Happy Ecumenical Parents' Saturday: memorial cards, touching pictures
Two days before the beginning of Shrovetide week, Orthodox believers celebrate the universal Meat-Passover Parents' Saturday. This is a special day of remembrance of the dead, dedicated to all Christians who have ever lived. In 2025, it falls on February 22. "Izvestia" prepared mourning cards for this memorable day.
What to say and what to answer on Parents' Saturday
In the Orthodox calendar there are several dates dedicated to the commemoration of the deceased - Parents' Saturdays. Often they are associated with important church holidays, such as Easter, Lent, the Cathedral of Archangel Michael, etc. As a rule, on such days believers honor the memory of their relatives - father, mother, grandfathers, grandmothers, brothers, sisters, children, etc.
Twice a year, the church holds a memorial service for all deceased Christians, regardless of when they lived or exactly how they passed away. These Parents' Saturdays are called ecumenical Saturdays. On these days the faithful can remember relatives, submit notes, place candles and order sorokousts, but the clergy also call to pray for other people, even strangers.
The first Ecumenical Saturday of the year is Meat-Leave Saturday. In 2025 it falls on February 22. On this day the Church is preparing for Meat-Lent Week - the penultimate Sunday before Lent (in Church Slavonic "week" means "Sunday afternoon"), dedicated to the remembrance of the Last Judgment. Therefore, on the eve, the faithful honor the memory of all "from Adam to this day, the departed." Thus, no person, even those who died suddenly, in a foreign land or alone, will not remain without prayerful remembrance, which is required for every soul.
On Myasopustnaya Parents' Saturday, as on any other Saturday, there are no strict formulas that believers must adhere to when meeting. A special greeting is provided only for Easter ("Christ is risen!" - "Truly risen!"). There are also no restrictions in commemoration: you can read one of the existing prayers or ask God in your own words for the deceased.
If desired, believers can exchange short greetings: "Happy Myasopustnaya Parents' Saturday!", "Bright Parents' Saturday!", etc. If the interlocutor has recently lost a dear person, it will be appropriate to express condolences in a free form or to say a funeral prayer together.
Happy All-Parents Saturday: touching postcards
The light sadness and quiet joy of Meat Feast Saturday should be shared with loved ones. After the services, many believers visit the graves of their relatives to put them in order, or hold memorial meals to remember deceased family members and friends.
With the development of social networks and messengers, digital postcards related to a particular event, including Parents' Saturdays, have become popular. Such pictures can be accompanied by touching wishes:
"May on Meat-Passover Parents' Saturday the heart be warmed by joyful memories of loved ones who are no longer with us. Let them be calm and joyful in the Kingdom of Heaven, because they gave us hope, undying faith in a bright and happy future. Today we speak about them not with sadness, but with gratitude for everything they did during their lifetime. Bright memory".
"On Myasopustnaya Parents' Saturday I wish you to always remember those who were there for you both in sorrow and in joy, those who shared their warmth and lit up the days with smiles, those who loved unconditionally and selflessly. May our sincere prayers grant them peace in heaven."
"Here comes the universal Meat-Passover Saturday. On this day we offer prayers for all our brothers and sisters in faith, whose earthly journey has already come to an end. May the Lord forgive them all their voluntary and involuntary sins and show them the way to salvation. May the living remember the dead with gratitude and warmth, reverently keeping in their hearts the light of love for their neighbors".
Happy Meat Remembrance Saturday: memorial pictures
There are many ways to commemorate the dead on Myasopustnaya Parents' Saturday. The first and most important is prayer. It can be read both in the temple and in front of the home iconostasis. It is also acceptable to submit a note with the name of the deceased, so that he was mentioned during the liturgy, or to order a sorokoust - in this case, the priests will pray for the deceased 40 days in a row.
It will be useful to give alms on behalf of the deceased: make a donation to a charity fund, give things to the needy, put in the temple on the memorial table (eve) communion wine and food (except meat), etc. You can also take part in a volunteer project, such as reading fairy tales to children in orphanages or helping to deliver medicine to the sick.
Among the more secular traditions of Myasopustnaya Maternity Saturday is the study of the family tree. For many people, the memorial day becomes an occasion to remember the history of their family and search for information about their distant ancestors.
In recent years, social network users have been actively sending each other mourning pictures on Meat Loss Saturday. Most often you can see lit church candles, temples, crucifixes or mourning angels on them. This way to share the memory of loved ones is suitable for those who do not have the opportunity to see relatives on Parents' Saturday.
Earlier "Izvestia" told about the meaning and traditions of Meat-Passover Parents' Saturday.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
