Parents’ Saturday March 27: how the deceased are commemorated today

Orthodox Christians celebrate three Fathers’ Saturdays at a time during Great Lent: March 27, April 3, and April 10. They fall, respectively, in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th week of Great Lent and have Ecumenical status. These days are considered special days of the church when it is customary to commemorate the dead.

Rules

The name Saturday “of the parents” does not mean that on this day only deceased parents are remembered in prayer. According to Orthodox tradition, all the dead are commemorated. Funeral services on this day are directed with a petition to God to forgive the deceased for all their sins.

In Orthodoxy, there is a reverent attitude towards the dead, so people keep the memory of the deceased, periodically order prayers and memorial services for them, visit cemeteries and guard graves. Memorial days are also called fathers’ days because prayer for parents is everyone’s primary duty of prayer.

Believers are supposed to pray for their loved ones who have left the earthly world. These days, services are held in churches, so you can send a note with the names of the deceased to a clergyman or online in advance. You can choose a one-time or long-term commemoration. All names must belong to persons baptized in the Canonical Orthodox Church. They will be read during the prayer service.

Many Orthodox believers visit cemeteries on this day, although the church considers this tradition optional. People clean the graves of deceased relatives, bring flowers.

Relatives are commemorated with a dinner, in which there should be a kutia, and conversations are dedicated to the deceased. Usually the whole family gathers for a memorial meal and a lit church candle is placed in the center of the table. After that, you need to say a prayer three times for the repose of the souls of the dead, and only after that you can begin to eat.

It is forbidden to remember the dead in a negative way, scold them or insult them. It is believed that whoever scolds the deceased is nearing his own death. Therefore, it is often said of the dead “good or nothing.”

There should be no disputes on this day, because the Sabbath in memory of the parents is destined to draw closer to loved ones due to the common memory of the dead.

It is better to put things in order at the grave in advance, and not on the day of remembrance itself. On Parents’ Saturday, it is not customary to work hard or clean the house.

Try to eat memorial food at home and not at the cemetery. Since this is the period of Lent, it is forbidden to organize lavish parties or abuse alcohol, much less singing songs and having fun. Spend your day in peace.

You cannot refuse help today. When giving alms to the poor, you can name your deceased relative and ask the person to pray for their soul.

Parents’ Saturday Dates in 2021

In order not to miss the date of the parents’ Saturdays, we suggest that you mark each of them on your calendar. Ahead is the Commemoration of the soldiers who died on May 9, Radonitsa (or Seeing Off) on May 11, the Trinity Fathers ‘Saturday on June 19 and also the Dimitrievskaya Fathers’ Saturday on November 6.

Previously, “Country” spoke in detail about each of the eight existing parenting Saturdays in 2021, about prayers, traditions and prohibitions of the day.