Is it possible to go to the cemetery during the fast before Easter according to the rules of the Orthodox Church? When people ask questions to the priest, the Christian soul awakens in them
Probably every person has at least one relative or friend who has already been buried. People always pay maximum attention to their loved ones. Even after a person’s death, there is a desire to visit his tomb and take care of his peace. But many do not know how to visit a cemetery correctly. There are days when going to the cemetery is possible, and even necessary. And, conversely, when it is better not to visit the dead.
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.
There are also some superstitions and rules of conduct in a churchyard.
How to behave in a cemetery:
If you are planning a trip to a cemetery, you should not wear bright colors. The most suitable would be black or white. You can also choose items in muted tones from your wardrobe. Legs must be covered: wear pants or a long skirt. Shoes must also be closed. It is advisable to cover your head with a hat or a scarf.
When they go to the cemetery, they behave calmly, without unnecessary emotions. Avoid laughing or crying loudly. Do not swear.
Don't spit or litter. And if you need it out of necessity, find a suitable place for this outside the cemetery.
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, and, especially, 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.
When to visit a cemetery, each person determines for himself. Of course, going to such places almost every day is not recommended. But you don’t need to forget about your loved ones either. Do as your heart tells you.
In a situation where you live far from the grave of your relatives or simply do not have the opportunity to visit them, but there is a desire to pay attention and remember them, go to church and light a candle for their repose.
You need to know that such candles are not lit on the days of Holy Week and the days of Bright Week.
Also in the church it is possible to order a memorial service (prayer for the dead) or litia (intensified prayer) from the priest. You can pray yourself: read the Psalter or the litany performed by a layman.
Under any circumstances, remember your deceased loved ones, and when you come to their graves, behave appropriately, because a cemetery is sacred land, a resting place for the dead.
WHEN A CLOSE RELATIVE DIED. WHAT YOU NEED TO DO FOR A WHOLE YEAR.
In the first seven days after the death of a person, do not take him out of the house.no things.
On the 9th day after death, relatives go to the temple, order a memorial service, and set a second memorial table at home.The family of the deceased did not sit down at the first memorial table.
Now it’s the other way around: a family and nine other people sat at the table (three who washed the deceased, three who made a coffin, three who dug a hole).
In modern conditions, the number of guests may vary, because there are various government services that provide the necessary ritual services: the deceased is changed in the morgue, a coffin can be bought at a funeral supplies store, and the grave can also be prepared in advance. Therefore, there may be 3 - 6 - 9 invitees, or there may be no one.
On the 40th day After the death of a person, a third memorial table is held - “Sarakavitsy”, at which the deceased’s family, relatives, relatives, friends, and work colleagues are present. The church orders Sorokoust - forty liturgies.
From the day of the funeral until the 40th day, remembering the name of the deceased, we must pronounce a verbal formula-amulet for ourselves and all the living. At the same time, the same words are a symbolic wish for the deceased: “May he rest in peace,” thereby expressing the wish that his soul ends up in heaven.
After 40 days and over the next three years we will say a different formula-wish: “The kingdom of heaven to him.” Thus, we wish the deceased an afterlife in paradise. These words should be addressed to any deceased, regardless of the circumstances of his life and death. They are guided by the biblical commandment “Do not judge, lest you be judged.”
During the year following the death of a person, none of the family members has the moral right to take part in any holiday celebration.
None of the family members of the deceased (including the second degree of kinship) could get married during the period of mourning,
If a relative of the 1st -2nd degree of kinship has died in the family and not a year has passed since his death, then such a family does not have the right to paint eggs red for Easter (they must be white or some other color - blue, black, green) and accordingly take part in the celebrations of Easter night.
After the death of her husband, the wife is prohibited from washing anything for a year on the day of the week on which the disaster occurred.
For a year after death, everything in the house where the deceased lived remains in a state of peace or permanence: repairs cannot be made, furniture cannot be rearranged, nothing is given away or sold from the deceased’s belongings until the soul of the deceased reaches eternal peace.
During this year and all subsequent years, you can go to the cemetery only on Saturdays (except for the 9th, 40th day after death and church holidays honoring ancestors, such as Radunitsa or Autumn Grandfathers). These are church-recognized days of remembrance of the dead. Try to convince your relatives that they should not constantly visit the grave of the deceased, as they are harming their health.
The way you come to the cemetery is the same way you return.
Visit the cemetery before 12 noon.
Days of special remembrance of the dead throughout the year:
Meat Saturday- Saturday in the ninth week before Easter;
- Saturday in the second week of Lent;
Ecumenical Parents' Saturday- Saturday in the third week of Lent;
Ecumenical Parents' Saturday- Saturday in the fourth week of Lent;
Radunitsa- Tuesday in the second week after Easter;
Trinity Saturday- Saturday in the seventh week after Easter;
Dmitrievskaya Saturday- Saturday in the third week after Intercession (14.10).
Exactly one year later after death, the family of the deceased celebrates a memorial meal (“pleasure”) - the 4th, concluding memorial family-tribal table. It must be remembered that the living cannot be congratulated on their birthday in advance, and the final memorial table should be arranged either exactly a year later, or 1-3 days earlier.
On this day you need to go to the temple and order a memorial service for the deceased, go to the cemetery and visit the grave.
As soon as the last funeral meal is completed, the family is again included in the traditional scheme of holiday regulations of the folk calendar, becomes a full member of the community, and has the right to take part in any family celebrations, including weddings.
A monument can only be erected on a grave a year after the person’s death. Moreover, it is necessary to remember the golden rule of folk culture: “Do not graze the soil of Pakravou da Radaunschy.” This means if the year of the deceased fell at the end of October, i.e. after the Intercession (and for the entire subsequent period until Radunitsa), then the monument can only be erected in the spring, after Radunitsa.
After the monument is installed, the cross (usually a wooden one) is placed next to the grave for another year and then thrown away. It can also be buried under a flower bed or under a gravestone.
Get married (get married) after the death of one of the spouses, you can onlyin a year. If a woman got married a second time, then the new husband became the full owner-master only after seven years.
If the spouses were married, then after the death of the husband, his wife took his ring, and if she never married again, then both wedding rings were placed in her coffin.
If a husband buried his wife, then her wedding ring remained with him, and after his death both rings were placed in his coffin, so that, having met in the Kingdom of Heaven, they would say: “I brought our rings with which the Lord God crowned us.
For three years They celebrate the birthday of the deceased and the day of his death. After this period, only the day of death and all annual church holidays commemorating ancestors are celebrated.
Not all of us know how to pray, much less know prayers for the dead. Learn a few prayers that may help your soul find peace after an irreparable loss.
It is believed that visiting a cemetery is allowed at any time convenient for a person. It is only advisable to do this before lunch, and, of course, it is common among people not to go to graves on major Orthodox holidays, not because there are church prohibitions on this matter, but only because you need to visit the temple in the morning and pray!
In order to clean the graves and the surrounding area, everyone visits the cemetery in their free time, and usually this is not only before lunch, but also after, until the evening. But how to decide on cleaning the cemetery when there are many Orthodox events ahead, important and bright? How to choose a good time for such things?
Is it possible to clean the cemetery during Holy Week?
It is considered correct, at least it has developed among the Orthodox people, to clean the graves of deceased relatives only in advance, at least the day before Palm Sunday. The following Holy Week, as is often said, Holy Week is absolutely not conducive to such events. As the ancestors said, every minute of this week brings humanity closer to the memory of the greatest tragedy of its kind, which does not exist in Orthodoxy! That is why this week, before Easter, believers should not mind their own business, much less go to the cemetery to clean up the area.
The very first date after Palm Sunday on which an Orthodox person can generally step on cemetery land, no matter for what purpose, is only Radonitsa. This holiday falls on the 9th day from Easter, only on Tuesday, and in some villages it is called Parents' Day.
What to do if it was not possible to remove the graves before Holy Week?
Every believer must treat all Orthodox events with special trepidation. However, at the same time, in case of strong need, some advice can be neglected, of course, for good purposes!
If shortly before Holy Week it was not possible to clean up the cemetery, and the graves are simply in terrible condition, overgrown with weeds and decorated with old sun-bleached flowers and wreaths, then, of course, you need to visit the cemetery. Just not during this period, but a little later, three days after Easter, and remove everything there. After all, people don’t visit the cemetery on Easter, which means you shouldn’t have a complex about it, and by Parent’s Day, in principle, you will still have time to clean the cemetery!
Of course, on the one hand, such trips during Holy Week are undesirable, but along with God’s prohibitions, there is also common sense, and what should relatives do when they can’t do it after Easter, and they couldn’t do it during Palm Week either?! Here, of course, you can ask God and the dead for forgiveness and, having disturbed their peace, remove the graves during Holy Week!
WHEN YOU CAN AND CAN’T GO TO THE CEMETERY.
Probably every person has at least one relative or friend who has already been buried. People always pay maximum attention to their loved ones. Even after a person’s death, there is a desire to visit his tomb and take care of his peace. But many do not know how to visit a cemetery correctly. There are days when going to the cemetery is possible, and even necessary. And, conversely, when it is better not to visit the dead.
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.
There are also some superstitions and rules of conduct in a churchyard.
How to behave in a cemetery:
If you are planning a trip to a cemetery, you should not wear bright colors. The most suitable would be black or white. You can also choose items in muted tones from your wardrobe. Legs must be covered: wear pants or a long skirt. Shoes must also be closed. It is advisable to cover your head with a hat or a scarf.
When they go to the cemetery, they behave calmly, without unnecessary emotions. Avoid laughing or crying loudly. Do not swear.
Don't spit or litter. And if you need it out of necessity, find a suitable place for this outside the cemetery.
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, and, especially, 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.
When to visit a cemetery, each person determines for himself. Of course, going to such places almost every day is not recommended. But you don’t need to forget about your loved ones either. Do as your heart tells you.
In a situation where you live far from the grave of your relatives or simply do not have the opportunity to visit them, but there is a desire to pay attention and remember them, go to church and light a candle for their repose.
You need to know that such candles are not lit on the days of Holy Week and the days of Bright Week.
Also in the church it is possible to order a memorial service (prayer for the dead) or litia (intensified prayer) from the priest. You can pray yourself: read the Psalter or the litany performed by a layman.
Under any circumstances, remember your deceased loved ones, and when you come to their graves, behave appropriately, because a cemetery is sacred land, a resting place for the dead.
WHEN A CLOSE RELATIVE DIED. WHAT YOU NEED TO DO FOR A WHOLE YEAR.
In the first seven days after the death of a person, do not take him out of the house.no things.
On the 9th day after death, relatives go to the temple, order a memorial service, and set a second memorial table at home.The family of the deceased did not sit down at the first memorial table.
Now it’s the other way around: a family and nine other people sat at the table (three who washed the deceased, three who made a coffin, three who dug a hole).
In modern conditions, the number of guests may vary, because there are various government services that provide the necessary ritual services: the deceased is changed in the morgue, a coffin can be bought at a funeral supplies store, and the grave can also be prepared in advance. Therefore, there may be 3 - 6 - 9 invitees, or there may be no one.
On the 40th day After the death of a person, a third memorial table is held - “Sarakavitsy”, at which the deceased’s family, relatives, relatives, friends, and work colleagues are present. The church orders Sorokoust - forty liturgies.
From the day of the funeral until the 40th day, remembering the name of the deceased, we must pronounce a verbal formula-amulet for ourselves and all the living. At the same time, the same words are a symbolic wish for the deceased: “May he rest in peace,” thereby expressing the wish that his soul ends up in heaven.
After 40 days and over the next three years we will say a different formula-wish: “The kingdom of heaven to him.” Thus, we wish the deceased an afterlife in paradise. These words should be addressed to any deceased, regardless of the circumstances of his life and death. They are guided by the biblical commandment “Do not judge, lest you be judged.”
During the year following the death of a person, none of the family members has the moral right to take part in any holiday celebration.
None of the family members of the deceased (including the second degree of kinship) could get married during the period of mourning,
If a relative of the 1st -2nd degree of kinship has died in the family and not a year has passed since his death, then such a family does not have the right to paint eggs red for Easter (they must be white or some other color - blue, black, green) and accordingly take part in the celebrations of Easter night.
After the death of her husband, the wife is prohibited from washing anything for a year on the day of the week on which the disaster occurred.
For a year after death, everything in the house where the deceased lived remains in a state of peace or permanence: repairs cannot be made, furniture cannot be rearranged, nothing is given away or sold from the deceased’s belongings until the soul of the deceased reaches eternal peace.
During this year and all subsequent years, you can go to the cemetery only on Saturdays (except for the 9th, 40th day after death and church holidays honoring ancestors, such as Radunitsa or Autumn Grandfathers). These are church-recognized days of remembrance of the dead. Try to convince your relatives that they should not constantly visit the grave of the deceased, as they are harming their health.
The way you come to the cemetery is the same way you return.
Visit the cemetery before 12 noon.
Days of special remembrance of the dead throughout the year:
Meat Saturday- Saturday in the ninth week before Easter;
- Saturday in the second week of Lent;
Ecumenical Parents' Saturday- Saturday in the third week of Lent;
Ecumenical Parents' Saturday- Saturday in the fourth week of Lent;
Radunitsa- Tuesday in the second week after Easter;
Trinity Saturday- Saturday in the seventh week after Easter;
Dmitrievskaya Saturday- Saturday in the third week after Intercession (14.10).
Exactly one year later after death, the family of the deceased celebrates a memorial meal (“udodoyu”) - the 4th, concluding memorial family-tribal table. It must be remembered that the living cannot be congratulated on their birthday in advance, and the final memorial table should be arranged either exactly a year later, or 1-3 days earlier.
On this day you need to go to the temple and order a memorial service for the deceased, go to the cemetery to visit the grave.
As soon as the last funeral meal is completed, the family is again included in the traditional scheme of holiday regulations of the folk calendar, becomes a full member of the community, and has the right to take part in any family celebrations, including weddings.
A monument can only be erected on a grave a year after the person’s death. Moreover, it is necessary to remember the golden rule of folk culture: “Do not graze the soil of Pakravou da Radaunschy.” This means if the year of the deceased fell at the end of October, i.e. after the Intercession (and for the entire subsequent period until Radunitsa), then the monument can only be erected in the spring, after Radunitsa.
After the monument is installed, the cross (usually a wooden one) is placed next to the grave for another year and then thrown away. It can also be buried under a flower bed or under a gravestone.
Get married (get married) after the death of one of the spouses, you can onlyin a year. If a woman got married a second time, then the new husband became the full owner-master only after seven years.
If the spouses were married, then after the death of the husband, his wife took his ring, and if she never married again, then both wedding rings were placed in her coffin.
If a husband buried his wife, then her wedding ring remained with him, and after his death both rings were placed in his coffin, so that, having met in the Kingdom of Heaven, they would say: “I brought our rings with which the Lord God crowned us.
For three years They celebrate the birthday of the deceased and the day of his death. After this period, only the day of death and all annual church holidays commemorating ancestors are celebrated.
Not all of us know how to pray, much less know prayers for the dead. Learn a few prayers that may help your soul find peace after an irreparable loss.
Search line: Aseev
Records found: 1540
Hello. Happy Holidays to you. Memorial week is coming soon. My daughters are 3 and 2 years old. Is it worth taking the youngest to the cemetery, or is it better to abstain? Both girls are already baptized. Thank you.
Olga
Olga, there is nothing wrong with it if you take your children with you to the cemetery. Children will still learn that death exists. If possible, explain to them that people on earth do not live forever, that they die. But only say this when they ask about it.
Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)
Hello. I had a desire to take care of other people’s graves, because no one goes to them, and they are not well-groomed. Wouldn't it be considered a sin and desecration for a stranger to clean other people's graves?
Ivan
Good afternoon Happy Easter! And my question is this: is it possible to place an icon above the mirror in the hallway? Thank you in advance for your response!
Natalia
Natalia, icons should be in every room and in the kitchen. Icons do not have to be placed on a shelf; they can also be hung on the wall in a convenient place. If there is no other place, then I think you can hang the icon above the mirror in the hallway.
Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)
Hello, I swore on an icon and didn’t keep my word, what should I do now?
Galina
Galina, the Holy Scripture says that we should not take oaths at all, “do not swear by heaven or earth.” Your action in itself is already sinful, because you began to take an oath, and even more so, on an icon. I don’t know what kind of oath you took, but in any case, you must definitely repent of this in church with the priest, and tell him everything in detail, then he will tell you what to do. For the future - never swear by anything or anyone. Everything will be fine
Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)
Hello, father! I lost my wedding ring yesterday. My husband and I got married with this ring. I'm very worried! Tell me, what should we do? Thank you very much!
Love
Love, I am of course sorry that you lost your wedding ring. However, you can buy another ring, consecrate it in church and wear it. There is no need to be discouraged: the ring itself cannot bring us closer to God or move us away from Him, and does not affect our lives. A ring is just a thing. Of course, it’s a purely human pity that you lost him, but there’s nothing you can do about it, you need to come to terms with it.
Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)
Hello! Father, please tell me whether we need to pray for all people, or just for relatives? And if praying for strangers makes you feel bad in your soul, then should you do it, or should you just overpower yourself every time? Thank you in advance. God bless you!
Alexy
Alexey, you are not required to pray for all people. You can't pray for everyone. For all people, you can only pray for your relatives and people close to you and acquaintances - this is enough for you.
Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)
Hello! Grandma was taken to intensive care yesterday. Today I lit a candle in front of the icon at home and read a prayer for the sick. Not a single drop of wax fell from the candle. It burned calmly, motionlessly, as if in a picture. I've never seen anything like this. Doesn't this mean something?
Sophia
Sophia, this only means that the candles you got are of high quality and do not leak. Candles are made in different ways; there are both high-quality and low-quality candles. There is no need to attach any significance to this; spiritually it means nothing. Pray with faith that the Lord will help: “ask and you will receive.” The way the candles burn does not change anything, and it cannot in any way affect the course of our lives.
Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)
Hello, father! The school where I study is the largest in our city. Many children lose their things. The technicians have a special place where they put what they find at school. Some things find their owners, some don't. Many things lie around for a really long time and remain lost. Question. Do I have the right to take something from them for myself? Thanks for the answer!
Natalia
Natalia, if everything is as you say, and things lie for a long time without their owners, then I think you can take some things for yourself, but only with the permission of those workers who are responsible for it. But if suddenly after this the owner of the things appears and demands them from you, you will have to give them back. I also want to advise you: any thing that you purchase, or someone gives you, must be blessed with Holy water. In the prayer book there is a prayer “On the consecration of every thing”, lay people can read it and sprinkle any of their things with Holy water.
Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)
Hello! Tell me, when is it possible and when not to do household chores (cleaning, washing, washing) during Holy Week? There are several opinions, all my friends agree that you can do it on Monday, Tuesday and definitely not on Friday, but about the other days the opinions are completely opposite: some say that Thursday is a day for cleaning, others that in no case You can’t do things on Thursday, but you can do everything on Saturday (after the service). Is it possible to clearly and specifically name the days when it is possible to clean (at the end of the service in the Temple), and when it is undesirable?
Tatiana
Tatyana, pay more attention to your soul. You need to prepare spiritually for Easter - confess, take communion. There are no strict rules regarding when you can and cannot clean. You look at the time when it is most convenient for you. Usually we start cleaning churches, our homes, church grounds and houses on Maundy Thursday. But there is no need to attach global significance to this. When it is convenient for you, then clean your home.
Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)
Hello father. My grandmother, whom I loved very much, died 7 years ago. I cry for her every day and remember her often. Sometimes I have the impression that she is nearby and sees everything. Tell me please, is this possible? Doesn't it harm the deceased that I often mourn her?
Anna
Anna, everything should be in moderation. The fact that you mourn your grandmother for so long causes harm, first of all, emotional and mental, to you. You need to pray for the dead. Instead, you fall into despondency, into useless sadness. You can only help your grandmother through prayer and your virtuous life. If you really love your grandmother so much, then show it in your own life. And life must be according to the Commandments of God. Go to church more often, confess and receive communion. When we live piously and pray for the departed, it makes them feel good.
Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)
Good afternoon Is it possible for pregnant women to go to a cemetery on a memorial day?
Anna
Anna, there is no connection between pregnancy and visiting the cemetery. When we go to the cemetery and remember our dead, we are doing a good deed, and every good deed is good for our soul, and that means for your unborn child too. A cemetery is not a “terrible and scary place”, but a place of peace. You need to pray for the dead. The dead are grateful to us when we pray for them and visit their graves. Nothing bad will happen to your child from this. Your child’s life depends on you, on how you live. You need to regularly go to church, confess and receive communion - this is good for you and your unborn child.
Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)
Fathers, good afternoon, happy upcoming Feast of Holidays and the Celebration of Celebrations! Bless. Tell me, based on your life experience, which vegetable oil is suitable for the lamp, due to the lack of lamp oil?
Alexander
Alexander, I used vegetable oil a long time ago, but then, however, the quality of the oil was different. And now I only use lamp oil. It is not much more expensive than plant-based. But if you want to use vegetable oil, it is better to choose unscented oil. But, by the way, vegetable oil can cause soot and deposits on the lamp. In principle, any vegetable oil burns, but I can’t say which is better, since I haven’t used it for a long time.
Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)
Hello. They say that graves in a cemetery cannot be removed a week before Easter. Please tell me how to do it correctly, and are there any restrictions? Thank you.
Catherine
Ekaterina, there is no such rule. But, starting from Holy Week, it is not customary to go to the cemetery (with the exception of funerals), since all Orthodox Christians are preparing for Easter. You also cannot go to the cemetery on Easter and throughout Holy Week (again, with the exception of funerals) until Radonitsa, this year it will be on May 14. All Orthodox Christians go to the cemetery and remember their dead on Radonitsa.
Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)
Hello! I’m preparing for Communion, I want to go to church on Sunday. I started fasting and immediately broke my fast on the first day: I bought a bag of chips. At first I didn’t notice that it contained dairy products, but then I saw it, but still finished it. Please tell me, is it possible to continue to fast and go to Communion? Or it should be postponed to another day. The whole problem is that I have already agreed with my father to take me to the temple, and if I don’t go now, I don’t know when I will go again. Thank you in advance.
Anastasia
Anastasia, we must always be attentive to our life, to what we eat, what we say, what we do. Continue to fast and prepare for communion. I think nothing bad happened. You didn’t eat it on purpose, but through inattention. In confession, tell the priest about this.
Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)
I bought a pectoral cross in a church shop, asked if it was blessed, they said it was sprinkled. Do you need to consecrate the cross?
Nikolay
Nikolai, when we consecrate something, we sprinkle it with Holy water. “Sprinkle” is a church term that means that the cross is consecrated. All items and utensils that are sold in the church shop are consecrated, and your cross is also consecrated, and there is no need to consecrate it again.
Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)
Bless, father! Tell me what prayer to pray to the Saint, whose name - Paul - I bear. Does it matter that my birthday does not coincide with my name day? God bless you!
Paul
Pavel, your birthday doesn’t always coincide with your name day. Usually name days occur later than birthdays. But, in principle, this is not so important, and does not matter much. The main thing is that we have a Heavenly Patron. I don't know which Saint Paul you have. Therefore, I will give a general prayer to the Patron Saint:
God's servant (name). Remember us in your favorable prayers before Christ God, may He save us from temptations, illnesses and sorrows, may He grant us humility, love, reasoning and meekness, and may He vouchsafe us, unworthy, His Kingdom. Amen.
Prayer for invoking saints
Holy God and resting in the saints! Remembering Your saints and praising their godly lives, Your Greatness Who acted in them, I diligently pray to You: grant me, a sinner (name), to follow their teaching, faith, patience, love, and their prayerful help, and moreover Your all-effective grace, heavenly with them be worthy of glory and to praise Your most holy name, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, forever. Amen.
Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)
From a pilgrimage trip to Simeon of Verkhoturye I brought a set: oil from a lamp and earth from the Verkhoturye Monastery. I anoint the sore spots with oil. What to do with the land? I don’t think she can just lie there like that. There is also a set from the Holy Land. The same thing - what to do with the land and water from the Jordan? God help you!
Lyudmila
Lyudmila, we usually keep shrines brought from Holy places at home. You can anoint yourself with oil, you can add a few drops of Jordanian water to ordinary water and drink it in the morning, and put the earth next to the icons; of course, it can just lie there.
Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)
Hello! I rent an apartment where my grandmother lived, she died. I found her pectoral cross. What should I do with it?
Natalia
Natalia, every person is obliged to wear a cross. Also, when a person dies, he should also wear a cross. In order not to leave the cross trampled upon, and so that it does not lie anywhere, take it to the church and give it to where notes are given. They know what to do with it.
Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)
Hello, father! Please tell me when can I bake Easter on Thursday? I heard that you can’t bake on Good Friday, but you can on Thursday and Saturday. Is it so? Please tell me. Thank you.
Natalia
Natalia, all of Holy Week is preparing us for the Great Feast of Easter. We prepare not only spiritually, but also physically. You can bake Easter cakes from Monday of Holy Week. After all, for example, in monasteries and in production there are large volumes of baked goods, and in two or three days they will not have time to provide everyone who wants it. At home - yes, they start baking on Thursday, because the volumes are small, and therefore there is no need to bake earlier, and eggs are also painted closer to Easter, starting on Thursday. Don’t focus too much on this, start baking at your convenience, possibly on Good Monday.
Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)
Hello! I know that the icon of the Savior and the Mother of God should be larger than the other icons in the house and stand above them. At our house there was a large icon of St. Nicholas the Pleasant. We bought an icon of the Savior and an icon of the Mother of God. All three turned out to be the same size. But they are written in the same style. Is it possible to leave it like that and put them all together on one shelf?
Julia
Julia, such a strict order of arrangement of icons is intended more for the church. At home, of course, it is also advisable to follow these rules; at least, it is indecent to place the icon of the Savior or the Mother of God lower than other icons, but on the same level or on the same shelf together with other icons is quite acceptable.
Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)
Good Friday is a special day in the church calendar, and this raises quite a few questions. One of them is whether it is possible to visit a cemetery and clean a grave?
To answer it unambiguously, it is better to feel the atmosphere of the last days before Easter. A detailed response and comments from church representatives are given below.
There is no categorical ban on visiting the cemetery on this day. On the other hand, it is obvious that the very atmosphere of Good Friday, and indeed the entire Holy Week, is hardly suitable for such activities. Passionate (or Terrible) Week is called because this time was the last in the earthly life of Christ.
On the day of Palm Sunday (exactly a week before Easter), more than two thousand years ago, the Savior entered Jerusalem. He was enthusiastically greeted by the entire surrounding population, and on Friday the same people shouted “Crucify!”
On the same day, the Lord died on the cross, and on Saturday his body lay in the tomb. And only on Sunday he rose from the dead, as he had promised many times the day before.
Therefore, for many years now, both on Friday and especially on Saturday, believers have been trying to pay attention to spiritual matters: going to church, reading the Bible, saying a prayer.
If you go to the cemetery on this day and start cleaning the grave, you may simply not have enough time to go to church. Yes, and sad emotions will come on their own. But we need to prepare for the Easter holiday - very soon believers will say to each other: “Christ is risen! Truly risen!”
Therefore, if we speak specifically about whether it is possible to visit and clean the cemetery on Good Friday, then we should say: “This is not strictly prohibited, although it is undesirable.”
If there is a wake on Good Friday
Of course, Good Friday may also include days of commemoration of deceased loved ones (9 days, 40 days) or an anniversary (Memorial Day). If possible, it is better to reschedule them for another time. But if this does not work out, then of course we need to pay tribute to the memory and respect of the deceased.
But drinking alcohol, especially on such a special day when the Savior is remembered, is strictly prohibited.
If you need to bury on Good Friday
Unfortunately, it may also coincide that trouble came to the house, and the person died during Holy Week. And there’s nothing to be done if he needs to be buried on Good (also called Scary) Friday or Saturday.
If possible, it is better not to do this on Easter. However, there will be no sin in any case: the deceased will be buried according to a special Orthodox rite .
Is it possible to go to a cemetery on Good Friday: the opinion of the church
The clergy note that Orthodoxy does not have a categorical prohibition on whether one can go and clean up the cemetery on Good Friday. That is, if a person feels an urgent need to visit a grave, restore order there, and remember deceased loved ones, then he can do this.
However, if possible, it is better to do this on some other day: before or on (the second Tuesday after Easter).
