Representatives of various faiths live on the territory of Russia, but Orthodoxy remains the most widespread religion. In accordance with church traditions, the funeral of the dead is held on the third day. This custom is based on religious ideas about the path the soul takes after death.
Church and social norms have a strong influence on the organization of the burial process. Therefore, today Russian Muslims, Jews and Catholics bury their dead at the same time. This is done in most cases in order to avoid unnecessary bureaucracy.
Special dates after the death of a person: 3, 9 and 40 days
The Orthodox view of death is based on the fact that the soul does not immediately ascend to heaven. For the first three days she is close to her body. This is the period allotted for carrying out all the rituals and preparing the deceased for burial. Having come to terms with its own death, on the third day the soul, following the angels, ascends to God. After this, the deceased can be buried.
In Orthodox traditions, in addition to the third day after death, there are several other important dates. The custom of holding a wake and praying for the deceased on days 9 and 40 is nothing more than a way to facilitate the journey of the soul in the afterlife during its wanderings through heaven and hell.
Allocation of space in a cemetery
According to the legislation of the Russian Federation
Cemeteries of St. Petersburg
detailed information
Funeral arrangements
in St. Petersburg and the region
Why can an Orthodox Christian be buried only on the third day?
Galina1 year agoReply
In the afterlife, just as on earth, it is not a faceless algorithm that rules, dispassionately punishing for non-compliance with rules and schemes, but the love of the Living and Good God, Who “wants everyone to be saved and to come to the understanding of truth” (1 Tim. 2:4). IF SOMEONE WOULD EVER RETURN FROM THE AFTERLIFE TO TELL THOSE LIVING ON EARTH THAT LOVE AND A FAIR COURT RULE THERE, JUST ON EARTH... No one could, cannot and will not yet be able to say this! What remains is what a person accepts with his mind on the basis of the information received and the desire to understand and accept it AS the only reliable one, otherwise... THE COMPLETE EMPTINESS OF THE SOUL, like an empty vessel into which not LOVE and FAITH can fall, but everything that can accidentally fall, but then a person lives with this!!! I didn’t have children in my marriage with my husband for a long time... for 13 years! But….!!! There was such a great desire to have children and there is no other way to say it... GOD GAVE me the opportunity to experience the happiness of motherhood... THREE TIMES!!! I loved my children so much, who were born two years later (DAUGHTER, DAUGHTER... they decided on a son and... SON!!!) I had a HUGE DESIRE TO FIND THE ANSWER, and what...THEN, when I am gone and there is no one to love my children like that will he already take care of them? And to find the answer to this question, during my lifetime, I read a bunch of all kinds of literature, articles, teachings, statements of those who were beyond the threshold of clinical death! I thought that all the same, someday, someone will have the path to understanding the structure of the WORLD and life after death, as religion interprets! And if I have learned so much and want to know it so badly... and who knows, suddenly I will be honored to be the person who will reveal the secret, because I will be allowed to find out it, in order to help the children go through life, not to stumble (I will be angry with them dream, if you are planning something bad, or cheerful, encouraging you to do some action, behavior, and also to reveal this secret to other people during your lifetime, so that they too know! The second birth was a cesarean section, and when she was laid up for a long time before giving birth, then the doctor who worked for 20 years already told us that if you decide to give birth to more children, then you won’t be allowed much after such an operation (one more time or two and that’s it!), and therefore, if you want another son or daughter, then know that men don't sit in little bags; on one side there are girls, and on the other there are boys, and how will it turn out, such a child will be born... a son or a daughter! It turns out... NO! The doctor said that based on all sorts of research on this topic, doctors came to the conclusion that nature is VERY MUDRA, and therefore MEN'S BLOOD CHANGES every FOUR YEARS!!!, and WOMEN... since they give life!!! - every... THREE YEARS!!! Therefore, a BOY or GIRL is born whose blood at the time of conception is... YOUNGER!!! IF... step by step count four years from a person’s BIRTHDAY to the MOMENT OF CONCEPTION! For men it is 4 years, and for women it is 3 years. Example: the husband is 29, the wife is 23 years old and they have decided to expand their family! HUSBAND 31-(4*7 times=28) and THREE more years! WIFE 28-(3*9 times=27) and ONE more year! The conclusion is that the birth will most likely be... A GIRL, since the blood of the expectant mother... is YOUNGER! (90% correct!) NOTE: during a BLOOD TRANSFUSION (after various events in life someone else’s blood is poured in!) a person’s blood…RENEWS (a reboot is in progress!)) and then the count starts from the moment of transfusion, not birth! I just had my second daughter two years later, and according to this scheme, they figured that in two years it would be possible to go for a cesarean again (after a cesarean, only a cesarean after that!) for... A BOY! I coincided with this calculation - a SON was born! At the beginning of the cesarean operation, only the stomach was cut, but the place where the baby was sitting was not yet there and... the lights went out! Provide additional light. They couldn’t connect to the power source... something turned out to be faulty! The anesthesia wears off, there is no light yet and they don’t know when they’ll give it back! The choice is small, either take a higher dose of anesthesia and there is a chance to save us or...death! They turned on the light, and the anesthesia began to wear off again... I kept feeling how they were taking out the child with such pain that I wanted to scream: HOW MUCH IT HURTS...!!! I tried to open my eyes, move my finger with a huge effort of will, but... there was no time for me - they were just saving us! And at the critical moment, when I crossed the line of pain... I lost consciousness! I remember everything clearly in my memory as I do now... I woke up as if at the bottom of a well, and above me, far above me, there was a round hole and there was a DANISHING BRIGHT LIGHT, I managed to focus all this in my memory and... I FLYED UP TO THIS LIGHT AT A HUGE SPEED, like a bullet at a chopped inside the barrel with such terrible force and speed. that I felt like I had been “shot” into the sky (the dizzying speed of rotation and pressure, like when the astronauts overcome the atmosphere, when they showed us on TV! And that’s it... I lost consciousness again (I don’t know how to use the word consciousness correctly here, so how I was WITHOUT CONSCIOUSNESS, like a human. But in consciousness there...beyond! I am writing what I remember, how it was! Then I woke up, that is, my consciousness is in an unconscious state in the understanding of people, in an otherworldly... let's say so! I felt myself up in the corner of the operating room under the ceiling and began to see everything that was being done in the operating room (ONLY SEE!... without hearing anything!) They stitched me up there, then shook me, pumped me out in every way (I didn’t see my son - he was taken away right before I was under ceiling!), and I see everything from above and am completely indifferent to what is happening! Then they disconnected me from everything, covered me with a sheet with my HEAD (apparently they realized that they did everything they could, but I died!) and... they took me from the operating room to the morgue ... RETREAT: My husband didn’t want to try anything else according to the scheme to add a son to the family... he was afraid of a second operation! and said: If something happens to you during the operation, what will I do with the girls alone?! How I scribbled! At school as a child, I watched the film WAR and PEACE by Sergei Bondarchuk, and so he, as a director, presented the death of Prince Bolkonsky (played by Vyacheslav Tikhonov) after being wounded on his estate like this: Prince Bolkonsky in all his regalia, slender, handsome, courageous, opens huge doors and leaves into the darkness, slowly decreasing in size... and my girlish heart did not want this man to die. which is simply heartbreaking! And these TWO MOMENTS SAVED ME and I... DID NOT DIED!!! They began to take me out of the operating room, and I followed my body from above, floating under the ceiling... And I don’t know what size or shape I was. but I...BENDED into the wide, large double door of the operating room. like a cow under the fence and swam to the preoperative room behind the gurney with my body! And at that moment, when they opened the door into the corridor, so large but single-leaf, and there was blackness!, which I saw from under the ceiling and... I WAS SCARED. what was hanging from the ceiling, asking myself the question: SO I DIED!!!, but what about the GIRLS???!!! These two moments shocked me so much that God did not accept my such a confused soul for unfinished business on Earth and... let her go - LIVE! At that moment I was already under the sheet... in MY BODY!!! - and the view was already from there, but... with what difficulty I flew out into the light. I didn’t feel any difficulty. how I sank again and found myself in my body! - I just wanted to show again that I was alive and also wanted to move my little finger, gathering all my strength... And who will notice when everything has been decided and the tired ones themselves are taking me out! AND I LOST CONSCIOUSNESS AGAIN. but already... just like before they shot me into the blinding light! I don’t know how and what happened next, I woke up in intensive care, then they took me to a ward... And they told me on the third day that I had a son, but it was 50/50 whether he would survive or not, after such an operation and so much anesthesia! Mom was very sick. when I went to the maternity hospital URGENTLY! and therefore I couldn’t even see her off on her last journey! And then they said this about their son! I cried so much, prayed so much. so that the heavenly powers would help my son survive. if mom has already been taken away! In general...WE SURVIVED and are LIVING...thank GOD! I never deny what I don’t know: I say... it means I’m not old enough to understand! I WANT TO PAY ATTENTION TO THAT MOMENT, for the sake of which I described all this in such detail, so that I could tell other people, and so that they would know and understand everything that happens to a person AFTER THAT. How we CROSSED THE THRESHOLD OF LIFE! Pay attention to the fact that what THOUGHT was what was floating behind the body under the ceiling, and not what was lying under the sheet!!! THE MOST IMPORTANT I UNDERSTANDED MYSELF and therefore I want to tell OTHER PEOPLE! MAN HAS A SOUL, which, with all the information collected during the life of a person on Earth... FLYS AWAY, but remembers everything and who I am and who are all my people left on Earth!!! And I cannot influence anything on Earth and the lives of my children FROM THERE... from above. but just watch... LIKE IN A SILENT MOVIE! So... PEOPLE. everyone who has read my letter... think about it and tell others: LIVE ON EARTH AS BEfits A HUMAN, DOING GOOD WITH LOVE IN YOUR SOUL, NOT LEAVING EVIL AND DESTRUCTION AFTER YOUR ACTIONS, FORGING THOSE WHO ARE NOT GROWTH TO UNDERSTAND THIS AND YOU ARE ABOVE IN YOUR DEVELOPMENT!!! CULTIVATE IN YOUR SOUL LOVE, WHICH IS THE HIGHEST ENERGY IN THE UNIVERSE, WHICH IS ABLE TO CONQUER EVEN DEATH, IF YOU ONLY DESERVE IT WITH YOUR LIFE!!! DON'T GO FOR WEALTH, VIOLATING ALL HUMAN LAWS, BUT BETTER GIVE THE WARMTH OF YOUR SOUL AND LOVE TO CHILDREN. BECAUSE THEY ARE YOUR FUTURE HERE...ON EARTH!!! and I WOULDN'T WANT. SO YOU WOULD KNOW ALL THIS...YOU WOULD WALK MY PATH!!! I'D BETTER TELL YOU. AND YOU LISTEN TO MY WORDS AND EVERYTHING THAT HAS BEEN IN YOUR SOUL...AFTER READING MY LETTER TO YOU! Priests (maybe not all!) do not understand... how to convey to people. What would they understand IF THEY HAD NOT FELT IT THEMSELVES, LIKE ME... that THE SOUL... DOES NOT DIE!!! She ascends with everything that you filled her with during life! You are given a unique opportunity in your lifetime. fill it with everything good: the LIGHT of LOVE and KINDNESS, the memory of children and grandchildren, people around you who will remember you kindly for your deeds! THIS IS WHAT A MAN SHOULD STRIVE FOR DURING HIS LIFE ON EARTH: TO HAVE TIME TO EDUCATE HIS SOUL AND FILL IT WITH THE LIGHT OF LOVE, SO THAT THEN SHINE IN ETERNITY AS A STAR IN THE HEAVEN, AND NOT A COAL UNDER A CAULDRON OF ALL EQUALITY!!! All this was written at the call of the soul for many people who would like to understand, but cannot... But I wanted to. so that you UNDERSTAND MUCH SOON during your life, believing me and going through a piece of my path described above, so that you don’t have to go through it yourself in life! When I asked myself a thousand times the question: WHY DID EVERYTHING HAPPEN TO ME??? IF YOU ARE BORN A HUMAN, THEN BE HUMAN TO THE END OF YOUR LIFE: STRIVE FOR EVERYTHING THAT IS ACCOUNTABLE AND PURE. FILL YOUR LIFE WITH LOVE, KINDNESS AND UNDERSTANDING AND ALSO RAISING YOUR CHILDREN SO THAT THEN YOU WILL BE FROM THERE (only!!!) LOOKING AT THEM AND... REJOYING!!! AND THEY WILL NOT GET ON THE WRONG PLANE OR IN THE WRONG CAR AND THEY WILL NOT FALL ON THEM ANOTHER HEAVENLY PUNISHMENT FOR THEIR CONDUCT!!! LOVE AND BE LOVED and HAPPY!!! I don’t know...they will miss my huge letter...BUT...I want them to miss it, because it is VERY IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE!
Separation of soul and body
The preservation of the invisible connection between soul and body during the first days after the death of a person was described in his sermons by the Cappadocian saint Basil the Great. According to his teaching, it is strictly forbidden to hold a funeral before the expiration of the three-day period. In this case, it will be impossible for the spirit, which still feels connected to the body, to come to terms with its own departure and move on to eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven. On the third day, the connection weakens, which will allow the separation of entities.
It is believed that the moment of separation of the soul and body of the deceased occurs after the coffin lid is nailed down. People who have experienced the loss of loved ones claim that this particular moment becomes one of the most emotional and difficult: a feeling of emptiness and acceptance of the inevitable comes.
What does the Bible say about the separation of soul and body?
The Bible itself does not directly refer to the fact that after death the soul remains close to the body. However, some indirect facts may indicate this. If we recall the legend about the resurrection of Christ, we will understand that it happened on the third day - just before the moment when the thread connecting soul and body would have been broken irrevocably.
It is no coincidence that church funeral rituals are carried out on the third day. In the Holy Scriptures, one of the main ideas is the belief in the trinity of God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit connecting them.
The power of prayers for the deceased
In Orthodoxy, an important role in facilitating a person’s path after death is assigned to the prayers of relatives. And although it will not be possible to receive complete atonement for the sins committed by a person during his lifetime, it will be easier for the spirit to pass tests on the path to eternal life. It is customary to read prayers for the salvation of the soul throughout the forty days after death.
In addition to related prayers for the deceased, you can order Sorokoust in the temple. It is possible to read prayers for the deceased in several churches at once. If one of the relatives was unable to attend the funeral, he should visit the parish, pray for the salvation of the soul and order a funeral service.
For the dead, the sacrament of proskomedia is also often performed - a church procedure reminiscent of communion. After his death, a person can no longer taste the consecrated bread and wine, so the clergy pronounce his name over the pieces of prosphora.
Church requirements
It is necessary to order a memorial service, a special funeral service, for Tretina. Commemorations on this day are in honor of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and in honor of the image of the Holy Trinity. A memorial service is served both in the church and in the cemetery during or after the funeral, at home with the relatives of the deceased. The prayers of not only the priest, but also those of loving people can facilitate the passage of the ordeal of the soul of the deceased. And such commemoration brings tangible benefits to the relatives and friends of the deceased themselves - it brings comfort and dulls the pain from the loss of a loved one.
In the recent past, after death, Christians read the Psalter for the deceased for 40 days and took prosphora for the deceased in church every day during the liturgy. Today, relatives of the deceased go to church on Tretina and attend the service with candles, a symbol of faith in a pure and bright future life. At the end of the prayer, the candle fire is extinguished as a sign that everyone’s earthly life will sooner or later also cease to exist.
Tretina
The date of the funeral is set taking into account the day when the deceased passed away. Despite the fact that traditionally they talk about funerals on the third day, they actually take place two days after death. That is, if a person’s life was interrupted on the 1st, then the burial should take place on the 3rd. Funeral rituals are designed to facilitate the process of parting of the soul with its earthly shell: funeral service, burial, commemoration. At the wake, loved ones remember the deceased, pay tribute to his memory, after which his spirit, accompanied by heavenly angels, goes to meet the Lord. Along with tretinas, nineteens and forties are held to commemorate the deceased.
How holidays affect the work of the crematorium
Crematoria deserve special attention. Their work is rarely juxtaposed with religious celebrations or other traditions. Cremation can be carried out at the Minsk crematorium at any time, with the exception of January 1. Immediately after the New Year, the funeral hall at the crematorium is also closed. Therefore, farewells to loved ones and the burning of bodies are postponed to another date.
Modern embalming techniques make it possible to store the body of the deceased for a long time. Therefore, when ordering funeral services, you can clearly plan the time of the funeral, correlating it with the capabilities of the invited people, holidays or other dates. At the same time, it is advisable to take into account not only religious, but also secular events, if their celebration takes place on a large scale and solemnity.
It is undesirable to interred before the third day
Orthodoxy's idea of the afterlife of the soul does not involve burial until 3 days after death. However, such a custom exists in other faiths. For example, in Islam and Judaism, it is customary to bury the deceased on the same day. For Catholics and followers of other movements of Christianity, there are no strict time frames for burial. As a rule, in Europe and the West, on the contrary, funerals are postponed to a later date in order to wait for the arrival of all close relatives.
Important: If burial is delayed, the body should be interred before 40 days have passed.
Is burial allowed in the first days after death? Temple abbots say that funerals should not be held on the 1st and 2nd days, but in some situations this is inevitable. If it is necessary to bury the deceased as soon as possible, family members can be advised to pray earnestly for his soul. The process of separation from the body in this case will be more difficult, and the deceased needs support through prayer. It is recommended to order proskomedia and Sorokoust in several churches.
Second Coming and Judgment Day
Depending on the purity of the soul, the severity of its sins during earthly life, as well as how strong the prayer of relatives is, higher powers will decide where the soul will await the Last Judgment. It is for this reason that the ministers of the Church read prayers for the repose on the 9th and 40th days. Personalized notes about the repose, as well as reading lithiums and dinners on memorial days, will help make the path beyond the grave easier. Where the spirit will subsequently go - will it ascend to the Paradise Abodes or will serve a punishment for sins in the Underworld - is decided by the Last Judgment.
Psychological aspect of funerals
In the process of organizing the funeral, all the thoughts of the grieving relatives are aimed at facilitating the transition of the soul to another world. However, during this difficult period, help is needed not only for the deceased, but also for his loved ones.
The death of a loved one is a heavy blow for everyone. Coming to terms with your own grief and letting go of the deceased is often not at all easy. For this reason, funerals are often held later than the 3rd day. Relatives need time to accept what is happening.
The delay in the funeral cannot be called a violation of Orthodox traditions. By and large, after the three-day period, it no longer matters for the soul when the body is buried. However, it is also not worth delaying the funeral in the absence of objective reasons. The period before burial has a strong psychological impact on those who have experienced loss. It is best to turn this page of life as quickly as possible in order to find the strength to move on with your life. You can remember the deceased and pray for the well-being of his soul after the funeral.
Restrictions regarding funeral rituals
On certain days the church prohibits holding funerals, and there is also an important prohibition regarding the funeral of the deceased:
- The Church condemns suicide as a grave sin. Therefore, suicides are not buried in church. In the old days they were buried outside the general cemetery, but now this custom is not observed.
- Holy Easter and Christmas are considered the main holidays in Orthodoxy. It is prohibited to arrange a funeral on this day.
- New Year is not a church holiday, but according to folk traditions, it is better not to arrange funerals on this day. It is believed that a whole year can pass in an atmosphere of grief and trouble.
- The Orthodox Church does not approve of the ritual of cremation. According to customs, the mortal body is returned to the earth.
The video is a continuation of the conversation with the rector of St. Vladimir’s Church, Archpriest Oleg Tsyplakov:
