Every year on the day of the Resurrection of Christ, thousands of people go to the cemetery to clean up the graves and remember their deceased relatives. Let's understand the reasons for this attraction to graves on the first day of Easter, and not on Radonitsa, when the commemoration of the dead is prescribed according to church regulations.
The tradition of honoring the graves of ancestors dates back to ancient times. Philologist Mikhail Gasparov in his book “The Capitoline Wolf” talks about how the Romans buried their deceased relatives outside the city on the sides of large roads; it was believed that a passerby should stop near the grave and read an edifying epitaph, many of which began with the words: “Stop, passerby.” . It was believed that the more passersby read the epitaph and remembered the deceased, the happier his afterlife fate would be.
The first Christians literally owe their survival to the custom of honoring the dead. The Roman Empire did not allow the creation of public organizations or groups with the exception of funeral colleges, whose members took care of each other's dignified burial. So the followers of the new religion began to gather in the catacombs, where Christian symbols can still be found. Some researchers even attribute the famous Latin inscription to them:
SATOR
AREPO
TENET
OPERA
ROTAS
When crossed, the word "tenet" gives the image of a cross. However, let's return to our coffins. Almost simultaneously with the veneration of the dead, there is a tradition in the Church of condemning meals at graves as remnants of pagan superstitions.
Blessed Augustine in his “Confessions” talks about how his mother, Blessed Monica, a pious Christian, stopped going to cemeteries with offerings:
« One day, according to the established order in Africa, she brought porridge, bread and pure wine to the graves of the saints. The gatekeeper did not accept them. Having learned that this was the bishop’s prohibition, she accepted his order so obediently and respectfully that I myself was surprised at how easily she began to condemn her own custom, rather than talk about its prohibition. Having learned that the glorious preacher and guardian of piety forbade this custom even to those who soberly celebrated it - there is no need to give drunkards the opportunity to drink to the point of insensibility - in addition, these peculiar commemorations were very reminiscent of pagan superstition - my mother very willingly abandoned it: she learned to bring to the graves of martyrs, instead of a basket full of earthly fruits, a heart full of pure vows, and to give to the poor according to her means. The Corpus Christi was communed there; Imitating the passions of the Lord, the martyrs sacrificed themselves and received the crown».
As we can see, the tradition of visiting graves on certain days has a long history, and the Church from the very beginning made sure that the commemoration of the dead did not turn into disgusting. If you open the texts of ancient Russian preachers, they are surprisingly similar to the notices asking not to litter on graves, which can be seen at the entrance to cemeteries even in our time.
Since ancient times, the Church has struggled with excessive veneration of the dead by Christians. The historian Vasily Bolotov talks about the Carthaginian bishop Caecilian, who reproached the rich pious widow Lucilla for “the fact that, according to her custom, before receiving the Holy Mysteries, she kissed the bone of some dubious martyr.”
This episode brings us almost closely to the problem of visiting a cemetery instead of a temple on Easter. Caecilian threatened to excommunicate the widow from the Church because she prefers communion with the dead to communion with Christ, and this remark also applies to those who share the joy of the Holy Resurrection of Christ with the dead rather than with living people.
However, let’s not get carried away with moralizing and again turn to historical examples. In the records of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra of the 15th century, which were included in later editions of the Pechersk Patericon, there is a story about how the deceased responded to the Easter greeting:
« In 6971 (1463) such a sign happened in the Pechersk Monastery. Under Prince Semyon Alexandrovich and under his brother Prince Mikhail, under Archimandrite Nikola of Pechersk, a certain Dionysius, nicknamed Shchepa, looked after the cave. On the Great Day he came to the cave to worship the bodies of the dead, and when he reached the place called the Community, he said: “Fathers and brothers, Christ has risen! Today is a Great Day." And it thundered in response like powerful thunder: “Truly Christ has risen»».
This passage is sometimes used as an argument for visiting cemeteries at Easter. However, there are several significant clarifications to this story.
Firstly, in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra there are still small churches in caves where the venerable fathers are buried. Of course, services are held there on Holy Week, but no one considers the tombs of holy relics as an analogue of a cemetery. Secondly, the Monk Dionysius did not perform any funeral commemoration, but simply came to cense the deceased monks and congratulate them on the Easter holiday, since Christians believe that their God is “not the God of the dead, but the God of the living.” Thirdly, the monk did not arrange any meals in the tomb, did not place a glass of vodka with black bread on the graves and did not crumble an egg there. In other words, his actions were nothing like what some of our fellow citizens do at the graves of loved ones on Easter.
The Church says it is undesirable to visit cemeteries on Easter not because it has anything against our deceased relatives, but because the church charter provides many other days for visiting cemeteries and funeral prayers.
An expert in church regulations, priest Afanasy (Sakharov), Bishop of Kovrov, in his book on the Orthodox burial rite, writes about the peculiarities of Easter and Bright Week: “ On this day, as throughout Bright Week, there is no place for sobbing about one’s misery, for crying about sins, for fear of death.».
Let us remember that at the Easter service the famous word of St. John Chrysostom is read, which in particular says that Christ abolished “the sting of death.” To visit a cemetery on this day means not to believe in the Resurrection of Christ..
Metropolitan Anthony (Bloom) of Sourozh once remarked that “ a cemetery is not a place where corpses are piled up, but a place where they await the Resurrection" For repentance, Christians had 6 weeks of Lent and Holy Week, so a person should rejoice after such a difficult path.
Of course, if a person, after the Easter service and breaking the fast, decides to go to the cemetery, clean up the grave and sing the troparion “Christ is Risen from the Dead,” he will not sin, but most people go to the cemetery instead of visiting church.
The same Saint Athanasius (Sakharov) has wonderful words that the Church does not forget about the departed even on the day of Holy Easter: “ Death and the dead, however, are often remembered on this appointed and holy day... a holiday and a triumph of celebrations, much more often than on other, lesser holidays. But on Easter - this is a victorious remembrance of the trampling of death by the death of Christ, this is the most joyful and comforting confession of faith that life is given to those in the tombs). It is clear, therefore, that at Easter there cannot and should not be any talk of memorial prayers, of any public commemoration not only of the dead, but also of the living».
I personally know people who go to the grave of their father and husband on Easter only to pour a glass of vodka there, because “the deceased really liked to drink.” To do this means to cease to be a Christian, turning into a strange follower of the cult of the active dead, who continue to eat, drink or “wear pants” after death.
Andrey ZAYTSEV, photo: Ekaterina STEPANOVA, Sergey SHULYAK
Magazine "Neskuchny Sad"
Although the church calendar allocates for visiting cemeteries, some people go to the cemetery on the days of the holidays themselves. Many people want to visit the cemetery at Easter. How correct is this, and is it possible to go to a cemetery on Easter?
Why can't you go to the cemetery on Easter?
As you know, the second Sunday after Easter is Radonitsa. On this day you need to visit cemeteries and remember the dead.
The Resurrection of the Lord and the entire week following it are holidays. At this time, you need to have fun and rejoice, and not think about sad things. That's why you shouldn't go to the graves of your dead loved ones on Easter.
Where did the tradition of going to the cemetery on Easter come from?
The fact is that in the 16th century in Russia, churches were not built in every village. Temples were built in large villages, and villagers went there on Easter to celebrate services and bless food. Often the cemetery was located not far from the church.
After serving in the church, people did not go straight home, since the road to their native village was not close. And so they went to the graves of their relatives. There, having laid out the blessed food, they ate and talked. This happened year after year.
With the advent of Soviet power, churches and monasteries began to be destroyed everywhere. Many people remembered the tradition of going to the cemetery on Easter, and began to consider it Christian. Actually this is not true.
Why you can’t go to the cemetery on Easter: the priest’s answer
There is no strict and direct prohibition in the holy books that you cannot go to a cemetery on Easter. But the clergy agree that you should not go to the churchyard on this day. After all, there are specially designated days for these purposes. Only during Lent, which lasts 48 days before Easter, are there three parental days to visit the churchyard. The second Saturday after Easter is the next suitable day.
Christians have a tradition of visiting graves on certain days. If a person is a believer, observes Lent and lives according to church laws, then he should not go to the cemetery on Easter. If you believe only formally, then if you wish, you can visit the graves of your deceased loved ones. After all, this is not considered a great sin.
If you still want to visit the cemetery on this day, then first go to the church for a service, and only after that go to the cemetery. You should not cry or grieve at graves on this day. After all, Easter is a day to rejoice and have fun.
Video: Is it possible to go to a cemetery on Easter?
Why you can’t go to a cemetery on Easter, the priest’s answer to this important question causes amazement among many believers. Oddly enough, many do not even know that on Easter, from the point of view of the Orthodox religion, going to the cemetery is completely wrong.
This is even considered a great sin, because the bright holiday, the first in a series of forty holiday days, must be spent among your family and in the circle of close relatives who are still alive. Easter is, first of all, a holiday of the living. What not to do in
Where did the ban come from?
It must be said that the tradition of going to the cemetery on Easter appeared among believers in Soviet times. Back then, as you know, religion was banned, traditions were not passed on from generation to generation, and often there was simply no one to turn to for advice on what and when to do right. Consequently, during this period, people who believed in God tried to at least somehow preserve traditions: as best they could.
In order to somehow celebrate Easter, people sought to visit the cemetery on this day so that they could calmly share their joy with their already deceased relatives. At least they definitely won’t hand over to the KGB and write a complaint. But now, when religion is again held in high esteem and every person who reaches out to God has the opportunity to find out about everything, ask questions, and observe the rituals correctly, we must remember that Easter is a bright holiday, it is a holiday of living people.
Easter Day celebrates the fact that Jesus Christ rose from the dead and on this day it is necessary
think only about something good, be happy. Rejoice that Jesus Christ has risen and thereby proven that there is no death, there is only a transition to eternal life, to the Kingdom of God. Easter is precisely a holiday of life, but not of death. Over the next few weeks there will be a special day set aside for this when you need to go to the cemetery with the good news. But this is not done on Easter itself.
When to go to the cemetery in honor of Easter
Why you can’t go to the cemetery on Easter, we’ve already received the priest’s answer. Now let’s look at exactly what day is specially set aside in the church calendar to go to Easter with the good news of the Resurrection of Christ. Here we are talking about Tuesday, the second Tuesday after the holiday. That is, not on Easter week, but immediately after it. This is a big memorial day during the Orthodox year, it even has its own special name - Radonitsa or Radunitsa. In some countries, this day is an official holiday. Options, .
We must also understand that for us the people who lie in the cemetery are dead, but for Christ every soul, regardless of whether the body lives or not, is alive. So, in principle, there is no big difference for the Lord with what a person wants to be Christed: with a living relative or a dead one.
About church canons
It should be noted regarding why you can’t go to the cemetery on Easter, the priest’s answer is that there are, of course, no strict prohibitions here according to church canons. If a person wants to think about deceased people and remember them on Easter, then no one will forbid this. But here you should remember that, if possible, it is better to postpone the remembrance until a special day set aside for this.
In some sources today you can find information that the custom of going to the cemetery on Easter appeared long before the October Revolution. In Tsarist Russia, many ancestors lived in rural areas; the roads there were bad. The temple, as a rule, was built next to the cemetery. So, in order not to go far to the same place twice, many immediately after the Easter service went to the graves of their ancestors to lay a colored egg there and congratulate their deceased relatives on the holiday of Easter. Many believe that the tradition of visiting the cemetery on Easter developed in this way.
Still, if you read modern church literature or talk to a priest, it will be noted that you should not go to the cemetery on Easter itself. This holiday is not a day of sorrow; one should rejoice and have fun on Easter. Moreover, now, after a long Lent, this can finally be done. It is worth remembering that already on the second Tuesday after Easter, there will be Radonitsa day. It is on this day that you need to go to the cemetery to inform your deceased relatives, friends and loved ones that Christ has risen from the dead. Great way.
Why you can’t go to the cemetery on Easter, the priest’s answer suggests that it is best to postpone this trip until a special memorial day. I would like to remind you that, according to the Orthodox tradition, there is no need to bring food to the cemetery: dead people, who only have a living soul, do not need human food. However, you can take a painted egg with you to the cemetery as a symbol of Easter and eternal life after death.
Easter is the most joyful and great Orthodox holiday. Therefore, on this day it is best to go to church, and then gather with your closest and dearest people at the festive table. However, many people on this day prefer to visit the graves of relatives. This is due to the fact that in Soviet times it was not possible to attend church on Easter, and people had a need to gather on this day to share joy and happiness. Let's figure out when you need to go to the cemetery - on Easter or on Krasnaya Gorka, based on church norms and rules.
Is it possible to go to the cemetery on Easter?
Easter is a holiday of joy and miracle, so it is better to spend it in a church rather than in a cemetery. Priests recommend that on this day you refuse to visit the graves of deceased relatives, but come a week later on a specially designated day for this. This day is called Red Hill or Radonitsa.
You can start visiting the graves of your relatives on Saturday after Easter. Officially, Red Hill is celebrated on Sunday, but Saturday is a common day throughout the year when it is necessary to remember deceased relatives. Therefore, many people prefer to visit the cemetery on the first Saturday after Easter. For residents of large cities this is a practical necessity. After all, it’s quite difficult to go around all the cemeteries if relatives are buried in more than one place on Sunday.
However, most people go to cemeteries on Sunday. Although in some villages the day for visiting the graves of deceased relatives is the Monday after Krasnaya Gorka. On this day you should go to the cemetery with prayers, flowers, Easter cakes and dyes. However, only prayers and flowers should be left at the cemetery. The official church is against leaving food and sweets in the cemetery, and even more so against drinking alcoholic beverages on the territory of the cemetery or turning the final resting place into a picnic area. Easter cakes, sweets, colored eggs and other treats are prohibited from being left in graves. It is best to distribute them to people in need so that they remember your deceased relatives.
Why you need to go to the cemetery on Krasnaya Gorka
The priest’s answer will help clarify the question of whether it is possible to go to the cemetery on Krasnaya Gorka. Church officials do not recommend visiting the graves of the dead on Easter Day. On this bright holiday, it is customary to rejoice and have fun among the living, and not to visit the dead.
In addition, on Easter, the souls of the dead descend from heaven to visit living relatives and remain among us throughout the week. Therefore, there is no need to visit the cemetery to read a prayer for the repose. However, after the end of Easter week, the souls of the deceased must be escorted back. That is why it is customary to go to the cemetery and remember deceased relatives there.
When choosing the most suitable day to go to the cemetery, many believers forget about the existence of special memorial Saturdays, when it is necessary not only to go to remember the dead, but also to order a service in the church. However, many believers forget about this opportunity, therefore, as a rule, they visit the graves of deceased relatives only on Krasnaya Gorka.
Many people visit the cemetery before Easter, for example, to clean up after winter. Isn't this against the rules? According to church canons, you can visit the graves of the deceased on any day before and after Easter. It is forbidden to do this only on Easter itself. After all, every believer should rejoice on Easter. And visiting a cemetery in any case evokes sad thoughts that are not allowed on this day.
However, if it is not possible to visit the grave of the deceased both before and after Easter, it is best to do it on the Red Hill holiday, which was specially created so that every believer could visit deceased relatives and read a prayer at the cemetery.
Why and when to visit graves before Easter
Visiting the graves of deceased relatives on Krasnaya Gorka is a traditional event in which all Orthodox people take part. However, many people prefer to go to the cemetery before Easter.
This is due to the fact that during Lent there are four parental or memorial Saturdays. And precisely on these days, according to church canons, it is necessary not only to go to the cemetery, but also to order a service in the church for the repose. In addition, on memorial Saturdays, it is recommended to read prayers for the repose not only at the graves of deceased relatives, but also in the temple.
Traditions and customs
Easter is the most joyful and bright Orthodox holiday, associated with many rituals, traditions and signs, about which there are constant disputes not only between the clergy, but also among ordinary believers. One of the topics of debate is the optimal day to place the graves of the deceased. During the time of the ban on churches, believers went to the cemetery on Easter. But this was due to the inability to visit the temple.
According to church canons, visiting the cemetery is not allowed on Easter. This can be done before or after the great holiday. Before Easter, you can visit the cemetery for cleaning work, as well as on parental Saturdays, and after the Resurrection of the Lord you need to visit the resting place of relatives on Krasnaya Gorka. It is not recommended to remove garbage from graves earlier than two weeks before Red Hill, otherwise, during the absence of visitors, grass will have time to grow at the tomb, and the grave will lose its neat appearance.
However, the main and obligatory visit to the cemetery occurs on Krasnaya Gorka, which is most often celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. However, in some regions it is customary to go to the cemetery on Saturday or Monday.
For the Jews, and later for the Christians who separated from them, Easter has always been a bright holiday. At first, words with the same root for Passover denoted two important events for Jewish history. The first of them is the tenth “Egyptian plague,” when the pestilence passed through all houses, striking all the first-born of people and livestock, passing only Jewish families. The second is the exodus of Jews from Egypt. The word "Passover" is related to the term "passover", which in Hebrew means "passed by", "passed by". In any case, the word carried a positive connotation for the Jewish people back in the Old Testament history.
Later, when, in accordance with biblical history, the Resurrection of Christ fell on the date of the celebration of the exodus of the Jews, Easter began to be associated with it: moreover, not all of our contemporaries who consider themselves Christians know about the “Egyptian plagues” and the exodus from Egypt as once on Easter. Although, of course, for Christians and non-Jews it is precisely this aspect of Easter that is the main one: moreover, it is the most ancient and one of the most joyful holidays in this faith - along with Christmas and the Annunciation.
That is why the church considers it sinful to indulge in gloomy and sad thoughts about the departed on that day, which believers should associate precisely with victory over death.
Another reason why the visit should be postponed is that we usually clean up the grave when visiting a cemetery, but on Easter, as on other church holidays, this cannot be done.
Where did the tradition of going to the cemetery on Easter come from?
But why did it happen that our grandparents and parents stubbornly believe that it is on Easter that we need to go to the cemetery for cleaning and remembrance? The fact is that in Soviet times, excessive religiosity, as you know, was not approved - at least. Temples were closed and cemeteries were open. And the believers tried to preserve some kind of ritual as best they knew how and could; perhaps the only solution was to visit the cemetery on that day: then they met with living relatives and could remember the departed.
Now that you can safely go to church on Easter, this is exactly what you should do - although, out of old memory, people of older generations still stubbornly gravitate to cemeteries. You shouldn’t do this: there are specially designated days for this.
By the way, there is also an opinion that the custom of visiting a cemetery on Easter developed even before the ban on churches, that is, before the Revolution: in rural areas, churches and graveyards were often located nearby, so people simply went to the deceased immediately after the Easter service.
When to go to the cemetery in honor of Easter?
First of all, in order to pay a visit to the departed with the news that Christ is Risen, there is Radonitsa: Tuesday of St. Thomas (next after Easter) week. Contrary to established traditions, you should not bring food to the grave, much less vodka, as they like to do in Russia; however, a red-painted egg can and should be brought - it is a symbol of the Resurrection and the victory of life over death.
