In the Orthodox church calendar, there are several specific days on which the departed are commemorated. These dates are called universal parental Saturdays. One of the most revered parental Saturdays is Trinity parental Saturday, which in 2015 falls on May 30 in the new style.
According to the Orthodox Church, the tradition of commemorating the dead has a beneficial effect both on those who are remembered and on those who have survived, because for the latter, the commemoration of the dead is evidence of love for the departed relatives. That is why the Church has established certain days on which a person should solemnly prayfully commemorate the deceased loved ones.
In all Orthodox churches, the cycle of daily worship begins in the evening, so the funeral service for Trinity Parents' Saturday begins on Friday evening (in 2015 - May 29). On Friday evening, a special funeral service of Vespers and Matins is performed with the first hour, during which the 17th kathisma, the funeral canon are read, as well as other funeral chants from the general sequence of the requiem are sung. On Friday evening, the priest repeatedly reads notes with the names of dead Orthodox Christians.
On Trinity Parental Saturday itself, in the morning (in 2015 - May 30), a funeral liturgy is performed in churches in commemoration of the dead, at the end of which a panikhida is served. It is very important for an Orthodox person to be at these services, because the main thing in the commemoration of the departed is the prayerful memory of them. Notes with the names of deceased loved ones are submitted both for the liturgy itself (including the proskomedia - in some churches these notes are accepted separately), and for the memorial service.
Also, in the temple on Friday evening and Saturday morning, you can put candles in memory of deceased relatives. The funeral candles are placed on the eve - a special candlestick on which there is a cross with the crucified Savior and the Mother of God and the apostles standing before Christ.
In addition to the prayerful commemoration of the dead in the church, believers on Trinity parental Saturday try to do more deeds of mercy in memory of their deceased relatives. In particular, alms can be given to the needy or any other useful and feasible help can be provided.
It is necessary to say about the home practice of prayerful remembrance of the departed. In addition to attending a service, some Orthodox Christians also commemorate (pray) for the dead and at home, reading, for example, the akathist for the one who died or the canons.
In the tradition of commemorating the dead on Trinity Parental Saturday, a special place is occupied by visits to the burial places of deceased loved ones. This practice takes place even among those people who do not consider themselves believers in the full sense, or even adhere to a different religion. It should be noted that keeping the graves of the deceased clean is a moral duty and duty of every person. In this sense, Orthodox people are no exception. Therefore, there is a practice after the morning worship in the temple to go to the cemetery in order to clean up at the burial site.
An Orthodox person needs to remember that the burial place of the deceased is sacred, therefore it is necessary to try to behave in the cemetery accordingly. In particular, an Orthodox person, having come to the cemetery, must also there raise a prayer to God for the repose of the soul of the deceased. Then you can start cleaning. It is worth remembering that the traditions of drinking alcohol at burial sites, or pouring vodka on graves are not acceptable for an Orthodox person - this is not a Christian tradition of commemorating the dead. You cannot leave cigarettes or containers with alcohol on the graves, because even this is alien to the Christian consciousness.
