Parental Saturdays are days on which Orthodox Christians commemorate deceased relatives, primarily parents, as well as acquaintances and friends. The day before, notes are left in churches with the names of the deceased, whom the clergy mention in prayer services. The next Big Parents' Saturday will be November 7, 2021. It is called Dmitrievskaya, because after it the day of remembrance of the Holy Great Martyr Dmitry of Thessaloniki is celebrated.
Traditions and customs are associated with memorial days. During them, you cannot engage in certain work, perform certain actions and actions. The clergy recalled them. On Saturday, prayers for the departed are read in churches and at home.
General prayer for all departed Christians
Rest, O Lord, the souls of Your departed servants: my parents, relatives, benefactors (their names) and all Orthodox Christians, and forgive them all sins, voluntary and involuntary, and grant them the Kingdom of Heaven.
It is more convenient to read names from a commemoration book - a small book where the names of living and deceased relatives are written down. There is a pious custom of conducting family memorials, reading which both in home prayer and during church services, Orthodox people remember by name many generations of their deceased ancestors.
What is Dmitrievskaya Parents' Saturday in 2021: history
Dmitrievskaya is the name given to Saturday, on which divine services are held and deceased relatives are venerated. It is celebrated on October 26 according to the old calendar, or November 8 according to the new calendar. This date was set by Dmitry Donskoy back in 1380, after he won a triumphant victory over the Tatar-Mongols in the Battle of Kulikovo.
Two Orthodox monks took part in the battle with Mamai. They died the death of the brave. And Grand Duke Dmitry decided to perpetuate their memory. To do this, he went to the Trinity Monastery, organized a memorial service and a meal there in honor of the dead monks. A similar ritual supper later began to be performed annually.
Prayer for the repose of my wife
Christ Jesus, Lord and Almighty! In contrition and tenderness of my heart, I pray to You: rest, O Lord, the soul of Your departed servant (name), in Your Heavenly Kingdom. Lord Almighty! You blessed the marital union of husband and wife, when you said: it is not good for man to be alone, let us create for him a helper for him. You have sanctified this union in the image of the spiritual union of Christ with the Church. I believe, Lord, and confess that You have blessed me to unite me in this holy union with one of Your handmaids. By your good and wise will you deigned to take away from me this servant of yours, whom you have given to me as a helper and companion of my life. I bow before Your will, and I pray to You with all my heart, accept my prayer for Your servant (name), and forgive her if you sin in word, deed, thought, knowledge and ignorance; Love earthly things more than heavenly things; Even if you care more about the clothing and decoration of your body than about the enlightenment of the clothing of your soul; or even careless about your children; if you upset anyone by word or deed; If there is a grudge in your heart against your neighbor or condemn someone or anything else you have done from such evil people.
Forgive her all this, for she is good and philanthropic; for there is no man who will live and not sin. Do not enter into judgment with Thy servant, as Thy creation, do not condemn her to eternal torment for her sin, but have mercy and mercy according to Thy great mercy. I pray and ask You, Lord, to grant me strength throughout the days of my life, without ceasing to pray for Your departed servant, and even until the end of my life to ask her from You, the Judge of the whole world, to forgive her sins. Yes, as if You, God, placed a crown of stone on her head, crowning her here on earth; Thus crown me with Thy eternal glory in Thy Heavenly Kingdom, with all the saints who rejoice there, so that together with them He may forever sing Thy all-holy name with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
What you can and cannot do on this day
Dmitrievskaya Saturday is a day associated with many prohibitions and regulations. On the memorial date you need to:
- clean the house, wash the windows clean (so that the souls of the dead can enter the home);
- wash and change into clean clothes;
- Give food to the poor, give alms to those who need help.
The hostess had to place as many baked goods as possible on the funeral table. This was supposed to appease the ancestors, attract wealth and prosperity to the house.
Prohibited on this day:
- speak ill of the deceased;
- drink alcohol;
- laugh and talk loudly;
- sing songs and dance;
- attend entertainment events.
On Memorial Day, you cannot argue, swear or slander. This way you can anger the souls of the dead and bring their wrath upon the entire family. You should be restrained, show respect to loved ones, forgive offenses and not cause harm to anyone. It is prohibited on this day to get married in a temple, celebrate weddings, or organize birthday banquets.
Prayer for the repose of my husband
Christ Jesus, Lord and Almighty! You are the consolation of the weeping, the intercession of the orphans and widows. You said: call on Me in the day of your sorrow, and I will destroy you. In the days of my sorrow, I run to You and pray to You: do not turn Your face away from me and hear my prayer brought to You with tears. You, Lord, Master of all, have deigned to unite me with one of Your servants, so that we may be one body and one spirit; You gave me this servant as a companion and protector. It was Your good and wise will that you would take this servant of Yours away from me and leave me alone. I bow before Your will and I resort to You in the days of my sorrow: quench my sorrow about separation from Your servant, my friend. Even if you took him away from me, do not take your mercy away from me. Just as you once accepted two mites from widows, so accept this prayer of mine. Remember, Lord, the soul of Your departed servant (name), forgive him all his sins, voluntary and involuntary, whether in word, or in deed, or in knowledge and ignorance, do not destroy him with his iniquities and do not consign him to eternal torment, but according to Your great mercy and according to the multitude of Thy compassions, weaken and forgive all his sins and commit them with Thy saints, where there is no sickness, no sorrow, no sighing, but endless life. I pray and ask You, Lord, grant that all the days of my life I will not cease to pray for Your departed servant, and even before my departure, ask You, the Judge of the whole world, to forgive all his sins and place him in the Heavenly abodes, which You have prepared for those who love Cha. For even if you sin, do not depart from You, and undoubtedly the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are Orthodox even to your last breath of confession; impute to him the same faith, even in You, instead of works: for there is no man who will live and not sin, You are the only one besides sin, and Your righteousness is righteousness forever. I believe, Lord, and confess that You will hear my prayer and do not turn Your face away from me. Seeing a widow weeping green, you were merciful, and you brought her son to the grave, carrying her to the grave; How did You open to Your servant Theophilus, who went to You, the doors of Your mercy and forgave him his sins through the prayers of Your Holy Church, heeding the prayers and alms of his wife: here and I pray to You, accept my prayer for Your servant and bring him into eternal life. For You are our hope. You are God, the hedgehog to have mercy and save, and we send glory to You with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Traditions
On Dmitrievskaya Parents' Saturday, it is customary to go to church, light candles and perform prayers for the repose of deceased relatives. People pray and ask the Lord to grant their loved ones the Kingdom of Heaven.
Important!
On the day when the memory of ancestors will be honored, every Christian must come to the temple and give alms to those in need. In this way he will help the souls of his relatives get closer to the gates of heaven.
After the service, it is customary to go to the cemetery to honor the memory of the dead. Dried flowers and old wreaths should be removed from the grave. You can put treats - candy, cookies, ritual food.
The main tradition of the day, its culminating end, is the ritual supper. To carry it out, the table is set with a clean white tablecloth and ritual dishes are served (obligatory porridge-kutya and pancakes). An odd number of dishes (at least five) was required to be prepared and served, but on two plates.
Prayer for the repose of parents
Lord Jesus Christ our God! You are the keeper of the orphans, the refuge of the grieving and the comforter of the weeping. I come running to you, an orphan, groaning and crying, and I pray to you: hear my prayer and do not turn your face away from the sighs of my heart and from the tears of my eyes. I pray to You, merciful Lord, satisfy my grief over separation from my parent (my mother), (name) (or: with my parents who gave birth and raised me, their names) - , and his soul (or: her, or: them), as having gone (or: gone) to You with true faith in You and with firm hope in Your love for mankind and mercy, accept into Your Kingdom of Heaven. I bow before Your holy will, which was taken away (or: taken away, or: taken away) from me, and I ask You not to take away from him (or: from her, or: from them) Your mercy and mercy. We know, Lord, that You are the Judge of this world, you punish the sins and wickedness of the fathers in children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, even to the third and fourth generation: but you also have mercy on the fathers for the prayers and virtues of their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. With contrition and tenderness of heart, I pray to Thee, merciful Judge, do not punish with eternal punishment the unforgettable deceased (unforgettable deceased) for me Thy servant (Thy servant), my parent (my mother) (name), but forgive him (her) all his sins ( her) voluntary and involuntary, in word and deed, knowledge and ignorance, created by him (her) in his (her) life here on earth, and according to Your mercy and love for mankind, prayers for the sake of the Most Pure Mother of God and all the saints, have mercy on him (her) and eternal save me from torment. You, merciful Father of fathers and children! Grant me, all the days of my life, until my last breath, not to cease to remember my deceased parent (my deceased mother) in my prayers, and to beg Thee, the righteous Judge, to order him in a place of light, in a place of coolness and in a place of peace, with all the saints, from nowhere all sickness, sorrow and sighing have fled. Merciful Lord! Accept this day for Thy servant (Your) (name) my warm prayer and give him (her) Your reward for the labors and cares of my upbringing in faith and Christian piety, as He taught (taught) me first of all to lead You, my Lord, in reverently pray to You, trust in You alone in troubles, sorrows and illnesses and keep Your commandments; for his (her) concern for my spiritual progress, for the warmth of his (her) prayer for me before You and for all the gifts he (she) asked me from You, reward him (her) with Your mercy. Your heavenly blessings and joys in Your eternal Kingdom. For You are the God of mercies and generosity and love for mankind, You are the peace and joy of Your faithful servants, and we send glory to You with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Source
What date will Dmitrievskaya Parents' Saturday be in 2021?
The date on which fallen soldiers should be remembered is not difficult to determine. This is the day preceding the day on which the memory of the Hieromartyr Demetrius of Thessaloniki, the heavenly patron and intercessor of Prince Donskoy, is venerated.
In 2021, Dmitrievskaya Parents' Saturday falls on November 6th. Currently, it is customary in the church to remember not only soldiers who gave their lives in the name of their homeland, but also all deceased ancestors. People usually call this day dzyady.
How to remember the dead
The culmination of Demetrius Saturday is the ritual supper. Before starting a meal, the owner of the house must call his ancestors to the house to “eat kutya.” Then all family members sit down at the set table (the oldest member of the clan sits down first, then other relatives take their places according to their age). For the ancestors, you must also select a corner, put special separate dishes there, where you can put the most delicious morsels of food.
During the supper, it is customary to talk about the dead, remember what they did, how they lived. After dinner is over, the table with food cannot be cleared. It should be left all night so that the souls of the ancestors can fly in and be treated. You also need to leave the table according to seniority. There is a belief that the one who gets up and leaves first will die first.
Important!
On parenting Saturday, you should definitely go to church and light a candle for the repose of the souls of the dead. If there are suicides in the family, then you need to pray for them at home.
