For a believing Orthodox person, especially important are the days when the Church raises prayers for the departed in a conciliar manner. There are several parental memorial Saturdays in the calendar year. Radonitsa occupies a special place among them.
Radonitsa occupies a special place among all memorial parental days for believing Orthodox Christians. The very name of the holiday suggests that this is a special time of joy for the departed. The Orthodox calendar assumes a forty-day celebration of the bright Resurrection of Christ. This is a time of special joy for a person, including those who have finished their earthly journey, because the resurrection of Jesus Christ is important not only for the living, but also for those who have already died. During the celebration of Easter, a special day is set aside for the commemoration of the departed.
Dating Radonitsa in 2019
The day of special commemoration of the dead during the Easter period is designated by the liturgical practice on the Tuesday of the second week after Easter. The church charter does not imply liturgical commemoration of the deceased on the bright (Easter) week, for this purpose the ninth day after the Resurrection of Christ is specially set aside. In 2019, the Lord's Passover was late. It was celebrated on April 28th. In this regard, it is not difficult to calculate that the Tuesday of the second week after Easter falls on May 7th. Therefore, the first commemoration of the dead on Easter holidays in churches in 2019 will begin on the 7th of the month of May. This date is the day of Radonitsa in 2019.
How the service is performed on Radonitsa
Despite the fact that at present Radonitsa as a day of remembrance of the dead is an integral part of the Orthodox calendar, the main statutory book of the Typikon Orthodox service does not give clear instructions on the commemoration of the dead on this day. Therefore, the divine service on the eve of Radonitsa is performed in the usual rite. Six Vespers, the usual Matins are served in the church, and the first hour is read. On the very day of Radonitsa in the morning, the charter presupposes the celebration of the divine liturgy. Characteristic features, except for the Easter chants "Christ is Risen from the Dead" and other Easter inserts, are not provided at the Liturgy. The commemoration of the departed takes place after the end of the divine liturgy at the requiem. The rite of the requiem is a special follow-up to the commemoration of the departed. In the days of Radonitsa, a feature of the beginning of the service is the initial threefold chanting of the troparion of the Passover of Christ.
At the end of the service, Christian believers can visit cemeteries in order to visit deceased relatives, to clean up at burial places. On the day of Radonitsa, it is also important to pray at the cemetery. The main chant and prayer on this day continues to be the Easter troparion, the canon of Easter, the kontakion of Easter. To these prayers, one can also add prayers for the dead, usually read about those who have already passed into eternal life.
