Parents' Saturday is a day of remembrance of the dead in Russian Orthodoxy, when an ecumenical memorial service is held for deceased Christians, prayers for the repose of the deceased are read at liturgies, and relatives remember their loved ones with kind words and prayers and visit their graves in cemeteries.
What is Parents' Saturday?
On Parents' Saturday, believers pray for all deceased Christians, but first of all they remember their parents and loved ones. This is where the name “parental” comes from - the first thing they always do is pray for their deceased parents.
What do they do on Parents' Saturday?
On Parents' Saturday, believers attend a church or temple, participate in the memorial liturgy, be sure to submit notes of repose, light a candle for their deceased relatives, and can order a memorial service for the relatives of the deceased. On this day, many Orthodox Christians visit cemeteries where their loved ones are buried, tidy up the grave and headstone, lay flowers, and, if necessary, change the cross or fence.
Many people bring treats to the graves of their deceased loved ones. From the point of view Orthodox faith- This is nothing more than a pagan prejudice. Instead, it is better to bring Cahors (wine) to the temple for the funeral liturgy and Lenten products to donate to the poor.
A wake is also held on Parents' Saturday. On such a day, it is advisable to get together with the whole family and remember your deceased loved ones with a kind word. The Church does not approve of turning a funeral into a stormy libation, since the essence of a collective meal on this day is to remember those who are no longer with us, and not to indulge in fun and carnal joys.
There is also a tradition of bringing wine to the church for the liturgy and Lenten treats, which will be given to low-income parishioners.
7 Parental Saturdays in the Orthodox calendar
Seven parental Saturdays are celebrated throughout the year, three of which fall on Lent. IN Orthodox tradition there is also special days commemorations specifically dedicated to prayers for soldiers who died for the Orthodox faith.
Ecumenical and private Parental Saturdays
Parental Saturdays are universal (Meat and Trinity) and private. During Ecumenical Saturday, all dead Christians are commemorated. Private parental Saturdays are days of remembrance that exist only in the calendar of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Parents' Saturdays calendar
In the Russian Orthodox tradition, it is customary to celebrate seven parental Saturdays throughout the year:
- Meat-eating (Ecumenical) parental Saturday;
- Three Parental Saturdays of Great Lent;
- Radonitsa;
- Trinity Parents' Saturday;
- Dimitrievskaya Parent's Saturday.
Floating dates
As a rule, Parents' Saturdays do not have a clearly fixed date and change from year to year. This is due to the fact that the date memorial day is established in relation to the day of the week and other sacred holidays. The date of Parent's Saturday can always be checked using the church calendar.
Parents' Saturday calendar for 2019-2020-2021
Name of Parents' Saturday
Meat Saturday
Meat-free Parent's Saturday is the first parent's day of the year, one of two Ecumenical Parent's Saturdays. Held on the Saturday before Holy Week Last Judgment and a week before Lent. The name “Myasopustnaya” comes from the second name of Sunday a week before Lent – Myasopustnaya.
Among the days of remembrance, Meat Saturday has a special significance, since it is the first day of the year when a general funeral liturgy is held. During Lent, the full liturgy is not served, so commemoration of the dead is possible only on special days. Many Orthodox Christians try to hand over a note with the name of the deceased to the church the day before Meat-Free Parental Saturday, because the next such opportunity will not appear soon.
Parents' Saturdays in Lent
Lent lasts 48 days and serves to prepare the believer for Easter. It was erected in memory of the exploits of Christ in the desert for forty days. During most of Lent, funeral liturgies are not held. So that the deceased Orthodox would not be left without commemoration, three parental Saturdays were allocated in the second, third and fourth week (week) of Lent.
Radonitsa
Radonitsa is the first day of the universal commemoration of the dead after Lent and Bright Week (the first week after Easter). It is celebrated on Tuesday of St. Thomas Week, so it cannot be fully called parental Saturday. However, it has special significance, since it is the first weekday after a month and a half when the post-mortem liturgy can be celebrated.
In the Orthodox tradition, the church celebration of Easter lasts 40 days. Therefore, Radonitsa should be considered not just as a day of remembrance, but as an opportunity to share the joy of Easter with all deceased loved ones. Despite the widespread celebration of Radonitsa, the church charter does not provide for a funeral liturgy on Tuesday of St. Thomas Week. Some liturgists of the Russian Orthodox Church criticize Radonitsa on the grounds that it leads to a confusion between the festive and solemn and the funeral.
Trinity Saturday
For Orthodox Christians, Trinity Saturday is the second of the two main days of remembrance of the dead - Ecumenical Parental Saturday. On this day, it is customary to offer prayers not only for one’s family and friends, but also for all deceased Christians.
Trinity Saturday precedes the Day of the Holy Trinity (another name for Pentecost). According to the Gospel, on this day the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles, thereby marking the creation of the universal apostolic Church. The descent of the Holy Spirit made it possible to save the human soul, and therefore on the Saturday before Trinity Day it is important to pray not only for the living, but also for the departed Christians.
Dimitrievskaya Parents' Saturday
Dimitrievskaya Parent's Saturday is the last of the Parent's Saturdays of the year. It is dedicated to the day of remembrance of the Holy Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessaloniki. On this day, all the dead are remembered, but first of all the soldiers who died for the Orthodox faith. It is believed that the beginning of the Dimitrievskaya Saturday was laid by Prince Dmitry Donskoy, when he visited the Trinity-Sergius monastery after the victory in the Battle of Kulikovo.
Days of remembrance of Orthodox soldiers
In addition to Demetrius Saturday, there are two more days when liturgy is served in the churches of the Russian Orthodox Church for all fallen Orthodox soldiers. These days do not belong to Parents' Saturdays, but they are also important days commemoration. Days of remembrance of Orthodox soldiers, unlike Parental Saturdays, have a clearly established date.
September 11 is known as the Day of Remembrance of Orthodox soldiers who fell for the Faith, the Tsar and the Fatherland. It was established to hold a memorial service on this date during the war between Russia and Ottoman Empire by decree of Empress Catherine the Great. The war, which lasted from 1768 to 1774, claimed the lives of many Russian Orthodox soldiers. So that there is a day of honoring the memory of not only those who died in Russian-Turkish War, but also for all Orthodox warriors who have ever fought with enemies, the Empress established a special memorial day. Nowadays, this memorial service is held irregularly.
May 9 is the day of remembrance for all those who died during the Great Patriotic War. Great Patriotic War took the lives of many of our compatriots, including Orthodox Christians. On Victory Day, the church holds a service in memory of the victims of the war and prays for the repose of all those killed.
Prayer for the departed on Parents' Saturday
On Parents' Saturday Orthodox Christian It is important not only to visit graves and hold funeral services. First of all, he must visit the temple and pray for the repose of his family and friends, primarily his parents and his other ancestors. If you cannot visit the temple, you can offer prayer at home in accordance with the prayer book. There are various prayers, suitable for reading on parent's Saturday, here is one of them: prayer for a deceased Christian, prayer of a widow and widower, prayer of children for deceased parents.
The most basic and simple prayer for deceased relatives, which any Orthodox Christian can read, sounds like this:
“Rest, O Lord, the souls of Your departed servants: my parents, relatives, benefactors (their names) and all Orthodox Christians, and forgive them all sins, voluntary and involuntary, and grant them the Kingdom of Heaven.”
If a Christian wants to pray for a specific deceased person, he can read the following prayer:
“Remember, O Lord our God, in the faith and hope of the life of Thy eternally departed servant, our brother (name), as Good and Lover of mankind, forgiving sins and consuming iniquities, weaken, forsake and forgive all his voluntary and involuntary sins, deliver him from eternal torment and the fire of Gehenna, and grant him the communion and enjoyment of Your eternal good things, prepared for those who love You: even if you sin, do not depart from You, and undoubtedly in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, God glorified by You in the Trinity, faith, and Unity in The Trinity and the Trinity in Unity are Orthodox even to the last breath of confession. Be merciful to him, and have faith in You instead of deeds, and with Your saints, as You give generous rest: for there is no man who will live and not sin. But You are the One besides all sin, and Your righteousness is righteousness forever, and You are the One God of mercies and generosity, and love for mankind, and to You we send glory, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen."
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From this article you will find out what date Orthodox parental Saturdays will be in 2018. You will also learn about the meaning of this Ecumenical service.
Parents' Saturdays in 2018
Often these special days of remembrance of the dead are called “ecumenical parental Saturdays.” This is not true. There are two ecumenical memorial Saturdays: Meat (on the Saturday preceding the Sunday of the Last Judgment) and Trinity (on the Saturday preceding the Feast of Pentecost, or also called the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity - the birthday of the Church of Christ).
The main meaning of these “ecumenical” (common to the entire Orthodox Church) funeral services is to pray for all deceased Orthodox Christians, regardless of their personal closeness to us. This is a matter of love that does not divide the world into friends and strangers. The main attention these days is to all those who are united with us by the highest kinship - kinship in Christ, and especially to those who have no one to remember.
Parents' Saturdays in 2018 fall on the following dates:
Ecumenical Parents' Saturday (Meat and Fat) - February 10, 2018.
Saturday of the 2nd week of Great Lent – March 3, 2018.
Saturday of the 3rd week of Great Lent – March 10, 2018.
Saturday of the 4th week of Lent – March 17, 2018.
Commemoration of deceased soldiers - May 9, 2018.
Radonitsa – April 17, 2018.
Trinity Parents' Saturday in 2018 - May 26, 2018.
Dimitrievskaya Parents' Saturday - November 3, 2018.
Parents' Saturdays in 2019 fall on the following dates:
Ecumenical Parents' Saturday (Meat and Fat) - March 4, 2019.
Saturday of the 2nd week of Great Lent – March 23, 2019.
Saturday of the 3rd week of Lent – March 30, 2019.
Saturday of the 4th week of Lent – April 6, 2019.
Commemoration of deceased soldiers - May 9, 2019.
Radonitsa – May 7, 2019.
Trinity Parents' Saturday in 2019 - June 15, 2019.
Dimitrievskaya Parents' Saturday - November 2, 2019.
Parents' Saturdays in 2020 fall on the following dates:
Ecumenical Parents' Saturday (Meat and Fat) - February 24, 2020.
Saturday of the 2nd week of Great Lent – March 14, 2020.
Saturday of the 3rd week of Great Lent – March 21, 2020.
Saturday of the 4th week of Lent – March 28, 2020.
Commemoration of deceased soldiers - May 9, 2020.
Radonitsa – April 28, 2020.
Trinity Parents' Saturday in 2020 - June 6, 2020.
Dimitrievskaya Parents' Saturday - October 31, 2020.
Parents' Saturdays in 2021 fall on the following dates:
Ecumenical Parents' Saturday (Meat and Fat) - March 8, 2021.
Saturday of the 2nd week of Great Lent – March 27, 2021.
Saturday of the 3rd week of Lent – April 3, 2021.
Saturday of the 4th week of Lent – April 10, 2021.
Commemoration of deceased soldiers - May 9, 2021.
Radonitsa – May 11, 2021.
Trinity Parents' Saturday in 2021 - June 19, 2021.
Dimitrievskaya Parents' Saturday - November 6, 2021.
For the primary commemoration of people dear to us personally, there are other parental Saturdays. First of all, these are the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Saturdays of Great Lent, and besides them, the Dimitrievsky Parental Saturday established in the Russian Orthodox Church, which was originally intended to commemorate the soldiers who died in the Battle of Kulikovo, but gradually became a general memorial day .
This memorial service falls on the Saturday preceding the memory of St. Vmch. Demetrius of Thessalonica - patron saint of the prince. Dmitry Donskoy, at whose suggestion, after the Battle of Kulikovo, an annual commemoration of soldiers was established. But over time, the memory of the liberating soldiers was crowded out in the popular consciousness, which is very regrettable, and Dimitrievskaya Memorial Saturday turned into one of the “parents’ days.”
Why "parental"? After all, we remember not only our parents, but also other people, often not connected to us by any family ties? By various reasons. First of all, not even because parents, as a rule, leave this world ahead of their children (and therefore too, but this is not the main thing), but because in general our first priority prayer duty is for our parents: of all the people whose temporary earthly life is over, we first of all owe it to those through whom we received this gift of life - our parents and forefathers.
Of course, commemoration of the deceased is not limited to a few days. Memorial services can be served, with rare exceptions, all year round, but there are Saturday days on which the Church calls on all its children to unite in prayer for their departed. To be honest, we sometimes forget to remember our deceased even during home prayer (we still remember our parents, but the older we get, the more people who left a mark on our lives and even left this world, and our memory, on the contrary, weakens ), I'm not even talking about going to church and paying for a memorial service for them. That’s why we need days like these when there is no time to put it off anymore.
There is another aspect of funeral commemoration, reflected in the name of these Saturdays “parental”: clan tradition, clan connection between generations, connection between the living and the deceased, connection between the living, united by common deceased ancestors, generally significant personalities for the clan, events, and memorable places. This is a universal, pre-Christian aspect, which in ancient times found mythological and ritual form in various pagan cults, reminiscences of which are still visible in “folk Orthodoxy.”
And here it is very important, on the one hand, not to confuse the Christian tradition with the pagan heritage woven into it, carefully identifying and removing the latter, on the other hand, to take care of parental Saturdays as a means of unifying people precisely because the Christian tradition of remembering the dead helps to comprehend the unity of the human race in the Heavenly Father, to whose adoption we are all called.
People realize “whose they will be” in the limited sense of close and distant relatives, they think (in any case, they get reason to think) about what was in their family worthy of acceptance and transmission, and what is worth remembering only so that by hereditary predisposition cannot be repeated.
However, this is only the beginning, the starting point of realizing the unity of the human race, descended from the ancestors created by God in His image and likeness. The understanding of all-human kinship according to the flesh should lead to the understanding of kinship in God; limited unity according to the flesh is the reference point for the desire to find pan-human unity in Christ. And if this does not happen, there is no talk of Christian unity. This unity is pagan, even if it is carried out between people belonging to the Church of Christ. It is pagan in spirit.
Blood, family ties, national identity, geopolitical unity - all this is wonderful until it becomes a priority value, or even an end in itself. And the Orthodox faith, religion, the Church as an institution are then relegated to the level of the “main state bond”, which is defended, yes, but defended in the appropriate spirit - pagan, blasphemously using Orthodox paraphernalia, adjusting its postulates to the absolutized values of the transitory world.
Parental Saturdays, dedicated to our deceased - people who preceded us in the transition from the vain world to eternal life, remind us of the main thing: our race is God's (firstly, by the origin of man, by the essence of his God-like nature, and secondly, by kinship in Christ, into whom we were baptized and in whom we put on life according to His commandments, being sanctified in the Sacraments), and our fatherland is in heaven (Phil. 3:20), and everything earthly is valuable to the extent that it contributes to the healing of the soul, its transformation according to image of Him who created (Col. 3:10).
Saturday is the last day of the week. Yes, yes, the day that completes the seven-week cycle, which begins not on Monday, as is commonly believed in everyday life, but on Sunday, or “week”, in Slavic - a day when they do nothing. According to the first day - the name of the entire week: “week”. Monday, accordingly, is the first day of the week, Tuesday is the second, etc., and Saturday (a word that retains similarities with the Hebrew “Sabbath”) is the final day of the week, as it was in the Old Testament era, with the only difference being that “not doing” has been transferred to the “week”, i.e. on the Lord's Day - on Sunday. But in memory of the Sabbath rest, it is on this last, final, final day of the week that, according to the Charter, it is customary to remember the dead.
Saturday consists of a seven-day cycle, but after this day there is Sunday - the eighth day (the number symbolizing eternity) in relation to the previous Sunday - the first day. Like this: from the Resurrection of Christ to the general Resurrection of all who have died from time immemorial - all: righteous and sinners, believers and unbelievers... for different fates in eternity, depending on who turned out to be who for Christ in life (as Archpriest Vladimir Tsvetkov once said : “At the Last Judgment we will not be horrified, but surprised”).
You need to understand that every parent's Saturday is a very important day for a believer. We must not forget to remember the dead on these days. We must remember the souls of our parents first, and then all other people who are dear to our hearts. In a Christian family, a child must be taught respect for his parents.
The fifth commandment is known, which talks about the need to honor your mother and father. Father Augustine focuses on this commandment. It is believed that such respect, the respect of parents, plays a huge role for eternal life man, as well as his entire family, for his stay on earth.
It is parental Saturdays that allow us to fully reveal the true, deep meaning of honoring parents. There are nine such days in the Orthodox calendar. Moreover, two parental Saturdays are ecumenical: they are spent in memorial prayers for the souls of all the departed.
PARENTAL SATURDAYS IN RUSSIA IN 2019
On parental Saturdays, the most important prayers are funeral prayers, thanks to which the souls of the dead feel better.
- March 2 is the day of the Ecumenical Meat Saturday
Comes on the 8th day before the start of Lent. The clergy will read prayers for all Christians who have ever lived on our planet. There is another Ecumenical Parents' Saturday - Trinity. On such days, pancakes are baked: the first one should be placed on a shelf with images of saints, the second one should be on the windowsill, the rest should be distributed to the poor and children, asking them to pray for specific deceased people. House cleaning begins in the morning, and in the evening the family holds a funeral dinner.
- March 23 and 30, April 6 – parental Saturdays during Lent
At the end of the church service, Orthodox Christians go to the graves of their relatives to honor their memory.
- May 7 – Radonitsa Day
Orthodox Christians also gather in cemeteries near the graves of their relatives and celebrate the Resurrection of Christ. They bring sweets, pies, and krashanki to the graves; they also distribute food to children and the poor.
- June 15 – Ecumenical Trinity Saturday
In the church you need to light candles for the repose, decorate the graves with greenery. You should not drink alcohol on this day.
- November 2 – Dmitrievskaya Saturday
They say that from this day winter begins, severe frosts. You need to clean the house and then go to the evening service. They prepare pies, kutya, and cook uzvar.
PARENTAL SATURDAYS IN LENT 2019
This year, memorial days fall on March 23, 30 and April 6. IN Orthodox churches Liturgies are always held, praying for the departed on Saturdays that fall on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th weeks of Lent. All believers have the opportunity not only to light candles, submit notes of repose, writing the appropriate names in them, or order a magpie, but also to attend the Liturgy in person.
Another remarkable fact is that throughout Lent, funeral Liturgies in Orthodox churches never held except on the three specified Saturdays. After the funeral service, it is customary to go to the cemetery to honor the memory of your deceased relatives and friends in their final resting places. Although the clergy say that after participating in funeral services it is not necessary to go to churchyards, since it is not the bodies, but the souls of the deceased that need much more attention.
UNIVERSAL MEAT SATURDAY IN 2019 - MARCH 2
Meat-free parental Saturday in 2019 - March 2 (8 days before the start of Lent 2019. Why is this memorial Saturday called Ecumenical? The fact is that on this day in Orthodox churches clergy read prayers to the glory of absolutely all Christians who lived on Earth and There are only two Ecumenical Parental Saturdays a year - Meat Saturday and Trinity Saturday.
Meat-eating Saturday is also called Little Maslenitsa, since the memorial day falls on meat-eating week, that is, the last week before Maslenitsa. In churches, special rituals are held, prayers are read for all Christians (from Adam to contemporaries), regardless of the region of their residence and burial. Ecumenical memorial services, which are funeral services for the dead, are also held. People pray that God will give peace to the souls of the departed and have mercy, relieving them of all earthly sins.
According to Slavic customs, housewives baked pancakes on the winter memorial Saturday, the first of which was placed on the shrine (a shelf with arranged icons), the second on the windowsill. The rest of the pancakes were taken to the graves of relatives and distributed to nuns, beggars, and children. At the same time, they always asked that people feast on pancakes in the name of the repose of the souls of specific deceased. The house is cleaned, a funeral dinner is held in the evening, many dishes are placed on the table, their number should be odd.
RADONITSA IN 2019 - MAY 7
They take Easter cakes, colored cakes, sweets (most often sweets) and other food blessed in the church with them to the churchyard. Some of the food is distributed to the poor and children, some is placed on graves, and some is eaten by themselves. However, priests do not recommend organizing grandiose feasts near graves, because such behavior indicates disrespect for world of the dead and in particular to their deceased relatives. Otherwise, people rejoice at Radonitsa and organize a traditional funeral dinner.
TRINITY SATURDAY IN 2019 - JUNE 15
In 2019, Trinity Saturday, which is also Ecumenical, falls on June 15. On this day, they attend funeral services held in churches, light candles for the repose of deceased relatives, and go to the cemetery. On Trinity Saturday, it is customary to decorate graves with fresh greenery, because at this time nature finally wakes up, young foliage and grass appear, and early flowers bloom.
Since Saturday is Ecumenical, on this day they commemorate not only relatives, but also all Christians who once lived on Earth and have passed on to another world. Some believers who visit graveyards voluntarily decorate graves unfamiliar to them with green branches and grass. It is also worth noting that it is Trinity Ecumenical Saturday is the main day when the memory of all deceased people of the Orthodox faith is honored.
As the clergy explain, any Christian who lived on Earth contributed to the construction of the Kingdom of God, which will certainly be established after the second coming of Christ. It is after this event that all Christians who have ever died will be resurrected, finding an eternal happy existence. In the evening, relatives and friends are called for a funeral meal. During dinner, you should not indulge in idle fun, swear, gossip, slander or engage in empty talk. The church also does not recommend drinking alcohol.
DMITRIEVSKAYA SATURDAY IN 2019 - NOVEMBER 2
November 2 (the eve of St. Demetrius of Thessaloniki) is another day of remembrance of deceased relatives. Special memorial services are held in churches. People pray for the repose of the souls of the departed, asking God to forgive them their sinful acts and grant them the Kingdom of Heaven. Many historians associate the origin of this Saturday with the Battle of Kulikovo. Dmitry Donskoy, after the victory, proposed that Orthodox dignitaries establish a day of remembrance of their souls in honor of the soldiers who fell in battle. The clergy agreed, naming Saturday in honor of Prince Dmitry.
In ancient times, Dmitriev's Saturday was considered the day when one needed to say goodbye to autumn and welcome winter. If before the onset of the Intercession they did not have time to thoroughly prepare for severe frosts, it was Dmitriev’s Saturday that was considered the final stage of preparation for winter.
On this memorial day they held general cleaning residential premises and garden plots. In the morning they attended a funeral service, in the afternoon they went to the graveyard to visit deceased relatives. In the evening we had dinner. Tables were covered with new linen tablecloths white. They exhibited traditional funeral dishes(pies, kutya, pancakes with various fillings, uzvar).
OTHER MEMORIAL DAYS
REMEMBERING THOSE WHO DIED IN THE WWII
The date of this holiday is not transferable and always falls on May 9. The memory of the soldiers who fulfilled their duty to the people and the Motherland in 1941-1945, laying down their heads on the fields of bloody battles, is revered in a special way in Orthodoxy. The clergy note that faith in the Lord helped in overcoming difficulties, strengthened the spirit of the soldiers of the Red Army, brightened up the hardships of their military everyday life, inspiring and raising them to exploits in the name of the Fatherland.
On May 9, all Orthodox churches hold funeral Liturgies, and then memorial services for fallen soldiers. In the morning, in honor of Victory Day, parades are held, after which wreaths and flowers are ceremoniously laid at monuments, mass graves and the eternal flame. All day long people honor the veterans of this bloody war, presenting them with gifts and organizing concerts for them. Teachers from schools and universities conduct classes during which they tell students about war heroes, their courage and exploits.
In honor of the end of the war, in 1945, the largest and most spectacular fireworks display of that time was given: 30 salvos were fired from a thousand artillery pieces. To this day, you can admire the stunningly beautiful fireworks in the squares. Volunteers hand out small symbols of the holiday to passers-by - St. George ribbons, which people use to decorate cars, trees, houses and their clothes. These ribbons represent not only the memory of those who gave their lives on the battlefields, but also the strong connection between generations.
SEMIK
The day falls on July 25th. Every year its date changes depending on the date of Easter. Semik is always celebrated on the seventh Thursday after the Resurrection of Christ. This is where its name actually comes from. Our ancestors believed that this holiday marks the meeting of the summer period, as well as farewell to the spring season.
The permanent symbol of Semik is the birch tree, on whose branches young foliage flaunts. On the eve of the holiday, people chose a birch tree (preferably one that grew alone in a field) and dressed it up, tying ribbons on its branches. It was this ritual that allowed the tree to transfer all its power to the field and young grass, providing people with a rich harvest and contributing to their personal well-being, health, and prosperity.
According to ancient traditions, in the morning people go to the cemetery to visit their deceased relatives. They also commemorated the murdered and those who died or died a violent death, being in the places of the poor and in their wretched home. People gathered in churches for mass and brought with them fresh plants, branches of young trees, flowers, young grass. The floors of the temples were covered with the brought greenery. In the afternoon, festivities and general fun began, and in the evening festive tables were set.
OFFICIAL DAY OF REMEMBRANCE AND MOURNING
The date of this tragic day of memory and sorrow (June 22) is also fixed. The day of the attack of Nazi Germany on the USSR. Every year people lay flowers at the monuments and graves of unknown soldiers who died between 1941 and 1945. The memory of the savagery committed by the soldiers of the 3rd Reich is still fresh. Unfortunately, there are few veterans and eyewitnesses of these terrible events left.
Surely, in every family there are relatives who died in this war - fathers, grandfathers, great-grandfathers... The inhuman torment that the Soviet people experienced during the Second World War will be immortalized in the hearts of future generations. Forget about this scary page the history of our people is probably impossible. In many countries, it is customary to lower the national flag on this day. Everyone remembers the harsh period of the war and the people who, at the cost of their own lives, led the country to victory.
Very often, on June 22, films dedicated to the heroism of the Red Army soldiers and the Soviet people as a whole are released. Evenings in memory of the victims of the Second World War are also held. During these evenings, it is customary to honor the memory of those killed in battle with a minute of silence, serving as a symbol of universal mourning. Everyone present falls silent, the lights turn off and many lights from lit candles and lighters flash in the darkness. On June 22, it is customary to mourn not only one’s relatives who perished in the millstones of that horrific war, but also all the warriors who showed incredible courage and laid down their lives for the peaceful life of their descendants.
MEMORY OF ORTHODOX WARRIORS
The Day of Remembrance of Fallen Soldiers of the Orthodox Faith falls on September 11th. On the same day, Christians also celebrate a major church holiday called the Beheading of the Prophet, better known as the Beheading of the Forerunner or the Beheading. According to Christian canons, on September 11 it is not necessary to visit cemeteries and funeral services held in churches. However, it is important to remember the fallen Orthodox soldiers with kind thoughts and words, especially while at the festive table.
During the evening funeral meal, you cannot drink large quantities of alcohol-containing drinks, dance or sing songs. This is due not only to disrespect for the fallen Christian soldiers, but also to the fact that the day coincides with the day of the great church holiday– The beheading of the Forerunner. In this regard, vegetables and fruits are not placed on the funeral table. round shape, and guests do not use cutting cutlery. Food cannot be served on platters, since according to legend, the severed head of John the Baptist was brought to Herod on a platter.
On Sunday March 24, 2019 Football teams will meet in the Euro 2020 group stage qualification Russia and Kazakhstan.
This will be the second match of the Russian team in the current qualifying tournament. Let us remind you that in the first meeting Russia met with Belgium, to which it lost with a score of 1:3.
The Russia-Kazakhstan meeting will take place on March 24, 2019 in the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan - the city of Astana(which was renamed literally in a couple of hours on March 20 to Nur-Sultan by decision of parliament members). And how can we not remember one of the jokes dedicated to the renaming of the city, and not say in relation to the Russian national football team that it “flew to Astana and arrived in Nur-Sultan.” Officially, the city changed its name on March 23, 2019, after the signing of the corresponding Decree by the new head of state Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
The match will be held at the Astana Arena stadium(“Nur-Sultan Arena”). Starts at 17:00 Moscow time (20:00 local time).
That is:
* Venue of the match - Kazakhstan, Astana (Nur-Sultan), Astana Arena.
* Broadcast start time is 17:00 Moscow time.
Where to watch the match Russia - Kazakhstan live:
In Russia The federal TV channel will broadcast the football match live "Match!". The broadcast dedicated to the game will begin at 16:35 Moscow time, the live broadcast itself will start at 17:00 Moscow time.In Kazakhstan Live broadcast of the national football teams' games can be seen on the channel "QAZAQSTAN" at 20:00 local time.
March 18 in Crimea is a day off or a working day:
According to the above laws, on the territory of the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol the date "March 18" is a non-working holiday, an additional day off.That is:
* March 18 is a day off in Crimea and Sevastopol.
If March 18 coincides with a holiday (as, for example, happens in 2023), the holiday is transferred to the next working day.
If a holiday coincides with annual paid leave, March 18 is not included in the number of calendar days of leave, but extends it.
Is March 17 a shortened working day:
If the calendar date March 17 falls on a working day, then the duration of work on this day is reduced by 1 hour.This norm is established in Article 95 Labor Code RF and applies to working days preceding, among other things, regional holidays.
International Women's Day on March 8 is a UN observance, and the organization includes 193 states. The memorial dates announced by the General Assembly are designed to encourage UN members to show increased interest in these events. However, at the moment, not all member states of the United Nations have approved the celebration of Women's Day in their territories on the specified date.
Below is a list of countries that celebrate International Women's Day. Countries are grouped into groups: in a number of states the holiday is an official non-working day (day off) for all citizens, on March 8th only women rest, and there are states where they work on March 8th.
In which countries is the holiday March 8 a day off (for everyone):
* In Russia- March 8 is one of the most favorite holidays, when men congratulate all women without exception.
* In Ukraine- International Women's Day continues to remain an additional holiday, despite regular proposals to exclude the event from the list of non-working days and replace it, for example, with Shevchenko Day, which will be celebrated on March 9.
* In Abkhazia.
* In Azerbaijan.
* In Algeria.
* In Angola.
* In Armenia.
* In Afghanistan.
* In Belarus.
* To Burkina Faso.
* In Vietnam.
* In Guinea-Bissau.
* In Georgia.
* In Zambia.
* In Kazakhstan.
* In Cambodia.
* In Kenya.
* In Kyrgyzstan.
* IN DPRK.
* In Cuba.
* In Laos.
* In Latvia.
* In Madagascar.
* In Moldova.
* In Mongolia.
* In Nepal.
* In Tajikistan- since 2009, the holiday was renamed Mother's Day.
* In Turkmenistan.
* In Uganda.
* In Uzbekistan.
* In Eritrea.
* In South Ossetia.
Countries where March 8 is a women's-only day off:
There are countries where only women are exempt from work on International Women's Day. This rule has been approved:
* In China.
* In Madagascar.
Which countries celebrate March 8, but it is a working day:
In some countries, International Women's Day is widely celebrated, but is a working day. This:
* Austria.
* Bulgaria.
* Bosnia and Herzegovina.
* Germany- in Berlin, since 2019, March 8 is a day off, in the country as a whole it is a working day.
* Denmark.
* Italy.
* Cameroon.
* Romania.
* Croatia.
* Chile.
* Switzerland.
In which countries is March 8 NOT celebrated?
* In Brazil, the majority of whose residents have not even heard of the “international” holiday of March 8th. The main event of the end of February - beginning of March for Brazilians and Brazilian women is not Women's Day at all, but the largest in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records, the Brazilian Festival, also called the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. In honor of the festival, residents of Brazil rest for several days in a row, from Friday until noon Catholic Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent (which for Catholics has a moving date and begins 40 days before Catholic Easter).* In the USA, the holiday is not an official holiday. In 1994, an attempt by activists to get the celebration approved by Congress failed.
* In the Czech Republic (Czech Republic) - most of the country's population views the holiday as a relic of the communist past and the main symbol of the old regime.
IN church calendar in 2018 there were many Orthodox memorial days. Tomorrow, November 3, will be the last parents' Saturday - Dmitrievskaya. On this day, prayers are read for the deceased and notes with their names are brought to church so that the priest will mention them during the liturgy.
In 2018, there are a total of eight parent Saturdays:
The last memorial day will be November 3
All Orthodox Christians are called upon by the Church to be in close union with the living and the dead, to pray for them on memorial days, to ease their souls with their prayers. On Parents' Saturday, it is customary to remember not only parents, but also acquaintances, fallen soldiers, and those killed.
Tomorrow, November 3, will be Dmitrievskaya Parents' Saturday. According to official version, installed it to commemorate the soldiers who died in the Battle of Kulikovo. The initiator was Prince Dmitry Donskoy (hence the Dmitrievskaya Saturday), and the priests supported him.
What do they do in church on this memorial day?
Orthodox Christians need to visit church this evening, on the eve of the memorial day. There will be a great funeral service, parastas. Troparia with stichera and chants will be dedicated to all the departed. The morning funeral service will begin on Saturday Divine Liturgy, then a general funeral service.
You need to take notes to church with the names of deceased loved ones and relatives. They need to be written in capital letters, incline in genitive case. After the service, Orthodox Christians go to the graves to clean up and remember a loved one. At home, in a close family circle, you can arrange a memorial meal.
On Parents' Saturdays you cannot drink alcohol, have fun, have noisy feasts, sing or dance. It is forbidden to speak badly about a deceased person.
Gifts are also brought to church - food, vegetables, Cahors. They are left on a special table. They will then be distributed to those in need. There is no point in leaving anything at the graves: it is better to distribute sweets and other treats to those in need, so that they also remember their loved ones.
Prayers for the deceased on memorial days
Rest, O Lord, the souls of Your departed servants: my parents, relatives, benefactors (their names), and all Orthodox Christians, and forgive them all sins, voluntary and involuntary, and grant them the Kingdom of Heaven.
Lord our God, let us remember the departed earthly servant (name), who transferred his soul to Heaven. Please forgive him for all the sinful acts that he committed, for we repent and for his soul in prayers we ask You, God, for Your mercy. Give him relief from suffering and torment, give him a better life. Don’t let him go from you, let his soul be next to You forever. May his soul be illuminated with heavenly light. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Forever and ever. Amen.
Our Father, Lord, we pray to You! In Heaven, my child (name) is next to You. Please give him care and comfort. Don’t leave him alone, take away all his earthly sorrows and torments. By Your will You gave me a child and also took him into Your Kingdom! So illuminate him with your love and care! Cleanse his soul from despondency, for now he is with You forever. You are our King, our Creator, only by Your will do we walk on the sinful earth, and we will all give our souls to Heaven. But until my time has come, take care of my child as you would all your children, for only You are able to give us comfort. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Lord, hear our prayers for our parents who left this earth and went to Your Kingdom, where there is eternal life. Only You are able to console our grieving souls. Please forgive all the sins of the deceased and give him life in joy and happiness in Heaven. I cry and pray for the soul of God’s servant (name) with faith and hope for consolation. Don’t leave me alone in the sorrow of mourning, help me survive the loss. Forgive him all his sins, let his soul rest in peace and find eternal life. I will pray for him and praise him Your name, Our Lord! For you are our Father, and only you know when our last hour on earth will strike, to take our souls to the Kingdom of Heaven. May we find eternity next to you. Forever and ever. Amen.
