Orthodox Russians will celebrate Parents' Day (Radonitsa) on Tuesday, April 25. On this day it is customary to remember deceased relatives and loved ones.

Radonitsa (Radunitsa, Parent's Day) - a spring holiday of remembrance of the dead, celebrated by everyone Eastern Slavs. U different nations Parents' Day is usually celebrated on Sunday, Monday or Tuesday of St. Thomas Week. In Russia, the spring day of remembrance is celebrated on the ninth day after Easter, so in 2017, Parents' Day falls on April 25.

The holiday's roots go back to pagan times, but this Slavic tradition was adopted and supported by the Russian Orthodox Church.

Radonitsa is a very ancient holiday, which has been known since pagan times. According to legends, Radonitsa was the name given to pagan deities who were the guardians of the souls of the deceased and personified the veneration of the dead. It was customary to make sacrifices and hold feasts on the mounds in honor of Radonitsa. This is how our ancestors paid tribute to the souls of the departed.

This holiday fits well into the Christian religion and remains in the Orthodox calendar. Before the USSR, this day was a day off. But during the Soviet era, it lost its significance and many traditions of Radonitsa were forgotten. And some of the traditions have become greatly distorted. So, now on Radonitsa people drink alcohol and even pour it on their graves. But the church does not approve of this.

In the Soviet Union, people began going to cemeteries on Easter. This was due to the fact that in the USSR the day off for Radonitsa was canceled. But people still wanted to honor the memory of their relatives and went to the cemetery on Easter, since this holiday always falls on Sunday.

Many people are interested in the question of what is prepared for Parents' Day after Easter, and what should be brought to the cemetery. Everyone's traditions are different here. The thing is that our ancestors adopted traditions from the times of paganism, so some of them do not coincide with church requirements.

So, on this day you can bring Easter, painted eggs, and jelly to the cemetery. It was also customary for our ancestors to bring wine and beer. However, the church does not approve of this, although it makes minor concessions to food. Also, priests do not understand the tradition of placing anything other than flowers on graves. And even more so, pour alcohol on them. Previously, vodka was poured only to those who dug graves in the cold.

Pagan traditions, which still exist in our lives, also said that pancakes and pancakes can be carried to the cemetery. They were precisely a symbol of resurrection. On this day, the deceased are shown that they too will be resurrected. By the way, honey is considered a very necessary product brought to the cemetery. This is what Jesus Christ ate after his resurrection.

According to the traditions of the church, in general, on this day people come to the cemetery in the morning and begin to clean up, after which they decorate the graves of the deceased with flowers and remember them kind words and thoughts. After this, you can light candles on the graves. According to the laws of the church, only the poor are treated to food on this day. However, you can remember it at home. It is noted here that the table should not be as rich as at Easter. You can't get too drunk on this day either.

IN church calendar Many holidays revered by Orthodox Christians are celebrated. These include parents' Saturdays. Most of them depend on the calendar celebration of Easter, so they change dates from year to year.

- the time during which liturgies are served in all churches and temples, remembering the dead. For such holidays, Orthodox Christians write notes with the names of their deceased relatives so that the priests will mention them during the service. Also on these days, it is customary to visit cemeteries to pay tribute to the memory of your loved ones.

In addition to the usual ones, there are also Ecumenical Parental Saturdays. At this time, all the deceased are commemorated, including those who went missing, those who were not properly buried, as well as saints who died for the Orthodox faith.

Parents' Saturdays in 2017

February 18 - Ecumenical Meat and Eating Parents' Saturday. It is so named because of the ban on eating meat products. The holiday begins 7 days before the start of Lent before Easter. Saturday is popularly called Little Maslenitsa because it takes place a week before Maslenitsa. On this day, all Orthodox believers serve a memorial service for all the departed since the creation of the world. According to tradition, a special dish is prepared - kutya. It is a porridge with nuts, candied fruits or dried fruits, smeared with honey. The special meaning of this dish is that grain, in order to produce bread, must first decay and then be reborn. Likewise, the human body must be buried in order for the immortal soul to continue its path in the Kingdom of Heaven. On this day they attend church, illuminate the Kutya, and a trip to the cemetery is undesirable. In a temple or at home, it is worth praying for all the departed in order to help them ascend to the Lord:

"Jesus Christ! Your servants pray to You for the repose of all those who have now passed away and who live in the Kingdom of Heaven. Rest the souls of the unburied, and grant them eternal peace under Your gaze. From the beginning of the created world to this day. We pray for everyone, for everyone who died on earth and in water, in air and hollow. Amen".

March 25 is parental Saturday of the fourth week (or week) of Lent. During the period of Lent, Orthodox Christians continue to pray for the souls of their deceased relatives, visit the cemetery, where they also ask the Lord to have mercy on all the deceased. During the period of fasting, if parental Saturdays do not fall on significant church holidays, services are short. The Church has established 3 days of prayer, corresponding to each parental Saturday. Orthodox Christians carry notes with the names of everyone they want to remember, and also bring food to the canon. This ancient tradition commemoration of the deceased through the offered refreshments.

April 25 - Radonitsa. The name comes from the word “rejoice”, because the bright holiday of Easter continues. This day falls on Tuesday, and after a memorial service and Easter chants, Orthodox Christians visit the graves of their deceased relatives to commemorate and pray for their souls:

“Our Lord Almighty. We believe in You and trust in the Kingdom of Heaven. Take to yourself the souls of our relatives (names), and guide us on the true path, and deliver us from the evil one, unclean thoughts, anger and inappropriate sorrow. Let us rejoice together, so that the souls of our loved ones may ascend to You. Amen".

On May 9, all deceased soldiers are commemorated. This great day is celebrated throughout the country. Celebrating main holiday Victory in the Great Patriotic War, all Orthodox Christians pray for the souls of the defenders who fell in battle. The liturgy also mentions all military personnel who gave their lives for the human race, for its prosperity and well-being.

June 3 - Trinity Parents' Saturday. It, like meat-eating, is celebrated on the eve of Lent. On this day, a memorial service (night vigil) is held, where they pray for the souls of all departed Orthodox Christians since the creation of the world. Mention is made of the great martyrs who accepted death from unbelievers without abandoning their faith in Jesus Christ. This day also precedes the holiday of Trinity, or, as it is also called, Pentecost.

October 28 - Dmitrievskaya Parents' Saturday. The holiday is named in honor of Demetrius of Thessalonica, the holy great martyr. This day was originally set aside to commemorate the deceased soldiers who fought at the Battle of Kulikovo. Now Dmitrievskaya Parental Saturday is a day of remembrance of all deceased Orthodox Christians.

Every Orthodox Christian sacredly honors church holidays and spends time in prayer. They open their souls to the Lord, cleanse their consciousness and help them take the righteous path. Words coming from the heart always find a response in Heaven, so the place for prayer words does not play a huge role. You can pray at home in front of holy images, by candlelight, or simply in a moment of weakness and doubt. We wish you happiness and don't forget to press the buttons and

In this article we will talk specifically about Parents' Day in 2017 and what date Radunitsa is. This year it falls on April 25th. In general, if we look at it in succession of years, then you just need to look for the date of the second Tuesday from the onset of Orthodox Easter.

Of course, it is not the only day during the year when Orthodox believers commemorate their parents. Despite the fact that memorial days are called “parental” days, it is not at all necessary to go to the cemetery just to honor the memory of your parents. You can visit the person you loved and miss, regardless of the degree of relationship.

It is customary to rejoice on Radunitsa

Day April 25 – exact date When is Parents' Day in 2017, what date (Tuesday). This is the second Tuesday after Easter, which falls on St. Thomas week. It is interesting that “Fomina” week is called because it is dedicated to the Apostle Thomas (it was because of him that the saying “Doubter Thomas” became popular among the people).
Radunitsa falls on this Tuesday for several reasons. Firstly, if you refer to folk traditions and by the time of paganism, around this day it was customary to go to the cemetery. Supporters of this theory even claim that the name of the day comes from the word “genus”. Then, when Christianity was adopted, this day was made a day of remembrance of the dead after Easter as an important holiday.

As for modern church traditions, then, indeed, is a holiday. People are wondering when Parents' Day begins in 2017, what date, because since Easter this is the first day when you can go to the cemetery. If you are used to doing this on Easter itself or during the holy week, then you need to change the wrong habit. On the day of Radunitsa, we rejoice at the coming of Easter together with our departed ancestors and loved ones. The second part of historians believes that the name of the holiday comes from the word “rejoice.”

Other memorial days after Easter

With Radunitsa, of course, there are memorial days during the Orthodox church year don't end. There will still be days when you must go to church in the morning for a service and pray for your ancestors, and then go to the cemetery to show them your respect.

We offer a calendar parenting days in 2017 (what date after Easter):
On Victory Day, the church celebrates the day of remembrance of the dead. Churches hold services in honor of people who died during wars. Especially, of course, during the Great Patriotic War. This year, All Souls Day falls on Saturday.
Before Trinity, on Saturday, there is a parental period. This day is called: Trinity Parents' Saturday. During the service, special attention is paid to prayers. In general, this parenting day in the spring-summer period is considered the main one.
Then only in the fall, on September 11, the cemetery is visited on the eve of the Intercession holiday. At services in churches on this day they remember John the Baptist and his painful death for his faith.
The last parent's day of the year is always Dmitrievskaya Saturday. It falls on November 4, and received this name in honor of Dmitry Donskoy. On these days, during the service, special attention, just like on Victory Day, is paid to fallen soldiers.

So, within Orthodox year There is more than one parent's day to remember. But, if you are looking for the date of parent Tuesday, Radunitsa, then this year 2017 it falls on April 25. Can be prepared on this day

From this article you will find out what date Orthodox parental Saturdays will be in 2017. You will also learn about the meaning of this Ecumenical service.

Parents' Saturdays in 2017

Often these special days of remembrance of the dead are called “ecumenical parental Saturdays.” This is not true. There are two Ecumenical Memorial Saturdays: Meat (on the Saturday preceding the Sunday of the Last Judgment) and Trinity (on the Saturday preceding the Feast of Pentecost, or also called the Feast of Holy Trinity- the birthday of the Church of Christ).

The main meaning of these “universal” (common to all Orthodox Church) funeral services - in prayer for all deceased Orthodox Christians, regardless of their personal closeness to us. This is a matter of love that does not divide the world into friends and strangers. The main attention these days is to all those who are united with us by the highest kinship - kinship in Christ, and especially to those who have no one to remember.

Parents' Saturdays in 2017 fall on the following dates:

• Ecumenical Parental Saturday (meat-free)– February 18, 2017.
• Saturday of the 2nd week of Great Lent – ​​March 11, 2017.
• Saturday of the 3rd week of Great Lent – ​​March 18, 2017.
• Saturday of the 4th week of Great Lent – ​​March 25, 2017.
• Commemoration of deceased warriors– May 9, 2017.
• Radonitsa– April 25, 2017.
• Trinity Parents' Saturday in 2017– June 3, 2017.
• Dimitrievskaya Parents' Saturday– November 4, 2017.

For preferential commemoration to us personally dear people There are other parenting Saturdays. First of all, these are the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Saturdays of Great Lent, and besides them, the Dimitrievsky parental Saturday established in the Russian Orthodox Church, which was originally intended to commemorate the soldiers who fell in the Battle of Kulikovo, but gradually became a general memorial day .

This memorial service falls on the Saturday preceding the memory of St. Vmch. Demetrius of Thessalonica - patron saint of the prince. Dmitry Donskoy, at whose suggestion, after the Battle of Kulikovo, an annual commemoration of soldiers was established. But over time, the memory of the liberating soldiers was crowded out into popular consciousness, which is very regrettable, turning Dimitrievskaya memorial Saturday into one of the “parents’ days.”

Why "parental"? After all, we remember not only our parents, but also other people, often not connected to us by any family ties? By various reasons. First of all, not even because parents, as a rule, leave this world before their children (and therefore too, but this is not the main thing), but because in general our first priority prayer duty is for our parents: of all the people whose temporary earthly life is over, we first of all owe it to those through whom we received this gift of life - our parents and grandparents.

Days special commemoration deceased in 2017 According to the canons of the Orthodox Church, they are shifted relative to Easter. The exception is one day, characteristic only for Russia.

The days when the Church especially remembers the dead are traditionally called in Rus' parent's Saturdays. Saturday is considered a day of rest, so we pray for the repose of our loved ones and all Orthodox Christians and saints who have died since time immemorial. Parental Saturdays are called because we most often remember our deceased parents and direct ancestors. Almost all days of remembrance were determined in the church calendar back in the days of the first Christians.

UNIVERSAL PARENTAL SATURDAY (MEAT SATURDAY) in 2017 falls on 18th of Febuary. The basis for establishing the Ecumenical Remembrance on this day was that the following Sunday is remembered Last Judgment and the Second Coming of Christ. In addition, during preparation for Lent on this day, Christians are called to love all the previously departed and remember that we are with them in the one Body of Christ.

The 2nd, 3rd, 4th SATURDAYS OF GREAT LENT fall in 2017 respectively on March 11, March 18 And March 25.

In addition to the ecumenical remembrance of the dead, performed on some parental Saturdays, the Church holds ecumenical memorial services on the Saturdays of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th weeks of Great Lent. These days, the Church prays for the forgiveness of Christians of “voluntary and involuntary sins... and their eternal repose with the Saints.”

Radonitsa occupies a special place in the annual circle church holidays, this day is immediately after Holy Week, which calls on Christians not to suffer over the death of loved ones, but to rejoice at their birth into eternal life.

On this day, the same funeral service is performed as on Ecumenical Parental Saturday. These days of remembrance are also brought together by the fact that they are located in the church circle a week before Lent. Trinity Parental Saturday precedes the Apostolic or Petrine Fast.

DIMITRIEVSKAYA SATURDAY in 2017 falls on November 4 and this year coincides with the holiday in the name of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God.

Dimitrievskaya Saturday was established by Dmitry Donskoy after the Battle of Kulikovo, on this day the Church historically remembers all Orthodox soldiers.

IN last years Another day of remembrance of soldiers has become widespread - 9th May, in memory of those who suffered during the hard years of the Great Patriotic War. This day is not approved by the Church, the tradition is just being formed.

Eastern Christians have a tradition of creating another funeral Saturday- before the Day of Intercession. In 2017 it falls on October 7th.

All dates are given according to the new style.

On all days it is possible to commemorate a deceased person baptized in the Orthodox Church during the Liturgy. For this purpose, special notes are submitted in advance, colloquially called "Mass of repose."

Repose can be ordered in monasteries The Indestructible Psalter, which has long been considered a great alms for a deceased soul.

There is also a custom to order funeral services, which can be served not only in churches, but also in cemeteries.

There is another type of remembrance, funeral lithium, can be performed by a layman in a cemetery or at home.

There is an ancient tradition consecration of Kutya– special funeral meal, which after consecration is eaten at home with prayer.

In addition, among Orthodox Christians it is widespread to commemorate the dead by giving alms. Particularly in this series is the serving "to the canon", that is, the laity’s offerings to the temple of food for the clergy’s meal, the distribution of food to those working in the church and those in need.