What date are Orthodox parental Saturdays in 2022

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

Russian Orthodoxy has absorbed the pre-Christian ancient traditions of honoring deceased ancestors. And today a large number of believers in Russia are trying to regularly visit the graves of their parents on days specially designated for this in the church calendar. For this reason, many are interested in when parental Saturdays will be in 2022 according to the calendar of the Orthodox Church.

The importance of parental Saturdays in the Orthodox tradition

In the Christian tradition, there are special days when Orthodox Christians commemorate their dead parents. In the church calendar, these days in most cases have floating dates and fall on Saturday.

The cult of ancestors came to the Russian Orthodox Church from the pre-Christian era. Traditions to honor deceased ancestors came to Russian culture from pagan times, when they were equated with divine beings capable of protecting the living from troubles, diseases and various misfortunes.

In the church calendar of the ROC, there are 7 parental Saturdays:

• Meat;
• 3 week of Great Lent;
• Radonitsa;
• Troitskaya;
• Dmitrievskaya.

All weeks have floating dates, which depend on the main Orthodox holiday - Bright Resurrection. Recently, the Orthodox Church has a Day of Remembrance of the Soldiers Who Fell on the Fields of the Great Patriotic War, which is celebrated on the same day - May 9.

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There are also Ecumenical memorial days, in which all departed Christians are remembered in churches. This takes place on Meat and Trinity Week. Other parenting days are dedicated to the remembrance of specific deceased relatives, when people can pay tribute to the memory of loved ones who have completed their life's journey. On these days, it is customary to visit cemeteries and temples where memorial services are held.

Traditions

In the Orthodox Church, memorial services are held - funeral services. Priests and believers pray for the souls of the departed, asking the Lord for repose for their souls and the merciful remission of all the sins of their ancestors.

The Greek word "panikhida" in translation into Russian means "all-night vigil". This is the name of the funeral service, in which they pray for the departed relatives and loved ones.

Features of the Meat (Universal) week

The commemoration of ancestors on Meat Saturday is always held one week before the beginning of Lent, which always falls before Shrovetide. It is popularly called Small Maslenitsa.

At this time, an ecumenical memorial service is held on Saturday in all Orthodox churches. To understand what date Meat Saturday will be, you should know exactly what date Easter falls on in 2022. From this date, the beginning of Lent and Maslenitsa is counted.

Parental Saturdays of Lent

During the most severe period of restrictions that Orthodox Christians impose on themselves before Easter, three parental Saturdays are celebrated, on which the dead are commemorated. They fall on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Saturdays of Lent.

When holding a memorial service for the dead, it is imperative to attend services on parental Saturdays and pray for the departed ancestors yourself.

Radonitsa, or Fomina week

In the Orthodox tradition, the ancient pagan rites of remembrance of dead ancestors were united with the Christian holiday of Easter thanks to the common sacred meanings, symbolizing the victory of life over death.

Radonitsa is celebrated in the second week after the celebration of Bright Resurrection. At this time, Fomino's resurrection is celebrated, dedicated to the memory of the descent of the resurrected Jesus Christ into hell, where he won the victory over death. Before that, on the 9th day after Easter, which falls on Tuesday, Radonitsa is celebrated.

Commemoration of the dead soldiers on May 9

On the Great Victory Day, the Orthodox also visit cemeteries and war memorials, paying tribute to the memory of the soldiers who died during the Great Patriotic War. In Orthodox churches, memorial services are held for the deceased soldiers who gave their lives for the fatherland.

Time of Trinity Parental Saturday

This parental Saturday, which precedes Trinity, which ends the Easter holiday cycle, is also Universal. On this day, a liturgy is held in churches for all the departed Orthodox.

When Dmitrievskaya parental Saturday

This day is celebrated in November before the Day of Remembrance of Saint Dmitry of Thessalonica, revered by the Russian Church, which always falls on November 8th. Its celebration was introduced after the Battle of Kulikovo in 1380, and it was first dedicated to the commemoration of the soldiers killed during the battle. However, over time, this religious date turned into a day of remembrance for all deceased relatives.

Knowing when parental Saturdays fall in 2022, you can serve funeral dirges and funeral liturgies for your loved ones by submitting notes with the names of deceased ancestors during the great Friday funeral service. Also, believers can bring lenten products to the church for the canon for the commemoration liturgy.

After that, you can visit the graves, put them in order and pay tribute to your loved ones.

Outcomes

About parental Saturdays in the Russian Orthodox tradition, you should know the following:

• There are 7 parental Saturdays during the calendar year.
• On May 9, memorial liturgies for the soldiers who died during the Great Patriotic War are held in the churches.
• On such days, notes are served in churches with the names of deceased relatives, which are then mentioned in the memorial service.
• On Meat Week and on Trinity, there is a universal memorial service for all Christians who have died.