Carrying out a funeral service during a church fast. Mournful chores: what is usually prepared for a funeral

– this is not a feast or a simple lunch. This is a ritual of farewell to the soul of a relative (or friend). The question of what to cook for a funeral is often asked by young housewives who are faced with the need to prepare dishes for a funeral meal for the first time.

An abundance of expensive food at a funeral is inappropriate. But there are dishes that are required at funeral dinners.

Kutia is a dish worth knowing more about

Without kutya - sweet cereal porridge- neither village wakes nor city funeral meals are spared. The spiritual meaning of this dish is interesting and important: the grain symbolizes the immortality of the soul, raisins and honey “remind” the eternal sweetness that spirituality gives.

The question of how to prepare kutya for a funeral is relevant for those who are preparing to conduct a “seeing-off” on the fortieth day after the death of a relative. The recipe for this dish is often asked by those tasked with organizing a meal a year after a mournful event.

Let us remind you that kutya can only be prepared from whole grains of wheat or rice. You will need five hundred grams of this ingredient. In addition to wheat (rice), you need to prepare the following products:

Raisins (one hundred fifty - two hundred grams).
Eighty grams of honey.
Chopped nut kernels (thirty grams).
You will also need a liter of water.

Nuances of cooking kutia

To ensure that the kutia is crumbly, rice (or wheat) is soaked in water for five to seven hours before cooking. Then the rice should be placed on medium heat and cooked until the grains become soft. A few minutes before it’s ready, add honey diluted with water, raisins (well washed), and nuts to the porridge. Ready dish you need to take it to the funeral service (to the nearest church) so that the priest will consecrate the kutya. Let us remind you that the funeral meal begins with this dish. Each invited person should eat a little kutia, and then move on to other dishes - soup, sandwiches.

What to cook for a 40 day funeral

The forties are not an easy date, but one might say, a decisive one. After all, it is on the fortieth day that the soul of the deceased learns what future is in store for it By Higher Powers: will she join the Lord's Angels or plunge into chaos and darkness. Relatives and friends of the deceased, gathering for funeral table, pray for the soul of the deceased, remember his noble deeds. It will be good if there are many people remembering, and the prayers of these people will be sincere.

The most popular dishes for a funeral meal

The main purpose of the funeral meal is to strengthen the guests and unite them in grief. That's why Lenten dishes should be as simple as possible, but satisfying.

What to cook for a funeral 1 year

If you are preparing for a wake dedicated to the anniversary of the death of a relative, remember that this meal is only for the closest people of the deceased. Don’t create unnecessary culinary difficulties for yourself. In addition to kutia (she is the “queen” of any funeral meal), you can prepare the following dishes:

Standard dishes for the anniversary of the death of a loved one

Borsch.
Mashed potatoes or stewed potatoes with mushrooms.
Fried fish fillet.
Pancakes.
Kissel.
Chicken cutlets.

Knowing the preferences of the deceased, you can prepare a dish that he especially loved (roast, pies, salad).

Search line: wake

Records found: 9

Good afternoon, my dad died on April 24, 2013, the year coincides with Easter week, is it possible to have a memorial lunch and pray for repose?

Hope

Nadezhda, according to church regulations, all funeral services are canceled during Easter week, with the exception of the funeral service, and then it takes place according to a special Easter rite. Therefore, the funeral needs to be postponed and celebrated after Easter week.

Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)

Hello, dear father! On June 29 it will be 1 year since my mom died. We do funerals at home, please tell me, are they meatless or meatless?

Svetlana

Svetlana, more attention needs to be paid not to the feast, but to the prayerful remembrance of the departed. The deceased cannot pray for themselves; they really rely on us, the living, and on church prayer. June 29 will be Saturday, on this day you need to pray in church during the Liturgy and remember your mother, after the end of the service you need to serve a memorial service. Peter's Fast begins on July 1, there is no fast on June 29, and therefore any food can be placed on the funeral table, including meat.

Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)

Mom died on March 27, the 40th day falls on May 1, is it possible to have a wake earlier, on Saturday, April 27? I was told that it can only be done on May 14th, is that true?

ELENA

Elena, first of all, you need to pray for the deceased. The 40th day is very important for the soul of the deceased. Therefore, on the 40th day it is imperative to pray for the deceased. In the church on this day, May 1, you need to order a memorial service and attend it yourself. Since this Great Wednesday, ask the priest personally to serve a memorial service, perhaps he will not refuse you. The funeral meal can also be celebrated on May 1st. But we must remember that this Holy Week and strict fasting. The funeral must be strictly fast and very modest. You can’t eat meat, dairy, fish products or eggs, and you can’t eat alcohol. If this does not suit you, then you can celebrate the funeral after May 12 on any day. On May 14, for example, it will be Radonitsa, the general commemoration of the dead.

Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)

Is it possible to make a mention if 9 days fall on Palm Sunday? Thank you.

Svetlana

Svetlana, first of all, you need to pray for the deceased. The 9th day is important for the soul of the deceased. Therefore, on the 9th day you must definitely pray for him. In the church on this day, April 28, you need to pray during the Liturgy, and at the end of the service, order a memorial service, and attend the memorial service yourself. The funeral meal can be celebrated on April 28, but you need to remember that Strict Great Lent is now underway, and you cannot eat meat, dairy products and eggs at the meal. Since April 28th is Palm Sunday, at the funeral meal you can have fish. Otherwise, the wake should be strictly fast and very modest.

Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)

Dear father, my dad died, his 40th birthday falls on March 22, what should I do? Maybe we need to reschedule for some other day? Please tell me. Thank you in advance.

Alyona

Alena, for the first forty days the soul especially needs our help, our prayer and the prayer of the church. The 40th day is the most important for the deceased; on this day they determine where to place the soul, in heaven or hell. It all depends on what kind of life a person led, and our prayer on this day is simply necessary. On March 22, you must celebrate a memorial service in the church and pray yourself on this day, submit a registered note for the Liturgy and attend the service yourself. No need to transfer. March 22 is the first week of Great (strict) Lent and no funeral services should be held on this day. The funeral itself can be postponed to March 24 and you need to remember that this is a strict fast, meat, dairy and fish products and alcohol cannot be placed on the table. The funeral must be strictly fast - this will bring great benefit to yourself, and especially to your late dad.

Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)

Dear father, my dad died, his 40th day falls on March 19, and this is the first week of Lent, what should I do? Maybe we need to reschedule for some other day? Tell. Please. And after the funeral I lost my engagement ring, what should I do in this case? Thank you in advance.

Svetlana

On the 40th day itself, order a memorial service in the church, you can also serve a funeral litany in the cemetery, and move the wake to Sunday (probably, for such an occasion you can cook fish dishes). Don't worry about the ring, buy a new one and ask the priest to bless it.

Deacon Ilia Kokin

Hello! Please tell me, grandfather has 40 days on March 18, 2013. When can we organize a memorial for the deceased and what can we prepare?

Anna

Anna, for the departed the most important thing is not the table, but prayer. The 40th day is very important for the deceased, on this day a private trial of the soul is carried out, it is decided where to place it, in heaven or hell, and therefore the most important thing is our prayer. You definitely need to order a memorial service on this day and pray yourself. It would be nice to visit the cemetery on this day. On March 18, it is IMPOSSIBLE to have a memorial meal, since this is the beginning of Great (strict) Lent. The funeral meal can be made on March 17, Maslenitsa. You can no longer eat meat on this day (March 17). All products are allowed, but without meat.

Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)

Hello, father! On January 2 of this year, my husband’s father Vladimir died, people were invited to the wake on the 9th and 40th day (day to day), January 2, 2013 will be a year since he passed away. Tell me, please, is it necessary to invite people to a wake every year? I asked people, some say that up to a year the funeral is celebrated every day, and some say that it can be earlier. Now is Lent, is it possible to simply take food to church and order a memorial service on that day or earlier, and on the way to church give alms with food to those in need? Please tell me. Thank you in advance!

Irina

Irina,
It is necessary to observe day by day only in relation to prayer for the deceased. If possible, ask the priest to serve a memorial service at the cemetery, and all those who care about the deceased pray.
They always try to organize a wake on the day of the death anniversary, but if it’s easier on the next day off, that’s also possible.
The main thing is not the funeral meal, but prayer. Even if she is in a distant temple, if all those who loved him gather together.
And the memorial meal can be arranged at another time and even in another place.
Lord strengthen.

Priest Sergius Osipov

Father, my relative recently died, but since he was very distant, I decided to restrict food for 9 days instead of a strictly 40-day fast. I only found out about this on the 4th day. The question is, would it be appropriate to fast on the ninth day or, on the contrary, to remember it by removing the restriction?

Andrey

Andrey, fasting is a good deed, and remembering with relatives by arranging a good meal is also a good deed. Act according to the circumstances. If relatives are ready to gather for the wake, then it is still better to be with them.

Hegumen Nikon (Golovko)

Funerals during Lent are carried out in the same way as on any other days. The funeral service is performed according to rank. Death in the Orthodox Church is called transition, dormition. That is, a person did not simply go into oblivion, did not disappear, turning into dust, but only moved into a new hypostasis of existence. But the fate of the deceased is also important for us. afterlife. Therefore, we pray for his repose, . And after the burial, a wake takes place.

About commemorations in Lent

Usually commemorations are held three times, including during Lent. For the first time, a funeral coincides with a wake. Then we remember the deceased on the ninth and fortieth days. According to the teachings of the church, it is on these days that the “fate” of the deceased is decided. On these dates, relatives and friends should pray at the service in the temple. A memorial meal is organized at home. Of course, for Orthodox Christians, what is more important is not the table, but the memory of the departed. On the day of commemoration in Lent, you need to remember all the good deeds of a person, his earthly path, remember kind words, talk about a difficult life.

For some, such stories are commemoration in Lent will become instructive and help to gain faith, if the deceased person was an example of faith and virtuous life. The funeral table is also set so that all relatives and friends can gather together and pray for the deceased. There is a hidden meaning in this.

Funerals during Orthodox Lent

For believers, holding a funeral service during Lent is associated with certain rules. For example, before starting a meal, you should pray and read the ninetieth psalm. The whole event requires seriousness and respect for the memory of the deceased. At such a table, ambiguous jokes, sarcasm, and immoral stories are not allowed.

The meal at a wake, as a rule, begins with kutya. This dish is prepared in advance from rice or wheat, seasoned with honey and flavored with berries or fruit slices. Kutya is usually at a memorial service - a special service for the deceased. Every guest who comes to the funeral during Lent should taste kutya. The tradition of commemorating kutya goes far back to church history. The grain prepared for kutya personifies the integrity of the soul, its immortality. Therefore, the table at a wake can be called symbolic.

There is no need to worry about generous treats or a variety of dishes. People gather at funerals not for gluttony. Especially if the wake fell on weekdays during Lent. You can simply move the table to Saturday or Sunday so as not to violate the rules of dry eating on other days. The third day of commemoration in Lent is associated with the resurrection of Christ (he rose on the third day after death), the departed will also be resurrected into eternal life. The ninth day of the commemoration during Lent is associated with the veneration of the nine orders of angels, and the fortieth day of the commemoration is correlated with the Ascension of Jesus Christ.

If you have free time, then read

Text of Orthodox prayer to St. Andrei Rublev

O sacred head, reverend father, most blessed Abbot Andrew! Do not forget your poor to the end, but always remember us in holy and auspicious prayers to God: remember your flock, which you yourself shepherded, and do not forget to visit your children, pray for us, holy father, for your spiritual children, for you have the boldness to To the Heavenly King: do not keep silent to the Lord for us, and do not despise us, who honor you with faith and love: remember us unworthy at the Throne of the Almighty, and do not cease, for the grace has been given to you to pray for us. We do not imagine that you are dead: even though you have passed away from us in body, you remain alive even after death, do not depart from us in spirit, keeping us from the arrows of the enemy and all the charms of the demonic and the snares of the devil, our good shepherd. Even if your relics are always visible before our eyes, but your holy soul with the angelic hosts, with the disembodied faces, with the heavenly powers, standing at the throne of the Almighty, worthily rejoices, knowing that you are truly alive even after death, we fall down to you and We pray to you: pray for us to the Almighty God, for the benefit of our souls, and ask us time for repentance, so that we may pass from earth to heaven without restraint, from bitter ordeals, from demons of air princes and from eternal torment, may we be delivered from eternal torment, and may we be heirs of the Heavenly Kingdom with all the righteous, who from all eternity have pleased our Lord Jesus Christ: to Him belongs all glory, honor and worship, with His Beginning Father, and with His Most Holy and Good and Life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

The generally accepted tradition of commemorating the dead in folk culture, which dates back almost to the times of the ancient Slavic funeral feasts, can be divided into four types:

commemoration on the third day after death (the so-called “tretina”).
on the ninth day (nine).
on the fortieth.
on the anniversary and annual commemoration on the day of the person’s death.

All these commemorations are usually classified as “private”, dedicated to specific people- in contrast to the calendar ones, dedicated to all the dead. At their core, they represent a continuation of the funeral rite and pagan tradition were considered as a consistent transition of the soul from the world of the living to the world of the dead. Christianity not only accepted this point of view, but also adapted it to its concept, filling each case of private commemoration with sacred meaning. From this position, the most important thing in her tradition is the commemoration on the fortieth day.

Magpies and their meaning in culture

However, it would be wrong to say that the forties acquired any sacred significance only with the Christianization of the Slavs. Even in the pre-Christian era, they were the main date of private commemoration and its final stage, after which only the commemoration of the deceased followed in the first year after death and then annually, which symbolized his joining with all the dead. Thus, the majority Slavic peoples he was deprived of individual commemoration. And although, for example, the Serbs could organize private funerals up to the seventh anniversary of the death, and the Bulgarians until the ninth, this was more by choice than by tradition.

The frequency of private funerals among various Slavic tribes (the Slavs could celebrate the twelfth day, the twentieth, and three weeks) was due to the fact that, according to the ideas of that time, until the fortieth day the soul of the deceased was on earth. She can return to the house and yard, from where she left on the third and ninth days (retina and deyatiny, respectively), hovers near the grave, walks where the deceased was during his lifetime. All the ritualism of this period was associated with the stages of the departure of the soul, its farewell and a kind of prevention of the return of the deceased, so that he would not return and in any way begin to annoy the living. In this sense, the forties were something of a final point: if on the third day the soul of the deceased left the house, and on the ninth - the yard, then on the fortieth it finally left the earth. If everything was done correctly and according to tradition, so that the soul remained satisfied with its farewell, then the living could be calm: the deceased became their protector and no longer bothered them.

Christianity supported this tradition, but not only because its distributors aimed to introduce pagans to the new religion in various ways. IN Christian tradition The fortieth day had its own meaning, largely formed under the influence of the funeral customs of the Middle Eastern tribes. For example, according to the Bible, the fortieth day is:

day of the ascension of Jesus Christ.
the day of the third repose of the soul before God, which finally determines its afterlife fate and the place where it will remain until the Last Judgment.
the last day of mourning for the forefather Jacob and the prophet Moses.
the last day of fasting, after which Moses received from God the tablets of the Covenant with the Ten Commandments.
the day when the prophet Elijah reached Mount Horeb (Sinai).

It is not difficult to see some very significant intersections between Christian and pagan Slavic ideas about the fortieth day, due to which at one time there was a relatively easy adaptation of one culture to another in this regard.

Order of remembrance

Folk traditions of commemorating the deceased on the fortieth day, which were called differently in different localities, are already so intertwined with church traditions that it is almost impossible to separate them from each other. Very often, old people living in villages and talking about the customs of the fortieth day call those traditions that are essentially pagan in their essence church traditions. Perhaps this reflected the adaptation of Christianity to pagan consciousness, when priests in certain localities were forced to turn a blind eye to many customs, or even participate in their observance, thereby unwittingly sanctifying this or that tradition with their authority. A common practice in all regions was to place a “memory” on the window near the red corner or on the table for the deceased and the ancestors who could visit him on that day to remember him. Pomin consisted of bread or a pancake and a glass of water (over time, sophisticatedly turned into a glass of vodka), which was changed daily by pouring the old one out the window. In the Smolensk region, this commemoration was accompanied by an unlit candle.

In addition, in many areas the following customs were followed:

make the bed for the deceased on the bench/bed where he slept. After the fortieth day, it was taken to church or distributed to the poor. In addition, the ban on lying down alive in this place or occupying it in any other way was lifted.
hang a towel by the window in the house or on the street so that the soul can dry itself. After forty, they did the same thing with him as with the bed.
hang a spruce paw outside so that the deceased can recognize his home, and those passing by so that he can be remembered, and a towel/ribbon/cord, which was used to tie the hands and feet of a deceased person at a funeral. After the funeral, they were taken to the graveyard or burned.
visit the cemetery and arrange a wake right there, inviting those who dug the grave on the day of the funeral (Smolensk region).

On the eve of the forties in some areas it was customary:

to heat a bathhouse (in Zaonezhye), and also to go to the cemetery, remove wreaths from the grave and burn them, thereby symbolizing the last day of grief for the deceased. Particularly earnest lamentation was associated with him during the wake on the fortieth day.
pour the millet, where the candle stood for all forty days, onto the grave or behind the back gate “for the birds” along with reading a prayer, standing facing towards the sunset (Vladimir region).
organize night vigils with the reading of prayers and spiritual poems and a funeral dinner, which then turned into a wake in the cemetery and a funeral meal at home (Smolensk region).
bake cookies in the form of a “staircase” with seven jumper steps along which the soul rises to heaven, and after lunch go to the cemetery, seeing off the soul (some southern Russian regions).
treat all residents of the village (Ryazan region) with jelly and satoy (honey diluted with water) near the gate.
Having bowed three times, eat and distribute drachens, pancakes, kanun (northwestern regions, possibly Ryazan region) at crossroads.
open the gates and bow with lamentations to all directions of the world, starting from the east (Tambov region).

In addition, as we have already mentioned, many prohibitions on mourning, which was customary to be observed until the fortieth day, were lifted (in fact, mourning itself). by and large was considered completed). For example, after the forties it was allowed:

touch and decorate the grave.
leaving the house empty and locking it.
touch the clothes of the deceased.
turn off the lights (in some areas).
to lie down/on the bed/bench that the deceased occupied during his lifetime (and even more so to sleep on it).
remove mourning decorations from the house, remove curtains from mirrors and reflective objects.
distribute or even burn the clothes of the deceased.

The official church, of course, disapproved of such customs, considering them relics of paganism and pointing out that the only thing you need to do on the fortieth day, besides the wake, is prayers in order to atone for the sins of the deceased and ease his afterlife. However, she did not prohibit these manifestations of grief, preferring to explain to her parishioners the features of commemoration on the fortieth day according to Christian canons. It was especially pointed out:

modesty and restraint in the preparation and decoration of the funeral meal.
avoidance of alcohol.
the undesirability of eating a funeral dinner in a cemetery.
avoiding, if possible, excessive grief for the deceased, especially its external manifestations.

This position of Orthodox clergy has been preserved to this day, and it should be noted that many psychics agree with it (especially its last point). In their opinion, the deceased becomes very uncomfortable when relatives mourn them too much. Sometimes the deceased may even come to them in a dream with a request to “let him go” and not to grieve for him so much, because he is “wet to lie.” You can have different attitudes to the opinion of psychics, but in any case, in our opinion, this is a good reason to think about the acceptable degree of grief for the deceased for the living.

Menu forties

As for the question of what the funeral meal should be on the fortieth day, the answer is extremely simple: the funeral table, which is made by the relatives of the deceased on the day of the funeral, is taken as a model. His mandatory elements should be the following:

kutia with honey - porridge made from wheat grains, pearl barley or barley, which were eventually replaced by rice. When preparing it, you can also use poppy seeds, raisins, nuts, milk, jam, and sometimes bird cherry. Kutya on the funeral table is a symbol of resurrection and the cycle of life, and by eating it, a person, as it were, partakes of this cycle and becomes part of it. Each of its elements not only symbolizes something different, but is also something like a wish for prosperity, sweetness, pleasure and a high harvest. It is allowed to cook both rich kutia, which includes all of the above components, and poor one. There is no single recipe for kutya; all recipes are similar to each other, but at the same time they differ depending on the regions.
meat broth with meatballs, noodle soup or borscht - again, depending on where you live.
rich (or lean) pancakes. Fundamental difference between them is that lean pancakes are made not with milk, but with water.
potatoes with meat, usually stewed or mashed, served as a side dish. If desired, this dish can be replaced with buckwheat porridge.
cutlets or chicken.
some fish dish, usually fried fish.
dried fruit compote or jelly.

Optional elements of the fortieth day menu, which can be prepared at will and if possible, are:

pies with rice, mushrooms or cottage cheese or pies with potatoes and sour cream (in Lately this element becomes regular).
sliced cheese or sausage (except during fasting, when these products are prohibited).
one or two salads from fresh vegetables.
the deceased's favorite dish. However, if it is too difficult to prepare or exotic - for example, foie gras with white wine - then it is better not to cook it. Folk tradition calls for modesty, and the Orthodox Church completely agrees with it on this.
the vinaigrette.
Olivie.
various snacks and salads.
various pickles.

They also prepare special memorial bags with sweets (sweets and cookies), which are given to each departing guest after the end of the meal. Following folk tradition, it is imperative to ensure that there is an even number of sweets and cookies in these bags. You can complement this sweet memorial set with a Lenten bun.

Usually, relatives and closest friends of the deceased are invited to fortieth celebrations, and ideally, everyone who treated him well. At the same time, it doesn’t hurt to approach the organization of the wake rationally and estimate how many people can be treated to a funeral dinner without undue burden family budget(alas, no one canceled the harsh reality, not even God’s representatives on the sinful earth). The same applies not only to the number of guests, but also to the formation of the menu: you should not amaze the guests with the abundance and variety of treats. If the wake falls on days of fasting, then it goes without saying that the funeral menu should not contain any meat dishes. In this case, the borscht can be cooked lean, replacing the meat with beans or mushrooms, and it would be appropriate to replace the mashed potatoes with buckwheat porridge, which we have already mentioned. The same applies to pancakes: taking into account the obligatory nature of this symbolic dish on the funeral table, priests recommend making them not fast, but fast. It is also advisable not to hold funeral services on weekdays of Lent, but to move them forward to the next weekend. If the fortieth day falls on Easter or on any day of the Easter week, then it is best to move it a week ahead, to the beginning of Radonitsa. It is recommended to do the same if this day falls on Christmas: move it a week ahead, after consulting with the priest.

Some funeral table recipes

Of course, every housewife wants to diversify the strict funeral meal with something special in order, on the one hand, to please the soul of the deceased (especially if he loved to eat deliciously during his lifetime), and on the other hand, to please relatives and guests invited to the funeral. However, it is not at all necessary to turn a funeral dinner into a feast like the same ancient Slavic funeral feast, investing almost all your savings in it. It will be quite sufficient to add one or two treats from the optional to the dishes from the mandatory and generally accepted menu. And to make the preparation of these dishes easier, we will be happy to share recipes for some that will certainly diversify your table.

There is no need to dwell on how to prepare the same mashed potatoes with meat or Olivier salad. And here, for example, is a recipe for preparing such a snack as ham rolls:

thinly slice 300 gr. ham (if you purchased it whole).
prepare the filling: hard-boil 3 eggs, separate the yolks from the whites and grate them into different bowls (whites on a coarse grater, yolks on a fine grater); On the same coarse grater, grate 2 processed cheese or 200 grams. hard cheese; wash, dry and finely chop the greens; Peel and squeeze 2 cloves of garlic through a garlic squeezer.
combine all the filling components (except the yolks), add mayonnaise and mix well.
arrange the ham, placing 1 tbsp/dec. on the edge of each slice. spoon of filling and roll into a roll.
Dip each roll in mayonnaise and roll in grated yolks.
Place lettuce leaves on a plate, place rolls on them and garnish with herbs.

Or - an equally simple snack called “tomatoes with fish salad”:

Wash 5-6 tomatoes, cut off their tops and carefully scoop out the pulp using a teaspoon.
Boil and grate (or chop) 5 eggs, mixing them with tomato pulp.
mash the contents of 1 can of canned food in oil with a fork, season it with mayonnaise and, if desired, add a little finely grated cheese, then salt, pepper and add herbs.
combine and mix grated eggs and canned food.
salt the tomatoes inside and fill them with filling, then place on a plate and garnish with herbs, if desired - with handfuls of grated cheese or green peas.

Finally, here is the recipe for the “ladder” cookies we already mentioned:

make the starter: stir 1 package of dry yeast with 5 tbsp. l. sugar, add 300 ml to the mixture. warmed milk, 3 eggs and 50 gr. butter, then add 3 tbsp. l. flour, mix and place in a warm place for 30 minutes.
sprinkle half a kilogram of fresh or frozen berries with sugar to taste (you can use any variety). If desired, you can keep them on low heat for a while.
sift the remaining flour (the recipe calls for half a kilogram of flour in total), pour it into a container, make a well in the middle and gradually add the starter.
mix everything, sprinkle flour on top so that the dough does not dry out, and put in a warm, wind-free place for another 2-3 hours, kneading it two more times during this time.
When the dough is ready, roll it in flour mixed with aromatic seasonings, then divide into two parts. Make a cake from one, and a ladder from the second.
Place the berries on the flatbread, cover it with a ladder, decorate it with berries and raisins, brush with yolk or milk, leave for 15-20 minutes. and then place in the oven at +200 for 20 minutes.

One very interesting custom of fortune telling is associated with these cookies, which, perhaps, very clearly shows how folk traditions have mixed with religious ideas. In the old days they threw it from the bell tower and, by the number of pieces into which it scattered, they guessed about future fate souls of a deceased person. If several pieces fell off the ladder, then heaven was destined for the soul, since it was believed that the deceased was leading righteous image life; if the ladder shattered into small pieces, then the deceased was a sinner and his relatives faced long days of prayer to ease the afterlife fate of his soul.

Conclusion

Without a doubt, everyone knows the pain and grief associated with the loss of people close to them. Usually in such situations any words seem banal and unnecessary, but without them it would be much worse to experience such tragedies. The death of a person creates such a strange state when you want to be alone and at the same time strive for other close people so that they share this grief. From this point of view, a wake for the deceased can be considered not only as a tribute to tradition, but also as a kind of psychotherapeutic event.

It is generally accepted that wakes are needed more for the living than for the dead. This is partly true: the dead are alive in memory and will be alive as long as they are remembered. On the other hand, for believers there is no doubt that their spiritual assistance to deceased people in the form of commemorations and prayers really helps their souls after death to find a well-deserved place in heaven. A wake is, first of all, an opportunity for all his close people to gather at one table, remember the deceased with a kind word (for example, about the good deeds he did, about good character traits), pray for him and rejoice that his soul has finally found peace . Therefore, the Church calls:

do not turn funeral dinners on any day - whether the ninth or the fortieth - into celebrations of the belly.
do not conduct conversations on everyday or abstract topics at the table on this day and do not allow the wake to develop into an exchange of gossip or a quarrel.
behave modestly, sedately and reservedly.
give everyone who wants the opportunity to say funeral speech(in practice it turns into a funeral toast).
Be sure to pray before the start of the meal and at the very end. In addition, if the deceased was baptized, it would not be superfluous to submit a note “On repose” to the church on this day.

And finally, before starting lunch, it is advisable to sprinkle the kutya with holy water.

How to properly conduct a funeral service during Lent? This question is often asked to priests by people who have recently passed into another world. loved one. After all, our people tend to treat the dead with special respect and all the rituals that, as we believe, make their afterlife easier, so the relatives of the deceased strive to do everything in accordance with the rules. Like all Orthodox rituals, the rite of remembrance is overgrown with a thick layer of superstitions and excesses.

Before moving on to the question of how to organize a wake during Lent, it is worth understanding what a wake is and why they are needed. I think many of us have encountered sad situations when a wake turned into a zealous riot, almost with songs and dances. Orthodox Church has an extremely negative attitude towards such phenomena; moreover, the clergy constantly remind believers that commemoration, and especially at funerals during Lent, is unacceptable! In this matter, the concept of “measure” is not allowed - there should be no alcoholic drinks on the funeral table at all. Unfortunately, even people who understand this often have to step aside from piety, following the lead of disgruntled relatives.

Is it possible to hold a funeral during Lent?

Traditionally, the funeral meal is held three times: on the day of death, on the 9th and 40th days. When commemorating during Great Lent, certain adjustments are made to this rule: during Great Lent, if the 9th or 40th day falls on weekdays, then the funeral dinner is moved to Saturday or Sunday (except Palm Day). It is possible to organize a wake on the day of the funeral, but it is advisable to do this in accordance with the rules of the Lenten diet: on Wednesday and Friday, serve food without food. vegetable oil. If there will be many people who do not fast at the funeral table, you need to make concessions - diversify the table with fish and other seafood dishes.

Funerals during Lent do not allow alcohol: you can put compotes, juices, kvass, mineral water. The custom of placing a glass of vodka covered with bread in front of a photograph of the deceased is completely unacceptable (not only at funerals during Lent, but always) - this insults the memory of the deceased and Orthodoxy in general. After all, Christians believe that the physiological functions of the body are inaccessible to the soul - it throws off the body like a shell, soaring to heaven, and therefore it no longer needs our base needs. Funerals on the Nativity, Dormition and Petrov fasts follow the same rules, but if you doubt the correctness of the choice of date, you should consult with an Orthodox priest.

Funerals during fasting and prayer for the repose

When preparing a wake during church fasting, do not forget that the last thing the deceased needs is gatherings of relatives and friends. Relatives do this primarily for themselves: after all, it becomes much easier in your soul after you sit at the same table with those who knew the deceased well, talk with them, and remember different situations. At the wake they will support and reassure you, and you get the feeling that you have “let go” kindred spirit. But the most important thing that the deceased need is fervent prayer for the repose of their soul.

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