In the Orthodox church calendar, there are several specific days on which the dead are mentioned. These dates are called universal parental Saturdays. One of the most revered parental Saturdays is the Trinity Parental Saturday, which in 2015 falls on May 30 according to the new style.
According to the Orthodox Church, the tradition of commemoration of the deceased has a beneficial effect both on those who are remembered and on surviving people, because for the latter, commemoration of the dead is a testament to the love of the deceased relatives. That is why the Church has established certain days in which a person should purely prayerfully remember the dead relatives.
In all Orthodox churches, the daily service cycle begins in the evening, so the funeral memorial service on Trinity Parental Saturday begins on Friday evening (in May 29, 2015). On Friday evening, a special memorial service of Vespers and Matins is performed at the first hour, during which the 17th Kathisma, the memorial canon are read, as well as other memorial hymns from the general requiem. On Friday evening, the clergyman repeatedly reads notes with the names of the deceased Orthodox Christians.
On Trinity parental Saturday morning (in May 2015, May 30), a memorial liturgy is held in churches with the commemoration of the dead, after which a memorial service is held. It is very important for an Orthodox person to be at these services, because the prayer memory of them is the most important in commemoration of the dead. Notes with the names of deceased loved ones are served both for the liturgy itself (including the proskimidia - in some churches these notes are taken separately) and for the requiem.
Also in the church on Friday evening and Saturday morning you can put candles in memory of the deceased relatives. Memorial 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 coming before Christ.
In addition to the prayerful commemoration of the deceased in the church, believers on Trinity Parental Saturday try to do more deeds of mercy in memory of the deceased relatives. In particular, charity may be distributed to the needy or some other useful and affordable help may be provided.
It is necessary to say about the home practice of prayer commemoration of the dead. In addition to attending services, some Orthodox Christians still commemorate (pray) for the dead and at home, reading, for example, an akathist for the deceased or canons.
In the tradition of commemoration of the deceased on Trinity parental Saturday, a special place is occupied by visits to the burial places of the deceased loved ones. Such practice takes place even among those people who do not consider themselves to be true believers or even adhere to a different religion. It is worth noting that the maintenance of the graves of the deceased in purity is a moral duty and duty of every person. In this sense, Orthodox people are no exception. Therefore, there is a practice, after morning worship in the temple, to go to cemeteries for the purpose of cleaning at the burial place.
An Orthodox person needs to remember that the burial place of the deceased is sacred, so you need to try to behave accordingly in the cemetery. In particular, an Orthodox person, having come to a cemetery, must also offer a prayer to God there 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 places or pouring vodka over graves are not acceptable for an Orthodox person — this is not a Christian tradition of remembering the deceased. You can not leave cigarettes or containers with alcohol on the graves, because even this is alien to the Christian consciousness.
