we decided to give some important thoughts about the rules and practice of praying in the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia for those who are in the Church and outside its walls.
Prayer for everything
The pious tradition of ordering prayers for one reason or another has been inherent in Orthodox Christians from time immemorial, but recently such additional services do not happen as often at Rogozhskoye as before.
Despite the fact that the service adds about an hour and a half to the already long Sunday service, there are always many who want to join and write notes about health (there are no prayers for the repose).
Vladyka Cornelius himself leads the prayer services, and is often the organizer of them. For example, during fasting, especially the Great one, he announces prayer services almost every Sunday.
Lenten, organized at the initiative of Metropolitan Cornelius In addition to worldly concerns, the biggest drawback of the established practice in Moscow is the lack of information about such prayers in advance. The most active parishioners hear about the plans through word of mouth in the morning, and some - after Vladyka's sermon. Which saint and for what reason the service will take place - usually immediately overgrows with mutually exclusive versions ... As a result, not all those present at the Liturgy know that right after the service there will be a good opportunity to pray purely for their relatives, which means that there is no need to rush to leave the church.
Sermon by Metropolitan Cornelius after the prayer service with the wish to pray more earnestly for peace on Earth Venerable Father Paisie the Great, pray to God for us!
In this case, the reason for delaying turned out to be very serious: a prayer service was ordered to the Monk Paisius the Great who has the grace from God to alleviate the fate of Orthodox Christians who have died without repentance. He is also specially prayed for those who have been baptized in the Orthodox faith, but for one reason or another retire from attending divine services and confession.
A large image of the Monk Paisios the Great adorns the vault of the northern facade Pray for the Discipline of Truants
A quick survey of those present in the church showed that people are well aware of all sorts of prohibitions and restrictions in relation to persons whom we have the right to indicate in the notes about health and peace, but not everyone remembers their "rights". We now remind the readers of the Old Believers' Thought: there is a legal way of prayer in the Church for those who do not go to the temple.
The Council of the Metropolitanate of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, held on February 4-5, 2015, recalled in his ruling about the ancient patristic practice, according to which the Old Believers are not prohibited from performing prayers for health, including those of the heterodox and excommunicated. In addition to home prayer, custom-made prayers are intended for this.
On church prayer for the heterodox and excommunicated
8.1. Not to forbid the clergy to perform prayers for the health of the heterodox and excommunicated, guided by the instruction of the Apostle Paul: “I ask you to perform prayers, petitions, prayers, thanksgiving for all people, for kings and for all rulers, in order to lead us a life of peace and tranquility in all piety and purity, for this is good and pleasing to our Savior God, who wants all people to be saved and attain the knowledge of the truth ”(1 Tim. 2: 1-4); as well as the interpretation of St. John Chrysostom: “Do not be afraid to pray for the Gentiles; and He (God) wants it. Just be afraid to curse others. Because He does not want this. And if you need to pray for the pagans, then it is obvious about heretics, because you need to pray for all people, and not to persecute them "(Creation of St. John Chrysostom. Interpretation on 1 Epistle to Timothy of the Apostle Paul. Conversation 6, volume 11, p. 659).
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The Old Believers have always differed from the parishioners of the Orthodox Church, and their funeral rite also has some distinctive features. They always try to adhere to the precepts of their ancestors - and much more noticeably than in the case of other Orthodox Christians.
The pillow was always removed from under the dying person, and holy water was always applied to his lips. To ease the suffering of the dying man, he was asked questions:
- if he wants to tell something important;
- does he have a desire to confess his sin;
- does he hold a grudge against someone close to him?
At the end of the confession, a penance was always imposed according to the sins he had voiced. It was believed that without such repentance it was impossible to appear before God. For those who were unrepentant during their lifetime, the deceased were read only a prayer for the departure of the soul, but without a funeral service.
Body preparation
The Old Believers usually begin to lament right from the moment of the fact of death. Often, for such purposes, mourners were always invited, and experienced complainers could always touch those present with their lamentations.
Absolutely all mirrored surfaces were curtained throughout this house. This even applied to mirrors, polished metal doors and samovars.
The cleansing of all body integuments was always carried out in the first hours after death. Due to the serious labor intensity, 2-3 people were always engaged in this. They always started with the head and ended with his feet. The right side was always washed before the left. Epiphany water was often used for such purposes. After ablution, such water was never poured out in public places.
Clothes were always prepared earlier - they were underwear, socks, and for women - stockings, soft slippers made of leather, straw or rough fabric. The women's shirt reached the very ankles, the men's shirt reached the knees.
Coffin
The coffin was made only after death and was never prepared in advance. It was usually knocked out of planks, without the use of iron nails: they were replaced by dovetail-type side mounts.
At the bottom of the coffin, planted chips, many birch leaves, and coniferous spruce branches were placed. At the head of the bed, they put a pillow, which was stuffed with leaves or hair collected throughout life, and the body itself was placed on top.
Funeral
Old Believers are usually buried on the third day. But in the summer, to avoid rapid decomposition, the body could be buried the next day after death. Farewell to the deceased was usually arranged at the threshold of his house: for this, the coffins were taken out into the courtyard, always with their feet first, and put on the table or stools. Those gathered usually approached the deceased with long prayers or bows. The hosts could immediately set a rich dining table.
STUDY OF THE OLD BELIEF CULTURAL PHENOMENON IN MOLDOVA
Features of the funeral and memorial rite
Remember your end and you will not sin forever ...
Prepare your deeds for the outcome
(Sir 7, 39)
Old Believers believe that on the day of the general resurrection, the dead, revived, will find their bodies in a new quality - not subject to corruption and destruction. All will appear before the judgment of God with only one seal of their lifetime deeds. The Old Believer burial in all its rites expresses what they believe in and what they expect after death.
During the funeral, the deceased relies on his face to the east, as a sign of his faith in the Resurrection of Christ and, as it were, in anticipation of a general uprising of the dead. Above the grave, at the feet of the deceased, is delivered the symbol of salvation - the Honest and Life-giving Cross.
Ritual and ritual culture mainly serves three main transitional moments in the life of each member of the Old Believer parish: (birth / wedding / death, burial and transition to another world). Among the baptismal, wedding, and funeral and memorial rites, the latter are the most conservative rituals in any culture. In its structure, in its sequence, it reflects and retains the features of religious and mythological ideas and death, about the afterlife. Its features have been preserved for thousands of years and it is possible to identify elements of rituals that existed in the pre-Christian archaic. Despite the impact of Christian influences, the basic structure of the funeral rite as a whole has not changed.
In the Old Believer communities, “praying” and reading rooms monitor strict observance of the funeral rite.
During the funeral and memorial ceremony, the following are performed: prayers (funeral, memorial), blessings (for ablution and dressing; for a memorial meal; for reading prayers after the memorial meal); the Psalms are read (for the consolation of living grieving relatives); Trisagion (or lamentations on behalf of the deceased, but without mentioning the name of the deceased) ...
Among the funeral services, memorial services and funeral Litii stand out. Panikhida (all-night) - a general long prayer (with a candle and fumigation of incense) for the dead to support the departed soul of the deceased, who must stand before the Lord. It takes place (in the house, in the Temple / at the grave). Lithia - increased public prayer, the final part of the Panikhida.
Like any rite of passage, the funeral and memorial rite contains both rituals (cleansing, protective), performed in two different worlds, and the rituals of the transition itself. The general structure of the rite of passage is three-part and includes: (alienation / death / rebirth).
In some Old Believer consensus (bespopovtsy) in the funeral and memorial rituals, which are performed under the supervision of mentors, are mainly distinguished (washing and dressing, funeral service, burial, commemoration). It is believed that strict adherence to these rituals ensures the successful transition of the soul of the deceased to the ancestors and his further patronage of the family. On the other hand, they were a talisman for the participants of the ritual from the negative effects of death.
In many ways, the general structure of funeral and memorial rites among the Old Believers of all accords is similar. Thus, researchers emphasize the stability throughout the twentieth century of funeral and ceremonial voiding (crying with sentences both at parting in the house and at the grave) among the Old Believers. But if earlier the first three days they prayed continuously, they celebrated thirds, nine, half, forty, half a year, and now, now the number of commemorations has decreased.
In the general structure of the rite, there are three main parts (preparation / funeral procession / burial and commemoration). This structure is characteristic of all Indo-European rituals of this kind, including the Orthodox funeral ritual that was formed to replace the ancient rituals. It includes three main groups of rituals: (before death, at the time of death, before burial / burial / burial, after burial, commemoration) ...
Many researchers, including V. Stepanov, N. I. Sazonova, P. Lyubich, studied the peculiarities of the funeral rite among the Old Believers. praying), who strictly observe the conduct of funeral rituals, as well as the structure of the funeral and memorial rite itself is described.In them, 6 main rituals were distinguished: 1) actions before and during the exodus; 2) ablution, dressing of the deceased and placing him in a coffin; 3) community gathering, taking out of the house and funeral procession; 4) funeral service (in church); 5) burial; 6) commemoration.
In general, the rite and metaphysics (a system of mythological and religious ideas) of the rite should prepare the soul of the deceased (cleanse the soul, ensure safe movement to the place of transition, help during the long journey in the otherworld itself) to travel from this world (home, Temple, city) into another world.
Dress the dead girls as brides: if before marriage, then with a veil, and already married - in a wedding dress. That. the funeral and burial ritual largely retained the structure of the wedding ritual.
Preparation:
For the Old Believers, the most favorable moment (heavenly grace) for the "exodus" is considered to be death on Easter.
Preparation includes: preparing the body for funeral, ablution, dressing, lying in the coffin, night vigils at the coffin.
Preparation begins long before the end of the preparation of fresh linen and funeral hand-made clothes (linen or canvas): a lined shirt (sundress), pants (stockings), a shroud with a hood, a belt, cloth slippers without heels, samshura caps (two shawls) ... The canvases from which the clothes were made were thoroughly rinsed in running river water. Sometimes these clothes (collars, sleeves, hem) were decorated with simple red ornaments. The ends of the threads were not tied while the clothes were being sewn.
Next, they prepare a rim with three crosses (the symbol of the Holy Trinity), Scripture, a handyman, candles, an eight-part cross (from a juniper) and a ladder, a coffin (a deck, a domina, a coffin without the use of iron nails), ribbons for wrapping the body, a quail, a rug , bedding and cover (or shroud 3-4 meters), gaitans (canvas braids with crosses on the ears).
Then comes the cleansing through unction and fasting, confession and "Prayer of permission", which ended with the imposition of penance. This is a ritual for the health of the body and forgiveness of sins. After confession, the dying man said goodbye to his relatives, wrote off property to the heirs, distributed debts and apologized to those whom he offended: “God will forgive you, but you will forgive me”, and in response “You will appear before God, pray for me a sinner” ... Ideally, it all ended with the unction of 3 priests (among the new believers also communion) and conversations with the confessor ...
The basic structure of preparation for the exodus contains: (repentance, confession of sins, sacrament).
At the moment of exodus, the dying person is placed in the “red corner” (the place of connection, connection of this and the “other” worlds) of the house. The exodus itself is preceded by a prayer - "A canon of prayer for the exodus of the soul" (a prayer of exodus). This Canon of repentance, prayer for mercy, hope is read by a priest or laity. By lighting a fire (4 candles on the coffin, a candle on the table in a glass, a lamp in front of the icon), burning incense and singing psalms, they drive away evil spirits, facilitate the arrival of the Angel and the exodus of the soul. According to the departure of the soul, "Follow-up to the departure of the soul" is read, the mirrors in the house of the deceased are curtained, the windows are on both sides of the goddess, the clock is stopped, the stove is extinguished.
Purification. Immediately after death, new candles are lit, bells ring. 2 hours after death, the body is washed (starting from the head and ending by washing the feet) with holy water (consecrated for Baptism) in a special basin, three times, with the singing of the protective prayer "Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us." first, the face, head, chest, etc.), then puts on new clothes and lies on the bench (or in the coffin) with his feet to the icons (so that the soul of the deceased sees the fire of the icon lamp in front of the icon). The fire lit in the place of exodus must burn for 40 days.
Washers (not relatives) usually appoint the 3 oldest widowers (widows) from among the pious (no longer "knowing sin") parishioners (one washes, the other holds the dishes with water, the third holds the body): this is due to the fact that they represent "The world of ancestors", with whom the deceased will meet soon (from 10 to 40 days). During the washing, the protective (against evil spirits) prayer "Holy God, ..." was read. The main parts of the body and joints were washed three times with movements from top to bottom.
For washing, special ones were used: an earthen vessel with holy water (or soap), a spoon, rags (sponge), and a comb. After washing the body, the water was called "dead" and they got rid of it ... The vessel was broken in a secret place. The hair was combed with a special comb, which was then placed in the coffin during burial.
The places where the objects of cleansing the dead man, a wet sheet, his old clothes were hidden (or burned), were called "terrible" (damn, forbidden ", and the objects themselves (if they did not have time to hide) were used by magic rituals ...
The coffin is also prepared: a threefold censing is performed, it is covered with birch leaves and thyme "Bogorodskaya grass" (or straw), on top of them is a white sheet and a pillow stuffed with leaves and thyme (straw).
Some participants in the funeral ritual collect water, old clothes, candles and are carried away from the house in a basin and buried in a secret place for all. Washers are presented with soap, a towel and a new undershirt.
Before being placed in the coffin, the Litia is read. Then the participants of the ritual put (believe) with the singing of the Angelic song the disguised body and wrapped in a white shroud (the cover of Christ, a symbol of the fact that the deceased is under the auspices of Christ and the Church) with a hood (open face and chest) in a coffin (or on a bench), covered with with a towel, a comb, a towel, an icon, a cross with a gaidan, a corolla (a symbol of victory in the vital field of battle) on the forehead and a cap for a man next to his head are laid next to the deceased.
Putting on the belt, it was not tied. The shroud was also sometimes bandaged in three places: chest, abdomen, knees.
Note that washing the body of the deceased with warm water by three washers, putting on white clothes, reading the Psalms, and the memorial prayer is an echo of the Old Testament antiquity.
An icon of the Mother of God (or St. Nicholas the Wonderworker) is placed (placed) on the chest on top of the shroud. A rosary (rosary) is placed in the left hand of the deceased. They put the right hand with two fingers on it. Sometimes they also put a "handwriting" (release prayer). They are dressed in two clothes: linen (for women, this is linen and a sundress, for men - a shirt, trousers) and a shroud, which was tied with a ribbon three times crosswise. The shroud of the Old Believers was made immediately after death, sewing with a light seam. On the feet are white socks and leather (rag) slippers. A warrior is put on the head of women and a scarf is put on top. The third protective layer is the litter (below, at the bottom of the coffin) and the cover (over the shroud). Thus, a three-layer structure is clearly traced in the dressing of the deceased.
A rug is also placed under the coffin itself, and a cross brought from the Temple, a home cross, a candlestick from the church, an offering tray, a plate with grain (flour) are placed near the feet. Banners and a candlestick were also brought from the Temple. The priest served a prayer service, keeping the fire in candles all night long.
All the time, the Psalter (and spiritual verses) is read with a chanting song. Previously, the Psalter was read in turn by several readers all three days (from the day of the day of the funeral until the morning of the day of the funeral). Now they are often limited to reading the Psalter three times a day. As St. John Chrysostom, continuous reading of the Psalter replaces archaic lamentations and heartbreaking voices over the deceased.
The third group of assistants made 80 rolls for gifts, prepared treats for a meal ...
The visiting relatives say goodbye to the deceased and ask him for forgiveness in the following way: putting three simple bows and the sign of the cross in front of the icon, they walked around the coffin "salting", reached the right to the face of the deceased with the words: “Forgive me for Christ's sake and bless me. God will forgive and bless you ”and, turning to the icons, they made two more signs of the cross and bows in the bow. Then, having kissed the cross on the chest of the deceased and the crown on the forehead (relatives), they retreated to their side in the room (men to the right half, women to the left). Sometimes, with three-fold sweeps of the handkerchief over the head of the deceased, they "wiped away his tears".
The senior assistant to the priest is responsible for the funeral service for the deceased, the rite of the funeral itself.
In the evening, before the first funeral service, relatives eat near the coffin with the deceased - the last meal together with the deceased - and the first memorial ...
If the body is transferred to the temple, then this is done just after that, so that at night the body would be in the temple (or in the belfry). Often they are carried to church for funeral service during the procession itself.
Indispensable elements of this part of the ritual are: a night vigil near the deceased, lighting a candle at the place of death, inviting relatives to say goodbye to the deceased. On the other hand, since the Old Believers had to go to bed with a cross and a belt, then during the preparation of the deceased, he, too, had to be girded and put on a cross.
Funeral procession
The funeral procession includes: the gathering of the community and relatives, the removal of the body, the funeral service in the church, the procession to the cemetery, farewell to the deceased at the grave, burial of the coffin in the grave, return to the house of the deceased.
The first requiem is read in the evening before burial.
In the morning, on the day of burial, the second requiem is read in front of the community cathedral,
At the same time (or the night before) a team (friends of the deceased) is sent to dig the grave (shoulder-deep: so that the soul of the deceased and the resurrected body on the second coming could get out of the grave). Diggers (diggers) were given a shirt, material, and a towel for digging.
In the old days, the body lay on a bench, and the body was placed in the coffin only before being taken out of the house.
Two hours before the removal of the coffin, 4 candles are kindled from one fire: (at the crown, at the heart, at the feet, at the right breast) and the Trisagion is sung (Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us!).
Before the body was taken out on the table where the deceased was lying and the coffin was, they must have been left for 40 days (rolls, wheel, water and candles) ... Half an hour before the body was taken out, only relatives remain in the room - for the last conversation and farewell to the deceased ...
The formation of the procession begins after the second memorial service and with the removal of the coffin from the house. The burial was to take place before noon, before the crown of the day.
Before taking out the deceased (if he was lying on a bench) he is placed in a coffin. The coffin is fumigated from four sides, while reciting the Trisagion prayer. The third memorial service is read. After that, they fumigate the four corners of the house and the door, take out the cross, make a preliminary circle in the room with the coffin lid in the direction of the sun and take it out. Then, the same is done with the coffin (also making a circle in the direction of the sun) with the feet forward.
In the Middle Ages, during the removal of the coffin, it was supposed to loudly lament ...
Immediately after the removal of the body (coffin), the house is fumigated with incense smoke and the floor is washed in it.
The coffin in the courtyard is placed on stools (in rare cases, they are simply placed on poles (stretchers) on the ground, after having spread birch leaves (straw), covering them with a rug). The first funeral Litiya is celebrated here. This is the moment of the dead man saying goodbye to the house. A funeral service is performed (read from the Psalter Canon "For the one who died"). Then all close ones and relatives alternately bow, cross and kiss (the icon of the Savior / the icon of the Virgin with the baby / the crown on the forehead of the deceased) say goodbye to the deceased.
In some agreements, it is after this last farewell that the priest puts a farewell letter with the names of the deceased and the priest into the deceased's right hand.
Under the funeral ringing (busting), the coffin, accompanied by a procession, goes to the cemetery. The procession accompanying the coffin to the place of burial, with all the local peculiarities, as a whole, is also subject to a certain law.
In front of the coffin, in front of the procession, children walked and scattered fir branches (flowers). Then the temple and home crosses are brought out, then kutia and gonfalons. They were followed by a man carrying an icon framed by a towel (sometimes a consecrated kutya was carried next to it). The choristers follow (sometimes the choristers go right behind the coffin). Then follows the priests (candle in the left, cross in the right hand) and the deacon with a censer. Then two men carry the lid of the coffin (with the Holy Cross on it), and six men (not relatives!) On towels (or on three poles, or on a stretcher) carry the coffin with the deceased feet first. They are followed by close relatives with candles (or torches: to bring the near-death fire to the place of burial) and by seniority, then distant relatives, psalmists, friends, neighbors and guests.
During the procession to the church, the Old Believers-priests solemnly sing the funeral prayer "Holy God ...", which replaces the lamentations and voices of archaic times. In some localities, they walk in silence and the singers sing only when the procession stops at the crossroads of the streets. The Old Believers (in contrast to the New Believers) also carry a candle lit from the posthumous fire in front of the icon (cross). If the path is long, then three stops are made (the last one is at the temple), at each of which the censing of the coffin (protective and cleansing ritual) is performed and the litany is sung. In some agreements, mourners are invited, who walk on the sides of the procession and in front of it (their main task is protective, to drive away the unclean ones from the procession with crying, nakedness and exclamations). On the other hand, in their lamentations / laments, they created a positive image of the deceased and a positive legend about his life.
During the procession, the procession stops several times (especially near the places where the deceased often visited) and during the stops, psalms were sung and presented (rolls, mugs of water or wine, towels) to the participants in the ceremony and the guests met. Usually they stop 3 times: in the middle of the village (or at the Temple), at the exit from the village (the second Litiya is performed here), at the grave in the cemetery (the entrance to the city of the dead). During the procession, the Trisagion is sung and the assistants present the first people they meet with rolls and scarves. During the stops, the priest with a censer proclaims augmented ectinia, urging people to pray for peace and forgiveness of the sins of the deceased. After his exclamation Yako you are the resurrection ... they sing the Amen, they lift the coffin and carry on with the singing of the Trisagion.
If the coffin is first brought to the church (usually before the Divine Liturgy - for the participation of the deceased in common prayer, in the union of the living and the dead), then it is placed in the middle of the church and 4 lamps are immediately lit.
Burial
The most archaic element of the funeral rite is the funeral of the king (leader) on the fortieth day after death. For all forty days, panikhidas were served in churches throughout the country and were treated to kutya.
The funeral procession was led by the patriarch (and the highest clergy), then came the royal dignitaries, then the boyars and the military, then the royal family and completed the procession of the boyaryn. Then they carried the coffin, followed by the army, the townspeople and the people. Relatives wore blue or black.
The day of the tsar's burial (magpie, day of purification, day of removal of mourning) was also a day of remembrance. A requiem for the deceased and a meal were performed both in the house of the deceased and at the grave. A cabbage roll was placed on the grave, covered with matting (hence the Rogozhskoye cemetery in Moscow?), And an icon was placed in it, near which the monk read the psalter.
The burial of an ordinary Old Believer, both in ancient times and now, is accompanied by the singing of psalms, prayers, and the censing of the grave and the coffin three times. The pit is sprinkled with opaus. The coffin is placed on stools (on poles) parallel to the pit. The coffin is fumigated with incense smoke from four sides. The Trisagion is read. Relatives again say goodbye to the deceased three times to the lamentations of mourners.
The coffin is then placed on poles directly above the pit.
From the right hand of the deceased, a cross is taken (the holy cross cannot be buried) and a letter of dismissal is inserted in its place. A rug spreads into the grave.
At this time, the cast image is removed from the chest of the deceased, the legs and arms are untied, the handkerchief is removed from the face of the deceased, nettles, eggs and all this is thrown to the bottom of the grave pit. The face of the deceased is covered with a shroud and a veil. The priest, standing on the right side of the coffin, reads Psalm 23 "Who will ascend the mountain of the Lord, or who will become in His holy place? .." coffin. For some Old Believers, the coffin lid is tied with bast ropes (and not hammered in with nails) ...
The coffin is placed with the feet and facing the east (the midday sun to the right of the deceased: symbolizes the departure of the deceased from the west of life to the east of eternity) ...
They read a prayer of permission. The coffin is lowered into the grave pit on towels. One of the cuts is tied to a cross or to a tree standing next to it. Small copper coins are thrown onto the coffin in the pit. Then the Priest with the words "Send everything from the earth and all to the earth, Lord ..." and the relatives sprinkle a pinch of earth on the coffin in a cruciform manner.
In some localities, this element of the burial ritual on the third day goes according to a different order: the priest (son) reads the memorial prayer (or Litiya). The priest (or mentor) throws the earth with a shovel on the head of the coffin, at the feet and on both sides, while reciting the prayer "All from the earth ...".
After that, the grave pit is filled up, a home eight-pointed wooden cross with a roof (cabbage roll) is placed at the feet, and an embankment is made. A stone is always placed on the grave mound (under which they sometimes hide money for children) - a resting place for angels and the soul of the deceased ... On the other hand, so that the soul does not immediately get out of the grave and go after relatives ...
After the burial, they kiss the images three times and address the deceased: "Remember me in the kingdom of heaven, when you stand before the throne of God!" At the same time, everyone is also treated three times (funeral feast, memorial treat) with kutya, wine, sweets ... Kutya is placed in the left hand. Before that, those who see off read the Troparion "Peace, Lord, the soul of His departed servant ..." and each makes several (from 3 to 15) bows (or saying "Bow, Lord ...). After eating kutya, bows are also made (7 bows). Separately, gravediggers are gifted and treated with kutya. All those participating in the funeral procession were also handed out kalachi (or specially baked bread), flat cakes, gingerbread, and sweets for children. The remains of food are scattered on the grave for the birds (for the souls of the departed).
Sometimes the burial mound is covered with spruce branches (the souls of deceased ancestors rest on the spruce branches). Therefore, among the new believers, wreaths are most often made from spruce branches ...
On the wooden cross, inscriptions are made, similar to the inscriptions on the face of the pectoral cross: "King of Glory, Jesus Christ, Son of God." According to tradition, eight-pointed crosses, which were installed over the graves of the Old Believers, were fastened not with iron nails, but with wooden dowels. Copper icons were installed on the grave cross until the 40th day.
In ancient times, they returned from the cemetery in the same order as during the procession, carrying an icon in front and accompanied by the singing of dogmatists. In some localities, returning home, spruce twigs were scattered (to hide the way home for the soul of the deceased and for the unclean, spruce is the Tree of Ancestors).
Now they simply leave the cemetery, without looking back (so that the unclean or the deceased do not follow). Upon their return, a memorial table is laid in the house of the deceased.
Before the first memorial meal, they often take a bath (flooded by neighbors) and change their clothes.
When they come to the table, they first pray, sometimes even lithium. They put kutya on the table - honey diluted with warm water, to which lightly boiled wheat is added, then cabbage soup is served, depending on whether it is a fast day or not, they can be with or without meat. After the cabbage soup they get up for prayer. All dishes are eaten with wooden spoons from common bowls, one bowl for several people. Then two cereals are served in turn: buckwheat and rice (or pea). Then the compote is served, also in a common bowl, which is also taken with spoons. The compote is followed by jelly, thick as jelly, on honey. Bread is dipped into it. Honey must be present at the memorial dinner. The memorial dinner ends with a common prayer and everyone leaves the table ...
In other places, kutya, pies, jelly are served three times ...
Before going to bed, relatives walked around the estate, praying and, having received a blessing, closed all the shutters and doors so that the deceased could not return home from the cemetery.
In ancient times, until the 9th day, dominoes (log cabins, troughs) were installed over the graves, where they brought coals and gruel (for the soul) on (9th day, 40th and annually).
The graves of the Old Believers are oriented along the west-east axis (“head to the west, feet to the east”), so that in the morning the soul of the deceased sees the cross (Christ) against the background of the rising sun (Father).
Remembrance among the Old Believers was performed: on the third, ninth, (twentieth), fortieth days, the anniversary after death, when they ordered memorial services in the church, organized meals and home prayers for the dead. At the fortieth hour, after the dinner memorial meal, a wooden cross was erected on the grave.
According to Byzantine sources, the day of death, the day of leaving this world is also the birthday of the deceased into a new, eternal life, departure to a new world. Hence the multilevel symbolism of the commemoration ritual itself. It reflects both the element of farewell (dirge) in this world, and the greeting of angels and ancestors (Lithium) and the acquisition of protective properties in the other world. And also a transitional, temporary element - a joint cathedral (during a meal) of both the living and the dead, and the angels ...
In general, according to the stable ideas prevailing among the Old Believers, the soul of the deceased meets the Lord three times in 40 days after the exodus.
Tretins are celebrated in honor of the Holy Trinity, the transition into eternal life to the Triune Deity and in honor of the 3-day resurrection of Jesus Christ ... This is the first meeting with the Lord. After her, the soul, accompanied by an angel, returns to earth and the angels point her to her good and evil deeds. An eventful Image of the deceased is created for presentation to the Court.
Nine - associated with the communion of the deceased with nine angelic ranks and joining the souls of all saints ... The second meeting with the Lord. After that the Image of the Soul gets acquainted with Paradise and Hell, where the ancestors who had died there before, determining the degree of good or sin in each event of his life, give his Image their verdict ...
Fortieth - on the fortieth day after the resurrection, the Lord ascended into heaven. So the souls of Christians on the 40th day ascend to the Lord for the final judgment ...
In ancient times, there was a special memorial (naviy) day at the end of October, which now coincides with Dmitrov's Saturday. On this day, a bathhouse and refreshments were organized for the deceased ancestors.
The commemoration should ensure the safe journey of the soul of the deceased to the land of their ancestors, for the judgment and preliminary decision of its fate. The main thing here remains the idea that the soul itself is still partially material and that some recharge is required for it. This is provided by a system of (3 \ 9 \ 40) -day memorials (Panikhids) and parties, as well as annual commemorations (and Panikhidas) on the day of death and on the day of the patron saint, whose name he received at baptism. Among the Old Believers, in addition to reading the usual forty-mouth for 40 days (the daily commemoration of the deceased at the Liturgy), on one of these days, the “spiritual” or a relative also read a special Forty-mouth (40-fold reading of the Psalter for the soul of the deceased). On these days, the remains of the common meal, consecrated in the temple, which include: (kalach, kutia / kvass, water, wine / candles) are necessarily placed on the grave.
The Psalter is read daily.
In the evening (from 7 to 9 o'clock), on the eve of the memorial days, they light a memorial lamp (the fire burns until the end of the memorial day), arrange a home supper with prayers, spiritual verses, and on the memorial days themselves they also read the Psalter, arrange a memorial dinner (in two parts: in the morning for relatives; at noon - a joint meal with the deceased at the grave; in the evening, before sunset, a memorial meal for cathedrals, during which the Panikhida and Litiya are read). At sunset, after supper, everyone went out to say goodbye to the sun (with the soul of an ancestor). Sometimes, in the morning, before visiting the graves, they first go to the church for service and distribute cookies and money in memory of the deceased. Then, when visiting the grave, alms are also distributed. The remains are scattered to the birds. It is forbidden to bring home anything from the cemetery (so that the deceased cannot find their way back on the trail).
During the meal, it is forbidden to drink alcohol (except for the fortieth day, which was celebrated according to the rite of the wedding meal - the "wedding" of the deceased with the Lord!), Meat, potatoes, tea ... It is also forbidden to sing spiritual verses at the commemoration.
Previously, in some places on the fortieth day, a ceremony of seeing off the soul was held: the towel that was hung on the icon in the house of the deceased was removed from the icon and carried outside the village, where it was shaken with bows three times towards the cemetery.
For 40 days, male relatives did not shave, and the women wore black headscarves.
It was believed that threefold commemoration is determined by the fact that on the third day the image changes and the Angel leads the soul to bow to the Lord. On the ninth day, the body and soul disintegrate, after traveling with the Angels through hell and paradise, it returns to the house and to the grave for the last meeting with relatives. On the 40th day, the heart and soul decay Angels again bring to the Lord for the final judgment.
According to archaic beliefs, at this time the soul can simultaneously stay both in the house (where the near-death candle is burning), in the Temple (where the funeral banners and the Temple cross are), and in the place of burial of the body. It is to these three sacred points that commemorative objects are brought, memorial services are performed near them and prayers are said.
Among the Old Believers, commemoration of the departed is held in Radonitsa, as well as on the days of "universal parental Saturdays": meat-eating Saturday (eight days before Lent), Trinity Saturday (the day before Trinity) and Dmitrievskaya Saturday (Saturday before the memorial day of St. Dimitri of Thessaloniki ).
They sit down at a common table in the same way as they walked in the procession: next to the icon and the icon lamp, the holy fathers, relatives (parents of the deceased, older relatives / relatives, family), laymen, children ... The dishes are served in the same order.
In the old days, funeral meals were delivered primarily for relatives, friends, the poor and orphans. The funeral food is prepared in a special container designed only for this rite. Fragrant kutia was the main treat at the commemoration. It was believed that souls and angels feed not on gruel, but on smell and fragrance: “they don’t eat or drink saintly, but the stench and fragrance are fed to the essence” ...
According to the Old Believer "Consumer", the general 3-part structure of such an Old Believer memorial meal includes (blessing / meal / thanksgiving). Or in a truncated version (memorial service \ meal \ lithium).
Structure
Old Believer
"Memorial meal"
The blessing for the meal includes: kindling a fire, a requiem for the deceased (or Canon), then a pre-dinner prayer. Further, after the sign of the cross, the actual meal begins: they eat the consecrated kutya three times (wheat, honey / raisins / poppy seeds, holy water), preceding it with a prayer (Peace, Lord, the soul of your deceased servant ...), then they drink honey and berry broth (jelly on holy water). The meal is accompanied by a loud reading (by one of those present) of the teachings from the holy books. The memorial meal ends with thanksgiving: a prayer for food and for the health of the owners (and a stichera), the funeral Litiya, 15 bows in memory of the deceased.
The rite of the meal also reflects the general dual symbolism of the commemoration. So, if sweet is served (fed on holy water) before the beginning of the meal - a symbol of sweet life in this world, and at the end of the meal - as a symbol of sweet life in another world. In general, by this the organizers of the ritual can indicate their attitude to the fate of the commemorated.
The kutya also has a deep symbolism of transition. Grains of wheat \ buckwheat (rice) - the symbolism of rebirth in a new life, raisins \ poppy \ (sesame) - symbols of impending immortality (echo of the ancient Egyptian tradition) ... If sesame grains (sim-sim) were added, then they indicated a possible high status of the departed among the dead ancestors, to the special blessed power inherent in him ...
In the New Believers, before the meal, after lighting a fire on candles and in a lamp in front of the icon, either the Litia is served or the Psalter is read (17 kathisma out of 20), and then the Lord's Prayer is read.
During the meal, the good deeds of the deceased are remembered.
After the sign of the cross, they begin to eat. A short prayer is read before each meal change. First, sweetened sata (holy water with honey) is served, then kutia with raisins, pancakes, porridge and the meal ends with jelly.
After the meal, everyone reads a prayer of thanksgiving ... When leaving, everyone expresses sympathy for their relatives ...
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The funeral rite of the Old Believers is distinguished by many significant details: making a coffin (in the past) without nails, carrying the coffin on a pole, moving "along the salt" during the funeral, building a domina over the grave.
During the confession before the exodus, the Old Believers do not receive communion like the New Believers; if without repentance, then they did not perform the funeral service, but simply read a prayer for the departure of the soul ...
Three memorial services are necessarily read (in the evening, with the first commemoration, on the eve of the day of burial / in the morning of the day of burial / before taking out the body) ... Three Litias are sung near the house (after taking out the body), in front of the cemetery (temple or grave) and after burial.
In the Old Believers, in front of the funeral procession, they carry a candle (lamp), then an icon (cross), etc. In some agreements, the lid of the coffin or icons are carried behind the coffin.
During burial, the Old Believers do not nail the coffin lid with nails ... After the last farewell, a farewell letter is placed in the coffin ... After the burial, a stone is left on the grave ...
Until the fortieth century, a special Forty-mouth is read (40-fold reading of the Psalter) for the deceased,
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The needs of the reform of the Old Russian language, its simplification, which arose at the beginning of the 17th century, during the period of mixing of the Central Russian population with the southwestern (annexation of Malorosiya) and Turkic (Kazan, Astrakhan) had a fatal impact on the unity of Orthodoxy in Muscovite Rus. Under Nikon, the rites of Confession, Blessing of Oil, Unction, Baptism and the burial itself were significantly reduced. As N.I. Sazonov (2008), these abbreviations were mainly associated with the replacement of the ancient aoristic form of the verb of the just completed action (which began to fall out of use) with the perfect form of the past tense, long completed action. Those. evangelical events, which earlier included events that had just been accomplished and thereby make the Resurrection of Christ a just happened event (during the liturgy), suddenly, with the introduction of the reform, became events long ago accomplished, symbolic, thereby relieving internal tension during the divine service, weakening a feeling of direct presence at the Resurrection of the Lord. In the pre-Nikon version, God was, as it were, close to man, perceived more sharply, more objectively. In the liturgy, a person seemed to be present at the Resurrection, at the descent of the Holy Spirit ... Therefore, Sacred history for the Old Believers was not a symbolic description of what happened once ...
At the same time, in the new, Nikon's edition, it is proposed to perceive the miracle of the Birth, the Resurrection of Christ with the mind, mentally, as something that happened long ago, with some symbols, and not really happening “here and now.” ...
This affected not only Sacred history, but also daily practice, for example, the burial order in the Trebnik, where the texts became more generalized, abstract, devoid of a specific, personal principle ... It is not this person who dies or repents, but the “Christian” in general. The priest no longer possesses his concreteness and sinfulness, but acts as a priest in general, deprived of such, simply possessing grace, a representative of the priesthood ... With the reform, the space-time of the human ecumene was desacralized, their securialization from events that occur every minute according to the Holy Scriptures.
Thus, about 30 troparia and stichera, detailing the description of death, were removed; stichera and troparia, sung on behalf of the deceased;
On the structure of memorial services
We have already written above that the main liturgical services during the funeral and commemoration of the Old Believers are Panikhida, Litii and Funeral service. Let us dwell on a more detailed analysis of these services and on comparing them with similar services among the new believers.
The requiem contains 2 ectinas (Great and small), two prayers (Gopodnya and priestly), two troparions (large and small), a psalm (90) and a Canon (about the departed), 3 Trisagions,
The rite of the Panikhida includes: (Beginning, psalm 90 (Alive in the help of the Most High ...), the Great Litany (Let us pray to the Lord in peace ... \ petitions \ Hallelujah ...), the troparion (voice 8 \ voice 5 \ prayer: God of spirits and all flesh ...) and the Canon (for the departed, voice 8), the Lord's Prayer and 3 Trisagions, the troparion (voice 4), the Little Litany (Have mercy on us, God ...), Priestly prayer (In the blessed dormition ...), Released.)
In general, the text of the Panikhida has a clearly expressed 3-part form: ((Beginning \\ (Psalm \ Great Ektinya \ Bol. Troparion) (Canon \ Lord's Prayer \ 3 Trisagions) (Troparion \ Mal. Ektinya \ Priest Prayer) \ \ Let go)). In the center of this textual structure is the Lord's Prayer, in relation to which the rest of the text is located quite symmetrically.
The general 3-part structure of Li is quite simple. It includes: the beginning, three appeals (to Jesus Christ, to the Mother of God, to the Heavenly Father - the Lord's prayer), three Trisagion, bows and release.
The lithium begins with a prayer (Lord, Jesus Christ…. Heavenly King, Comforter, Soul of Truth…). Next came the three Trisagion with bows and the sign of the cross. (Glory ...), prayer of prayer (Holy Trinity, have mercy ...), three times (Lord, have mercy!) ... (Glory ...), Lord's prayer, 12 times (Lord, have mercy!). The litia ends with three bows, accompanied by the words (Come, let us worship and fall down to Christ Himself (the messenger), the Tsarev (king of the earth) and our God) ...
As in the text of the Panikhida, the Lord's Prayer is in the center of the Litia, which forms the entire structure of the Litia text. The entire content of the text is in its first half, and after the Lord's Prayer there are mainly bows and requests for mercy. In fact, this is a truncated, simplified version of the Panikhida itself.
If most of the memorial texts and rituals are repeated many times, then the funeral service is performed only once (at home or in the Temple). Moreover, until the coffin is closed with a lid. It symbolizes the joy of the upcoming meeting with the Lord, joining the host of the holy souls of the ancestors, it contains faith, hope and love - therefore it is performed by a priest in light clothing. The funeral service includes reading texts from (Psalms / Apostle / Gospel). The release prayer, written down on paper (letter of leave, release), at the end of the funeral service, is put into the right hand of the deceased and, after the last farewell of everyone to the deceased, the coffin is closed.
According to the Consumer (section "The succession of mortal worldly bodies"), the funeral service is performed after the Liturgy in the church. Before being taken out of the house, the funeral Litiya is performed over the deceased. During the transfer of the tomb to the temple, the Trisagion is sung.
The structure of the funeral service is also 3-part. The funeral rite for laity, monks and deacons includes:
I. ((Trisagion and Psalm 90 (a picture of a joyful transition to another world), 3 statues of the performance of Psalm 118 "Immaculate" (about bliss in another world); troparia for the repose (Remember, Lord, as Good ... about the fate of a man who created in the image of God, but transgressed the commandments, was brought down to earth for the sake of redemption. And now he prays to the Lord to return back),
The Old Believers have a slightly different order of the first part: (Trisagion and Psalm 90 (picture of a joyful transition to another world); Great Ectinia; Hallelujah with stichera) (troparion (By the depth of wisdom ...); 2 articles 17 kathisma (about bliss in another world): after the first was the Little Ectinia, after the second troparia for the repose (Remember, Lord, as Good ... and Bless, Lord ... about the fate of a man who was created in the image of God, but transgressed the commandments, was brought down to earth for the sake of redemption. And now he prays to the Lord about returning back); ...)
II. Psalm 50 (Rest, O Lord, the soul of Thy servant who has departed ...), (Canon, the Church's appeal to the martyrs about intercession for the deceased, ikos, kontakion); small ectinia; candles are extinguished, 8 stichera of John Damascene (a song about worldly vanity), "Glory" and a stichera about the Trinity, the Apostle (St. Paul's letter to the Thessalians about the coming transformation), the Gospel (the commandments about the resurrection and about eternal bliss); litany (about repose), memorial prayer (God have mercy on us ...) and prayer (God, spirits ...). After the final exclamation (Yako Thou art the Resurrection and the belly ...) there is a farewell to the deceased accompanied by the singing of 3 stichera (Come, we will give the last kiss, brethren, to the deceased ...). In this part of the rite, during parting in stichera, the prayer of the deceased to the living is read (... What is our life? Color, smoke and morning dew ... Where is youth? me the Gspod, so that I again merge into the light of life ...),
The Old Believers have in the second part: there is no Canon (it appeared at the beginning of the 17th century), after the troparion was followed by ectinia sedalen (Peace, Our Savior ...), Psalm 50, stichera are self-consistent (As worldly wisdom ... there are more of them than Nikonians), stichera on blessed, prokeimenon, the Apostle, the Gospel, farewell to the deceased and stichera "for kissing" (the Old Believers have more of them by 3 stichera) ...
III. Then comes the Litia for the departed (Lord's Prayer, Trisagion, small ectinia (Have mercy on us, God ...), here is the appeal of the living to the Trinity and the angels for the deceased, obeisances), Release (the name of the deceased), 3 "Your eternal memory, ...), Permissive prayer (a petition from the Lord for forgiveness of sins, for the reconciliation of the deceased and the Church in the forgiveness of sins and a letter in the hand of the deceased, as a testimony to the Lord of reconciliation in this world), Trisagion by carrying out the body of the deceased ...
Among the Old Believers in the third part: The Permissive Prayer is read secretly.
If we talk about the general structure of the modern rite of the funeral service for the worldly, then it has the following form:
1. "Blessed be our God ..." \ Psalm 90 \ Psalm 119 (three statues, the first two end with litany. According to the third statute: troparia according to the Immaculate) \ litany: "Paki and paki ..." \ Tropari: "Rest, Our Savior ... "," Shining from the Virgin ... "\ Psalm 50
2. (Canon "Yako on dryness ...", voice 6th; Sticheras are self-agreed by the Monk John Damascene: "Kaya everyday sweetness ..."; Sticheras are blessed with the troparions) (Prokemen; Apostle; Gospel) (Permissive prayer; Stanza at the last kiss;….)
3. (Lithia \ Removal of the body from the temple and procession under the Trisagion \ Lithia and lowering the body into the grave)
When lowering the coffin into the grave, the Trisagion and a short Litia for the dead are also read.
***
It is noteworthy that most of the structures of memorial prayers are also 3-part. For example, a memorial prayer, repeated three times in structure, with a 3-part structure: (Remember, Lord, the souls of your departed servants (their names), and all my relatives, and forgive them all sins, voluntary and involuntary, grant them the Kingdom and the communion of Your eternal blessings, and create eternal memory for them.) also ends with 3 private prayer: (Lord, have mercy, Lord have mercy, Lord, have mercy. \\ Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, \\ both now and ever, and forever and ever) , amen. (Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, \\ and now, and ever, and forever and ever, amen \\ Allujah, Allujah, Allujah) ... Etc.
“The time has come for spiritual exploits, the beginning” - these words we hear, brothers and sisters, on the eve of Holy Great Lent. The Holy Apostle Paul, in the Epistle to the Romans, read today, writes: “The night has passed, and the day has come nearer. Let us put aside the works of darkness and put on the weapon of light. " On the eve of Great Lent, the Church calls us with spiritual joy to begin the path from sinful darkness to the light of renewal and purification of our soul. Brothers, let us take a closer look at ourselves, let us thoroughly test our soul, whether it contains "deeds of darkness", that is, bitterness or impenitence, unbelief or superstition, laziness or avarice - all those deeds that are afraid of the light of reproof, the light of God, our light conscience. The Apostle Paul urges to “put off” these works and not do them again. With the onset of the bright days of fasting, we are called to renew our souls, to be reconciled with our neighbors, in order to meet with dignity and joy the bright Resurrection of Christ. Last resurrection, the Holy Church reminded us of the Last Judgment of Christ in order to fill our souls with trembling and horror from the created sins and lead to repentance. This resurrection remembers the fall of the forefather Adam and all the troubles that followed for us, his descendants. As our common misfortune, we mourn the day and hour at which the human race became a transgressor of His commandment before God, angering Him with its intemperance. Let us also remember, brethren, the day and hour at which by God's justice mankind was condemned to death and decay, expelled from paradise, sent to a deplorable vale, where in the sweat of our brow and torment we are doomed to be in sorrow and sighing. Our forefather Adam, cast out of paradise, without moving away from its limits, "gray straight from paradise" wept, for almost nine hundred years remembering the lost "reddest kindness" of the image of God. He bore this punishment, having committed only one sin of disobedience. How should we weep and repent when remembering our many sins, having angered God with our intemperance and wickedness? "Merciful Lord, have mercy on me fallen!" - this is the prayer that emanated from the contrite and humble heart of Adam. Our earthly life is mournful. With screams and tears, we appear in the world, as if anticipating the sorrows, illnesses and losses, hatred and slander awaiting us. All this and much more is sent to us by the Lord for disobeying the ancestor Adam instead of the lost bliss in paradise. These days, during the divine service, we hear the touching sorrowful song "On the Babylonian River" - the song of the Israelites, who yearned in Babylonian captivity for their lost fatherland. This chant is designed to awaken in us a similar lamentation for our lost paradise homeland. We are also in the grievous bondage of moral decline and alienation from the Lord. And it is not otherwise that we can return to our homeland and free ourselves from captivity, as we mourn our sins with abundant and sincere tears. Let us exhaust our sinful inclinations and pernicious passions to the ground, breaking the "babies" of Babylonian fornication and filth on the stone of faith and abstinence. The memory of the lost Jerusalem encouraged the spirit of the Israelites in the midst of the calamities and sorrows of captivity, prompting them to earn the mercy of God and return to their homeland. But we, brethren, like them, will keep the Orthodox faith of our fathers and piety in the midst of unbelief and impiety, love our heavenly fatherland, and throughout our sinful captivity on earth will incessantly remember our heavenly homeland - heavenly Jerusalem, where there are no calamities, no sorrows, no sighing, but there is joy and eternal life with the Lord. Coming to repentance, let us pray to the Lord: “Have mercy on me, God, have mercy on me! Do not take me away from Thy face, the accursed one, open the doors of Thy repentance and mercy to me, revive me, killed by transgressions and decayed in transgressions! " But are these doors so tight that we ourselves cannot open them? Indeed, they are tight and difficult to open. Sometimes it is very difficult for us to decide to repent of sins, ashamed to remember them, to weep with sin-washing tears. It is difficult for us to come to confession, it is difficult to repent from the bottom of our hearts. That is why the doors of repentance are tight because, like any doors, if you do not open them for a long time and do not enter them for a long time, they rust and it is not easy to open them. This also happens with the doors of repentance: if you do not repent of your sins for a long time, if you do not go to confession for a long time, then it will be difficult to force yourself to go, it is difficult to repent. Everything is good when done in due time. And a stain on clothes, if you do not wash it off soon, is not easy to remove, and the garden, if you do not process it for a long time, will grow overgrown with grass and you will not clean it up soon, and the disease, if it gets old, is difficult to cure. Therefore, let us not allow mental illness to grow old in us, let us not postpone our repentance. Let us try to receive from the Lord the forgiveness and resolution of our sins with sorrow for our sins during the upcoming fast, with sorrow for our sins, with weeping, with sorrow of our soul. "Open the doors of repentance for us, Lifegiver!" Beloved brothers and sisters! The present day is called forgiven resurrection, because there is an Orthodox pious custom before fasting to ask each other for forgiveness. This custom entered the church life according to the word of the Savior, who commanded us in the Gospel, which was read today during the Divine Liturgy, to forgive one another's sins, if we wish that the Heavenly Father forgive us our sins, Whom we grieve without number with our sins. Let us recall the words of the Gospel: "If you forgive people their sins, then your Heavenly Father will forgive you, and if you do not forgive people their sins, then your Heavenly Father will not forgive you your sins" (Matthew 6: 14). The Lord says clearly: if you are angry with someone, if you hold a grudge against someone and do not ask him for forgiveness, then the Lord will not forgive you either. Not because He is vindictive, but because your heart does not know how to forgive and, therefore, cannot contain the grace of God, which gives us forgiveness. As long as there is malice in the heart, the grace of God cannot enter there, which means that we cannot be cleansed from sin. And cleansing from sin is the forgiveness of God! Sometimes how hard it is to say to the offender: “Forgive me for Christ's sake” when we heard an insulting or rude word that offend us. How you want to take revenge on the offender with the same rude word, a reciprocal insult. With some stubbornness, we sometimes cherish and cherish resentment inside ourselves, despite all its bitterness and suffering of the soul! Preserving resentment in our hearts, we try to repay evil for evil, sometimes not realizing that they will also want to take revenge on us. And then we will again burn with the desire for revenge, and so on without end ... In insult, we are trying to restore "justice" and we ourselves will judge the offender. But this is distrust of God, of the Judge, Who sees everything, knows everything, rewards everyone according to his deeds. The apostle says: “Who are you, who condemns another's slave? Before his master he stands or falls. And he will be restored, for God is able to restore him ”(Rom. 14: 4). Do not condemn the offender, that is, someone else's slave, this is not your slave, but God's. Look after yourself, and do not judge others, because they are not yours, but God's, and the Lord Himself knows how to rule everyone. The apostle Paul exhorts us: “Do not avenge yourself, beloved, but make room for the wrath of God; for it is written: Vengeance is mine, and I will repay, says the Lord ”(Rom. 12, 19). We must believe that the truth will prevail. And if the Lord does not immediately punish our offender, then maybe He gives him the opportunity to change his mind. We are all sinners, and, therefore, not only our offender can be condemned by the Heavenly Judge, but also ourselves, because we, perhaps, have offended someone and have not forgiven. The Lord, the Advocate of Good, calls us to say from the bottom of our hearts: "Forgive for Christ's sake," and then you will be able to rejoice, because the wound of resentment heals from this short word, you will see that your enemy is ashamed by your generosity, disarmed and already wants to repay you with the same forgiveness , although, perhaps, I am not ready to do it right away. “Whatever the Lord will repay for all, he will repay them to me” (Psalm 115), says the prophet David. Tomorrow we enter Great Lent, in which we can throw off the heavy burden of sins. The Lord teaches that in order for our sins to be forgiven, we must ourselves learn to forgive. He demands from us forgetfulness of offenses, friendliness, love for the small and great annoyance. "God! How many times should I forgive my brother who sinned against me? Up to seven times? " - asks the Apostle Peter, to which Christ answers him: “I don’t tell you until seven, but up to seven times seventy times,” that is, almost infinitely. Christ Himself, when He was crucified, driving nails into hands and feet, prayed for the crucifixes: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23, 34). And the first martyr Archdeacon Stephen, dying stoned, prayed: "Lord, do not set this up for them to sin" (Acts 7, 60). Sufferer for the faith, Archpriest Avvakum, after numerous oppressions and tortures, generously writes: "People are all kind to me - it is the evil one who torments them." Let us remember how the Hieromartyr Archpriest Avvakum knew how to forgive, who in his Life wrote that the governor raised a "storm": "Enraged, he ran to my house, hitting me, and biting off his fingers, like a dog, with his teeth." And then the governor ran into him with a weapon when Avvakum went to church, and wanted to shoot him, but the pistol did not fire. Further Habakkuk writes: “I, walking diligently, I pray to God, with one hand I overshadowed him and bowed to him. He barks at me, and I advertised to him: "Grace in your mouth, Ivan Rodionovich, let it be." Therefore, the yard took away from me, and knocked me out, robbing everything, and did not give bread for the road. " And in "Chelobitnaya", referring to the king, Avvakum, exiled to Pustozersk and planted in an earthen pit, in the permafrost, "like in a coffin," he writes to the king: “And you insult us a lot and torment and torment us; only we love you, the king, more, and we pray to God for you and all those who are biting us: save the Lord, and turn to His truth. " Here is an example of humility and forgiveness: his king goes to the ice pit, and then to the fire, and Habakkuk writes to him: "The more you torture us, the more we love you and we pray to God for you." In their ability to forgive those who hate and offend, the saints fulfilled the Gospel covenant: “Love your enemies, bless those who hate you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who attack you and drive you out” (Matthew 5:44). And entering into Great Lent, the first thing we must do is forgive: forgive all those who offend, forgive with all our heart, forget all offenses and debts, so that the Christian's first prayer: ”- did not denounce us at the Last Judgment. Now let's turn to the next one in today's Gospel. The Lord teaches us: “When you fast, do not be discouraged like hypocrites, for they take upon themselves gloomy faces in order to appear to people fasting. I tell you the truth, they are already receiving their reward. And you, when you are fasting, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you will appear to those who are fasting not before people, but before your Father, who is in secret: and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly ”(Matthew 6, 18). These words of the gospel also prepare us to fast. Both mutual forgiveness and abstinence without exaltation contribute to the acquisition of humility and willpower in the fight against sins. The Lord teaches us that we must fast in secret before God, for the sake of pleasing Him, and not people. By fasting secretly from people, we are clearly working before God. Secret fasting relieves us of the vanity that mingles with every good deed. It is no accident that the saints mourned even their good deeds, which exalted them over people. Every feat, every good deed, when they are done for show, does not benefit the soul, but only harm. In the lives of the holy ascetics, such an incident is described. Travelers came to a monastery, sat down to a common meal, and there, knowing that guests would come, cooked boiled vegetables. One of the guests said: "We will not eat this, we only eat uncooked food." Another food was brought to them. When the meal was over, the elder said to the one who had refused the meal: "It would be better for you to eat raw meat than to say that." Therefore, the elder said this because the guest flaunted his feat and offended the brethren with a refusal, thereby crossing out his entire post. When we condemn a fellow for the measure of fasting, exalting ourselves over him, we forget that we can only see external affairs, not seeing the spiritual, internal. Perhaps his prayer of repentance is much more pleasing to God than ours. Of course, these words do not justify those who break the fast, but we must be lenient towards our neighbors and strict towards ourselves. Perhaps you need to show leniency to those who have recently come to church, to those who have lived most of their lives without fasting and prayer. For them, strict fasting is sometimes overwhelming, since they are held captive by a long-term habit and misunderstood concern for health. Such people should not be condemned, but supported by personal example and a word of edification, exhorting: you now live in hope for God's help, for a future bright eternal life, you voluntarily left the empty and unreliable worldly joys and successes. We, Christians, have God Himself as our Father and, observing fasts, we will be obedient children to Him, whom He brings up in labor and temperance, strictly and at the same time mercifully. Therefore, I urge you to boldly start fasting: old and young, weak and strong, and especially those who have grave sins and want to repent of them. Fasting is abstinence and elimination not only from meager food, but also abstinence from eating lean food in excess, otherwise it can be a mockery of fasting, when satiety from meat and dairy products is replaced by an obsession with others, albeit lean foods, which also pushes you to sin. enhancing the activity of the flesh. I would especially like to say that during the fast it is necessary to exclude alcoholic beverages, which, although they are made from lean products, but wine contributes to the incitement of lust and pushes to the sin of fornication, that is, to break the fast. Fasting is needed as abstinence from coarse sensuality, from disorderly thoughts and reckless actions that lead us to confusion and violation of prohibitions, and as a result - to sin. Fasting teaches us abstinence, starting with the simplest thing - food. Let there be this small step, but it is a step towards obedience and humility. Abstinence in food strengthens our will, and then this effort extends to other things. For example, we are too lazy to pray, but having learned to control our will, we still get up for prayer even at night; we want, as usual, to quickly skim the text of the prayer, without going into the meaning, but we make an effort on ourselves, try to concentrate and pray earnestly. It all starts small: to refrain from irritation or from a tidbit, to give way in transport or to help the weak. This is especially true for the young, who are sometimes relaxed and self-willed and therefore unable to withdraw from sin. Unfortunately, in childhood, many were not taught the habit of obedience and patience. And having matured, such a weak-willed person is not able to maintain a family, since he cannot control his will. Why are prisons overcrowded today, although the times of repression are over? Those who go to prison are mainly those who could not at one time refuse to drink, from a cigarette, when everyone was drinking and smoking around. These are mostly not hardened criminals, but, as they say, sat down out of stupidity. He was hit, and he hit, there was a fight, and now he ended up in prison. Instead of being patient, trying to settle it in peace, keeping silent - he responds in kind to the insult, because he cannot tolerate. But patience is brought up by fasting. The Lord calls us to fast, because "the flesh and blood of the kingdom of God cannot inherit," says the apostle (1 Cor. 15:20), and because "the kingdom of God does not eat food and drink" (Rom. 14, 17). Flesh and blood, food and drink, as coarse, earthly things, must undergo a common fate - decay. And the Kingdom of God, where spiritual life, luminous, where only "truth and peace and joy in Holy Dusus" (Rom. 14:17), lives separately from the lusts of the earthly world. The bodily fast was established so that it would be easier for our soul to enter eternity, and this can be done by pacifying our sinful whimsical flesh, freeing the soul from under its weight, as if giving it wings for free soaring to heaven, to eternal life with God. The fruits of true fasting are the silence and enlightenment of our soul; purity and chastity of thoughts; the desire to abstain from irritation and anger, from evil deeds and impure thoughts; awareness of their sins and contrition for them; the joy of purification in repentance and the building in the soul and body of the temple of the Holy Spirit. “Do not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who lives in you, but do you imitate Him from God and carry your own? They were bought at a natural price ”(1 Cor. 6, 19). We are not ours, but God's, because we were bought at a high price - by the blood of the Son of God. The Savior teaches us in today's Gospel: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourself treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not dig in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will also be. " The Lord teaches us to strive, first of all, for spiritual benefit, sometimes at the expense of material benefit. After all, what is our life? Steam rising from the ground, a spark flying into the sky from the flame, as the holy sages say. That is why the Lord says: "Lay up treasures in heaven." Heaven is the Kingdom of God, which, according to the word of the Gospel, must be within us. Therefore, the Lord wants imperishable virtues to flourish in our souls and hearts: patience, temperance, mercy, meekness, humility, prayer, goodness, and as the crown of all virtues - love. But for this you need to work hard, constantly struggling with sin, condemning your irritability, despondency, avarice, shedding tears of repentance for your imperfection. Much effort and time are needed for this main work in life. And if we run around the shops all our lives, watch TV, build summer cottages, calculate the pension, that is, live in the bustle of the world, then we simply will not have enough strength for spiritual life. Whom will we choose in this short life? God or mammon? The bright evangelical path or the power of the womb and lusts of this crazy world? St. John Chrysostom testifies: “It is a great harm for you if you cling to the earthly, become a slave instead of a free one, fall away from heavenly things, and you will not be able to think about things higher, but only about money, about debts, about profits. What could be more disastrous than this ?! Such a person falls into slavery, the heaviest slavery of any slave, and what is most destructive, he arbitrarily rejects the nobility and freedom inherent in man. " Let us collect treasure in Heaven, giving the aspirations of the soul to the works of heaven: constant prayer, visiting the sick, alms, consoling the grieving, reconciling those at war. We will begin to acquire these eternal treasures during Great Lent and then we will not abandon these saving deeds throughout all the days of our earthly life. Let us try during the upcoming fast to become like monks in abstinence, that is, to lead a different life, different from our sinful life. Let's pray diligently, reject vanity, try not to get irritated, not get angry, read more soulful books, not talk too much, not condemn, not take someone else's, not be proud. By the end of the fast, I hope that the life of abstinence will become familiar to us, and I think we will be sorry to part with the fast. But there is no need to part, one must always try to live such a spiritual life. So, brethren, on this forgiven day, let us forgive all the sins of our neighbors, forgive sincerely, from the bottom of our hearts. Let us fast unfeignedly, as the Holy Church has established. Let us think about our heavenly fatherland and pray to the All-Good God to take away, that is, drive away, reject, separate from us, the spirit of despondency, neglect, avarice and idle talk, and grant us chastity, humility, patience and love for our neighbors who love or hate us. Let us learn not to condemn, but to have mercy and pity on our neighbors, so that the Lord would send us His grace, so that we would be cleansed of sins with contrition of heart and repentance to become partakers of the Holy Mysteries, and thus become partakers of the Kingdom of Heaven by the mercy and bounties of our Lord Jesus Christ. In conclusion, let us recall the words of the Lenten chant: “Open the doors of repentance, O Life-Giver, my spirit will matine to Your Holy Church. I wear a bodily church, I have been defiled all over, but cleanse it generously with graceful mercy. " And now, brothers and sisters, I earnestly ask all of you present here, and all those who are not here, to forgive me for my sins, done by word, or deed, or thought. To forgive my sins that I committed, willingly or unwillingly, through scattering and forgetfulness, through laziness and weakness, through intemperance or lack of faith. Forgive me for Christ's sake, and God will forgive you. And with this mutual forgiveness, we will open the way to receive forgiveness from God. Let us ask God for forgiveness for our violation of His commandments, for our lack of faith and intemperance, for our insulting the Lord with our sins. Let us forgive each other, brothers and sisters, embarking on the path of holy Great Lent, leading to renewal and Resurrection, to a new life with our Lord Jesus Christ! Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia Cornelius
The responsible and sad duty of seeing off their loved ones on their last journey is inevitable for every Christian. The result of earthly life is always death - this is "the gate that opens the way for the soul to the Kingdom of Heaven", and for the soul this is a "great triumph". Relatives and friends are supposed to perform all the rituals according to the rules of the Holy Church, sending their prayers to our Lord Jesus Christ and His saints, remembering that prayer and alms are the only things necessary for the soul of the deceased.
The Bezpop Old Believers of the Ancient Orthodox Pomor Church have their own traditions and customs of commemorating the dead, associated with the absence of the priesthood. Many rituals are not described in books and have survived to this day only in the oral presentation of the abbots and preceptors. Due to the historical and territorial peculiarities of the location and existence of Bezpopovtsy communities for several centuries in some regions, the rites of burial and commemoration of the dead may not coincide with the traditions of others.
On the last questioning and parting words of the dying man
According to the custom of the Bezpopovtsev Old Believers, Christians who are dying should receive the last parting words in the afterlife from their spiritual father. However, it often happens that the spiritual father cannot be present at this moment, so any Christian can say the last parting words to the dying.
- Do you want to communicate something important, to express your last will?
- Do you have a desire to confess some previously unrepentant sin?
- Is there any resentment left in your soul against someone close to you?
Since the time for performing the prayer singing is usually limited, the rite of its succession is shorter than that of a regular prayer service. It should be noted that there are two canons for the exodus of the soul: one was written by St. Andrew of Crete; the second canon is the creation of St. John the Euchaite. Both of these canons are read as if from the person of a dying person. If there is no time left to read both canons, then only the first one can be read. The main content of the troparia of these canons is a request for God's help and the prayerful intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos in difficult moments of separation of the soul from the body. Saint Cyril, Archbishop of Alexandria, writes about this difficult moment:
On the one hand, the powers of heaven will appear before you, on the other, the powers of darkness, evil rulers of the world, air tax collectors, torturers and denunciators of our deeds ...
The order of reading the canon for the exodus of the soul
According to the usual seven-bowed beginning ("God is merciful" and further) we read:
For the prayers of the saints, our father, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us (bow).
Amen. Trisagion and according to our Father, until Come, let us bow down.
Psalm 50 - " Have mercy on me God ...»
Isusov's Prayer. Amen.
Canon voice 6th. Song 1. Irmos. Like Israel walking on dry land, on the abyss with her feet, seeing the persecutor of Pharaoh being drowned, singing a victory song to God crying out.
Singing: Merciful Lord, have mercy on me, my sinful servant (s) (with a bow)
Come, gather all of you who live piously in your life. And lament the souls of the alienated glory of God, and who worked as a cold demon with all diligence.
Solo (no bows). Now, the time of my whole belly, as if the smoke had passed. And the other angels presented me with a message from God, seeking my accursed soul unmercifully.
Melody.Behold, a multitude of wicked spirits, holding my sins, are in sight, and they call out more audaciously, seeking my humble soul.
Mother of God. Singing to the Mother of God: Blessed Lady Theotokos, save me my sinful servant (s)) (with a bow).Others to whom I cry, who will receive my cry from illness, and the sigh of their hearts; only Thou art the One Most Pure Hope of Christians, and all sinners.
About washing the body
The body of the deceased is washed in honor of his future resurrection and standing before the Lord in purity and integrity. The custom of washing the dead is already mentioned in the book of the Acts of the Apostles, where one of the first Christians, Saint Tabitha, a disciple of the Saint Apostle Peter, “was filled with good deeds and did many alms. It happened in those days that she fell ill and died. They washed her and laid her in the upper room ”(Acts 9: 20-21).
In Christian homes, ablution is performed on the floor or on a bench, using a clean cloth or sheet. A Christian should also wash a Christian (preferably of the same sex with the deceased), who, before washing, puts the seven-bowed beginnings and is blessed by the mentor, those present or in front of the icons of the Lord. At the same time, the deceased should lie with his head to the east, i.e. to the icons.
The deceased is washed without soap, with warm water, which is in a clean small dish. If possible, instead of ordinary glass or metal dishes, it is necessary to use a wooden or pumpkin (or other similar vegetable fruit), hollowed out inside and representing a semblance of dishes. A clean cloth or sponge is also used. In this case, water should not fall on the floor or on the clothes of the washer. After washing the body of the deceased, a vessel and a rag should be burned or buried, water is poured into an inappropriate place.
First, the face is lightly washed (three times) from the hand of the one who was washing. Then a cloth or sponge is dipped in a bowl of water and squeezed thoroughly over it. The washing of the body of the deceased begins on the right side of the head, after which the cloth is again dipped in water and wrung out. The one who washes the body must incessantly perform the prayer: "" or the prayer to Isusov. The left side of the head is washed in the same way. Then, removing the clothes from the deceased down (through the legs) to the waist (or cut if it is impossible to remove them), they wipe the right side of the body and, again wetting and wringing out the cloth, the left side of the body.
Then they begin to dress the deceased. First, a new pectoral cross and underwear and a belt are put on (see description below), and a clean pad is placed under the part of the already washed body, trying to ensure that it and clean clothes do not come into contact with dirty ones. Next, the remaining clothing is removed (also through the legs) and washed (in sequence: right, left) parts of the body below the waist and legs, and put on further.
After washing and dressing, the one who was washing must begin and say goodbye to the deceased: “ Slave (a) of God (me) (name of rivers), forgive me, for Christ's sake, and the Lord will forgive you. "
Clothes for the departed
The main meaning of preparing the deceased for burial comes down to the fact that he has completed his earthly journey before people and now he has a meeting with the Lord. Therefore, prayer clothes are put on the deceased, and a prayer pose is given to the body. According to Old Believer customs, it is forbidden to dress the deceased in secular costumes and tie ties. Believers have a tradition - to collect deadly clothes in advance, while still alive. In many communities, parishioners sew deadly clothes for themselves, by hand.
The pectoral cross must be new. In an exceptional case, they put on the same cross that was on the deceased during his lifetime. It is rinsed with clean water and the gaitan is changed - rope, ribbon
There is an ancient tradition according to which a person preparing for death prepares in advance for his burial a special pectoral cross - the so-called "cypress" (wooden). Cypress crosses were worn on their bodies by monks and nuns who had taken monastic tonsure into the Great Schema, i.e. during their lifetime completely detached from earthly life and the outside world. It is better to use a wooden cross for another reason: as the body of the deceased is subject to decay, so everything in the grave should decay over time so that in the future it will not be reviled during excavations.
Underwear for men is a shirt of traditional Russian cut (in the form of a blouse), for women - a long shirt with long sleeves. Linen should be new and light-colored, made of natural fabric (linen or cotton). The underwear that is customary to be worn during life should not be worn. Over the shirt of the deceased, they girdle with a belt - both men and women.
Men wear a dark prayer robe (caftan, azam), women wear a long sundress. Socks (stockings for women) and slippers are put on their feet. Better braided sandals or knitted footprints so that there is no rubber sole.
The deceased girls are weaved one braid (weaving up), for women - two braids (weaving down) and put them on the crown. First, a cap is put on the head or a scarf is tied up, and on top is a white monophonic scarf, the ends of which are not tied in a knot, but simply straightened and laid behind each other from left to right.
To the position in the coffin, the body is laid on a bench or on knocked down boards, laid on stools covered with linen. The body should lie with its head to the east, i.e. to the icons, and the face is turned to the west (the coffin is also installed until the funeral service).
The mouth of the deceased should be closed, eyes closed. The arms are folded crosswise on the chest, in the same way as is customary during divine services - the right over the left. The fingers of the right should represent the sign of the cross. A white (light) flap is put into the fingers of the left hand, and a white handcuff is placed under the same left palm of the deceased.
The body of the deceased is covered with a light veil as evidence that he is under the protection of Christ and the Most Pure Theotokos. On top of the veil, an icon (the image of the cross or the image of the Most Holy Theotokos) is placed on the hands as a sign of the faith of the deceased in the God-man Jesus Christ.
The forehead of the deceased is decorated with a whisk with the inscription of the prayer: “ Holy God, Holy Strong, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us”And three images of a cross with passions. The crown symbolizes the crown that the holy Apostle Paul spoke of: “And now a crown of righteousness is being prepared for me, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day; and not only to me, but to all who have loved His appearing ”(2 Tim. 4: 8).
When lying in a coffin, a shroud is put on the deceased, which is a long (in the height of the deceased) and wide canvas, folded in half in length and stitched on top. The coffin, if possible, should be made of clean boards, not painted - clean sawdust, dry grass or straw are placed in it.
A small pillow is placed under the head, as a rule, filled with dry grass, most often thyme, or, as it is popularly called, "Bogorodskaya grass", or sawdust.
Foreign objects (books, icons, hair, etc.) must not be placed in the coffin.
Funeral troparion
Rest, Lord, the soul of His deceased servant (name of the rivers) (bow).
Elik in this life is like a man who has sinned.
You, like a Humanitarian God, forgive him and have mercy (bow).
Deliver eternal torment (bow).
Teach the Heavenly Kingdom (bow).
And create useful for our souls (bow).
Chin coffin positions
At the beginning, the mentor takes a censer (katseya), censes holy icons and a cross on the deceased. After that, he begins to incense the deceased from four sides, starting from the chapter with the funeral troparion: “ Peace, Lord ...", Then on the right side:" And very much in this life .... ", From the legs:" And save the eternal torment ..". And, turning to the icons, he censes the cross of the Lord: “ And to our souls ...».
Then the prayer begins with the singing of the funeral troparia of the fourth voice, after which “Lord have mercy” is sung (40 times). Then they say dismissal and the singers sing: “ Amen. To the servant (e) of God (her) who passed away (her) (the name of the rivers), we create the situation for him (her) and in the grave.(At this time, people prepared in advance reverently place the deceased in a coffin). Everlasting memory. Everlasting memory. Everlasting memory". The mentor censes the coffin with the body of the deceased from four sides three times according to the above.
Then the funeral troparion (three times) and the beginning of the departure (seven-worship) are considered.
Reading the Psalter for the Dead
Having put the body of the deceased in the coffin, the Christians present begin to read the psalter with a special memorial prayer according to the following order:
The parish began.
“For the prayers of the saints, our father ...»
Amen. From " Holy God ..." on " Come let us bow ...»
Psalm 90 " Live to help Vyshnyago ..."Glory, and now. Hallelujah (three times), Lord have mercy (three times).
Troparion: " Along the depths of wisdom ..."(Once). Glory, and now " You hail and shelter ...».
Psalm 50 " Have mercy on me God ...»
Glory to this day. Alleluia (thrice). Lord, have mercy (three times).
The funeral troparion " Peace, Lord ... "(with five bows, once).
B next "Glory" of kathisma.
After reading all 20 kathisma and 10 prophetic songs, the canon is read for the one who has died:
Prayer of Isusov,
Amen. Irmos: " The water has passed ...».
According to the 3rd canon, it reads:
The funeral troparion " Peace, Lord ...”(With five bows, once).
« Lord have mercy"(Three times). Glory to this day.
Sedalen " Peace to our Savior ..."Glory to this day.
Theotokos " Elderly from the Virgin ...».
According to Canon 6:
The funeral troparion " Peace, Lord ...» ( with five bows, once).
« Lord have mercy"(Three times). Glory to this day.
Kontakion Peace with the saints ..."And ikos" You are one ...».
After canon 9:
« It is worthy to eat ...» ( with an earthly bow).
Trisagion, according to our Father.
Isusov's Prayer.
Amen... Tropari " With the spirits of the righteous ...», « In Thy rest ...».
Glory " You are God ...».
And now " United Pure ...».
The funeral troparion "God rest ..." ( with five bows, once).
« Lord have mercy"40 times.
Glory to this day. " Honest ...» ( with a bow).
« In the name of the Lord ...»
« For prayers...»
Amen... Prayer " Remember Lord God ...».
« The most honest ...» ( with a bow).
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit (bow bow).
And now, and forever, and forever and ever, amen (bow bow).
Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy. Lord bless (bow bow).
Release for the deceased.
Amen. Servant of God to the departed (name of the rivers): Eternal memory. Everlasting memory. Everlasting memory.
The funeral troparion: " Peace, Lord ...» ( three times with 15 bows).
Then the reading of the psalter begins again according to the above: “ For prayers ..." etc.
Farewell to the departed
The mentor, and then the singers and all those praying, while singing the “kissing” sticher, say goodbye to the deceased as follows:
« God, have mercy, wake me a sinner”(Bow in front of the icon).
"Create me, Lord, and have mercy on me"(bow in front of the icon).
Then, turning to the deceased, they make three bows to the earth without the sign of the cross, with the words:
"Servant (a) of God (s) (name of rivers), forgive me for Christ's sake, and the Lord will forgive you."
"Servant (a) of God (s) (name of the rivers), when you come to the Throne of God, pray for me a sinner (her), and the Most Holy Mother of God will pray for you."
"Servant (a) of God (s) (name of rivers), bless us for Christ's sake, and the Lord will bless you."
Then, blessed by the mentor: “ Father, bless for Christ's sake”And crossing themselves, kiss the foot of the Cross or the lower right corner of the icon lying on the persech (chest) of the deceased, and the crown on the forehead.
Afterwards, they bow to the earth with the sign of the cross in front of the icons: « Without the number of sinners, Lord, have mercy and forgive us a sinner (uyu)».
They say goodbye to their mentor: “ Father, forgive for Christ's sake", - and among themselves and move away from the coffin.
After the end of the singing, the “kissing” sticher, the icon lying on the persech of the deceased, is removed to prevent kissing by infidels and accidental loss. Also, one should not allow the kissing of the deceased by non-believers - they can only bow to him with the words: “ Servant of God (name of rivers), forgive me for Christ's sake».
When the body of the deceased is taken out of the house or from the church, it is sung many times “ Holy God ..."Until the coffin is placed in the car or approached the cemetery fence.
When the coffin is taken out, the Life-Giving Cross is carried in a shroud in front, then the lid and the coffin. Next comes the mentor with the censer, the singers and everyone who sees them off. When they enter the fence of the cemetery, the singers sing stichera of the 6th voice "З mute me more ...". Then Psalm 23 is read " The Lord's is the earth ...". At this time, the mentor covers the deceased with a shroud with a prayer “ Holy God ..."Or Isusova. Then they serve the lid of the coffin, hold it over the coffin and burn the deceased. Then the coffin is closed. Before lowering him into the grave, the mentor censes him three times on four sides.
To the singing of the troparion " Zinuvshi earth ...»The body is buried: the coffin is lowered into the grave. By " Eternal memory"The mentor sprinkles the earth three times on the coffin in a cruciform manner with the words:" Send all from the earth and all to the earth, Lord, the soul of your servant (s) (her) (the name of the rivers), but he (s) is pleasant, with the saints peace» ( thrice). And all the brethren pour three handfuls of earth into the grave with the prayer of Jesus or “ Holy God ...". After this, the funeral troparion is read three times, with 15 bows.
Arrangement of the graves of Bezpop Old Believers
The Orthodox faith does not allow the burning of the bodies of the departed, but only their burial according to the words of the Lord God: "From the earth you have taken and you will go to the earth." It is also desirable that Christian burials should be located separately from heretical ones. The grave in Christian cemeteries should be oriented along the east-west line. The coffin is set with its feet to the east and a grave cross is set at the feet.
It is not allowed to put iron and stone crosses and monuments on the graves according to Jewish and Armenian custom, but only wooden crosses made of species that are not subject to rapid decay (oak, birch, pine, etc.). If, due to the age of time, one cross has to be replaced by another, then the first must be burned or buried here. Crosses must be made in accordance with all Church rules, observing all the established proportions. When installing the cross, the horizontal crossbeams must be oriented along the north-south line.
A worthy memory for the deceased Christian is his commemoration on the day of death and the day of the angel, caring for the grave and visiting it on the days of parental weeks, but in no case on holidays (Easter, Trinity, Sunday and Saturday evening, as well as on other days, when a service is performed in the Church).
A Christian visiting a cemetery should prayerfully approach the burial place of his loved ones, make obeisances with the funeral troparion. Therefore, it is recommended that tablets with the surname and dates of life be placed on the back or below the last crossbar of the cross. Photos are not supposed to be attached to the cross at all.
Funeral lithium
This is a short prayer to our Lord Jesus Christ and the Most Holy Mother of God for the departed Orthodox Christians. This litiya should always be prayed for, except for the days of holidays and Great Lent, but on permitted Saturdays, conciliarly, together and alone for all Orthodox Christians who have died in piety and have lived godly in the world.
Parish obeisances with the prayer of the publican.
For the prayers of the Saints, the Father ...
Troparion, voice 2. Remember, Lord, that His servants are good, and you have sinned so much in this life, forgive. No one is without sin, only You can give rest to those who have passed away.
Troparion, voice 8. Alike the depths of wisdom, Humanity, the whole structure, and giving it to everyone's benefit, one to the Companion, peace, O Lord, the soul of the departed, His servant, put their trust in You, the Creator and the Creator and our God.
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Kontakion, voice 8. Peace be with the saints, Christ, the soul is a servant of His, where there is no sickness, no sorrow, no sighing, but eternal life.(They are fond of kutia or graves).
And now and forever and forever and ever. Amen.
Mother of God. The city and the refuge of the imams, and the prayer book will be favorable to you, to the God born of you, the Mother of God, the faithless to the faithful salvation.
Litany: Lord, have mercy (40 times). Glory to this day.
« The most honest ...» ( bow bow).
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit ( bow bow).
And now, and forever, and forever and ever, amen ( bow bow).
Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy. Lord bless ( bow bow).
Release for the deceased.
Amen. Servant of God who passed away (the name of the rivers), we also create a remembrance of them. Everlasting memory. Everlasting memory. Everlasting memory. At this time, censing is performed.
The funeral troparion: " Peace, Lord ..."(Three times with 15 bows).
Initial obeisances.
Code of the 1st All-Russian Council (1909) on the burial and commemoration of the dead
Answer... From 12 o'clock at night on the day of death.
Question... Is it possible to sing burials and commemorate Christians who died in secularism, without having time to repent, and who died without repentance, with a shaved beard or head cut naked?
Answer... Whoever communicates with heretics by faith and accepts death without repentance, is not worthy to sing a burial over him or to create commemoration. According to Christians who died without repentance, with a shaved beard, who did not recognize shaving as a sin, burial should not be sung. At the same time, for Christians in military service, shaved under duress or due to illness, an exception should be made and burial to sing and create commemoration. If the penitent stranger dies soon after repentance, then such one should be buried and remembered.
Question... Is it possible to sing burial and create according to Christians who did not die of their own death (suicides, from wine, killed in analysis, at the scene of a crime, etc.)?
Answer... Such should neither be buried nor remembered.
Question... Is it possible to sing burial and create according to Christians who died without repentance by an accidental death (drowned, was killed)?
Answer... Such should be buried and remembered.
Question... Is it possible to pray for the dead quarrels, the proud and other enemies of the Church?
Answer... For the dead, if they have not been reconciled and have not repented, it is impossible to pray. For the living must.
Question... Is it possible to sing a funeral and commemorate a Christian who lived in a heretical house, and in the same house to receive a memorial dinner?
Answer. Can.
Question... Is it possible to pray for the dead who recognized adultery marriages as legitimate?
Answer. It is possible, if only they repented of this before death.
Question... Is it possible to pray for a person of another faith who wished to be baptized and endured the rule, but died before baptism?
Answer... Leave it in the fate of God.
Question... Is it possible to commemorate an infant who was baptized and buried in a heretical church?
Answer... Impossible.
Answer... The reading of the psalter for the departed during the fasts of the year is not prohibited by the Scriptures and therefore may be permitted.
Question... Is it necessary to have a kutia made of wheat and how to hallow it, and is it possible to perform a requiem without a kutia, and how many candles should be placed over a kutia?
Answer... Kutia should be made of wheat, with dissolved honey, and is consecrated by burning incense. It is impossible to perform a requiem without kutia. Candles to supply four ecumenical and one at private funeral services.
Memorial dinner
According to the church tradition, after the service of the "rite of burial" and "requiem", the worshipers are given a memorial dinner.
Before the memorial dinner, the usual prayer is: “ Our Father…”, And at the prayer of Isusova they read the troparion for the deceased three times, with fifteen bows.
Before the start of the meal, the hostess invites the worshipers to the table with the words: “ Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us».
Mentor: " Amen».
Hostess: " Eat for Christ's sake"(The same is repeated before taking each dish).
Crossed three times with the words: “ Rest, Lord, the soul of the departed (s) servant (s) of His (her) (name of the rivers)"Before the memorial dinner, Christians eat three spoons of kutia with the words:" Blessed be comfort to your servant (e) (s) (name of rivers). Eternal rest, eternal rest, eternal memory».
It is desirable that the memorial dinner was "fishy". On short days, all products are delivered except meat. In post - according to the charter. There is no need for excessive abundance at a memorial dinner, and according to ancient traditions, it should consist of three dishes (dishes). It is strictly forbidden to put alcohol on the memorial table.
A traditional memorial dinner consists of four obligatory components - bread, salt, water, kutia (boiled wheat with honey). They are always put on the table first. Then fish pies (if possible according to the Charter), or with cabbage, pancakes, chicken noodles or fish ear, or a simple soup (depending on what is possible on this day according to the Charter, but always without meat, and in some communities also without potatoes), sweet pies, compote. Then the hostess walks around in the sun to those present at the dinner, starting with the mentor, and distributes alms to everyone (usually cereals, fruits, pies, towels, money - all in one package). Then jelly is served ("pribelochny" - on a sourdough from oats, not from potato starch).
Some mentors at lunch first eat a piece of bread sprinkled with salt and wash it down with a spoonful of water from a wooden cup, then take a spoonful of kutia. Nowadays, many have already forgotten the order of the traditional memorial dinner, the sequence of dishes and ingredients.
During the memorial dinner, it is forbidden to talk at the table. The remembrance should be done quietly, with prayer. It is better if during the memorial dinner one of the readers, having been blessed, reads the "Altar", that is, a lesson from teaching books. This will maintain a reverent atmosphere at the table.
At the end of lunch, the hostess says: “ The servants of Christ ate for the glory of God».
The mentor says: “ Amen". And, having crossed themselves three times, everyone gets up from the table.
At the memorial dinner, it is sung in 6 tones “ Glory and now ...», « To the Coder and the Creator, the Creator, the Redeemer, weaken, let Christ God go, and have mercy on his soul (her), whenever you want to test it. Then have mercy, Merciful, and accept his soul (her), Master, learned and secret", Further " Worthy ..."With bows to the belt and so on.