy (1817-1875)
TO CONSOLE THOSE WHO CRY FOR THE DEAD
What sweetness in this life
Are you not involved in earthly sorrow?
Whose expectations are not in vain?
And where is the happy one among people?
Everything is wrong, everything is insignificant,
What we gained with difficulty.
What glory on earth
Standing, firm and immutable?
Everything is ashes, ghost, shadow and smoke,
Everything will disappear like a dusty whirlwind;
And we stand before death
Both unarmed and powerless:
The mighty hand is weak,
All princes' commands are insignificant...
Receive the deceased slave,
Like a formidable knight, death found
Me; like a predator, she deposed;
The grave opened its mouth
And she took everything in life.
Save yourself, relatives and children! -
From the grave I call to you, -
Save yourself, brothers and friends,
May you not see the flames of hell!
All life is a kingdom of vanity,
And, feeling the breath of death,
We fade like flowers
Why are we fussing in vain?
Our halls the essence of the coffin,
Our joys are destruction...
Receive the deceased slave,
Lord, to the blessed villages!
Among a pile of smoldering bones
Who is the king? who is the slave? judge or warrior?
Who is worthy of the Kingdom of God?
And who is the outcast villain?
Oh brothers! where are the silver and gold?
Where are the many hosts of slaves?
Among the unknown coffins
Who is poor and who is rich?
Everything is ashes, smoke, and dust, and ashes,
Everything is a ghost, a shadow and a specter...
Only with You in Heaven,
Lord, harbor and salvation!
All that was flesh will disappear,
Our greatness will decay...
Receive the deceased, Lord,
To Your blessed villages!
And You, Intercessor to the grieving!
To you about your brother lying here,
To You, Holy One, we cry:
Pray to the Divine Son,
Pray to His Most Pure One,
So that the deceased on earth
I left my troubles here!
Everything is ashes, dust, smoke, and shadow...
Oh, friends, don't believe the ghost!
When it dies on an unexpected day
The decaying breath of death,
We will all lie down like bread,
Pruned with a sickle in the fields...
Receive the deceased slave,
Lord, in happy villages!
I'm going on an unknown path,
I walk between fear and hope,
My gaze has faded, my chest has grown cold,
Hearing does not listen, the lids are closed.
I lie silent, motionless,
I don’t hear brotherly sobs,
And from the censer there is blue smoke
It’s not me that the fragrance flows.
But, eternal sleep while I sleep,
My love doesn't die
And with this, brothers, I pray to you,
Yes, everyone cries out to the Lord:
Lord, on the day when the trumpet
The trumpet of the world will sound, -
Receive the deceased slave
To Your blessed villages!

K. Balmont (1880-1934)
GRAVE FLOWERS
Among the graves there is a vague whisper,
The vague whisper of the breeze.
A sad sigh, a sad murmur,
The sad murmur of the willow tree.
Shadows wander among the graves
Deceased grandfathers and fathers,
And onto the church steps
The shadows of the dead rise.
And they knock on the church door,
They knock until dawn
Until they light up in the distance
The sky is pale amber.
Then, realizing that life is minute,
That their struggle is unsuccessful,
Sobbing sadly and vaguely,
They go to their coffins.
That's why they shine in the morning
Flowers over a dark slab:
Bitter tears tremble in them
About life - life lived.

Arseny Tarkovsky (1907-1989)
Living me to the funeral
I got used to it little by little.
We comply, thank God,
Sequence by year.
But my age,
My former companion,
Left without complying
Unsteady rules of existence.
A few worthless roses
I brought it to the funeral service
False memory
He brought them along with roses.
It's like we're in nowhere
We're going with her on the tram,
And the rain comes down
Rainbow on the wires.
And under yellow lights
In seven-color plumage
Tears of happiness for a moment
They will light up before our eyes.
And the cheek is still wet,
And the hand is still cool,
And she's still so greedy
In love with life and happiness.
In the morgue the milky light lies
On a silver glaze,*
And I am responsible for this death
Conscience cries and trembles,
Trying in vain even just a little bit
Move the wax mask
And fatal publicity
Overwhelm with hot salt.

* Brocade with a colored silk base and gold and silver patterns woven on it.

Arseny Tarkovsky
Let's get together little by little
Let's kiss the dead forehead,
Let's go out on the road together,
Let's carry the pine coffin.
There is a custom: along the fences
And gates on the way
Without censers, prayers and choirs
Carry the coffin through the streets.
I'm not giving you a cross,
I don’t sing ancient songs,
I will not glorify, I will not defame
Your poor soul.
Why should I light candles?
Sing at your grave?
You don't hear our speech
And you don't remember anything.
Just hear - it's lighter than smoke
And more silent than the grasses of the earth
In the cold of my native land
The heaviness of your tender eyelids.

Hurry to do good (Charity in Russia)

Give to the one who asks from you, but do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
(Matt. 5, 42)
Charity, according to V. Dahl’s definition, is the property, the quality of a benefactor - a person who is ready to do good, to help the poor and sick. Since the need to do good has always been inherent in people, the tradition of charity dates back to the most distant times. The first Russian philanthropist known from the chronicles was Vladimir the Red Sun, the baptist of Rus'. Anyone could go into his chambers and get food and shelter there, and for those who were not able to make it to the prince’s court, servants delivered food on carts.
The tradition of merciful deeds was continued by subsequent rulers. The acts of the tsar's "love of poverty" can be judged from the surviving expense records about the issuance of various amounts for distribution to prisoners and the poor. So, on October 19, 1664, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich deigned to send 300 rubles to his confessor for alms distribution - a very significant amount for that time. There is also an order to distribute “two-money bread for alms according to orders, to prisons, to prison inmates, to poor people in almshouses, and to especially 1000 people on the streets of beggars.”
Charity also occupied an important place in the life of the queens. In addition to the alms generously distributed during pilgrimage outings and days, assistance was provided to numerous poor people, mainly women, who took advantage of the queen’s constant mercy and supported her with petitions through the clerk. In them, widows and orphans talked about their plight: some went to the monastery as an orphan and asked to be tonsured; wrote: “I arranged for my daughter to be married, but to give it to me for a period after Epiphany, on the first Sunday, but I have nothing to give it to me,” or: “My children have learned how to take chapels, but there is nothing to buy a psalter, order a date for the psalter, than you, Empress, God will notify."
The petition was read to the queen herself and a salary was given: for the most part, a hryvnia was assigned, half a ruble was the average salary, sometimes one, two or more altyns were given. In particularly respectful cases, rubles were complained about.
Sometimes petitions from prisoners from prisons also reached the queens. This is the message addressed to Evdokia Streshneva, the grandmother of Peter I: “Your sovereign orphans, poor prisoners from the dungeon, from Rozryad, from the breech, Lithuania, Tatars, the Germans and all sorts of little people are beating their foreheads. 27 people. We are dying, great empress, poor prisoners from ""
Ordinary mortals also devoted a lot of time to charitable deeds. Every prosperous, and even more so rich, house gathered the poor, the strange, the wretched, the crippled, the holy fools, the old men and old women. According to contemporaries, ten lepers lived in the house of the famous Russian statesman A. Adashev (died in 1561), whom he secretly fed and washed with his own hands.
Even in the times of ancient Rus', monasteries served as bodies of public charity, at which, as at parish churches, almshouses and huts were set up, where all the disadvantaged, wretched and sick, as well as professional beggars, were indiscriminately accepted, forming a special class of “church and almshouse people” . The need to streamline these matters was already pointed out by the Council of the Hundred Heads, but it was energetically and sternly taken up, as usual, by Peter I, who, persecuting beggary, ordered the ecclesiastical department to establish almshouses in all provinces, and the magistrates to arrange strait houses for the imprisonment of professional male beggars, and for beggars-women-spinning.
Catherine II raised the matter of public charity a step higher. Having laid the foundation for educational homes in 1763, she later introduced special orders for public charity into the provincial regulations.
Charity especially developed in Russia after the appearance of the manifesto on the abolition of serfdom (1861). By the end of the reform year, there were 8 charitable societies, and by the beginning of the 20th century their number had increased so much that the official bodies could only state that there were “a lot” of such societies.
One figure is eloquent: in 1894, cities spent 11.6% of all expenses on the maintenance of charitable and other charitable institutions, including hospitals, in 50 provinces of the European part of Russia (excluding the Kingdom of Poland).
Worldly donations consisted of two articles - charity and treatment of the orphaned and wretched and various donations.
Charity was part of both the morality of society and Everyday life each person. Of course, the largest donations came from merchants, nobles and the imperial family, but this did not mean that other, poorer sections of the population were left out. For example, according to custom, old things were taken to church, which were then distributed to those in need.
A special place was occupied by philanthropists, merchants and industrialists, about whose rise to the pedestal of Russian charitable life F. I. Chaliapin wrote: “A Russian peasant, having escaped from the village at a young age, begins to build his fortune as a future merchant or industrialist in Moscow. He sells sbiten at the Khitrovo market, sells pies... Life is unprepossessing for him. He himself often spends the night with tramps at the same Khitrovo market... And then, guess what, he is already a merchant of the 1st guild. Wait: his eldest son is taking Matisse to Moscow. And we , enlightened, we look with disgusting mouths agape at all the Matisses, Manets and Renoirs that we still do not understand and say nasally and critically: “Tyrant.” Meanwhile, the tyrants slowly accumulated wonderful treasures of art, created galleries, first-class theaters, set up hospitals and orphanages... ".
The names of the patrons - the grandiose Savva Morozov and the founder of the Art Theater K. S. Stanislavsky, the merchant A. Bakhrushin, the founder of the first theater museum in Russia, the publisher A. Suvorin and many others - are unforgettable. It so happened that it was Moscow merchants and entrepreneurs who were mostly known, but St. Petersburg also had its own philanthropists. For example, the merchants Eliseev brothers created the first courses in Russia for teaching commerce, a free women's handicraft school (Sredny Ave., 20), etc.
Of course, history, as usual, remembers big deeds, but isn’t it surprising that in 1896 the average Russian peasant gave 4 rubles of alms to the disadvantaged - the then price of four pounds of bread.
In Russia it was customary for everyone who asked for Christ’s sake to give. Anyone who got up at church on Sunday or a holiday could count on generous alms. Even children were provided with a scattering of small coins before going to the temple.
Mandatory donations to the poor were accompanied by large Orthodox holidays. Among them, the Nativity of Christ should be especially highlighted. On Christmas nights, mummers went from house to house for alms; it was not customary to refuse, and the owners of the houses prudently stocked up on small money, various foodstuffs and used things. Tables were also set up for the poor.
Charity was so characteristic of the post-reform times that at times it even became the target of witticisms. So, widespread at the end of the 19th century. The practice of charity balls and auctions found the following response in Moskovskie Vedomosti:
For brothers orphans and wretched
I was completely exhausted.
I danced for the lame,
I ate and drank for the hungry.
But the soul of the people, even in proverbs, has always been drawn to kindness.
We will clothe the naked, we will put shoes on the barefoot; Let us feed the greedy, give drink to the thirsty, guide the dead - we will earn the kingdom of heaven.
Whoever feeds the orphans knows God.
Collect with one hand, distribute with the other!
The hand of the giver will not fail.
You are not rich by what you have, but rich by what you are happy with (i.e., what you share).
God gives to the thrifty, but the devil takes away from the stingy.
A good cause is gaining momentum. Former traditions are being revived. As if out of oblivion, societies, foundations, charity and charity organizations appear. A law on charitable activities in Russia has been adopted.
Remember, friends: God helps the good. Hurry up to do good!
Charity is sacred!
The soul of the worlds, the mother of creations!
The universe moves through you:
Your grace is omnipotent...
A. Pisarev.

Why is a funeral service necessary?

On the eve of Radonitsa, we offer you a short article about the meaning and meaning of the funeral service, and also answer some questions.

A Christian accompanies any matter, from the most seemingly insignificant to the more important, with prayer, turning to God for His blessing. When we wake up, go to bed, sit down to eat, we say prayers; when we give birth to a child, we baptize him and thereby introduce him into eternal life, when we get married, we perform the sacrament of wedding, and so on. Especially when our close person is dying, we are praying intensely for him. We do not know whether the person repented of his sins before death, or whether he forgot to repent of something important. And therefore we ask that his soul be forgiven and enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

The soul of the deceased passes into a new, completely different world, and it must be escorted there, given the “last kiss,” with dignity. The sacrament of death, as it is often called, is accompanied by a special prayer rite - and the funeral service is the most important and, one might say, solemn moment when burying a person’s body. A funeral service is something that benefits the soul of the deceased. This benefit will not be brought by, say, a minute of silence, or any special ritual accessories - wreaths, flowers, etc., because this is something simplified, and sometimes ostentatious. By performing the funeral service for the deceased, we are indeed doing a good deed for him.

In addition, the funeral service is also useful for us. We understand that death is the beginning of eternal life, but if the Lord Himself cried when his friend Lazarus died, how can we not cry too? After all, it happens that we bury not only people dying of old age, but also children, spouses, friends, which seems to us unnatural, unfair, and so on. The prayers that are sung during the funeral service are a consolation for a person who is in grief.

Also, while performing the funeral service, we come into contact with eternity, imagine ourselves lying in a tomb, think about how we will go to God’s Judgment. It happens, for example, that some girls reason like this: I will sin, and then, like Mary of Egypt, I will repent. Of course, such a point of view is unacceptable, but, in addition, we may simply not have time. Therefore, the funeral service is edifying: it reminds us that we need to be Christians.

Can our prayers at a funeral service influence the fate of the deceased?

When we pray for a person, we believe that the Lord will hear our prayers. Moreover, Jesus Christ Himself told us: Where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of them (Matthew 18:20). Therefore, we hope that when we collectively pray at the funeral service for the forgiveness of a person’s sins “free and involuntary,” and sing “Rest in peace, O Christ, the soul of your servant,” the Lord dwells among us.

It is important to understand that the funeral service is a link in a large chain of spiritual work that we need to do for our deceased, loved ones. Therefore, it is not enough to simply come to the funeral service, stand with a gloomy face and carnations in your hands, and start going about your everyday affairs again. It all begins with preparing a person for the sacrament of death - with the dying person receiving the Holy Mysteries of Christ (if possible). Further, when a person dies, the canon for the outcome of the soul is read - so that the person’s soul is strengthened in such a trembling hour. Before the funeral service, a requiem service is performed in the church - a short prayer for the deceased. And now comes the rite of the funeral itself - the most important rite of prayer. Again, nothing ends here: ahead of us are 40 days of very important prayers for a person, reading the psalter at home and prayers at the Divine Liturgy.

Does a funeral service guarantee that a soul will go to heaven?

There are seven church sacraments - these are the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, the sacrament of Repentance (confession), the sacrament of Communion (Eucharist), the sacrament of marriage, the sacrament of the priesthood (ordination). After performing the sacrament of Baptism, for example, we can claim that a person has become a Christian, that he is now part of the Church; after consecration, we can claim that a person has become a priest, and so on. A sacrament always guarantees something. The funeral service is not a church sacrament: it is a special rite or prayer, and we cannot be sure that a person will certainly go to heaven.

This should encourage us not to do good deeds with one hand and sinful deeds with the other. A person can be engaged in the restoration of the temple, and, at the same time, lead a dissolute life - but after death and burial with all honors, it will most likely happen as in one parable, when the angel did not let the rich man into heaven, returning to him all the money that he donated to temples. Therefore, it is pointless to take advantage of the fact that you are helping the Church. This applies to everyone, not just those who donate funds. They say, for example, that washing the floor in a temple is a great blessing. But you need to understand that this alone will not save the cleaning lady. You cannot buy a ticket to the Kingdom of Heaven.

MCan a soul go to heaven without a funeral service?

Certainly. The funeral service is not a condition for the salvation of the soul. Some monks, for example, treated their person with the greatest disdain: they bequeathed to throw their body into a ditch, into a cesspool, so that stray dogs would eat their bones, and so on. One can also recall the righteous youth Artemy Verkolsky, who was killed by lightning, and his fellow villagers, considering such a death as a heavenly punishment, did not even bother to bury him and simply covered him with brushwood. And 28 years later they discovered that his body was incorrupt.

But there is no need to perceive the funeral service as an unimportant action, because for a deceased person this is the main gift that we can give him. Nowadays, we are faced with the fact that people do not want to perform a funeral service for the deceased, since this is associated with considerable costs for transport and so on. And if the poor old lady, who is everything last years lived, praying and dreaming of quickly departing to the Lord, nothing would happen if she was not sung, then, of course, for her relatives who wanted to save money, this could become a grave sin.

Is it possible to perform a funeral service for the deceased after the funeral?

It is possible, but only in exceptional cases. Let's say a sailor died on a ship, and his body was lowered into the sea, or a soldier died in a war, and he was buried in the nearest place - in such cases, the deceased are buried after the funeral. It is also possible that due to historical events, our parents, grandparents were not buried in a proper Christian way - then we can also explain the situation to the priest and perform the funeral service - in the Church or in the cemetery.

However, if relatives are going to schedule a funeral service after the funeral out of convenience, this is, of course, wrong.

Do I need to obtain permission for a funeral service?

Permission for a funeral service is taken if the question of whether a person can be buried or not is controversial. For example, if we are talking about suicide. The parish priest does not have the right to decide for himself whether to perform the funeral service in such cases or not. Such issues are decided by the bishop. For example, if suicide was committed in a state of mental disorder, then you need to contact the diocesan administration so that the bishop gives his blessing and explains how to continue praying for the deceased.

Who shouldn't have a funeral service?

We cannot perform funeral services for people who deliberately did not accept baptism - because they were not part of the Church. We need to keep this in mind and, if possible, try to talk with our unbaptized relatives and loved ones and try to facilitate their baptism - at least so that our conscience is calm that we were there and did everything that depended on us. And then everything depends on the free will of the person himself.

Likewise, we cannot perform funeral services for people who committed suicide, and who lived as obvious atheists, who laughed at the Church, at the “priests.”

But you can also pray for them, so that the Lord will forgive them their grave sins. Because God has many mansions. We can pray for them privately (at home), we can pray silently in church.

Is it possible to perform funeral services for drug addicts?

Surely, people who suffer from drug or alcohol addiction deliberately did this. But it is important to understand that the task of the Church is not to destroy, but, if possible, to justify a person. And such people are not among those whom the Church is prohibited from performing funeral services.

How to behave at a funeral service?

If a person is not familiar with church services, then most often, when he comes to the funeral service, he faces not the altar, but the coffin, and throughout the service he does not take his eyes off the deceased. This is, of course, wrong. Unfortunately, this story repeats itself over and over again - although it is difficult to demand anything from a person in a difficult moment for him.

But still, a funeral service is a prayer service that takes place in a church, and therefore those who come must pray for the deceased, listen to the words of the priest and the choir and try to understand them.

Why do priests perform the funeral service in white vestments?

We put on white vestments when we baptize and have funeral services - because both of these events are the most important in a person’s life, major holidays. When a person dies, he passes into eternal life, he sees the light, and this light is Christ. Therefore, we, like the myrrh-bearing women who walked to the tomb of the Lord in white robes, also put on white robes.

And black is not a liturgical color: even priests’ vestments are distinguished by white and silver embroidery.

Those who come to the funeral service, as a rule, wear black mourning clothes, although this does not apply to the Christian tradition. However, it is not so easy to escape from secular rules in modern world: firstly, most often the death of loved ones is perceived by us as a tragedy, and not as a holiday, and secondly, if everyone comes to the funeral service in black, and one person comes in light, he can become a reason for indignation and condemnation.

Christians in Orthodoxy and Catholicism attach great importance to the funeral of the deceased in church. It is believed that without this ritual, the soul of a deceased person will not be able to find peace and will be doomed to eternal wanderings between two worlds.

Why is this necessary?

According to Christian tradition, before death a person must have time to repent of his sins. This increases the likelihood that the soul of the deceased will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. In some cases, the dying person has no opportunity to repent. Being young and healthy, a person does not think about the frailty of life. Death can come unexpectedly. Every day thousands of people die in car accidents, during robberies on their homes, etc.

The funeral service for the deceased is a blessing from the church that is given to a person’s soul. The essence of this ritual is to Higher power forgave the person who had just died and allowed him to find eternal peace. The Church calls on the relatives and friends of the deceased, first of all, to pray for the soul of the one who was loved and dear, and not to arrange a rich funeral or a magnificent commemoration. The sacrament of death (as the funeral service is often called) is much more necessary for the newly deceased than beautiful wreaths and expensive monuments in the cemetery.

The ritual is necessary not only for the deceased, but also for his loved ones.

Being close to a deceased relative or friend, a person involuntarily thinks about the fragility of everything earthly. People understand that death awaits everyone, that sooner or later they will have to leave this world. For many, the departure of loved ones becomes a real shock, which makes them think about their own soul, reconsider their lives, and renounce sinful actions.

It is advisable to carry out the ritual in a temple, which is considered a holy place. It is completely acceptable to invite clergy to your home. The church allows the ritual to be performed in absentia if the remains of the deceased are not found and cannot be buried. Sometimes transporting the body to the temple is impossible. If the priest is unable to visit the house of the deceased, the relatives of the deceased should ask the church for help.

Clergymen usually make concessions. Relatives are given land, a piece of paper with a prayer of permission and a whisk. The ceremony will be held in absentia. The whisk is placed on the deceased's forehead. A piece of paper with a prayer should be placed in the right hand of the deceased.

The body is sprinkled with earth in a cross pattern: from head to toe, then from right shoulder to left.

There are 5 types of funeral services:

1. For babies. Babies don't just include newborns. The Church calls all children who died before reaching the age of seven this way.
2. For worldly people.
3. Easter. Funeral services are not held during Easter week. The ceremonies take place on the first week of Easter.
4. For monks and hieromonks.
5. For priests and bishops. The rituals are more solemn than those of ordinary monks.

Is it necessary to do this?

Believers tend to act too arrogantly towards those who are not observant Christians or who do not believe in God at all. Believers believe that it is enough to regularly attend church and perform all the rituals in order to get to heaven. They see the funeral service as a guarantee of entry into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Even during their lifetime, they make sure that after their departure, their relatives order this ritual in the temple.

The sacrament of death does not guarantee that a Christian will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. There are 7 church sacraments, including repentance, baptism and some others. Each of the rituals guarantees something to the believers. After repentance, people may believe that their sin will be forgiven, unless they have no intention of continuing to sin. After baptism, a person can call himself a Christian, and Christian Church- his intercessor before God.

The funeral service is not a church sacrament, despite the fact that it is sometimes called the sacrament of death. One should not think that an inveterate sinner who deliberately caused harm to his neighbors and led an incorrect lifestyle will enter heaven just because he was buried. There are known cases when righteous people, who had moved away from the world, bequeathed to throw their body into a garbage pit or give it to dogs to be torn to pieces. In this way they wanted to show their disdain for the mortal body, which they considered unclean. Righteous Artemy Verkolsky was killed by lightning. Such a death was recognized as a punishment from the Almighty. The righteous man himself began to be considered a sinner. Not only was there no funeral service for him, but also no funeral service. The body was left in a deserted place and covered with brushwood. Almost 30 years later it was discovered. To the surprise of the believers, the body remained incorrupt. The miracle was evidence that Artemy is a man of God.

Despite the fact that the funeral rite is not prerequisite entering the Kingdom of Heaven, one should not forget about the mystery of death. Carrying out the ritual is associated with considerable costs, which forces believers to refuse to perform the funeral service for the deceased. The deceased, if he led a relatively righteous life, strived to be a true Christian and repented of his sins, will be rewarded after death. Relatives for whom the only reason for refusing the ritual is material costs, will be severely punished. If a person had no relatives, those with whom he had close contact during his lifetime, or those to whom he bequeathed his property, should take care of his soul.

The absence of family ties does not relieve responsibility from the living.

When is the sacrament performed?

The funeral service in the church takes place before the burial ceremony. The church reserves the right for loved ones to hold it after the funeral. But this right can be exercised in exceptional cases. It is permissible to perform a funeral service in absentia for a soldier who was killed in war and buried far from home. In recent decades, special search teams have been finding the remains of soldiers who died during the Second World War. The bodies are reburied in the cemetery and a ritual is performed.

The need to carry out a ritual after burial may also be caused by the fact that at one time the deceased was not buried according to Christian tradition due to ideological considerations. Some representatives of the older generation, born in the Soviet Union, were not inveterate. Today, religion is not persecuted as it was in the middle of the last century. Children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren must take care of the souls of their deceased parents and grandparents. It doesn't matter how much time has passed since the person died.

Sincere prayer for him will always be accepted.

If the reason for the funeral service after the funeral was ordinary everyday inconvenience (wedding, vacation, work), the living are burdened with sin, for which they will have to answer both in this life and in the next world.

When can you get a refusal?

In certain cases, special permission is required to perform the ceremony. The deceased may not have a funeral service if he:

1. Suicide. Taking one’s own life is considered by the church as one of the most serious sins, which is difficult to atone for. There is usually no funeral service for people who commit suicide. In Rus', such a person was not even buried in a cemetery next to the righteous. Nevertheless, exceptions are still possible. If a person was mentally ill, the church cannot hold him accountable as if he were mentally healthy. Relatives must be presented with a doctor's report stating that the deceased was ill and did not control his behavior. The parish priest does not have the right to decide on the conduct of the funeral service. This issue is decided only by the bishop. You need to make a request to the diocese.
2. Unbaptized. The Church cannot see off a person who did not belong to her on his final journey. The funeral service for infants who did not have time to be baptized may be permitted. The newborn is not to blame for the fact that his parents did not introduce him into the church on time. Often the parents themselves cannot be blamed for this. Death comes unexpectedly, and people are rarely prepared for its arrival. Permission may be required to perform the ceremony. However, if the deceased, being already of a conscious age, refused the sacrament of baptism, there will be no leniency towards him. He will be denied a funeral service in the church. The task of loved ones is to persuade the unbaptized person to undergo the ceremony, especially if he is terminally ill and there is a high probability that he will die soon.
3. An atheist or an inveterate sinner. A person who led an immoral lifestyle, called for atheism, organized persecution of religion and did not repent of his actions before death cannot be punished according to the Christian rite.

The question of whether it is possible to perform funeral services for drug addicts and alcoholics remains open. Most clergy agree that this is necessary. The Church should not pass a harsh sentence on the sinner, but try to justify him before God. Drug addiction and alcoholism should be viewed as a disease, and the patient should not be judged. Often people fall into sin unconsciously, start drinking out of grief, trying to forget their problems.

Until recently, there was a ban on funeral services for those cremated.

The body of a Christian must be buried in the earth. However, the ban was lifted as cremation became more common. In some cases it is even necessary.

How is the ceremony performed?

The relatives of the deceased need to come to the temple and negotiate with the priest. This must be done immediately after the news of death is received. There are many rituals performed in churches every day. Temple workers must determine the time for each ceremony. The priest will inform you in advance about what you need to bring with you to your family and friends in church. Typically, mandatory ritual items include candles, a funeral aureole, pectoral cross of the deceased, a small icon, a funeral veil and a piece of paper with a prayer of permission.

Throughout the ceremony, each mourner must hold a burning candle in their hands. The coffin is brought into the church without a lid. The whisk, which is placed on the forehead of the deceased, symbolizes the crown of the earthly path that the deceased passed with honor. The priest reads psalms and Holy Scripture. The singers sing special funeral stichera and troparia. After this, a certificate of forgiveness of sins must be proclaimed. It is believed that the newly departed soul will be forgiven the sins it had time to repent of during its stay on earth. But even in cases where a person died without repentance, the ritual removes some of his sins.

The ceremony ends with a prayer of permission.

The next stage is saying goodbye to the deceased. Relatives and friends approach the coffin and bow to the ground. According to tradition, it is necessary to kiss the icon on the chest of the deceased, and then the aureole. The body is covered with a blanket. The coffin is closed with a lid and nailed down. After this, the burial ceremony takes place. On average, the mystery of death lasts 40–50 minutes. It is very difficult to say in advance exactly what the duration will be. It all depends on a number of circumstances.

How should family and friends behave?

The ignorant do not know how to behave during the funeral of the deceased, how to dress, etc. Those present at the ceremony most often wear black mourning clothes. This is not considered correct. When a person dies, he has to go from death to a new life. The death of the mortal body becomes liberation for the immortal soul, which goes to better world and sees the light ahead. A funeral service for a priest is an occasion to put on white vestments, as when performing the sacrament of baptism. Both ceremonies are the most important in a person’s life: first he is accepted into this world, and then he is escorted to a better one.

As strange as it may sound, funerals should not be viewed as a reason for mourning. Relatives of the deceased should not come to church dressed in black. This is a secular, not an ecclesiastical tradition. The passing of a dear person is perceived as a tragedy. If one of your relatives or friends comes to a burial or funeral service in light clothes, the participants in the ceremony will react to this with indignation.

Worldly people are not familiar with the funeral ceremony and do not know how it will take place. Having arrived at the temple, they do not leave the tomb. However, the sacrament of death is intended for prayers for the deceased. Not only clergy, but also relatives and friends of the deceased should pray. Without knowing the sacred texts, you can simply listen to what the Holy Father reads, or listen to the singers. You should mentally repeat what you heard.

The spiritual should not occupy less space in life than worldly concerns. A modern person spends time in the daily hustle and bustle, spending the allotted time on work or entertainment. Meanwhile, we should not forget that our existence is not limited only by the world visible to us. You need to start taking care of your soul and the souls of your loved ones while you are alive, and not after death.