A special national holiday on May 3 is the Calling of the ancestors: history, traditions, omens

Every year on May 3, Orthodox believers honor the memory of St. Theodore Trichina, a strict fasterer and miracle worker. In the national calendar, the holiday is called "Calling the ancestors" — the day of commemoration of deceased relatives. In 2026, it falls on a Sunday. Read about its history, traditions, signs and strict prohibitions in the Izvestia article.

What is the church holiday on May 3rd?

The exact time of St. Theodore's life is not mentioned in the sources, only an approximate period is known — between the IV and IX centuries. The saint was born in Constantinople into a wealthy family and received a good education, but he was not attracted to a secure worldly life. Even in his youth, he left his native home and retired to one of the desert monasteries in Thrace to become a monk and devote himself to prayer.

According to his life, he was a strict fasterer and wore a coarse hair shirt, which is why he received the nickname Trichina, that is, "sackcloth." Later, the monastery where he worked became known by this name.

During his lifetime, the saint became famous for the gift of miracle-working, he healed the sick, the infirm and the suffering, who were in spiritual sorrow. And after the death of the ascetic, fragrant myrrh flowed from his relics, to which believers attributed healing power.

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Traditions of the national holiday Hailing the ancestors on May 3

In the old days, May 3 in Russia was called the Calling of the ancestors. According to one version, in pre—Christian culture, this memorial day was called Rodonitsky - the ancestors remembered all the members of the family who had already passed away, but continued to be perceived as part of the family.

The ancient ideas of the genus gradually intertwined with the Christian tradition. In the modern Orthodox calendar, this custom is closest in meaning to Radonitsa, the church—wide day of commemoration of the dead.

The ancestors believed that deceased relatives yearn for earthly life and want to see their loved ones. According to beliefs, on May 3, the boundary between reality (the world of the living) and reality (the world of the deceased) it becomes almost transparent, the souls of the dead can approach the house where they are remembered, but they are not always able to find their own way to their descendants. Therefore, the living should not just remember the departed, but call them out loud — to "hail" them, to give a sign that their names are not forgotten.

Therefore, early in the morning people went to the cemetery, put the graves in order, and addressed the deceased aloud. The "hailing" was most often assigned to elderly women. They were considered the keepers of family memory, they knew the names of the deceased, family stories, the necessary lamentations and procedures. At the graves, they made appeals to parents and older relatives, asking them to "wake up", look at the children, hear the living and respond with kind words. These lamentations included grief, a plea for protection, and an attempt to restore the continuity of generations.

If the family could not go to the cemetery, the ceremony was performed at home. Candles were lit in front of the icons, and the words of the invitation were pronounced at the threshold, which in popular culture was considered the boundary between the outer and inner space. It was through him, according to legend, that the soul could enter the family. They tried to keep the house in order that day, not to make noise, not to start unnecessary work before the memorial service was completed.

The meal was of particular importance. They tried to gather as many relatives as possible at the table to show their ancestors that the family had not split up, that the family remembered its roots and lived in harmony. It was covered generously, necessarily covered with a white tablecloth. The abundance of dishes symbolized prosperity and gratitude to those who had previously worked for the family.

Housewives always prepared hot dishes, because it was believed that souls did not feed on the food itself, but on the steam coming from it. They certainly cooked kissel and kutia, dishes that are strongly associated with the memorial tradition. The meal began with three spoonfuls of jelly as a sign of respect for those who had already passed away. During the meal, they avoided fun, behaved with restraint, respect and calmness.

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A place was left at the table for invisible guests. The crossbars at the legs of chairs and tables were not occupied by feet, since, according to beliefs, it was there that the souls of deceased relatives could be accommodated. An empty chair was placed at the head of the table for the eldest soul of the family.

The memorial day did not end with a meal. According to legend, the soul of the deceased could stay with relatives, look at the house, hear conversations, but before midnight it had to be escorted back. It was believed that if a visitor from another world stayed too long, he could begin to disturb the living during the year.

Therefore, late in the evening, relatives were symbolically escorted out the door. A light breeze after midnight was perceived as a sign that the soul had left the earthly world and returned to where it belonged.

What not to do on the holiday of Calling the ancestors

In Russia, a number of prohibitions were associated with the day of Calling the ancestors — for example, it was forbidden to behave as if it were an ordinary date, to forget about relatives and loved ones who had passed away.

I shouldn't have worked until noon, or been distracted by the hustle and bustle. The morning was devoted to prayer, preparation of the memorial table, and memories of relatives. Only after lunch was it allowed to return to household chores, but without noise, conflicts and ostentatious fun.

What else you can't do on May 3:

• to commemorate the dead with strong alcohol — such drinks deprive the peace of the dead and do not benefit the living.
• asking for or offering a supplement at the table — such a violation of the order of the memorial meal can lead to illness.;
• to refuse alms and assistance to those in need is callousness that can lead to a loss of wealth and family well—being.;
• quarreling and saying mean words about relatives can permanently entrench resentment in the family.;
• arranging weddings, weddings and noisy celebrations is fun on memorial day, according to beliefs, will bring misfortune to the family.

Folk signs for May 3

On the day of the Calling of the ancestors, the peasants closely monitored nature to determine what the new agricultural season would be like, whether the year would be fruitful.

• Fir trees have a lot of cones for a rich wheat harvest, few cones for an abundance of rye.;
• The first spring thunder sounds loud and strong — the year promises to be fertile.;
• It's been a cold day, and there won't be much honey.;
• The weather is clear and calm on May 3, and it will be warm in the coming days.

The peasants also had a special May omen — if three heavy rains pass in the last month of spring, the coming years, according to legend, will be fruitful and prosperous.

Earlier, Izvestia reported on the traditions and signs of the Kuzma Ogorodnik national holiday.