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- The main day of commemoration of the dead is Radonitsa: spiritual meaning, strict prohibitions, omens, postcards
The main day of commemoration of the dead is Radonitsa: spiritual meaning, strict prohibitions, omens, postcards
Today, believers will be able to remember their loved ones for the first time since the beginning of Holy Week. On April 29, a special day fell — Easter commemoration of the dead, or Radonitsa (Radunitsa). On this day, it is customary to pray for the salvation of the souls of the deceased and attend church to participate in the Divine Liturgy. Unlike other memorial days, also known as parents' Saturdays, this day always falls on a Tuesday due to the fact that it is celebrated on the ninth day after Easter. Details about Radonitsa, prohibitions and traditions of the day, as well as memorial postcards, can be found in the Izvestia article.
The essence of the church holiday Radonitsa
There are a number of special days in the church calendar when believers commemorate the dead. They are called parental Saturdays because they fall on the sixth day of the week. However, there is one that is celebrated on Tuesday, Radonitsa (or Radunitsa). Every year, the Easter commemoration of the dead falls on different dates and is celebrated on the ninth day after Easter, on Tuesday of St. Thomas Week. Radonitsa also falls on the 40-day Easter period, the time from the resurrection to the ascension of Christ.
As Sergiy (Khrameshin), a professor at the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy, told Izvestia, on this day, when the joy of the Resurrection of Christ still sounds in our hearts, Orthodox Christians gather to do the seemingly impossible — to share this joy with those who have already left.
"This is the first Easter meeting with the dead, a prayer conversation with those who are no longer around, but who are still alive in memory, in their hearts and, according to the Christian faith, in eternity," explained the professor.
Radonitsa is the first day after the funeral liturgy, celebrated on the fourth Saturday of Great Lent, when the dead are commemorated. First of all, this is done in relation to those whose days of commemoration fell on Holy or Bright Week. Since Easter is a joyous day, the church also urges on Radonitsa not to indulge in sorrow and sadness for deceased relatives and friends. On the contrary, one should rejoice, because they have passed on to another, eternal life, and separation from them is temporary.
The spiritual meaning of Radonitsa
— This is not a day of mourning and mourning, it is a day of hope and light. Christ has risen, and death is no longer omnipotent. This is a celebration of life that extends to those who have already crossed the line of earthly existence. In the Orthodox tradition, Radonitsa is a special time when the living come to the dead not with despair, but with the message: "Death is defeated." On this day, the Divine Liturgy is served in churches, litanies of repose are read, and memorial services are performed. Funeral prayers are being performed again for the first time since Easter. The church returns the memory of the dead to worship, but it does so in the context of Easter, as if to say: we remember, we love, but we believe that separation is not forever," says Khrameshin about the essence of Radonitsa.
The professor also explained that since ancient times in Russia, Radonitsa has been almost a sacred family day.
— They were waiting for it, they were preparing for it. After the morning service, families went to cemeteries — not as a place of fear, but as a meeting with relatives. They cleaned the graves, decorated them with flowers, and lit candles. The peculiarity of Radonitsa is in silence and concentration. On this day, there are no big words, no pomp, no ostentatious grief. There is a simple human thing: to come, stand, be silent, and pray. Sometimes someone whispers softly, "Christ is Risen," as if waiting for an answer from beyond time," explains the professor.
— Today, in the age of speed, forgetfulness and endless fuss, Radonitsa reminds of the most important thing: a person is alive as long as he is remembered. And memory is not just about photos on your phone. It is a living feeling, a prayer, a candle, a kind thought. This is the continuation of love, which even death cannot prevent. Radonitsa is the day when eternity is getting closer. When the silence of the cemetery is filled with meaning. When "eternal memory" sounds not like a sentence, but like a promise: we will meet again," says Khrameshin.
Rules of commemoration of the dead
Traditionally, believers have the same daily routine on Radonitsa. In the morning, it is important to visit the church, where before the service you need to submit a note with the names of the deceased for commemoration. At the same time, if it is possible to do this at the proskomedia (the part of the liturgy where bread and wine are prepared), then a part of the prosphora will be brought out for the deceased, which will be dipped into a bowl with the Holy Gifts as a sign of absolution.
After the liturgy, a memorial service can be served. At the end of the service, the faithful go to the cemetery, where they pray for the deceased. Due to the fact that it is already quite warm in many regions of Russia on Radonitsa, it is customary on this day to put graves in order, remove leaves and other debris that has accumulated over the winter due to rains and winds.
The most important prayer on this day is for the salvation of the soul of the deceased, and it can be performed not only in the temple or at the grave, but also at home.
After the cemetery, people return home, where they hold a memorial meal, which is traditionally prepared by kutia (porridge made from wheat, barley or rice with honey, sugar, dried fruits). Other dishes may include pancakes and favorite dishes of the deceased. During the meal itself, they recall stories from the life of the deceased and say kind words about him.
What not to do on Radonitsa
Since ancient times, the tradition of holding a meal at the cemetery on Radonitsa Day has retained some popularity. However, Orthodox priests remind us that these are remnants of paganism, which have nothing in common with church traditions. Leaving food on graves is also prohibited, as is drinking alcohol.
It is better to distribute the food you brought with you to those in need and ask them to remember the deceased. When giving food, you need to say "Remember the servant of God" and name him.
— The church reminds us every year that Radonitsa is not a reason for feasts in cemeteries. Not noise, not drinking, not "gatherings" with the deceased, but prayer, silence, respect. If you want to honor his memory, give alms, order a memorial service, and pray at home or in church. Real commemoration is a matter of the heart, not the number of eggs on a tombstone," says Professor Khrameshin about the Church's attitude to food in the cemetery.
Radonitsa-2025: folk signs on April 29
The holiday has a long history that is closely intertwined with both church and pagan traditions. It is not known exactly how the holiday appeared, but according to one version, Radonitsa began to be celebrated before the baptism of Rus, and the word comes from the Lithuanian rauda, which translates as "funeral song".
Pagans had their own ideas about death and what happens to a person in another world. So, they believed that souls rise from the dead and have dinner with the living — hence the tradition of bringing treats to the cemetery, which were left on the grave or buried in a hole nearby.
For a long time, the church struggled with pagan traditions, but it was not possible to completely get rid of them. As a result, new and old traditions intertwined and have reached our days in a modified form. In addition to memorial ceremonies, weather or household signs have also been preserved.:
— rainwater on Radonitsa was considered curative. They washed themselves with it, thereby cleansing themselves of sin and disease. Besides, if it rains all day, good news.;
— it was forbidden to disturb the land (sow, plow, dig), otherwise the harvest would be bad;
— the first person who comes to the cemetery on this day will receive special thanks and patronage of the deceased;
— it was believed that a child born on Radonitsa would have all the qualities of the deceased, who is commemorated on this day.;
— many believed that dreams on the night of Radonitsa are prophetic, and the deceased can give advice in this way.;
— if frosts occur, then you should not expect a rich harvest.;
— see the rooks — the summer will be sunny and warm.
We remember, we love, we grieve: memorial cards with Radonitsa
For the significant memorial day, Izvestia has prepared beautiful postcards and prayers that can be read on Radonitsa.
Prayer: "May God rest the souls of Your departed servants—my parents, relatives, benefactors (their names), and all Orthodox Christians—and forgive them all their sins, voluntary and involuntary, and grant them the Kingdom of Heaven."
Sedalen, voice 5: "Rest, our Saviour, with the righteous of Thy servant, and send him into thy courts, as it is written, despising, as He is Good, his transgressions, voluntary and involuntary, and all that is known and not known, Loving mankind."
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