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Parents' Saturdays in 2025: how to properly memorialize the deceased on Parents' Day
There are several dates in the church calendar that are special for remembering the deceased. They are called Parents' Saturdays. The closest this year falls on February 22, and the last one - on November 15. On Parents' Saturdays people visit churches, pray for the repose of departed relatives, and also go to cemeteries. Read more about the dates of Parents' Saturdays in 2025, as well as the traditions and history of these days - in the material "Izvestia".
Ecumenical Meat Feast Parents' Saturday in 2025
In the church calendar there are several special dates for the commemoration of the deceased - these are Parents' Saturdays. On such days in churches there are special memorial services for the deceased. Orthodox believers on Parents' Saturdays try to attend services, go to the cemetery and gather with relatives around the table for a memorial dinner.
There are a total of nine Parents' Saturdays, of which seven are celebrated throughout Russia, and two are celebrated in only a few regions.
In 2025, Parents' Saturdays fall on the following dates:
- February 22 - Ecumenical Meat Feast Parental Saturday;
- March 15, 22 and 29 - Saturdays of the Second, Third and Fourth Weeks of Great Lent;
- April 29 - Radonitsa;
- June 7 - Trinity Parents' Saturday;
- October 11 - Intercession Saturday;
- November 1 - Dmitrievskaya;
- November 15 - St. Michael's Saturday.
In addition to the above, there are two other dates of commemoration of soldiers, these are May 9 and the Day of Commemoration of Orthodox Warriors on September 11.
The closest and first in the church calendar is the Meat-Passover Ecumenical Parental Saturday. Its history goes far into the past, it is confirmed by the Church statute, laid down as early as in the V century by the Monk Savva the Sanctified. Even then, the custom of going to cemeteries on certain dates to commemorate the dead was recorded.
In the tradition of the Eastern Slavs, Meat-Passover Parents' Saturday is closely connected with the celebration of Shrovetide: the first day of commemoration of the dead is celebrated two days before the beginning of this national holiday, which in 2025 will be held from February 24 to March 2.
This Saturday got its name because it precedes Measopustnaya week, also known as the Week of the Last Judgment (the preparatory Sunday before the beginning of Lent, which in 2025 will begin on March 3 and end on April 19). "Pust" in this case has the meaning of "abandonment," that is, saying goodbye to meat for the entire Lenten season. Thus, February 22 and 23 in 2025 are the last days when you can eat meat before Cheese Week, or Shrovetide. The next day when believers can eat meat is Easter, April 20.
On Meat Loss Saturday the service in churches begins the night before, priests read special prayers not only in memory of fathers and mothers, but also of all deceased relatives. A great requiem (parastasis) for the deceased is held.
On the very day of the Meat-Leave Saturday the faithful go to church to attend the Divine Liturgy and the funeral service. At the same time they carry with them memorial products, which it is customary to leave on the funeral table, called the eve. It is important to place a candle for the repose of the dead, and many give notes with the names of the deceased, which the priest will read at the liturgy.
If it is not possible to visit the temple, it is worth praying for the deceased at home. Among the prayers of this day:
- Troparion. "By the depth of wisdom, which lovingly manages all things and gives useful things to all, O One Creator, rest, O Lord, the souls of Thy servants: in Thee have they put their hope, O Creator and Provider and our God" (translation: "By the deepest wisdom, which lovingly manages all things and gives useful things to all, O One Creator, rest, O Lord, the souls of Thy servants, for in Thee have they put their hope, O Creator and Provider and our God");
- kondak. "With holy rest, O Christ, the souls of Thy servants, where there is no sickness, nor sorrow, nor sighing, but life without end" (translation: "With holy rest, O Christ, the souls of Thy servants, where there is no pain, nor sorrow, nor groaning, but life without end").
It is important on this day to visit the cemetery and put the grave in order. After that, the table is set at home, the obligatory dish on which is always kutya (porridge, most often made of rice, with honey and raisins).
March 15, 22, 29 - Parents' Saturdays of Great Lent in 2025
The temple service on these three Saturdays differs from the Ecumenical, on these days it is customary to honor close relatives, especially parents. In 2025, the second, third and fourth Parents' Saturdays of Great Lent fall on March 15, 22 and 29.
It should be noted that during Lent the usual weekday liturgies are not celebrated, which means that liturgical commemorations of the deceased are less frequent. Therefore, the Church has established these three parental Saturdays: they not only allow us to honor the memory of relatives, but also to prepare for the celebration of the Resurrection of Christ.
April 29 - Radonitsa in 2025
Radonitsa, or Radunitsa, is also in essence a Parents' Saturday, but it is celebrated not at the end of the week, but on the Tuesday after Bright Week, on the ninth day after Christ's Resurrection. This day is also known as the Tuesday of St. Thomas' Week (week). In 2025, it falls on April 29.
As priests explain, the name of the holiday comes from the word "joy", so it is not necessary on this day to be sad or mourn for the dead. It is better to rejoice and pray for them.
On April 29, a special requiem liturgy will be celebrated in churches across the country. It is followed by a requiem service, during which Orthodox believers pray for forgiveness of the sins of their deceased relatives. On this day the Church prays for the repose of the souls of all those who have died "from ages past". It does not matter when exactly a person died and whether a memorial note was submitted about him.
It is important to note that Radonitskaya (Fomina) week has ancient Slavic roots. It is believed that the holiday began to be celebrated long before the baptism of Russia, and then its traditions intertwined with Christian ones. Almost nothing is known about the pagan traditions of the holiday. According to one version, the Slavs believed that on Radonitsa the souls of the dead rise from the dead and dine with the living. From here came the tradition of bringing some food to the cemetery, for example, candy. However, it is important to remember that the Church does not approve of pagan traditions, so it asks not to arrange at the graveside meals and not to leave food. The consumption of alcohol is also forbidden.
Instead, you can put the graves in order. The weather on Radonitsa is usually already really spring, so you can remove all the dirt accumulated during the fall and winter.
June 7 - Ecumenical Trinity Saturday in 2025
Trinity Saturday, like Meat Feast, is the Ecumenical Parents' Saturday, and the celebration depends on one of the bipedal feasts - Trinity, which is celebrated on the 50th day after Easter and a few days before the beginning of the Apostolic, or Peter's, Lent. In 2025, Trinity is celebrated on Sunday, June 8, so Parents' Saturday falls on the 7th.
Like Meat Feast Saturday, Trinity Saturday is dedicated to remembering all the departed: acquaintances, friends, missing persons, those who died in war or during a catastrophe. Traditionally, a Divine Liturgy is held in churches, followed by a requiem service (requiem service).
As on other days, people who come to church write memorial notes, light candles and read funeral prayers. After visiting the church, believers go to the cemetery and put pine branches on the grave. Such a tradition was formed because of the fact that the holiday of the Trinity is called green. These branches can be put on the burial place of a relative or an unknown person, or even on an abandoned grave.
October 11 - Intercession Saturday in 2025
Pokrovskaya Parents' Saturday is not in the church calendar due to the fact that it is celebrated only in some regions of Russia. This holiday falls on the first Saturday before the Feast of the Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which falls annually on October 14.
Intercession Saturday is directly connected with the capture of Kazan by Ivan the Terrible in 1552, but it was established only 40 years later and is a day of commemoration of fallen soldiers and those who died during the capture of Kazan.
Intercession Saturday is honored in several dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church: Kazan, Vyatka, Yekaterinburg and Izhevsk, it is also celebrated in some other regions of Tatarstan and Udmurtia.
November 1 - Dmitrievskaya Patriarchal Saturday in 2025
Dmitrievskaya Parents' Saturday, like the others, does not have a fixed date, so each year it is celebrated on different days. Its celebration always falls on the last Saturday before the Memorial Day of the Great Martyr Demetrius of Solunsk, which has a fixed date - November 8. Since the commemorative day fell on a Saturday in 2025, Dmitrievskaya Parents' Saturday will be celebrated one week earlier, on November 1.
It is one of the most important Saturdays in the church calendar and the last of the official Saturdays.
The commemorative date dates back to the XIV century and is associated with the most important historical events of our country: it was established after the victory of Prince Dmitry Donskoy on the Kulikovo Field in a battle that claimed many lives. After this battle, St. Sergius of Radonezh commemorated all the fallen Orthodox soldiers in the Trinity-St. Sergius Monastery, and the tradition was later consolidated.
The faithful go to church the day before, on Friday, to participate in the parastasis. The schedule of services may differ depending on the church. Thus, in some churches the liturgy and commemoration of the deceased will be held on the day of Parents' Saturday, and in others the parastasis will be held again.
If a person is unable to attend church, it is possible to pray at home. One of the prayers for each day is: "Rest, O Lord, the souls of Your departed servants: my parents, relatives, benefactors (their names) and all Orthodox Christians, and forgive them all their trespasses, both voluntary and involuntary, and grant them the Kingdom of Heaven."
For the deceased soldiers the following may be recited: "Rest, O Lord, the souls of Your departed servants: the soldiers (their names), and all Orthodox Christians, and forgive them all their trespasses, both voluntary and involuntary, and grant them the Kingdom of Heaven."
As with other church holidays, St. Dmitriev's Parents' Saturday has a connection to a pagan holiday, the "Autumn Grandfathers". People believed that deceased relatives on this day return to their ancestral homes. Because of this, there was a tradition to set the table, prepare kutya and put the utensils on more people, including the departed relatives.
It should not be forgotten that it is not worth crying about the dead or remembering bad things on this day. Among other prohibitions of the day are profanity, alcohol (except cagoras), refusal of alms and others. It is important to remember that this is not a sad day, so it should be filled with bright thoughts about eternal life.
November 15 - St. Michael's Parents' Saturday in 2025
St. Michael's Parents' Saturday, like Pokrovskaya Saturday, is not in the church calendar. It is celebrated on the Saturday before the feast, the full name of which is the Cathedral of Archangel Michael and other heavenly forces incorporeal. It is also called Michael's Day. Every year the holiday falls on November 21, in this regard, in 2025 St. Michael's Saturday will be celebrated on the 15th. It is celebrated in some dioceses in the south of Russia, as well as in Belarus, where this day was called "Autumn Dedes", and later - "Michael's Dedes".
Archangel Michael is one of the highest angels who led the heavenly host in the fight against the devil. He was also depicted as the escort of dead souls to the Last Judgment, weighing the sinful and righteous deeds of people.
On this day remember relatives, loved ones, all the dead, and especially those for whom there is no one to pray. Priests remind that notes cannot be given for those who have not been baptized and for those who have a different faith, as well as for atheists and suicides.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
