Remembrance of the dead is not just a religious duty of an Orthodox person. Remembering deceased loved ones is a moral need of the human soul, because it is in this that the fulfillment of the commandment of love for neighbors is manifested. In the Orthodox Church, there are several special days dedicated to the commemoration of the departed.
In the Orthodox church calendar, certain days are especially highlighted, which are called memorial Saturdays in the liturgical charter and folk practice. One of these days is Dmitrievskaya (Dimitrievskaya) parental Saturday. The very name of this memorial day testifies to the time of the prayer memory of the departed. Dimitiev's parental Saturday is the Saturday preceding the commemoration day of the holy Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessaloniki. The memory of this passion-bearer is celebrated annually on November 8 in a new style. In 2015, Dmitrievskaya parental Saturday falls on November 7th.
The time of the establishment of the Dmitrievskaya parental Saturday is considered the period of the life and reign of the faithful Prince Dimitry Donskoy. Historically, the commemoration of the deceased on this day was associated with the memory of the deceased soldiers who laid down their lives for their Fatherland on the Kulikovo field in 1380. It is known from history that the Monk Sergius of Radonezh himself performed a prayer commemoration of the deceased soldiers of the Kulikovo battle. Since then, the Russian Church began to commemorate the deceased soldiers.
The first written mentions of the Dmitrievskaya parental Saturday date from sources of the 15th century, while the commemoration is associated exclusively with the prayer memory of the deceased soldiers. Sources of the 17th century also focus on the fact that Dmitrievskaya parental Saturday is a day of remembrance for dead soldiers. Two centuries later, the memory of the soldiers who died in the Battle of Kulikovo is already firmly entrenched in the minds of the people and is beginning to be associated with the Dmitrievskaya parental Saturday.
At present, in Orthodox churches on the Dmitrievsky parental Saturday, a prayer commemoration is performed not only for soldiers, but also for all deceased relatives. Therefore, for an Orthodox person of our time, this Saturday is not only a memory of the life and exploits of the warriors-ancestors, but also a day when everyone seeks to pray for his other departed relatives and friends.
On the day of Dmitriev's parental Saturday, the divine liturgy is performed in Orthodox churches, during which the deceased are commemorated. According to tradition, after the end of the service in the temples, funeral services are held, during which you can also pray for the dead.
For an Orthodox person, it is necessary not only to mentally remember his deceased relatives, but also to perform prayerful commemoration of the latter, to do deeds of mercy in memory of the deceased loved ones. This traces not only the connection between generations, but also the idea of the earthly and heavenly Church. That is why, for believers, parental Saturdays are special days of the Orthodox calendar.
