Parents' Saturday or Ecumenical memorial service- in the calendar of Orthodox churches there are special Saturdays on which “ecumenical”, that is, general commemoration of the departed faithful, is performed. In the Orthodox Church, each day of the week is dedicated to the remembrance of the Cross of the Lord, angels and archangels, John the Baptist, etc. On Saturday, the memory of all saints and all deceased Orthodox Christians is celebrated. The liturgical charter prescribes the commemoration of all “Orthodox Christians who have passed away from time immemorial.” There are private and general days of remembrance of the dead, established by the Church. Days of special general remembrance of the dead are called “parental Saturdays.” On these days, a special commemoration of deceased Orthodox Christians is performed.
Parents' Saturday
The commemoration takes place precisely on Saturday, due to the fact that Saturday is a day of rest (translated from Hebrew), which in its meaning is most suitable for praying for the repose of the dead with the saints. There are two versions that explain why Saturdays (when special commemoration of the dead is performed) are called parental:
- Since every person remembers, first of all, his loved ones - his parents;
- The name of this day comes from the name of the deceased “parents”, that is, already belonging to the fathers to whom they went. Parental days, as a rule, are Saturdays, because in all weeks of the year the commemoration of the dead occurs mainly on Saturdays - Saturday, as a day of rest, is the most appropriate for praying for the repose of the dead with the saints.
Ecumenical Parents' Saturdays
Ecumenical parental Saturdays, or Ecumenical memorial services, according to the liturgical charter of the Orthodox Church, are celebrated twice a year:
- Meat Saturday- on the Saturday before Meat Week or the Last Judgment Week. The commemoration of all the faithful departed before the remembrance of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ is rooted in the first centuries of Christianity. On this day, as if preceding the Last Judgment, Christians pray to the Righteous Judge Jesus Christ to show His mercy to all the departed on the day of impartial retribution.
- Trinity Saturday on the Saturday before the Feast of Pentecost (Holy Trinity). The establishment of this memory also goes back to apostolic times. Just as Meat Saturday precedes the day of remembrance of the Last Judgment and the beginning of Great Lent, so Trinity Saturday precedes the revelation in all its power of the Kingdom of Christ on the day of Pentecost and the beginning of the Apostolic Fast.
Parents' Saturdays during Lent
Parents' Saturdays 2nd, 3rd and 4th Saturdays of Lent, are often mistakenly called universal, but they are not. These Saturdays were established by the Church so as not to deprive the deceased of their intercession during Lent, since at this time ordinary daily commemorations of the deceased (magpies and other private commemorations), combined with the performance of the full liturgy, which is not celebrated every day during Lent, are impossible.
Private parent days
Private parental days, these are days that exist only in the Russian Orthodox Church, are not equated to ecumenical days, but have a similar meaning in the traditions of Russian Orthodoxy. There are three in total:
- Radonitsa - on Tuesday after Antipascha (on Thomas Week). The ancient custom of commemorating the dead on this day dates back to the first centuries of Christianity, but is not particularly followed in the Divine Service Rules. It is based on the fact that on St. Thomas Week the Descent of Jesus Christ into hell is also remembered, and from Monday after Antipascha, the liturgical charter allows for the performance of fortieth day for the departed - “the living rejoice in the good news of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ together with the departed.”
- Day of Remembrance of Orthodox Soldiers Killed on the Battlefield for the Faith, the Tsar and the Fatherland- August 29 ( 11 September) - the commemoration of Orthodox wars on this day was established in the Russian Orthodox Church by decree of Empress Catherine II in 1769 during the Russian-Turkish War (1768-1774). On this day we remember the Beheading of John the Baptist, who suffered for the truth.
- Dmitrievskaya Saturday- on Saturday, before October 26 ( November 8), on the day of remembrance of St. Demetrius of Thessalonica. Initially established at the initiative of the noble prince Dmitry Donskoy after the Kulikovo victory in 1380, this Saturday was dedicated to the memory of fallen Orthodox soldiers, but in Rus' it became a day of remembrance for all those who have died in the faith.
The day before, parastas is served; on the day itself there is a funeral liturgy.
Orthodox Christians commemorate those who have passed on to another world 7 times a year. These days are called memorial or parental Saturdays. You can remember those who have not been with you for a long time on any other days. However, these seven days are considered a special time when you can help your loved ones cleanse themselves by praying for them sincerely and with love. Orthodox parental Saturdays in 2016 fall mainly in February-March, and only one of them is celebrated in November.
Parents' days are called because all the deceased are considered to have gone to their parents and ancestors. Therefore, they remember all those who have passed away, but first of all, those closest to them.
There are two separate “ecumenical” Saturdays, when all Christians who have left this world are remembered, and memorial services are held in Orthodox churches. Most dates for parental Saturdays change from year to year and are associated with major holidays, this will be discussed below. Three Saturdays fall during the spring period, or more precisely during Easter Lent. On these memorial days, it is imperative to pray for those who are no longer alive in order to alleviate their sins and beg God to be merciful to their souls.
Parents' Saturdays calendar for 2016
March 5 – Meat-eating. This day precedes the start of the Maslenitsa festivities.
March 26 is the second week of Lent.
April 2 is the third week of Lent.
April 9 is the fourth week of Lent.
May 9 - Commemoration of warriors (fixed date).
May 10 - Radonitsa. 9th day after Easter. It falls on Tuesday, not Saturday, but within its meaning it belongs to the general cycle of memorial days.
June 18 – Trinity Saturday - the eve of the holiday.
November 5 is Dimitrievskaya Saturday, preceding the day of the martyr Dmitry Solonsky.
On each of the parents' Saturdays, memorial services are held in the church, i.e. services for the repose, at which parishioners pray that souls will rest, and that the Lord will be merciful to them, forgiving their sins. For this purpose, special prayer texts are read. On Meat Saturday, they especially try to remember those who left this world unexpectedly and were left without a proper burial according to Christian traditions.
Trinity and Parents' Saturday
One of the memorial days falls on the Saturday before the Orthodox Trinity. As you can see, most parental Saturdays are associated with major Christian holidays. This memorial service differs from others in that you can even pray for sinners - criminals, suicides, etc. The holiday of Trinity symbolizes the descent of the Holy Spirit to earth so that all souls without exception are saved. It is believed that the conciliar prayer on this day for the dead has excessive power. During the service, the 17th kathisma is read, and prayers ask for peace for souls and merciful forgiveness for deceased relatives.
Radonitsa and parents' Saturday
Radonitsa is the name given to the day that falls on Tuesday (after Thomas Week). On this holiday, people remember Christ's descent into hell, the Resurrection and his victory over death. Radonitsa is associated directly with the triumph of life over death. It is customary to visit cemeteries; the resurrection of Christ is glorified at the graves.
Demetrius Memorial Saturday is named after the martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica and falls on the Saturday preceding November 8. Initially, on Dimitrievskaya Saturday, only those who died in the Battle of Kulikovo were commemorated, but over the years the tradition changed and they began to commemorate all those who died.
On the eve of the funeral Saturday, on Friday evening, great memorial services, also called “parastas”, are held in churches. On Saturday morning there are funeral liturgies, followed by general funeral services. You can submit notes to the funeral service with the names of deceased relatives or other close people, about their repose. It is also customary to bring food to temples “on the canon” (eve). This is a lean food, and Cahors is allowed from wines.
What you can and cannot do on Orthodox Parents' Saturday
On any of the parent's Saturdays in 2016, it is recommended to go to an Orthodox church and sincerely pray for the granting of peace to the souls of the departed; as they say, everyone is alive for God! It is also good, in accordance with the ancient tradition, to bring food to the temple for remembrance. Previously, parishioners made a table at which they gathered together and remembered everyone - both their own and strangers. Now they simply bring food, and the ministers distribute food for remembrance to people in need. The church also advises submitting notes indicating the names of deceased loved ones for church mention in prayers.
Even if you didn’t manage to visit church on Orthodox Memorial Saturday, pray with an open heart at home. This will cleanse your heart of filth and ease the lot of the deceased, because they are no longer able to stand up for themselves, but you can help them find peace and grace. If you don’t know what to read, open Kathisma 17 (or Psalm 118), a funeral prayer for relatives, friends, and all Orthodox Christians.
It is believed that on parental Saturdays one should not clean, do laundry, or wash in the gardens. In most cases, these are superstitions that are not confirmed by the church: if business does not prevent you from visiting the temple and praying, then you can do it. For example, the warning about washing these days has been around for a long time. When, to carry out a simple procedure, as it seems to us now, we had to spend the whole day working: chopping wood, heating a bathhouse, applying water, it turned out that there was no time left for prayers and visiting the temple.
You can visit the graves and clean them up. First of all, responsibility for the condition of the tombstones lies with children whose parents have passed away. They simply have to make sure that parenting days do not go unnoticed in the whirlpool of daily hassle. When memorial days fall during the period of fasting, one should not commemorate with fasting foods, breaking the fast. Make do with dishes made from those foods that are allowed to be eaten these days.
You cannot grieve beyond measure these days: remembering does not mean being sad. After all, according to Christian beliefs, the soul is immortal, which means it simply passed into a world unknown to us. If a person led a righteous life, then his soul arrives in an eternal state of love, harmony, joy, the so-called paradise. If a person, on the contrary, has committed sinful acts, his soul languishes in a worse world and experiences endless torment.
A person can influence this fate only during his lifetime; after death, only a prayer read with extraordinary faith and love can save him from torment. Who, if not close people, can perform this prayer? That is why it is necessary to devote each of the parental Saturdays to prayer words spoken with a pure heart. Many are mistaken when they interpret remembrance as the need to drink a glass of alcohol in a cemetery - with such an act you will not ease the fate of the departed.
Don’t forget to remember your parents according to the Christian tradition so that their souls will become brighter!
The Orthodox calendar tells us the exact dates of all church holidays, which means that it is thanks to it that we can accurately find out the days of Parents' Saturdays in 2016. After all, they are closely related to festivals or fasting.
First, we need to shed some light on the term “Parents’ Saturday”: these are the days when Orthodox Christians commemorate the dead. These days are called that because previously in Rus' all the deceased were called fathers. According to other versions, this day is so nicknamed because parents are always remembered first.
Parents' Saturdays in 2016
In 2016, we will have 8 Orthodox Parental Saturdays. Contrary to popular belief, they may not always be Saturdays according to the usual calendar. 5 out of 8 such days fall on the “correct” day of the week - they are called Universal Parental Saturdays.
The First Ecumenical Parental Saturday is Meatless Saturday. It will be celebrated this year on March 5th. This holiday is church calendar means God's intention to remind us that we are all mortal and sooner or later, we will find ourselves next to him. All deceased loved ones are also remembered.
Second Parent's Saturday - Trinity. This holiday is dedicated to all the departed, without exception. This year the day will be June 18 - the 50th day after the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. On this day, according to the Gospel, the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples of Christ.
The third, fourth and fifth Parental Saturdays are the Saturdays of Lent. These will be March 26, April 2 and April 9. This is a tribute to the departed in honor of the most difficult and significant fast for all Orthodox Christians.
The sixth Parent's Day - May 9 - is the day of remembrance of soldiers who died on the battlefields in the Great Patriotic War.
The seventh Parents' Day 2016 is Radonitsa, May 10, Tuesday. Radonitsa is the ninth day after the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The eighth Parent's Day is Dimitrievskaya Saturday, November 5, the day of remembrance of the Battle of Kulikovo, when Rus' lost almost one hundred thousand of its soldiers on the battlefield. On this day, all warriors and defenders of their homeland are remembered.
How to celebrate Parents' Saturday
During Lent, March 26, April 2 and April 9 are special days of remembrance of the dead. These days, it is customary to simply read prayers in memory of relatives who are not with us.
Trinity Saturday is the day of funeral services in Orthodox churches in honor of all baptized people. The same thing happens on Meat Saturday - all believers come to the temple for a memorial service.
On Radonitsa, it is customary to visit the graves of the dead with good thoughts on the soul, since Jesus is Risen. This is the day when death loses its power, because after death we unite with God.
Well, on Dimitrievskaya Saturday it is customary to come to the temple for the festive liturgy and the subsequent memorial service. On this day, it is customary to submit notes asking for the repose of your loved ones and the peace of their souls.
Every Parent's Saturday is very important Orthodox holiday, since this is a reminder to us that life will end sooner or later, but another, more important one will begin. Value your life and the lives of your loved ones.
Orthodox Christians commemorate those who have passed on to another world 7 times a year. These days are called memorial or parental Saturdays. You can remember those who have not been with you for a long time on any other days. However, these seven days are considered a special time when you can help your loved ones cleanse themselves by praying for them sincerely and with love. Orthodox parental Saturdays in 2016 fall mainly in February-March, and only one of them is celebrated in November.
Parents' days are called because all the deceased are considered to have gone to their parents and ancestors. Therefore, they remember all those who have passed away, but first of all, those closest to them.
There are two separate “ecumenical” Saturdays, when all Christians who have left this world are remembered, and memorial services are held in Orthodox churches. Most dates for parental Saturdays change from year to year and are associated with major holidays, this will be discussed below. Three Saturdays fall during the spring period, or more precisely during Easter Lent. On these memorial days, it is imperative to pray for those who are no longer alive in order to alleviate their sins and beg God to be merciful to their souls.
Parents' Saturdays calendar for 2016
May 10 - Radonitsa. 9th day after Easter. It falls on Tuesday, not Saturday, but within its meaning it belongs to the general cycle of memorial days.
On each of the parents' Saturdays, memorial services are held in the church, i.e. services for the repose, at which parishioners pray that souls will rest, and that the Lord will be merciful to them, forgiving their sins. For this purpose, special prayer texts are read. On Meat Saturday, they especially try to remember those who left this world unexpectedly and were left without a proper burial according to Christian traditions.
Trinity and Parents' Saturday
One of the memorial days falls on the Saturday before the Orthodox Trinity. As you can see, most parental Saturdays are associated with major Christian holidays. This memorial service differs from others in that you can even pray for sinners - criminals, suicides, etc. The holiday of Trinity symbolizes the descent of the Holy Spirit to earth so that all souls without exception are saved. It is believed that the conciliar prayer on this day for the dead has excessive power. During the service, the 17th kathisma is read, and prayers ask for peace for souls and merciful forgiveness for deceased relatives.
Radonitsa and parents' Saturday
Radonitsa is the name given to the day that falls on Tuesday (after Thomas Week). On this holiday, people remember Christ's descent into hell, the Resurrection and his victory over death. Radonitsa is associated directly with the triumph of life over death. It is customary to visit cemeteries; the resurrection of Christ is glorified at the graves.
Demetrius Memorial Saturday is named after the martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica and falls on the Saturday preceding November 8. Initially, on Dimitrievskaya Saturday, only those who died in the Battle of Kulikovo were commemorated, but over the years the tradition changed and they began to commemorate all those who died.
On the eve of the funeral Saturday, on Friday evening, great memorial services, also called “parastas”, are held in churches. On Saturday morning there are funeral liturgies, followed by general funeral services. You can submit notes to the funeral service with the names of deceased relatives or other close people, about their repose. It is also customary to bring food to temples “on the canon” (eve). This is a lean food, and Cahors is allowed from wines.
What you can and cannot do on Orthodox Parents' Saturday
On any of the parent's Saturdays in 2016, it is recommended to go to an Orthodox church and sincerely pray for the granting of peace to the souls of the departed; as they say, everyone is alive for God! It is also good, in accordance with the ancient tradition, to bring food to the temple for remembrance. Previously, parishioners made a table at which they gathered together and remembered everyone - both their own and strangers. Now they simply bring food, and the ministers distribute food for remembrance to people in need. The church also advises submitting notes indicating the names of deceased loved ones for church mention in prayers.
Even if you didn’t manage to visit church on Orthodox Memorial Saturday, pray with an open heart at home. This will cleanse your heart of filth and ease the lot of the deceased, because they are no longer able to stand up for themselves, but you can help them find peace and grace. If you don’t know what to read, open Kathisma 17 (or Psalm 118), a funeral prayer for relatives, friends, and all Orthodox Christians.
It is believed that on parental Saturdays one should not clean, do laundry, or wash in the gardens. In most cases, these are superstitions that are not confirmed by the church: if business does not prevent you from visiting the temple and praying, then you can do it. For example, the warning about washing these days has been around for a long time. When, to carry out a simple procedure, as it seems to us now, we had to spend the whole day working: chopping wood, heating a bathhouse, applying water, it turned out that there was no time left for prayers and visiting the temple.
You can visit the graves and clean them up. First of all, responsibility for the condition of the tombstones lies with children whose parents have passed away. They simply have to make sure that parenting days do not go unnoticed in the whirlpool of daily hassle. When memorial days fall during the period of fasting, one should not commemorate with fasting foods, breaking the fast. Make do with dishes made from those foods that are allowed to be eaten these days.
You cannot grieve beyond measure these days: remembering does not mean being sad. After all, according to Christian beliefs, the soul is immortal, which means it simply passed into a world unknown to us. If a person led a righteous life, then his soul arrives in an eternal state of love, harmony, joy, the so-called paradise. If a person, on the contrary, has committed sinful acts, his soul languishes in a worse world and experiences endless torment.
A person can influence this fate only during his lifetime; after death, only a prayer read with extraordinary faith and love can save him from torment. Who, if not close people, can perform this prayer? That is why it is necessary to devote each of the parental Saturdays to prayer words spoken with a pure heart. Many are mistaken when they interpret remembrance as the need to drink a glass of alcohol in a cemetery - with such an act you will not ease the fate of the departed.
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Ecumenical parental services (memorial services, memorial Saturdays) 2016
2. March 26, 2016 - commemoration of the dead. Second week of Lent. Funeral services are held in churches, at which all the souls of the dead are remembered. Such prayerful care of the living for their deceased relatives brings them great relief in torment or consolation (if the souls are with the Lord).
It should also be recalled that if a Christian prays for the deceased, then he, in turn, asks God for mercy for the living.
3. April 2, 2016 - Saturday of the third week of Lent. Ecumenical Parental Commemoration (Parental Memorial Saturday).
4. April 9, 2016 - Saturday of the fourth week of Lent. Ecumenical Parental Commemoration (Parental Memorial Saturday).
