The Typicon knows several funeral Saturdays. There are two Saturdays that bear the status of ecumenical - this is the meat-emptying Saturday, which is served a week before the beginning of Great Lent, and the Trinity Saturday, which is served before the day of Pentecost. Also, the charter separately stipulates funeral services on the second, third and fourth Saturdays of Great Lent. Although, if on such a Saturday a saint comes across having a polyeleos and vigil service, then the funeral service is abandoned.

There are still a few days a year when funeral services are held outside of connection with Saturday - this is Radonitsa, which usually happens on the ninth day after Easter, on Tuesday, as well as the days of remembrance of the dead on May 9, September 11 (now forgotten, but having a special mark in the service book) and Sunday, when the new martyrs and confessors of Russia are remembered and when a requiem is performed in memory of everyone who was tortured during the years of godless power.

It would seem that everything?

But the Typicon here also presents a surprise that opens up to the persistent reader. The thirteenth chapter of the Rule, which bears the title: “Befitting a Vedati, if it comes to visit on Saturday, Petit Alleluia,” allows the funeral services to be served on any Saturday, unless a festive service occurs on this Saturday. Of course, ordinary, non-funeral Saturday services can also be served. But the possibility of just a special funeral service is specially spelled out in the Charter. Saturday is the last day of the week and in memory of the Sabbath rest on this last, final, final day of the week, it is customary, according to the Charter, to commemorate the dead.

How did Pokrovskaya parental appear?

On January 9, 1592, Saint Hermogen, at that time Archbishop of Kazan and Astrakhan, sent a letter to Patriarch Job, in which he informed that there was no special commemoration of Orthodox soldiers in Kazan, who laid down their lives for their faith and Fatherland near Kazan, and asked to establish a specific day of remembrance warriors. In response, the All-Russian Patriarch sent a decree of February 25, 1592, in which he ordered “for all Orthodox soldiers killed near Kazan and within Kazan, to perform a panikhida in Kazan and throughout the Kazan Metropolis on Saturday after the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos and enter them into the great synodicus read on the Week of Orthodoxy. " It was from this time that the service of the special day of remembrance of the dead in the Kazan region became permanent.

So when to celebrate Pokrovskaya parental Saturday?

According to the decree of Patriarch Job and the historical course of events, the capture of Kazan was on the day of the Intercession, and the requiem for the fallen soldiers could not be served until that day, but only later, the Intercession parental Saturday should be served on the next Saturday after the day of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos. But, by analogy with the Demetrius parental Saturday, celebrated on the Saturday before the day of the Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessaloniki, the Intercession Saturday began to be celebrated not after the Intercession, but on the next Saturday before the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos.

Now the custom of serving this funeral day has stepped over the boundaries of the Kazan diocese and is spreading throughout Russia. But the question of the history of the establishment of this day usually remains behind the scenes. Therefore, in this material, an attempt was made to get to the bottom of the events of establishing a special funeral day in the Kazan Metropolitanate.

In 2017, Pokrovskaya parental Saturday will be celebrated on October 7th. This holiday is very important for all believers, and it is not strange that many traditions are associated with it.

Holiday traditions

In general, the dead are commemorated every Saturday. And Pokrovskaya Saturday is a day of special commemoration of deceased relatives according to the East Slavic tradition.

Intercession Saturday is included in the list of Ecumenical memorial services, of which there are only three in the Orthodox faith: before the Trinity, during Great Lent and on the eve of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos. These days are considered very important for all believers, because on such holidays it is customary for the whole world to pray for the peace of every deceased. It is worth noting that the history of such a holiday as the Intercession Parental Saturday is exactly the same as that of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, who saved people during the defense of Constantinople.

Pokrovskaya parental Saturday appeared much later than Pokrov, and is not celebrated so widely. Initially, this celebration was timed to people who gave their lives to protect their country. The Pokrovskaya parental Saturday appeared around the 16th century and since that time has been annually celebrated on the eve of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos.

Pokrovskaya parental Saturday: what needs to be done on this day

Pokrovskaya parental Saturday is a holiday when you need to honor all deceased relatives and friends according to East Slavic traditions. This holiday is also called “parental” because, according to Christian beliefs, dead people end up in the same world with their parents.

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First of all, on October 7, you need to go to church. On this day, in Orthodox churches, the commemoration of dead Christians, a requiem, a memorial Divine Liturgy, a prayer for the repose of the souls of the departed are performed.

On Pokrovskaya parental Saturday, people usually bring with them burial notes with the names of deceased loved ones.

In addition, the holiday on October 7 is notable for the fact that food and wine are brought with them to the church to celebrate the liturgy and commemorate the dead. Then all this is given to the needy.

On Pokrovskaya parental Saturday, according to a long tradition, after the service in the church, Ukrainians go to visit the graves of relatives. There people put everything in order, clean up garbage, paint fences, bring fresh flowers.

In 2017, Pokrovskaya parental Saturday falls on October 7th. On this day, Orthodox Christians remember their loved ones who have passed away.

Commemoration of the dead is one of the many traditions of Orthodoxy. It is aimed at maintaining the memory of people who have left the earthly world and liberating the latter from the sins they once committed through prayers.

This day, which has deep religious significance, is not relevant throughout the territory of our vast country. Pokrovskaya Saturday is celebrated only in some Russian regions - this has been the custom since ancient times. These are Izhevsk, Kazan, Perm, Vyatka lands and those that relate directly to the diocese of the city of Yekaterinburg. Since this holiday has no constant date, it happens that it coincides with another Christian church event - the day of remembrance of the Apostle John the Theologian. In such a situation, a prayer service, called panafida, is not served on Saturday, as it should be, but on the Sunday following it.

The emergence of the tradition of commemorating the dead on Pokrovskaya Saturday is closely related to certain historical events. In fact, on this day it is customary to honor the memory of the soldiers who died in the battle near Kazan, who laid down their lives for the Motherland.

The mentioned battle took place back in 1552, on October 13, during the rule of the state by the Russian Ivan the Terrible, who "with fire and sword" conquered the Tatar monastery. Many people gave their souls to the Lord under these circumstances. For this reason, the Church initiated the emergence of a locally revered tradition of commemorating dead soldiers, moreover, in specific dioceses. It should be noted that the symbol of the battle was the monument erected in honor of the Image of the Savior Not Made by Hands right at the place where the soldiers died - near the Kazan Kremlin.

Initially, the Church established the Intercession Parent Saturday in the same 16th century, 40 years after the bloody events of Kazan. It happened through the efforts of the archbishop of Kazan and Astrakhan, St. Hermogen, who was acting at that time. A representative of the clergy wrote a letter to Patriarch Job, in which he voiced a request to establish a specific and permanent date for the commemoration of the departed Orthodox soldiers. The Patriarch gave his blessing. So a new day of remembrance appeared for those who laid down their heads for the faith.

Over time, Christians added to the veneration of the memory of the soldiers who died near Kazan the memory of all the dead in general: friends, parents, other relatives, etc. In this form, the tradition we are considering has survived to this day and will exist as long as Orthodoxy is alive in Russia ... On the day of Pokrovskaya parental Saturday in the churches of the above-mentioned dioceses, requiems and funeral services are performed. And believers, after visiting temples, go to cemeteries in order to honor the memory of loved ones in the immediate vicinity of them.

Folk omens and customs of the holiday Pokrovskaya parental Saturday:

From time immemorial, specific folk signs have been associated with the Pokrovsk parental Saturday among the Eastern Slavs converted to Christianity. The most important of them was the belief that the meeting of winter and autumn takes place on the indicated day. If, on the eve of the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos, a snowball suddenly fell, people believed: then a sign from above, testifying to the special patronage of the territory within which this happened.

There was such a saying among the people: "On Pokrov before lunchtime - summer, after dinner - winter". And although it was directly related to the Feast of the Intercession, it contained an allusion to the nature of the day of remembrance of the dead. In the villages and hamlets, sorrow for those close to those who had left the earthly world was strangely intertwined with entertainment.

According to custom, the last festivities fell on Pokrovskaya Saturday, and after Pokrovskaya the time began for Pokrovskaya evenings and home gatherings. Probably, historians believe, this tradition goes back to the pre-Christian period of the Slavs, since the custom of commemorating the dead - it is known for certain - existed even among our pagan ancestors. They had special Saturdays on which they remembered their loved ones who had left untimely.

On Pokrovskaya parental Saturday, funeral services and liturgy are served in churches. As you know, for a clergyman to mention your relative during the liturgy, you need to write the name of the deceased on a piece of paper and take it to the church, and then throw the note into a specially prepared urn for this, or give it to the priest directly in the hands.

Pokrovskaya parental Saturday in 2017: Earlier on this day, a festive table was set in churches, at which one could taste the consecrated food and wine. Now in the same place you can simply consecrate the food and wine brought with you, and the clergy distribute alms to the poor. After visiting the temple, you can go to the cemetery, remove the graves and bring flowers and sweets, or any other food there.

As you know, the festive table on the day of the Intercession parental Saturday should be modest, and the dishes should be lean, since such a restriction demonstrates our grief for those who died and whom we remember.

As noted:Throughout the day of the parents' Saturday in temples and churches, priests perform requiem services, commemorating deceased relatives and loved ones. After they are held, people come to the graves of relatives and dear people in order to rid them of garbage, paint fences, change flowers, and the like. Coming from the cemetery, funeral meals are served. It is important to remember that on this day it is not advisable to use excesses in dishes. It is best to set the table modestly, emphasizing the grief for all the dead.

The tradition of visiting church for services and graves of the dead in the northern parts of the country is very popular. Residents are in a hurry to clean up the graves before the arrival of frost and snow, and often this happens the day after the Intercession. The central regions do not honor Pokrovskaya Saturday so much, devoting time only to Dmitrievskaya Saturday, which is considered the most significant and obligatory event.
Belarus celebrates this day in a different way. She preliminarily prepares for the holiday on Friday, serving exclusively lean and light dishes for dinner, which cleanse the body for the use of the heaviest foods on Saturday meals.

Church trip:

What to bring to church on parental Saturday:

For the parastas or for the funeral Divine Liturgy, you can submit notes of repose with the names of the dead who are close to your heart. And on this day, according to the old church tradition, parishioners bring food to church - "on the canon" (or "on the eve"). These are lean products, wine (Cahors) for celebrating the liturgy.

Bring food to church - "on the eve" is an ancient practice of performing common funerals, that is commemoration of the dead.

Traditionally, the parishioners of the temple gathered a larger common table, so that everyone together to remember the deceased people close to their hearts.

Now the products that have been collected are distributed by the church at its own discretion. Some of the food is used to meet the needs of the parishes, and the rest is given to the poor who receive help from the church. If there is still food left, it goes to the beggars on the street.

Bringing Food to the Temple on Parent's Saturday, we serve our neighbor, and we remember our deceased.

When people come to the funeral liturgy, they prepare in advance special notes with the names of all deceased relatives or loved ones. Then these notes are thrown into prepared urns or given to the priest, who is passed by with a container for notes.

What to choose:Many doubt which is better to go to the cemetery or go to church? According to the church, a trip to the cemetery is quite acceptable if a person first visits a church service. It happens that people neglect church attendance and prefer simply visiting the graves of the dead. But in the afterlife, prayer and collective participation in the service is valued higher than cleaning at the grave and communicating with the deceased at the monument.

It will be difficult for a person who has committed many bad deeds and has not read biblical laws. Only the prayer of his relatives or close people for the peace of the soul and its admission to heaven can help in this. That speaks of the importance of first carrying out prayer in the church, lighting a candle for repose, defending the service to the end, expressing gratitude to other parishioners and clergymen, and only then come to the cemetery.

If in Pokrovskaya parent's Saturday there is no way to visit the temple or cemetery, you can pray for the repose of the deceased at home.

Prayer for the dead - this is our main and invaluable help to those who have departed to another world. They do not need, by and large, neither a coffin, nor a grave monument, let alone a memorial table - all this is just a tribute to traditions, albeit very pious. But the eternally living soul of the deceased feels a great need for constant prayer, for it cannot itself do good deeds with which it would be able to propitiate the Lord.

Celebration of the Intercession Saturday:

It happens that a person by the will of thoroughness fails to visit a church to pray for dead friends and relatives. Perhaps he is seriously ill, is in another country, or at an advanced age. Then it is indeed permitted to mention all the dead people.

However, it is important to know that after death, people do not need festive tables, alcoholic drinks or incredibly beautiful monuments, fences and bouquets of flowers. Since they are in an incorporeal state, a person needs constant prayer, since he does not have the opportunity to independently perform good deeds.

And in this case, the main task of self-remembering loved ones is earnest prayer, which is directed to God. It is necessary to ask for the gift of forgiveness to loved ones who have left this world. It is very important to do this for people who have done many bad things during their existence. It is very difficult for them to find peace if there is no sincere prayer of loved ones.

The most important prayer is prayer for the departed parents, the people who gave you life, and, consequently, your children, and your grandchildren, and many future generations.

How to forget the hands of the gentle and caring hands of your mother, who worked for you day and night, not knowing sleep and peace, the hands that fed and cherished you, cherished as the most precious thing in the world. How to forget about the mother's heart, which ached for you, in which you could always find a response. How can you ever forget your beloved mother, who, without hesitation, would rush into fire and water for you. Do not forget your parents, do not commit evil deeds for the sake of the blessed memory of those who are no longer with you, but who in the next world will shed tears, seeing your sins. After all, parents are responsible for you even after their death. The Lord will ask them: why did they not teach their child wisdom?

Pray for your parents. Remember them, give alms. For it is better not to decorate the graves with dead flowers, but to give alms for deceased parents and in the name of their memory do good deeds. Then their souls will be saved.

, Lord, Jesus Christ, our God! You are the guardian of the orphans, the grieving refuge and the crying comforter. I come running to you, sir, sighing and crying, and I pray to You: hear my prayer and do not turn your face away from the sighs of my heart and from the tears of my eyes. I pray to You, Merciful Lord, satisfy my grief about separation from my parent who gave birth and raised (gave birth and raised) me (my matter) (name) (or with my parents who gave birth and raised me, (names of parents)), but his soul ( her), as if she had gone to You, with true faith in You and with firm hope in Your love for mankind and mercy, accept into Your Kingdom of Heaven. I bow before Your holy will, it will take it away from me, and I ask You, do not take it away from Your mercy and mercy. We, Lord, as you are the Judge of this world, punish the sins and wickedness of fathers in children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, even up to the third and fourth generation; but also the favor of the fathers for the prayers and virtues of their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. With contrition and tenderness of heart, I pray to Thee, Gracious Judge, do not punish the deceased, unforgettable for me, Thy servant, my parent, with eternal punishment, but let him go of all his sins, free and involuntary, by word and deed, knowledge and ignorance, created by him, in his life here on earth, and according to Thy mercy and humanity, prayers for the sake of the Most Pure Theotokos and all the saints, have mercy on him and deliver eternal torment. You, Merciful fathers and children! Grant me, all the days of my life, until my last breath, never cease to remember my deceased parent in my prayers, and beg Thee, the righteous Judge, and bring him in a brighter place, in a cool place and in a place of peace, with all the saints, all illness, sorrow and sighing are by no means run away. Merciful Lord, accept this day for Thy servant this warm prayer and reward him with Thy reward for the labors and care of my upbringing in faith and Christian piety, as if he taught me first of all to lead Thee, my Lord, in reverence to pray to Thee, on Thee, the One hope in keep your commandments in troubles, sorrows and diseases; for Thy welfare for my spiritual prosperity, for the warmth offered for me by prayers before You and for all the gifts they have asked me from You, give him Your mercy, Your heavenly blessings and joys in Your eternal Kingdom. You, for you are the God of mercies and bounty and love for mankind, You are the peace and joy of Your faithful servants, and we glorify You with the Father and the Holy Spirit, even now. And ever and ever. Amen."

Christ Jesus, Lord and Almighty! You are crying consolation, orphans and widows of intercession. You advertise: call on me in the day of your sorrow, and I will torture you. In the days of my sorrow I run to You and I pray to You: do not turn your face away from me and hear my prayer, brought to You with tears. Thou, Lord, the Master of all, thou art delighted to combine me with one of Thy servants, in his hedgehog we are one body and one spirit; You gave me this slave, like a roommate and protector. By your good and wise will, please, take your servant from me and leave me alone. I bow before this by Your will and I run to You in the days of my sorrow: soothe my sorrow about separation from Your servant, my friend. If you have taken him away from me, do not take away from me your mercy. As if you once accepted two mites as a widow, so accept this prayer of mine. Remember, O Lord, the soul of Your deceased servant (name), forgive him all his sins, free and involuntary, if in word, if in deed, if knowledge and ignorance, do not destroy him with his iniquity and do not betray him to eternal torment, but by the greatness of Your mercy and according to the multitude of Thy compassions, weaken and forgive all his sins and bring him to Thy saints, where there is no sickness, no sorrow, no sighing, but endless life. I pray and ask You, Lord, grant me throughout all the days of my life not to cease to pray for Your deceased servant, and even before my exodus I ask You, the Judge of the whole world, for the abandonment of all his sins and His resettlement in the Heavenly abode, you have prepared for those who love Ty. As if you have sinned, but do not depart from You, and beyond doubt the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are Orthodox even to the last gasp of confession; by the same his faith, even in Thee, instead of deeds, he is credited with: as if there is a man, whoever will live and will not sin, You are one, except for sin, and Your truth is truth forever. I believe, Lord, and I confess that you hear my prayer and do not turn your face away from me. Seeing the widow, I cry wickedly, have mercy, calm down my grief. For you have opened the doors of Your mercy to Your servant Theophilus, who has departed to You, and you have forgiven him for his sins through the prayers of your holy Church, heeding the prayers and alms of his wife: sit and I pray to You, accept my prayer and introduce him to Your servant eternal life. For Thou art our hope, Thou art God, the hedgehog to be merciful and to save, and to Thee we glorify with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Amen."

It should be said here that after the death of a spouse, they usually do not get married for a year. If the spouses were married, then after the death of the husband, the wife should take his wedding ring for herself.

If she no longer marries and remains a widow until her death, then both wedding rings are put in her coffin, as well as her wedding things. If the husband buries his wife, then her wedding ring remains with him, and after his death they put him in his coffin, so that he would come to her in the Kingdom of Heaven and say: "I brought our rings, which the Lord God crowned us with."

Lord, have mercy on my children who have died in my womb! For my faith and my tears, for the sake of Thy mercy, Lord, do not deprive them of Thy Divine light! "


This prayer is also suitable for stillborn babies.
Remember, Human-loving Lord, the souls of your departed servants, babies, who died in the womb of Orthodox mothers, accidentally from unknown actions, or from a difficult birth, or from some negligence. To baptize them, O Lord, in the sea of \u200b\u200bThy compassions and save them with Thy ineffable grace. "

How to properly commemorate the dead on Pokrovskaya Saturday:

In order for our deceased loved ones to feel our support and prayer help, we must learn to honor their eternal memory according to all the rules.

* It is prohibited to submit memorial notes for the liturgy, as well as to order memorial services, magpies and other specific services "in commemoration of the soul" about unbaptized persons and suicides. All others can be remembered without restriction.

* On the day of remembrance, one should behave quietly, modestly, in thoughts of the dead, in prayer for the salvation of their souls. You can and should visit the temple, defend the divine service.

* The most important thing for any deceased is the commemoration at the proskomedia. In this way, the sins committed by the dead are cleansed and atoned for by immersion in the blood of Christ, a great sacrifice. You should keep this in mind and submit on the day of commemoration a note for the performance of this rite.

* It is good to pray not only in the temple, but also at home. There are special prayers for the departed, so they should be read - always with attention, reverence and meekness in the heart.

* According to folk tradition, on days like Pokrovskaya parental Saturday, you should take food to the church or bake pies, rolls, cookies, buy sweets and distribute all these delicacies to friends and strangers, especially children and neighbors. And it is also useful to remember the deceased ourselves, with our family.

* The visit to the cemetery on Memorial Day was also mentioned earlier. We can only add that it is better not to leave food on the grave, as this is contrary to the Christian Orthodox tradition. It is better to take there fresh flowers or a special wreath made of artificial plants, clean up, communicate with the deceased in peace, pray for the peace of his soul.

Pokrovskaya parental Saturday,
It makes us think about the past,
Remember all the dead, pray,
Wish them eternal paradise.
On this day, the soul becomes brighter
Reminds a lot of the past
With sadness we think about
How we miss them.

Pray for the parents of the departed,
And give alms with a pure heart,
Do good deeds in their name,
And then your soul will be saved.
On Pokrovskaya memorial Saturday,
Put a candle behind the repose of the deceased soul,
May prayer calm you down
May the Lord protect you from trouble.

The Russian Orthodox Church has established special dates for the commemoration of the departed, one of which is Pokrovskaya parental Saturday. She is celebrated to the highly esteemed Protection of the Holy Virgin with a non-moving date - October 14. But parental Saturday can be postponed if it coincides with other church celebrations.

The holiday was established in 1592 at the request of the Archbishop of Kazan and Astrakhan Hermogenes (after canonization - Hermogenes). In it, he applied for official permission, giving the opportunity to commemorate the Russian soldiers who died during the capture of Kazan. That event of 1552 put an end to the Kazan Khanate, which became the successor to the Golden Horde in the 15th century, and continued to raid the Russian lands. Young Ivan the Terrible personally led the campaign, the third in a row only with his participation, but finally ended in victory.

The head of the Orthodox Church at that time, Patriarch Job, contributed to the spread of religion in the territories conquered by Ivan the Terrible. He positively assessed the idea of \u200b\u200bHermogenes, firm in matters of faith, who also sought to Christianize the territory of the former khanate. This is how the locally venerated commemoration was introduced in a number of Dioceses (Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Vyatka, Izhevsk). In the future, the tradition spread to the regions, and the believers began to commemorate all relatives, loved ones, and not just those who fell during the capture of Kazan.

An interesting place from a historical point of view that is directly related to the holiday is the Temple-monument to Orthodox soldiers. It was installed in Kazan in a sacred place - a real grave of the heroes of that war. The names of all those who found a valiant death here are recorded in the ancient synodic, which they were able to preserve to this day.

The initiative to bury the fallen with special honors in a mass grave belonged to Tsar Ivan IV himself, impressed by the number of those killed in the confrontation. All those with a pectoral cross are buried in the mass grave. A monastery was founded here, later moved to a higher place due to floods. Now the symbolic pyramid is surrounded on all sides by the water of the Kazanka River.

For many East Slavic peoples, this day was considered a memorial day, although it sometimes had a different name - "Grandfathers". In the Orthodox holiday, the Slavic rituals perfectly coexist: rituals, different for different areas, recorded it in the national agricultural calendar. All works and worldly affairs had their own sequence, formed over the centuries. The period of weddings began with the Intercession, preparation for winter, accompanied by generous treats and free festivities, therefore a special time was chosen for commemorating the ancestors.

Pokrovskaya parental Saturday allows all believers to show their duty towards the departed. It is considered a good tradition to visit the resting places of loved ones and relatives, especially since the local authorities organize events that allow you to visit the city cemeteries without any problems.

Prayer, as a way of communication and deliverance from sins, is possible both at home and as part of public worship. Memorial services for the deceased are performed in churches, finding time to visit which is a godly business.



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