40 days after death. How to count, how to remember

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• There is vanity and vanity all around, and people don’t want to understand that they are fussing about trifles,
• That the goal of life is not at all the same.

A. Kruglov

After death, the soul separates from the body. For a person who does not know God, this is the line beyond which there is nothing. Is there any meaning in earthly existence if everything ends in death?

The art of living lies in the ability to die - this is what Archimandrite Raphael (Karelin) writes.

For a Christian, death is a transition from short-term existence to eternal life, free from sorrows, tears and need.

The Apostle Paul said:

“For me, life is Christ, death is gain,” “...I have a desire to be resolved and be with Christ, because this is incomparably better...”

On what day is the wake held: 39 or 40

Death is the natural end of life's journey. During life, the body and soul formed a single whole. At the moment of death, the body ceases to exist. The spirit flies away. A person’s lifetime actions, character traits, and feelings remain with the soul. It is generally accepted that she is incapable of forgetting them. You have to be punished for sins committed during life, or receive a reward for virtue. The fate will be decided upon the magpies after death.

During the forty-day period, the spirit wanders the earth, and on the 40th day it returns to the house. Day is spent with grieving relatives. Upon completion of the send-off, he leaves the home. Believers know that it is impossible to arrange farewells early (before the forties). Returning to its native walls on the 40th day after death, the soul will not find a funeral table.

It is generally accepted that a spirit that is not led into the next world according to the rules will suffer.

Those who profess Christianity know how important it is to honor the memory of the deceased on Sorochin. In the morning hours, relatives and friends are supposed to visit the grave of the deceased and remember him. A candle is lit at the burial site and flowers are left. Bringing alcoholic beverages is prohibited. Priests tend to consider this a sin. It is advisable to leave a treat for the deceased in the form of a plate of kutya.

How to count 40 days

From the tenth to the fortieth day the soul remains in hell, and then its fate is decided by God's judgment. All prayers and good memorials that will be said for the deceased during this period will be counted in heaven. It is necessary to pray and ask God for forgiveness for the sins of the deceased.

Starting in the morning, you need to go to the morning church service, pray, and light a candle for the repose. Then you should go to the grave, where you need to leave treats - candy, pastries, cookies, cereal.

A funeral meal is organized at home, which should also not include alcohol and be modest and simple. All those gathered talk about the deceased, remember his actions, and make kind speeches.

There is an old tradition of covering mirrors in the house after death. This is not a mandatory ritual. But if all the mirror surfaces were covered, then on the 9th day the bedspreads are removed everywhere and only the mirror in the room of the deceased is left covered. There the fabric is removed after 40 days.

Why is it sometimes difficult to calculate the date and what to do in such cases

Counting the memorial date of sorochin is not an easy task. Complicating the task is its coincidence with a great religious holiday. It is not customary to serve memorial services on such dates. We are talking about Christmas and Easter. Priests advise ordering a service for the deceased in advance. On the holiday that coincides with the forties, you should read a prayer for the deceased. Seeing off is postponed for a day.

If relatives do not know how to count memorial dates, they should ask a clergyman for help. He will help in this matter. Will tell you how to count. Explain the rules for holding funerals.

According to Orthodox traditions, forty days are not supposed to be transferred to the previous day. If relatives believe that Sorochiny falls on a great church holiday, they should clarify this issue with the priest. It is recommended to have a funeral lunch the next day. We can safely assume that everything was done according to the rules.

How to calculate 3 days

Orthodoxy adheres to the canon of the need to bury the body on the third day after death. The starting point is the date of death, the time is counted until midnight. If a person died at 23.55, and the calendar showed October 1, then the funeral must be ordered on October 3.

The organization of the burial precisely on the third day is associated with the tradition of Orthodoxy and the symbolic relationship to the Holy Trinity - the Father and the Spirit, and His Son. According to the Orthodox scripture, which sets out the story of the conversation between Macarius of Egypt and the angel who appeared to him. It is in it that it is said that for the first three days after the body has died, the soul is among its relatives, on earth.

Relatives, in accordance with Orthodox traditions, should:

• pray for the soul of the deceased;
• visit a church, order a magpie, ask for a funeral service;
• wash the body. Nowadays, this function is performed by morgue employees. This service is free. If a person died at home, any person who is not related by kinship can wash him;
• collect all the necessary ritual accessories for the funeral - a coffin, a cross, a bedspread and pillow, clothing for the deceased;
• organize the digging of a grave in the cemetery.

On the third day after the Orthodox believer has died, the body should be interred. If a major church holiday falls on this day - Easter, Trinity or Christmas, the funeral is held the next day.

In what cases can a funeral service be held earlier or postponed for 40 days?

A forty-day period after the death of a person should be reserved for mourning by relatives. Priests tend to believe that this time should be devoted to prayers for the deceased. The forties are a special date. You need to be able to count it. On this day, the Lord decides the fate of the deceased. Prayerful commemoration is necessary on the 40th day after death, and on other important dates. In Christianity, it is generally accepted that through prayers relatives help the spirit of the deceased to be awarded the kingdom of heaven.

There are cases when commemorations are postponed to Sorochiny. 40 days after death are celebrated earlier (later) if the forties fall on the pre-Easter week, Easter, or the first Sunday after it. It is necessary to reschedule the send-off if the 40th day falls on Christmas or any other holiday. On these days, clergy do not serve funeral services.

Orthodoxy considers the fortieth day (40 days after death) the most important date. This is the moment when the soul of the deceased learns his future fate. God decides where she will spend eternity. Christianity gives hope to believers to believe that they can help achieve a better fate for the spirit of the deceased through prayers and good memory of him.

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What does a date of 40 days mean?

For forty days, a person’s soul says goodbye to the world of the living and prepares to go to the place prepared for it. This number also has a symbolic meaning. For example, for forty years Moses led the Israelites through the desert to the Promised Land. The ascension of Jesus took place precisely on the fortieth day after death.

The soul wanders for forty days. Five days after death she bows before the Lord. She worries about her lifetime sins. On the ninth day, a memorial service and wake are held. The angels show the soul hell, and after forty days the Almighty announces his verdict. These days are a real test for the soul: it sees hell and the torment of sinners. During this period, her positive and negative deeds are compared. Only prayers and angels help to overcome this test.

Orthodox believe that the fortieth day is a boundary date that separates the earthly and heavenly life of the soul. This day is considered even more tragic than the physical death of the body. The fortieth day also serves as a reminder to living people that the soul of the deceased goes to the Almighty.

Traditionally, prayers and memorial services on the fortieth day have a special meaning. Zealous requests from the Lord for mercy can change the future fate of the soul. Prayer helps loved ones overcome grief. At this time, women cover their heads with black scarves, and candles are lit in front of the images at home.

Calculating the exact date of the funeral

In order not to make a mistake, you need to count exactly 9 days from the moment of a person’s death, including the day of death itself. This also applies to cases where death occurred late in the evening or even at night, before midnight. For example, death occurred on March 2. The ninth day in this case is not March 11, as would happen with arithmetic addition (that is, 2 + 9 = 11), but March 10, including the day of death.

Examples:

Special days of remembrance of the dead: 3rd, 9th, 40th

It is not for nothing that the Holy Church has established special days of remembrance of the dead. Numerous Lives of Saints and patristic tradition testify to the trials of the human soul in the afterlife. She gives an account for everything good and bad done along the path of life. Prayer is the only way to ease the lot of a soul burdened with sins.

The invisible and visible world near the deceased in the first days after death. The struggle of light and dark forces for the human soul.

Immediately after a person dies, you need to:

1. Read the Sequence on the separation of the soul from the body, then the Psalter.
2. Order a funeral litany at the temple. For two days, the soul wanders the earth to its favorite places, visiting relatives and friends, accompanied by the Guardian Angel.
3. Every Christian soul ascends to heaven in imitation of how Christ rose from the dead on the third day. It is on this day that it is best to perform a funeral service.

The Psalter is read after the Sedition

To understand how to count the ninth day, let's clarify some points:

• On the third day, the Angels take the soul to Heaven to worship the Almighty.
• She is in Paradise for 6 days. The creation of the world by God happened in just six days. Here the soul becomes acquainted with the Kingdom of Heaven: “But as it is written: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Cor. 2:9). This is the true life with God, to which humanity is called.

Guardian Angel with the soul of a person.

How to count 9 days from the date of death. The first day is considered the day of death, even if the last breath was taken a few minutes before midnight. Thus, it will not be difficult to understand how 9 days are counted. For example, death occurred on the 7th of the month.

Let's see from what day we count the days. Those. 8 is added to 7. The ninth day after the death of a person, in this example, falls on the 15th of the month.

On the 9th day, a wake is held, thereby supporting the person who has passed on to another world before the trials.

The soul, being in paradise, begins to torment and doubt. There is a rethinking of life values ​​and repentance, an understanding of how unworthy she is of such a reward because of her sins. At the end of six days, the soul is again lifted up by the Angels in fear and trembling to worship the Lord.

Saint John Chrysostom said that the departed need to be helped as much as possible - not with sobs and magnificent tombs, but with our prayers

It is necessary to understand in advance what to do on the ninth day for the loved ones of the deceased.

• Be sure to go to the Temple and pray intensely for the deceased. Fervent and sincere prayer is always very effective and helps the soul in the afterlife.
• It is important to give alms. Good deeds save the soul.
• Go to the grave and clean it there.
• Relatives gather at the table. The funeral table must have kutya, compote, as well as pies and sweets. The main mission of such gatherings is to remember as many good things as possible about the person for whom they gathered.
• Avoid alcohol. Over the years of godless power, a bad tradition has taken root: commemorating the deceased with alcohol. Christians must understand that such an approach only worsens the position of the deceased in God's judgment.

The verse for 9 days goes like this:

“God Almighty of spirits and all flesh, who trampled down death and abolished the devil himself, who gave life to the whole world! Lord, rest the soul of Your deceased Servant (proper name), as well as all those who served You by faith and glorified Your Holy Name in their prayers. Amen".

The Prayer to the Holy Mother of God is very powerful. During her life, She suffered a lot, losing loved ones and relatives. Her maternal intercession has a very strong influence on the further fate of the newly deceased.

To the Guardian Angel:

“Holy Guardian Angel, you were assigned to the deceased servant of God (name of the deceased)! So I ask you not to abandon his soul during this period, protect it from evil, terrible demons; be her protector in the invisible world of spirits, take the soul of the deceased under your wing and guide her through the gates of the air; stand as an intercessor for her with God and pray to the Almighty to have mercy and forgive all the earthly sins of the servant of God (name of the deceased). Beg the Lord not to send the soul of the deceased to a place of eternal darkness, but to send it to the Kingdom of Heaven, where it will find eternal peace.”

Prayer read on 9 days for the deceased:

“Remember, O Lord our God, in the faith and hope of the life of Thy eternal newly departed servant (or Thy handmaid), named, and as good and a lover of mankind, forgiving sins and consuming iniquities, weaken, forgive and forgive all his voluntary and involuntary sins, exonerating him at Thy holy second coming into the communion of Thy eternal blessings, for the sake of the One who has faith in Thee, the true God and Lover of mankind. For You are the resurrection and the life and the rest of Your servant, named Christ our God. And we send up glory to You, with Your beginningless Father and with the Most Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages, Amen.”

The procedure for holding a wake on the fortieth day after death

On the fortieth day, the soul of the deceased returns to his home for a day, only to then leave the earth forever. According to legend, if the soul returns home and does not find a wake, it will suffer for eternity. That is why on this day relatives need to remember the deceased and hold a worthy memorial:

• You need to pray not only on the fortieth day, but also on all previous days to remember the deceased with a kind word and Christian prayer.
• Visit the temple and order a memorial service, give alms to the poor, leave a memorial package in the church.
• Visit the cemetery, having previously purchased a funeral wreath and lamps to decorate the burial site and light the Divine Fire.
• Order a memorial lunch and gather everyone at the common table to remember the deceased.

Those who commemorate should understand that the deceased sees and shares their grief, and restrained sadness will be much better for him than noisy suffering. During the wake, it is worth remembering the good deeds of the deceased during his lifetime, finding words of consolation for relatives, and saying a prayer cleansing from sins.

What to do in the cemetery on the fortieth day after death

On this day, you must visit the grave of the deceased. An exception may be if you feel unwell or the weather has turned bad, in which case the visit to the burial site can be postponed to a more favorable day. It is better to go to the cemetery in the morning, preferably before noon.

A pair of fresh flowers, baskets of artificial flowers, and lamps are brought to the grave. It is necessary to clean the grave, remove wilted fresh flowers, dry leaves, branches, and weeds. You can plant a tree next to the grave, which will become a symbol of remembrance for the deceased in the spring. It is not recommended to organize a memorial service at the grave; the only thing that is possible is to put candy and cookies on the grave, which should then be given to the poor. Commemoration of the deceased at the grave should be carried out quietly and peacefully.

How to count 9 days

The thought of death makes most people anxious, to say the least. It terrifies some and they are afraid to even imagine that they might someday die. These people consider death to be their finale, and do not believe that the soul and consciousness can survive their body.

However, they are wrong. The life we ​​live is an infinitesimal part of our existence - a series of lives in physical bodies and those periods when we are outside of them. And death is just a step forward on this endless path.

In the first part of my story about life after death, I described how a person feels at the moment when he dies and shortly after. In this article I will talk about what happens later.

Everything I write about is based on personal experience (memories of past lives and deaths), and descriptions of the experiences of other people that I have read and heard. If you combine all this data and highlight the common points in them, you will get approximately what I am going to tell you.

So, after the soul has finally left the body, it moves to the second, or etheric body. In terms of its “weight” it is the heaviest of the subtle bodies; it probably even has a negligible physical density. This body has access to both the material world and the more subtle “layers” of reality, and it wanders between them for some time.