The priest urged not to leave food and alcohol in the cemetery.

Rector of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in the village of Voskresenka, Priest Maxim Portnov, said that the tradition of leaving food on graves contradicts Orthodox canons.

In conversation with aif.ru On Tuesday, April 29, he called it "big stupidity" to put food on the grave itself.

"People who do this say that a certain person will come and take these products. <...> And by putting food on the ground, we humiliate a person who is already humiliated by life because he is in need," Portnov explained.

He also urged not to pour alcohol on the grave and not to bury cigarettes there.

Priest Maxim Portnov emphasized that in the Orthodox tradition, on Radonitsa, one should attend a service in a church, and then go to the cemetery to clean the graves and say prayers.

The main day of commemoration of the dead is Radonitsa: spiritual meaning, strict prohibitions, omens, postcards

In 2025, the day falls on April 29th.

Earlier in the day, Priest Vladislav Beregovoy told what mistakes Russians make on Radonitsa. So, you should not bring cigarettes, alcohol, food and drinks, personal belongings, money and toys, as well as artificial flowers to the cemetery. Instead, it is possible and necessary to bring fresh flowers, a lamp or a candle, the prayer book notes Life.ru .

At the same time, the archpriest of the Belarusian Orthodox Church, John Pashkevich, explained why artificial flowers should not be carried to the grave. According to him, such flowers do not carry any theological symbols, but only pollute the environment, notes 360.ru .

Orthodox believers this year celebrate Radonitsa on April 29— the ninth day after Easter. On this holiday, regular memorial services are resumed in churches, after which believers, according to custom, visit the graves of deceased relatives.