A human funeral is a rite of burial for the deceased, symbolizing farewell and the end of earthly life and the beginning of a new, eternal one. The entire funeral ritual of the Slavs has both Christian and pagan roots, closely intertwined and no longer separated due to centuries-old foundations.
Orthodox funerals in Russia perhaps most fully combine pre-Christian burial traditions with religious rules and burial procedures, and post-funeral traditions.
This is explained by the relative tolerance of Orthodoxy towards pagan remnants and the presence of many social and historical features in various territories of the country.
Commitment and funeral of the deceased in every culture and religion is accompanied by a certain ceremony and rituals. The mysterious and mystical transition from the kingdom of the living to the kingdom of the dead is beyond the scope of human understanding, therefore people, depending on their religious worldview, historical and cultural characteristics, have developed a whole system of rules and traditions during funerals. They should help the deceased get comfortable in the new world - after all, the overwhelming majority of religions and faiths proceed from the fact that death means only the end of the earthly period of existence.
The ritual rite is performed primarily to help the deceased, although at present many mistakenly view the observed customs of burial and commemoration as a desire to support loved ones and relatives, to share with them the bitterness of loss, and to show a sense of respect for the deceased.
Stages of funerals, Orthodox traditions at funerals in Russia include the following main events and rituals, which together represent a sequential burial procedure;
- Preparation;
- farewell;
- funeral service;
- burial;
- remembrance.
Every person has to bury loved ones. It is important to comply funeral ritual. Russian Orthodox traditions have long been formed (including those that are not currently used or are used in remote areas by Orthodox Christians). There is a mandatory minimum that a person participating in the burial procedure needs to know.
An Orthodox person should know the minimum necessary for the proper organization of a funeral
This information is especially important for believers. Many people come to God in adulthood and do not know some customs, attaching importance to superstitions that are not related to religion and, thereby, not helping the soul of the deceased to enter into afterlife. For non-believers, observing traditions is important out of a sense of respect for the deceased and those gathered to see him off.
Preparation for burial
Preparation is the pre-funeral stage of a funeral, which includes several component ritual events. When preparing a body for burial, some pagan customs are also observed. Death in Christianity is seen as the beginning of the road to new life, so the deceased must be prepared and collected for the road. Preparing the body of the deceased for the unearthly journey has both religious and mystical content, as well as a sanitary and hygienic component.
Washing the body
The deceased must appear before the Creator pure both spiritually and physically.
The mystical component of the ritual is that washing the body had to be performed by certain people - the washers.
They could not be closely related to the deceased, so that tears would not fall on the body. Mourning the deceased is not compatible with the Christian understanding of death as a transition to eternal life and meetings with God. There is a belief that a mother's tears burn a dead child. The washers were chosen from among old maids and widows who were clean and did not commit bodily sins. For work, linen and clothes of the deceased were given as a reward. 
The body was washed on the floor at the threshold of the house, the deceased was positioned with his feet towards the stove. Warm water, comb and soap were used. It was believed that otherworldly dead forces were transferred to the things used during washing, so it was necessary to get rid of them as soon as possible. Pots containing water for washing, combs, and soap residues were thrown into a ravine and taken to crossroads and beyond the field. The used water was considered dead and was poured out in the far corner of the yard, where no people walked and nothing was planted.
All these traditions are a reflection of the mystical component of the pagan understanding of death and fear of the otherworldly light.
Compliance with such rituals was necessary to ensure that the dead did not come from the other world and take their loved ones with them. The Christian meaning lies in the need for purification before God not only of the soul, but also of the body. Modern washing in the morgue has a purely sanitary and hygienic content.
Deceased's vestment
Nowadays it is traditional to dress the deceased man in a dark suit and white shirt, women - wear light-colored clothes. However, in the era Ancient Rus' and in the Middle Ages everyone was buried in white. This tradition combined both Christian ideas about the purity of the soul and the traditional white robes adopted in Rus'.
Traditionally, the deceased is dressed in white.
For burial, the best clothes of the deceased are chosen; special funeral sets or new suits and dresses are often purchased, which also symbolizes the purity of a person before God. The feet are shod in white slippers without hard soles - a familiar symbol of funeral supplies. It is prohibited to use the clothes of relatives or other people. Women's heads are covered with a scarf, which is combined with Christian and cultural traditions, and a man is wearing a wreath with a prayer.
Certain traditions are observed in relation to deceased young girls and boys who did not have time to get married.
Death young man is always an exceptional event. Premature death in the most active age causes special regret and sadness. Unmarried girls both in the old days and now they are buried in white, and often in wedding dresses, and a veil is placed in the coffin. The funeral of the bride may be accompanied by some wedding customs - drinking champagne, singing wedding songs.
For deceased young people who did not have time to get married, wedding rings are put on the ring finger of their right hand. The dressing up of young people occurs in the same way as in preparation for a wedding ceremony. Similar traditions exist not only in the Orthodox world.
Entombment
After washing and vesting, the deceased is placed on a bench facing the icons, spread with straw or something soft. Silence must be maintained in the house; telephones and audio-video equipment must be turned off. Mirrors, glass surfaces except windows (cabinet and sideboard doors, interior doors etc.) should be covered with white paper or cloth, photographs and paintings should be removed or hung up.
The coffin (the outdated name domovin - from the word “house”) is considered as the last earthly refuge of a person. This element is given a lot of attention in the funeral procedure.
In ancient times, coffins could be made in one piece from a tree trunk. In its usual form, this ritual object is made of boards; modern materials (chipboard, plastic, etc.), metals can only be used for decoration and decoration (with the exception of zinc coffins in certain cases). Any type of wood except aspen can be used for production. The inside of the coffin is covered with soft material. Expensive coffins can be polished, decorated with valuable materials and upholstered with soft coverings. The body is placed on white bedspread- a sheet or cloth. A small pillow is placed under the head. The prepared coffin can be considered as an imitation of a bed; the deceased is laid out in such a way that it is “comfortable”. Sometimes women during their lifetime prepare a pillow for their coffin, stuffed with their own hair.
The coffin in the Christian tradition is an imitation of a bed
Those who are baptized are buried with a cross. An icon, a crown on the forehead and a “handwriting” - a written or printed prayer for the remission of sins - are placed in the coffin. It is placed in the right hand of the deceased, and a candle is placed on the chest in crossed arms. The deceased can be given things that he constantly used or especially treasured during his lifetime. It has become common to be buried with cell phones.
Previously, mittens were worn to transfer the body into the coffin, and the house was constantly fumigated with incense. Before the coffin is taken out, you cannot throw garbage out of the house - this custom is observed in our time.
Seeing off the deceased
Seeing off the deceased is also a symbiosis of Orthodox rituals, mystical beliefs and traditions and takes place in several stages. Currently, modern traditions are closely intertwined with established old customs, which include:
- installation of a portrait and awards of the deceased at the coffin, their demonstration in the funeral procession;
- farewell speeches;
- placing photographs on gravestones and crosses;
- funeral music, singing, fireworks;
- condolences through the media, etc.
Farewell to the deceased
The coffin is placed in the room on a table covered with a cloth, or on stools with the feet facing the door. The lid is positioned vertically with its narrow part towards the floor in the corridor, often on landing. For 3 days, the coffin with the body of the deceased must remain in the house.
Relatives, friends, acquaintances and neighbors come to visit the deceased. The doors don't close. At night, relatives and friends should gather around the coffin to say goodbye to the deceased, remember his worldly life, the events in which the deceased was a participant.
Previously, it was mandatory for relatives or specially invited persons (not necessarily priests) to read the psalter over the coffin. Now the observance of this tradition is left to the discretion of the closest relatives. The canon “Following the departure of the soul from the body” should be read over the deceased.
If there are icons in the house, you need to place a glass of water in front of them, covered with a piece of bread. Water and bread can be installed on the windowsill. It is believed that the soul of the deceased does not immediately leave the earth. The food and drink on display may reflect both pagan sacrifice to the spirit of the deceased and Christian ideas about the soul's stay on earth after death for 40 days - a clear example of the interweaving of pagan and Christian rituals. A candle is lit at the head of the coffin on a table or other elevation, and a lamp should burn in front of the images. Candles can be placed in the corners of the house.
A portrait with a black ribbon is placed at the head of the coffin, awards are placed on a cushion at the feet. Wreaths are lined up along the walls of the room; a wreath from relatives is placed at the feet between the coffin and the pillow with awards. People who come to say goodbye usually do not take off their shoes. It is necessary to stand or sit near the coffin for some time; only relatives gather with the deceased for a long time or throughout the night. In the room with the deceased, chairs or benches should be installed along the coffin. Farewell is carried out until the body is removed. 
Currently, the tradition of a three-day farewell is not observed in big cities and major cities, but in small urban settlements and rural areas it has been preserved everywhere.
Observance of the three-day farewell is at the discretion of the relatives and depends on the actual circumstances in which the burial takes place.
Often the body for burial is taken from the morgue already prepared, and the procession immediately goes to the church or cemetery. The clergy do not insist on strict observance of all this does not affect.
Removal of the body and funeral procession
The removal of the body is scheduled no earlier than 12 - 13 hours and with the expectation that the burial takes place before sunset. Usually they try to carry out the removal before 14:00. They carry out the deceased feet first, without touching the threshold and door jambs, which should protect against the return of the dead man. There is another special protective rite - replacing the place of the deceased. It is necessary to sit for some time on the table or stools on which the coffin was located, and then turn them upside down for a day.
Removal of the body begins at 12 - 13 o'clock
Before the removal, those who came to say goodbye and see them off on their final journey line up along the route of the procession. Initially, wreaths, a portrait of the deceased, a pillow with orders and medals, and a coffin lid are taken out of the house. After 10 - 15 minutes, the coffin is taken out and carried to the hearse, and relatives come out behind the coffin. Before the hearse, the coffin is placed on stools for a few minutes and left open to give an opportunity to say goodbye to those people who have not been home and are not going to the funeral service or the cemetery.
In the hearse, the coffin is placed on a special pedestal with the head forward, and wreaths are laid.
A specific custom during the removal is mourning for the deceased, and it is often not relatives or close people who mourn. Lamentations over the coffin and tears, according to tradition, should characterize the personality of the deceased. The better the relationships with others and respect from society, the more crying. In the old days, there were special mourners who were specially invited to the ceremony. Folklore has also preserved funeral laments - songs-lamentations, which were performed in an annoying howling voice.
The funeral procession from the door of the house to the hearse is lined up in the following order:
- orchestra;
- master of ceremonies;
- a man carrying a portrait;
- people carrying pillows with awards of the deceased;
- people with wreaths;
- people carrying the coffin lid;
- pallbearers;
- close relatives;
- others saying goodbye.
There was an interesting ritual of the first meeting, personifying the unity of earthly and unearthly life. The ritual consisted in the fact that the first person encountered by the procession was given bread, which he wrapped in a towel. The gifted one had to pray for the repose of the soul of the deceased. It was assumed that the deceased should be the first to meet in another world the person who was presented with bread. Along the route of the procession with the coffin, grain was scattered for the birds. The presence of birds was considered good sign, sometimes they were identified with the souls of the dead.
Funeral procession for church canons could only stop at the church and near the cemetery. Often, traffic slowed down or stopped when passing any memorial or significant places and objects for the deceased: near the house of a recently deceased neighbor or relative, at crossroads, at crosses, etc. As they passed through such places, some of the mourners could drop out.
This custom is to some extent combined with traditions associated with the 40-day stay of the soul of the deceased on earth. During this period, the soul visits the most significant places for a person in earthly life.
Immediate family members are not allowed to carry the coffin. Most often, porters are either specially invited people, or friends, colleagues and distant relatives. The ritual of wearing a coffin is very different from what existed previously. What remains common is that the further the coffin is carried in the arms, the more respected the position of the deceased was. Along the route of the coffin, fresh flowers are scattered - carnations for the deceased man and roses for women and girls.
Funeral service
The deceased is buried on the 3rd day after death, except for the days of Holy Easter and the Nativity of Christ. The ceremony is carried out only once, unlike funeral services, which can be served both before and after burial several times. Only baptized people are allowed to perform funeral services. Those who renounced the faith or were excommunicated from the church, or suicides, cannot be inveterate. In completely exceptional cases, the latter can be inveterate with the blessing of the bishop.
Suicides are not buried in church
To perform the ceremony, the coffin with the deceased is brought into the church and placed with its head towards the altar. Those gathered are nearby, holding burning fires in their hands. church candles. The priest proclaims Eternal Memory and reads a prayer of permission, which absolves the deceased from unfulfilled vows and sins committed during his lifetime. The prayer of permission does not forgive sins for which the deceased did not consciously want to repent; only those admitted in confession or which the deceased did not report due to ignorance or forgetfulness can be forgiven.
A piece of paper with the words of prayer is placed in the hands of the deceased.
At the end of the prayer, those gathered extinguish the candles and walk around the coffin with the body, kiss the aureole on the forehead and the icon on the chest, and ask for forgiveness from the deceased. After the farewell is over, the body is covered with a shroud. The coffin is closed with a lid, and after the funeral service it can no longer be opened. With the singing of the Trisagion, the deceased is taken out of the temple, the procession moves to the burial place. There is a procedure if it is not possible to deliver the deceased to the temple or invite a clergyman home.
Burial
The burial must end before sunset. By the time the body is delivered to the burial site, the grave must be ready. If the burial is carried out without a funeral service, the coffin is closed near the dug grave, having previously given those gathered the opportunity to finally say goodbye to the deceased. They say over the open coffin last speeches, remember the virtues and good deeds of the deceased. The coffin is lowered into the grave on long towels. Those gathered take turns throwing a handful of earth onto the lid of the coffin; the relatives go first. You can briefly pray to yourself with the words: May God rest the soul of your newly departed servant (name), and forgive him all his sins, voluntary and involuntary, and grant him the Kingdom of Heaven. This prayer is also performed at a funeral dinner before a new dish.
May be accompanied by a number of customs and ritual actions:
- Together with the coffin, church candles that burned in the church during the funeral ceremony are lowered into the grave.
- They throw you into the grave small coins. This custom is interpreted as the purchase by the deceased of a place in the cemetery from the “owner” of the underworld or a place in the next world, payment for passage to the other world.
- After burial, a tear shawl is left on the grave.
These customs have pagan roots, but do not contradict Orthodox canons.
A temporary one is being installed on the grave mound. Orthodox cross or an obelisk, other sign with a photograph of the deceased, name and dates of life. A permanent monument can be erected no earlier than next year after burial. The grave is usually buried by cemetery workers - diggers. After the burial, custom dictates that the workers be treated to traditional funeral dishes and vodka for the repose of their souls. Leftover food is scattered on the grave to attract birds.
The funeral of military personnel, participants in war and hostilities, and law enforcement officers is accompanied by a small arms salute.
In the old days there was an interesting ritual - hidden alms. For 40 days after the burial, relatives secretly placed alms on the windows and porches of poor neighbors - bread, eggs, pancakes, pieces of canvas, etc. The gifted were supposed to pray for the deceased, and it was believed that they took part of the sins to themselves. The distribution of alms is also associated with the customs of distributing tear scarves, pies, and sweets. in some places new wooden spoons were distributed so that the deceased would be remembered every time they ate. Wealthy relatives could make large donations for a new bell (it was believed that the bell could rescue a sinful soul from hell). There was a custom to give a rooster to a neighbor so that it would sing for the sins of the deceased.
Remembrance
The funeral ends funeral dinner, to which everyone is invited. Funerals serve not only to remember the deceased, but also represent the continuation of life. The funeral meal has certain features in the choice and sequence of dishes. The basis, the head of nutrition in Russian traditions was bread and flour products. The wake begins and ends with pancakes or pancakes with honey and kutia. Kutya, depending on local characteristics, is prepared from wheat grains boiled in honey, rice with sugar and raisins. 
For the first course, meat cabbage soup or soup must be served. For the second course, prepare porridge (barley, millet) or potatoes with meat. Fish and jelly can be served as separate appetizers. IN fast days meat is replaced with fish and mushrooms. Serving a sweet third is required. In accordance with old traditions, the third should be oatmeal jelly, but nowadays it is replaced with compote. Separate snacks can include fried fish and jelly. At the wake, people are treated to vodka, and women can be offered wine.
A mandatory attribute is pies with meat, cabbage, and sweets. Pies are distributed to those present so that they can treat them to their families.
Funeral services are held on days 9 and 40. Day 9 means turning to 9 angelic ranks who act as those asking God for mercy and mercy for a sinful soul. From the 9th day after the funeral to the 40th, the soul is doomed to wander through ordeals, which is a visit to various places where sins were committed. Angels must help the soul overcome sinful obstacles on the way to the other world. The Creator does not initially assign the soul to either hell or heaven. Within 40 days, the deceased atones for his sins, and an assessment is made of the good and evil he has done. The funeral takes place in the form of a funeral meal. During the wake, the house is cleaned in the same way as during the farewell to the deceased within 3 days after death.
Day 40 is the last day of the soul’s stay in this world. On this day it happens Supreme Court, the soul temporarily returns to its former home and remains there until the funeral service. If the send-off is not arranged, the deceased will suffer. On the 40th day, the further extraterrestrial life of a person is determined. There is a custom to hang a towel in the corner of the house for 40 days. The soul, returning home after the ordeal, wipes itself with a towel and rests.
Sweet pies are an obligatory dish at the funeral table.
Prayer can alleviate the lot of a sinful soul in extraterrestrial life, so the relatives of the deceased order a funeral service (mass) in the church with the remembrance of the deceased for 6 weeks after death - Sorokoust. Instead of mass, you can order the reading of the magpie to a reader, who reads the canon for 40 days in the house of the deceased. The names of the dead are recorded in the annual commemoration - synodik.
Mourning for the head of the family is observed for a longer period of time than for the elderly. Outwardly, mourning is expressed by wearing dark clothes.
Women wear a black headscarf for 40 days after the funeral. During the period of mourning, they often visit the deceased in the cemetery, go to church, and refuse entertainment events and celebrations. Longer periods of mourning characterize the severity of the loss. Mothers of deceased children and young widows observe mourning for up to a year or more. For deceased elderly parents or an elderly spouse, mourning can be reduced to 6 weeks. Men adhere to mourning clothing to participate in funeral rites; on other days, mourning is not outwardly expressed.
Organizing a funeral yourself is quite a troublesome procedure. It is necessary to visit many different government and commercial institutions, collect all the certificates, and agree on the time of the ceremony. To everything else, add psychological stress from the urgency of this event and discomfort due to the loss loved one.
Financial resources or moral principles do not always allow outsiders to be involved in such a sensitive issue. However, even among older people, not everyone knows how to properly organize a funeral. Below we will tell you what is necessary for this and the sequence of steps.
Where to start organizing a funeral
First thing to do when faced with death loved one, this is to calm down and cope with emotional shock. Mobilize all your strength for the next three days, promising yourself to fully indulge in grief after the burial. Stock up on valerian drops and ammonia in case of fainting. Ask someone close to you to accompany you on long trips to various organizations. Firstly, now you need moral support from the outside, and secondly, mortuary and cemetery workers usually do not dare to unreasonably beg for money for various free services in the presence of a third party.
How to organize a funeral yourself: step-by-step instructions
Organizing a funeral yourself is not as difficult as it seems at first. Due to life factors, not every person is able to arrange an elite burial in a yew coffin in one of the central cemeteries of Moscow for his untimely departed relative. Therefore, most often a modest ceremony is held using budget ritual accessories. Nevertheless, even under tight financial circumstances, it is quite possible to honorably see off the deceased into another world.
Instructions for organizing and conducting a funeral yourself:
The death of a loved one can happen at home or in a hospital. In the first case, you should call an ambulance and the police. Warn about the incident in advance, since special transport is required for transportation to the morgue. If you doubt that a death has occurred, it is better to say that the person is in a deep faint. Transportation of the deceased in Moscow is free.
A patient who dies in a hospital is usually taken for an autopsy. This is necessary to eliminate the possibility of death due to negligence or medical negligence. In some cases, when there is suspicion of a violent death, this procedure is also applied to bodies brought by medical teams.
Your next step is to determine in which thanatological department (morgue) the body of your loved one is located. Not every medical institution has a department similar type. As a rule, one PAO or SME is attached to several hospitals or clinics.
Notify relatives and friends of the untimely deceased about his sudden death as early as possible. It is better to set the traditional date of burial - on the 3rd day after death. In the event that the date falls on one of the Great church holidays(Christmas, Easter, etc.) or a day off, it is worth moving it to the next day. The fact is that the priest may refuse to perform the funeral service for the deceased, and the morgue workers will not give you the body on the holiday. Don’t worry about the timing: in the thanatology department, the first 7 days of storage are free.
Take a doctor's death certificate. It can be obtained at the clinic where the deceased was registered, or at the morgue where the body is located. If you are going to have a Christian funeral service for the body, do not forget to take another certificate for church representatives. This ensures that the deceased did not commit suicide. To obtain both documents, you must have with you both passports (the deceased’s and your own), as well as a medical insurance policy and hospital card of the deceased.
Check the address and opening hours of the registry office to which the deceased is registered. This is where you should go to obtain your stamp death certificate. This document must not be laminated or folded. Just in case, make several copies of it.
To apply for a state funeral benefit (for preferential categories of Muscovites - from 16,701 rubles; (2018) for other categories - 5,701 rubles) with documents, contact the relevant institutions:
- for those who worked - at their place of work;
- for pensioners – to the Pension Fund (don’t forget to take with you pensioner's ID deceased!);
- for registered unemployed – to Social Security;
- for military personnel and veterans - to the military registration and enlistment office.
You may be sent to receive a sum of money in cash from the pension fund or, after a couple of hours, they will issue an order for payment by bank transfer.
You can refuse the benefit and choose a social funeral according to a guaranteed list of services and goods for burial (free funeral). You will be provided with:
- wooden coffin covered with fabric;
- cover;
- white slippers;
- digging a grave;
- transportation of ritual supplies to the morgue indicated by you;
- one-way hearse transport to the cemetery;
- burial or cremation service.
All other funeral attributes and services - clothing, pillow, movers, place in the columbarium, wake, funeral service, etc. - will have to be paid additionally.
Now that you have a guarantee that the state will at least partially compensate your costs, you should go to the cemetery. In the case where the deceased has previously worried about the right to the plot or there is a relative grave in which the burial took place over 15 years ago, you should go to the graveyard indicated in the documents. If the place has not been determined, then it can be allocated free of charge only in open cemeteries. For Moscow it is:
- Alabushevskoe (for residents of Zelenograd);
- Perepechinskoe.
The rest are closed to general burials. You should arrive at the churchyard during business hours. For metropolitan institutions this is from 9-00 to 17-00, for those located near Moscow - from 14-00 to 16-00. It is better to arrive in advance and discuss grave digging services, loaders, and hearse transport there.
After determining the burial place, go to a funeral goods store, for example, from the website and order:
- coffin (it should be 20-30 cm longer than the height of the deceased);
- pillow;
- cover;
- other attributes (wreaths, commemorative ribbons, cross, plaque, etc.).
You can also buy clothes for the deceased and white slippers from us.
Coordinate the holding of a religious ceremony. For budget funerals, a funeral service is usually ordered in a cemetery, followed by the presence of a church minister at the wake.
No later than 24 hours before the ceremony, you should bring things and hygiene products to the morgue for the untimely departed.
Toiletries:
- soap;
- towel;
- eau de toilette or cologne;
- comb.
For women:
- underwear;
- stockings or tights;
- long sleeve dress or formal suit;
- hair scarf;
- slippers.
For men:
- underwear;
- socks;
- suit and tie;
- slippers.
Mortuary staff provide services for washing, dressing and carrying the body into the hall for farewell. free of charge. If you need embalming or removing cosmetic defects, be sure to ask for a price list. As a rule, prices there will be 2-3 times lower than announced.
On the day of the funeral, the main thing is to stick to time and it is better to arrive at the morgue a little earlier. Do not delay the farewell procedure in the ceremony hall of the thanatology department. You will still have time to say goodbye to the deceased before he is lowered into the grave. It is customary to carry the coffin in your arms from the hearse transport to the burial place. The procession is formed in the following sequence:
- The first to follow are people carrying a photo of the deceased, a cross and a memorial plaque;
- Then wreaths with mourning inscriptions;
- Medals, orders and other regalia of the deceased (if any) are displayed on a separate pad;
- Coffin lid;
- The coffin with the body of the untimely departed;
- Relatives, friends and other accompanying persons, according to the degree of relationship and acquaintance.
Near the grave there is a funeral service and a final farewell to the deceased. The lid is clogged, and the coffin itself is lowered into the ground. Then each person participating in the ceremony throws a traditional piece of earth and wishes the deceased to rest in peace. Next, the diggers bury the grave and erect a cross or temporary monument with a plaque on it.
The ceremony ends with a memorial meal. It is better to have a funeral meal in a cafe. Relatives and friends are usually so worried about the grief that has befallen them that they may not be able to cope with such responsibilities. Only the closest and dearest people to the deceased gather for it. During a wake, it is customary to remember the deceased person.
Help in organizing a funeral - website
As much as we would like to live forever, people are destined to die. Therefore, the hassle of a funeral will sooner or later affect everyone. It is important to know how to prepare for this day, and most importantly, when to send the deceased on his last journey.
Today we will tell you why it is customary to bury the deceased on the 3rd day after death. And also about other days that need to be taken into account from the point of view of Christian customs.
When people are buried
According to Orthodox canons it is accepted bury the dead on the third day after death. Why the third day? Christ died on Friday and rose again on Sunday. Hence 3 days. Further, according to Christian canons, until the third day the soul is on earth, but from the 3rd to the 9th day it is shown the afterlife.
According to the holy fathers, for three days the soul of the deceased remains near his body. If we bury the body, she will have nowhere to go. During this period, there is still a relationship between body and soul, which under no circumstances should be broken. In the last three days, the soul should be at home, among loved ones.
But from the 9th day the most difficult period begins for the soul of the deceased. She goes through ordeals, where she learns all her sins. In the period from the 9th to the 40th day, loved ones are recommended to pray for the deceased. On the 40th day, the soul appears before the court of God, where it is determined where it will end up. Preferably on the 3rd, 9th and 40th days order a memorial service.
Burial of the dead according to the rules Orthodox Church occurs on the 3rd day after the death of a person. The rituals performed by clergy over the body of a Christian have a deep meaning and are based on the tenets of the Christian faith. They originate from the time of the apostles of Christ and the first followers of the Messiah.
Scripture demonstrates the burial of God's Son. First, His Body was washed, and then He was dressed in a special outfit and placed in a coffin. Similar actions are committed today against every Orthodox believer.
Funeral in Orthodoxy
Orthodox funeral and memorial traditions teach us to look at the lifeless body of a believer with tremendous respect. Even in the hands of death, he remains a member of the Church of Jesus, and his body is considered a temple where the Holy Spirit previously resided. Over time, this body, according to the laws of the Church, will come to life and acquire the qualities of incorruptibility and immortality.
Orthodoxy on death:
Orthodox funeral
Every nation showed Special attention to the bodies of dead fellow citizens. Funeral rites expressed individual spirit and concern for the deceased. The Jews performed short rituals, avoiding embalming and cremation; they anointed the bodies with incense, wrapped them in thin linens and placed them in caves.
In memory of the deceased, they broke bread, sprinkled ashes on their own heads, and often observed a mourning fast.
Preparation for burial
The traditions of funerals and wakes have the deepest meaning and are based on the ancient rules of the first Christians.
- The body of a follower of the Christian faith is washed immediately after physical death. This ritual is performed as a sign of the absolute purity and purity of the spirit, which will appear in a similar form before the eyes of the Lord. All parts of the body are washed: use warm water, ordinary soap and a soft cloth (sponge).
- Simultaneously with the ritual, the Trisagion hymn is read, and a lamp is lit, which must burn as long as the body of the deceased is present in the room. Elderly people or clean women who have taken a bath themselves are allowed to participate in the ablution ritual.
- After this ritual, the body of the deceased is dressed in new and washed clothes, which symbolizes the incorruptibility and immortality of the soul. Soon after death, a Christian will appear at the Judgment and give an account to the Almighty Creator for the life he has passed.
- An Orthodox cross is put on the person, and the limbs are tied. Hands are carefully folded on the chest so that the right one is on top. A small icon is placed in the left right hand (for men it is the image of Christ, for women it is the image of the Virgin Mary). This shows that the deceased believed in the Son of God, betrayed his own soul to Him, and now moves on to the eternal, most pure and reverent contemplation of the Holy Trinity.
Orthodox funeral
Burial and its sequence
- At the death of an Orthodox believer, a canon of eight songs compiled according to church rules is read. It is used because a person experiences a natural feeling of fear before death. The clergy confirm: the soul succumbs to this affect when separated from the physical shell, to which it is very accustomed.
- It is especially difficult for a person’s consciousness in the first 3 days after death: here people see Guardian Angels who accompanied them all the time after the Baptism ritual, as well as evil spirits that cause horror with their disgusting appearance.
- The canon should be read so that the soul of the deceased finds peace in the afterlife. Relatives are obliged to find courage and say goodbye to their deceased relative by fulfilling a prayer request before the Heavenly Father.
- Before burial, the body of a Christian and his coffin are symbolically sprinkled with holy water. A whisk is placed on the forehead of the deceased, which is given by the priest for the funeral service. This symbolizes that the Orthodox believer left the field of action with honor, having won the struggle against painful life and frightening death. On the aureole are the faces of the Son of God, the Mother of God and St. John the Baptist, as well as the inscription “Trisagion”.
- A cotton pillow is placed under the head and shoulders of the deceased Christian, and the body is covered with a white sheet. More often, the coffin is placed in the middle of the room in front of the home iconostasis, the face of the deceased should look at the images of the saints. Candles are lit around the deathbed, heralding the deceased believer's passage into the realms of light and tranquility.
Prayers after ablution
When the body of a deceased Christian has been cleansed of worldly defilement, they begin to read the canon, which is called “The Sequence of the Exodus of the Soul from the Body.” In the chorus, people ask the Lord for the repose of the deceased, and at the end they ask for eternal help. This canon helps to alleviate the mental suffering of a deceased person, who immediately after death experiences irresistible bitterness from parting with the body and the outside world.
About funeral prayer:
Singing song 5, the clergy and relatives ask the Almighty to generously pardon the deceased. In song 4 there is an appeal to the Holy Trinity, which is capable of illuminating with true light a soul darkened by the vanity of worldly life.
The initial troparion is a praise to the Mother of God, who gave birth to the Savior without a seed. The living ask for the salvation of a deceased person.
Next, for three days, the words of the Psalter are raised over the body of the deceased, which is divided into 20 parts (kathisma) and begins with a petition from the Lord for mercy. Each kathisma contains a threefold exclamation of “Glory,” which demonstrates the power and mercy of the Heavenly Father. Then prayers are chanted.
Psalter
The Psalter is read without interruption until the coffin is buried. Pious friends are allowed to sing, since family members have a lot of chores to do in organizing the funeral. The Psalter is of enormous importance in the ritual of farewell to the body.
He vividly reproduces emotional emotions, sympathizes with joy and sadness, and sheds a bright light of consolation into the grieving hearts of loved ones. The Church allows the text of the Psalter to be pronounced at its own discretion: the idea arises that the deceased independently turns to the Almighty for the sake of pardon.
Rituals in the temple
One hour before the removal of the body from the house, the canon about the exodus of the soul is read. According to tradition, the deceased is carried out feet first. During the removal, a prayer is sung in honor of Holy Trinity. This suggests that the deceased sincerely confessed to the Lord and from now on moves into the Kingdom of Heaven, where he will dwell as an incorporeal spirit, surrounding the Throne and singing praise.
- When the body is brought to the temple, it is placed in the middle, facing the sacred altar, and lamps are lit on 4 sides. The Church teaches: on the 3rd day of death thin shell(the soul) of the deceased Christian experiences terrible suffering, although the body remains dead and lifeless. During this difficult period, the deceased is in dire need of help from the clergy, so specific canons and the Psalter are read over his coffin, as well as a funeral service, which consists of liturgical chants that briefly illustrate the fate of a person.
- Sinfulness does not kill the glory of the Lord in the human soul, therefore the Church asks for mercy and the right of every righteous person to enter the Heavenly City.
- To support humanity and rid the hearts of people from the sadness and dangerous doubts that are sometimes born at the sight of death, the Apostle Paul majestically consoles us, transferring religious thought beyond the limits of corruption and revealing the divine secrets of the wondrous transformation of dust into the eternal spirit. In addition, Jesus the Savior himself, dressed in the robes of a priest, allegorically encourages the relatives of the deceased when the Gospel of John is read in the temple. After this, a prayer of permission is proclaimed, destroying the worldly sinfulness of the deceased Christian.
- The farewell ritual consists of kissing and singing touching stichera over the coffin, which says that the deceased leaves frailty and vanity, finding peace by the mercy of the Almighty Lord. Relatives humbly walk around the coffin, bow and ask to forgive them for the absurd insults inflicted. The last kiss is directed at the aureole or small icon located on the chest.
Funeral service Orthodox rite
- Finally, the deceased is covered with a sheet, and the priest sprinkles the body with earth in a cross-shaped motion, pronouncing sacred words. The coffin is sealed and never opened again. When the deceased is taken out of the temple, the relatives sing the Trisagion.
After the ritual, a prayer book of permission is placed in the right hand of the deceased, and a paper whisk is traditionally placed on the forehead; During farewell, the body, wrapped in sheets, is sprinkled with earth in a cross pattern.
The actual burial ritual
In the grave itself, the deceased person is turned to face the East, which symbolizes the expectation of the church morning (second coming) of the Son of God. When the coffin is slowly lowered into the prepared space, the Trisagion prayer is sung again. Before burying, everyone present throws a lump of earth into the hole. This speaks of submission to a higher providence.
The cross, which is a symbol of salvation, is placed at the feet of the deceased. From now on, a Christian who believes in the crucified Savior rests in the long sleep of death under the care of the Father. The cross must be of the correct shape and eight-pointed.
Oil of oil is not traditionally poured on a dead body or placed in a coffin, but is only used during life for healing.
Orthodox tradition blesses people who help carry out the rituals of washing, putting on clean clothes and burials. It is believed that these actions are the last and necessary mercy that we are able to provide for a Christian who has passed into another world.
Commemoration
The Church constantly offers prayers for those who have passed their life's journey. She also allows private commemoration if relatives have a pious desire.
- On the third day this ritual is carried out according to the apostolic tradition, since the Orthodox believer is baptized in the glory of the Trinity. In addition to the theological and philosophical meaning, there is also a mystical meaning that affects the afterlife of the soul. The angels explained the meaning of the commemoration of the third day to Saint Macarius. The soul, still attached to the worldly, for the first 2 days wanders around its own house, where the funeral service takes place, accompanied by divine angels and tries to get a body again. The pious consciousness ascends on the third day, like Christ, to the Heavenly abode.
- On the ninth day The Church makes prayer requests and makes bloodless sacrifices. Over the course of 6 days, the soul discovers the beauty of Paradise, where it glorifies God, forgetting about the suffering that was based on connection with the body. However, sinners, at the sight of pleasure, reproach themselves until they receive pardon.
- 40 day period, which is intended for full commemoration of the deceased. During this time, the Holy Church reads prayers, asks for special mercy, makes bloodless sacrifices, and humbly asks for grace for the deceased Christian. From days 9 to 40, the soul is shown the halls of hell, where the terrible suffering of sinners is demonstrated. After 30 days of wandering through fiery Gehenna, she returns to worship and waits to see what place the Almighty will determine for her.
Orthodox traditions of funerals and memorials show the special attitude of the Church towards each individual. Religion takes every possible care of the purity and pardon of the soul, and the deceased body undergoes the rituals of washing, vesting, funeral service and burial.
Important! All these rituals are done with special care to prepare the deceased person for the meeting with God that will determine him future fate according to the life lived.
Funeral service and burial according to Orthodox custom
What We Do Wrong During a FuneralA funeral is a place where the spirit of the deceased is present, where the living and the afterlife come into contact. At a funeral you should be extremely careful and careful. It’s not for nothing that they say that pregnant women should not go to funerals. It is easy to drag an unborn soul into the afterlife.
Funeral.
According to Christian rules, the deceased should be buried in a coffin. In it he will rest (keep) until the future resurrection. The grave of the deceased must be kept clean, respectful and orderly. After all, even the Mother of God was placed in a coffin, and the coffin was left in the grave until the day when the Lord called His Mother to Himself.
The clothes in which a person died should not be given to either one’s own or strangers. Mostly it is burned. If relatives are against this and want to wash their clothes and put them away, then that is their right. But it should be remembered that under no circumstances should these clothes be worn for 40 days.
CAUTION: FUNERAL...
The cemetery is one of the dangerous places; damage is often caused in this place.
And often this happens unconsciously.
Magicians recommend keeping several in memory practical advice and warnings, then you will be reliably protected
A woman came to one healer and said that after, on the advice of a neighbor, she threw out the bed of a deceased woman (sister), serious problems began in her family. She shouldn't have done that.
If you see the deceased in a coffin, do not mechanically touch your body - tumors may appear that will be difficult to cure.
If you meet someone you know at a funeral, greet them with a nod rather than a touch or handshake.
While there is a dead person in the house, you should not wash the floors or sweep them, as this can bring disaster to the whole family.
To preserve the body of the deceased, some recommend placing needles crosswise on his lips. This will not help preserve the body. But these needles can fall into the wrong hands and will be used to cause damage. It is better to put a bunch of sage grass in the coffin.
For candles you need to use any new candlesticks. It is especially not recommended to use dishes from which you eat for candles at a funeral, even used empty cans. It’s better to buy new ones, and once you’ve used them, get rid of them.
Never put photographs in a coffin. If you listen to the advice “so that he himself does not exist” and bury a photo of the entire family with the deceased, then soon all the photographed relatives risk following the deceased.
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FUNERAL SIGNS AND RITUALS.
There are many beliefs and rituals associated with the death and subsequent burial of the deceased. Some of them have survived to this day. But do we suspect them? true meaning?
According to Christian custom, the dead person should lie in the grave with his head to the west and feet to the east. This is how, according to legend, the body of Christ was buried.
Even in relatively recent times, there was a concept of a “Christian” death. It implied mandatory repentance before death. In addition, cemeteries were established at church parishes. That is, only members of this parish could be buried in such a graveyard.
If a person died “without repentance” - say, took his own life, became a victim of murder or an accident, or simply did not belong to a particular parish, then a special burial order was often established for such deceased. For example, in big cities they were buried twice a year, on the feast of the Intercession of the Virgin Mary and on the seventh Thursday after Easter. Special places were allocated for the storage of such remains, called Poor Houses, pitiful houses, riots, rotting places
or poor women
. They set up a barn there and built a huge common grave in it. The bodies of those who died a sudden or violent death were brought here - of course, provided that there was no one who could take care of their burial. And at that time, when there was no telephone, telegraph or other means of communication, the death of a person on the road could mean that loved ones would never hear from him again. As for wanderers, beggars, and executed people, they automatically fell into the category of “clients” of the Poor Houses. Suicides and robbers were also sent here.
During the reign of Peter I, dissected corpses from hospitals began to be brought to the poor houses. By the way, illegitimate children and orphans from shelters kept at Poor Houses were also buried there - this was the practice then... The dead were guarded by a guard called "God's house"
.
In Moscow there were several similar “corpse storage facilities”: for example, at the Church of St. John the Warrior, on the street, which was called Bozhedomka
, at the Church of the Assumption Mother of God on Mogiltsy and at the Pokrovsky Monastery on Poor Houses. On the appointed days, a religious procession with a memorial service was held here. The burial of “those who died without repentance” was carried out using donations from pilgrims.
Such a terrible practice was stopped only at the end of the 18th century, after Moscow was subjected to a plague epidemic and there was a danger of the infection spreading through unburied corpses... Cemeteries appeared in cities, and the burial procedure at church parishes was abolished. There were also many customs, signs and rituals, concerning the departure of the deceased on his last journey. Among the Russian peasants, the deceased was placed on a bench, with his head in "red corner"
where the icons hung, they were covered with a white canvas (shroud), their hands were folded on their chest, and the dead man had to “hold” in right hand white handkerchief. All this was done so that he could appear before God in the proper form. It was believed that if the dead man’s eyes remained open, then this supposedly meant the imminent death of someone else close to him. Therefore, they always tried to close the eyes of the dead - in the old days, for this purpose, copper coins were placed on them.
While the body was in the house, a knife was thrown into a tub of water - this allegedly prevented the spirit of the deceased from entering the room. Until the funeral, no one was lent anything - not even salt. Kept tight closed windows and doors. While the deceased was in the house, pregnant women were not allowed to cross his threshold - this could have a bad effect on the child... It was customary to close the mirrors in the house so that the deceased would not be reflected in them...
It was necessary to put underwear, a belt, a hat, bast shoes and small coins in the coffin. It was believed that things could be useful to the deceased in the next world, and the money would serve as payment for transportation to the kingdom of the dead... True, in early XIX V. this custom took on a different meaning. If during a funeral a coffin with previously buried remains was accidentally dug up, then money was supposed to be thrown into the grave - a “contribution” for the new “neighbor”. If a child died, they always put a belt on him so that he could collect fruits in the Garden of Eden in his bosom...
When the coffin was carried out, it was supposed to touch the threshold of the hut and the entryway three times in order to receive a blessing from the deceased. At the same time, some old woman showered the coffin and those accompanying with grains. If the head of the family - the owner or mistress - died, then all the gates and doors in the house were tied with red thread - so that the household would not leave after the owner.
They buried him on the third day, when the soul should have finally flown away from the body. This custom has survived to this day, as well as the one that instructs everyone present to throw a handful of earth onto the coffin lowered into the grave. The earth is a symbol of purification; in ancient times it was believed that it absorbed all the filth that a person had accumulated during his life. In addition, among the pagans, this rite restored the connection of the newly deceased with the entire family.
In Rus', it has long been believed that if it rains during a funeral, the soul of the deceased will fly safely to heaven. Like, if the rain cries for a dead man, it means he was a good man…
Modern wakes were once called funeral feasts. This was a special ritual designed to facilitate the transition to another world. For the funeral feast, special funeral dishes were prepared: kutya, which is hard-cooked rice with raisins. Kutya is supposed to be treated to a meal in the cemetery immediately after the burial. Russian funerals are also not complete without pancakes - pagan symbols of the Sun.
And these days, during wakes, they place a glass of vodka on the table, covered with a crust of bread, for the deceased. There is also a belief: if any food falls from the table at a wake, then you cannot pick it up - this is a sin.
On forties, honey and water were placed in front of the icons so that the deceased would have a sweeter life in the next world. Sometimes they baked a staircase the length of an arshin from wheat flour to help the deceased ascend to heaven... Alas, now this custom is no longer observed.
The world is changing, and so are we. Many return to the Christian faith for consolation and hope. It has become customary to celebrate Christian holidays.
Christmas, Epiphany, Holy Trinity, Parents' days... However, either through ignorance or for other reasons, old traditions are often replaced by new ones.
Unfortunately, today there are no issues more shrouded in all kinds of speculation and prejudice than issues related to the burial of the dead and their commemoration.
What the all-knowing old ladies won’t say!
But there is appropriate Orthodox literature, which is not difficult to acquire. For example, in all Orthodox parishes of our city they sell
brochure Orthodox commemoration deceased", in which you can find answers to many questions.
The main thing that we MUST understand: deceased loved ones first of all need
in prayers for them. Thank God, in our time there is a place to pray. In every district of the city
Orthodox parishes have been opened and new churches are being built.
This is what is said about the funeral meal in the brochure “Orthodox Commemoration”
deceased:
IN Orthodox tradition eating food is a continuation of worship. Since early Christian times, relatives and acquaintances of the deceased in special days commemorations gathered together in order to, in joint prayer, ask the Lord for a better fate for the soul of the deceased in the afterlife.
After visiting the church and cemetery, the relatives of the deceased arranged a memorial meal, to which not only relatives were invited, but mainly those in need: the poor and needy.
That is, a wake is a kind of alms for those gathered.
The first dish is kutya - boiled wheat grains with honey or boiled rice with raisins, which are blessed at a memorial service in the temple.
There should be no alcohol at the funeral table. The custom of drinking alcohol is an echo of pagan funeral feasts.
Firstly, Orthodox funerals are not only (and not the main thing) food, but also prayer, and prayer and a drunken mind are incompatible things.
Secondly, on the days of remembrance, we intercede with the Lord for the improvement of the afterlife fate of the deceased, for the forgiveness of his earthly sins. But will the Supreme Judge listen to the words of drunken intercessors?
Thirdly, “drinking is joy of the soul.” And after drinking a glass, our mind scatters, switches to other topics, grief for the deceased leaves our hearts, and quite often it happens that by the end of the wake, many forget why they gathered - the wake ends with an ordinary feast with a discussion of everyday problems and political news, and sometimes worldly songs.
And at this time, the languishing soul of the deceased waits in vain for prayerful support from his loved ones. And for this sin of unmercifulness towards the deceased, the Lord will exact from them at His judgment. What, compared to this, is condemnation from neighbors for the absence of alcohol at the funeral table?
Instead of the common atheistic phrase “May he rest in peace,” pray briefly:
“O Lord, rest the soul of Your newly departed servant (name), and forgive him all his sins, voluntary and involuntary, and grant him the Kingdom of Heaven.”
This prayer must be performed before starting the next dish.
There is no need to remove forks from the table—there is no point in doing so.
There is no need to put it in honor of the deceased cutlery or even worse - place vodka in a glass with a piece of bread in front of the portrait. All this is the sin of paganism.
Particularly a lot of gossip is caused by curtaining mirrors, supposedly in order to avoid the reflection of the coffin with the deceased in them and thereby protect against the appearance of another deceased in the house. The absurdity of this opinion is that the coffin can be reflected in any shiny object, but you can’t cover everything in the house.
But the main thing is that our life and death do not depend on any signs, but are in the hands of God.
If funeral services take place on fast days, then the food should be fast.
If the commemoration took place during Lent, then commemorations are not held on weekdays. They are moved to the next (forward) Saturday or Sunday...
If memorial days fell on the 1st, 4th and 7th weeks of Lent (the strictest weeks), then the closest relatives are invited to the funeral.
Memorial days falling on Bright Week (the first week after Easter) and on Monday of the second Easter week are transferred to Radonitsa - Tuesday of the second week after Easter (Parents' Day).
Funerals on the 3rd, 9th and 40th days are organized for relatives, relatives, friends and acquaintances of the deceased. You can come to such funerals to honor the deceased without an invitation. On other days of remembrance, only the closest relatives gather.
It is useful these days to give alms to the poor and needy.