The deceased is committed to the earth and rests there until the end of time or the general resurrection, which is promised by the Holy Scriptures - the Bible. However, the love of relatives and friends does not dry out for a person even after his death. He remains in their hearts forever. The church offers several ways to remember dead people.
How to commemorate the departed?
Notes. In the church, you can write a special note "for the repose", indicating in it the names of your friends, relatives and loved ones. All names must be in the genitive case. It is not customary to indicate more than 15 names in such notes. All of them are read at least with the eyes, even if these names were not uttered by the priest aloud during the general service. In most churches, this type of commemoration is considered shareware: you must donate as much as possible for the development of the church.
Candles. Another type of commemoration of the departed is candles set to special icons. To be sure, you can ask the parishioners which icons are responsible for “repose”. Another interesting nuance: during a church service, the priest can put out these candles. There is no need to ask questions at this point. Once the priest has extinguished the candles, that is how it should be. This is a very important point for Orthodox Christians - no one should be distracted.
Prayer. It is believed that help to the deceased is rewarded according to the zeal of people praying for him. To do this, you need to ask God for mercy to the deceased in the church. You can pray not aloud, but silently and even in your own words. The main thing here is a sincere desire for kindness and love for the one who left this earth.
Prayers of the beggars. It is believed that the Lord hears the prayers of the poor more often than ordinary people. That is why, in order to remember your acquaintance, loved one or friend, you can bring food and Cahors (church wine) to a special place in the church, intended for donations. These products are handed out in memory of the departed. You can also directly help the poor - serve them at the temple.
How to properly conduct a memorial dinner?
A memorial dinner is a necessary type of commemoration of the deceased. It is customary for Orthodox Christians to hold three memorial dinners: immediately after the funeral, on the ninth and fortieth days. This ritual must be performed in memory of any deceased Orthodox Christian, showing your respect for him.
A memorial meal is a common meal. But the food on the table should be certain: it is customary to carry out the commemoration of the dead with kutya, pancakes and jelly. Each person who comes to the memorial meal receives one pancake on a plate, and jelly in a glass. If the commemoration is held in a cafe, then you can add caviar, cold fish snacks to the pancakes, and also include stuffed pancakes in the lunch.
Before starting the memorial dinner, everyone who comes should read "Our Father" to themselves. During the memorial meal, the deceased must be remembered only with a kind word. You cannot behave in a relaxed manner, laugh, use foul language, sing certain drinking songs, and also remember anything bad about the deceased.
