When is the Universal Parental Saturday in 2022

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

The date when the Ecumenical parental meat-eating Saturday passes changes every year, since it depends on the church calendar. In 2022, this day falls on February 26.

What is the Universal Parent Saturday

The dead are commemorated in churches every Saturday. This happened because the next day is marked by the resurrection to life. The next day after Saturday, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ took place, which means that death was defeated on that day. On parental Saturdays, deceased close relatives are commemorated.

The Ecumenical Parental Saturday, otherwise also called Meat Pastry, is one of the main Orthodox holidays. On this day, all the deceased are honored: not only close people, relatives, but also acquaintances, those of whom the memory is still alive. On Ecumenical Saturday, absolutely all deceased Orthodox Christians are commemorated, even those who did not deserve burial according to church customs.

There are 6 parental Saturdays in the church calendar. But only two of them are Ecumenical. The living raise their appeals and prayers to God for those who can no longer do this. Priests, along with believers, pray for those on the other side of life.

The word "meat-eating" comes from the Church Slavonic, it means "I release the meat, I leave the meat." This means that Great Lent begins, and from that day on, believers will not eat meat. Sunday will be the last day you can still consume it.

It is this Saturday that is called meat-eating, to distinguish it from other parental days and from another Universal Saturday - Trinity. In 2022, the Ecumenical Parent Meat Saturday is on February 26th.

The history of the days of remembrance

According to church statutes, on the days of parental Saturdays, mass services and memorial services are held. The first Ecumenical Saturday takes place shortly before Maslenitsa week. The day is held as a church holiday. It is important as a tribute to the memory of ancestors and preparation for Lent.

Old Christian customs, when deceased relatives were commemorated in cemeteries, originated in the 4th century. There are surviving testimonies, documents with the legends of Sava the Sanctified. The very day of meat-eating Saturday was chosen as a parental day because the next day the Second Coming of the Son of God is celebrated.

The Ecumenical Saturday symbolizes the day of the Great Judgment, when the Orthodox appear before the Lord and then reunite with other believers and relatives. After the trial, relatives who lived at all times from Adam can unite with other representatives of their kind.

On the day of the Universal parental meat-eating Saturday, the living pray that the Lord's mercy will spread to the whole race, to all relatives, they ask to send mercy to the deceased relatives so that no one needs an afterlife.

Traditions of parenting days

On Friday evening, before the Ecumenical Meat-Passing Saturday, solemn requiems will be held in all churches. On Saturday morning, churches will read the Divine Liturgies for the dead. It is customary to go to church, light candles and write notes for the repose.

There is a tradition to bake pancakes and visit the cemetery. Pancakes, sweets are taken to the resting place of relatives, they are left there. It is customary to give alms, to do good deeds in memory of deceased relatives. All relatives gather at the memorial table at home. They remember those who are not around.

On the day of the Ecumenical Meat-Passing Saturday, it is not recommended to play a wedding, to clean up the house. You should not drink alcoholic beverages, work on the ground. The dishes after the funeral dinner are removed only the next day.

What are memorial days for?

Soon after the Ecumenical Meat-Passing Saturday, Great Lent begins. According to church traditions, there are rules for how to behave on parental Saturdays and during fasting. Avoiding meat is important for Lent, but this is not the main thing.

According to modern amendments, only those believers who are healthy can withstand the hard days of fasting. The Church went to the indulgence for the Orthodox: it is not considered a great sin if a person, due to age or weakened health, cannot fully withstand the fast. The main thing for true believers is not food restrictions, but faith and prayer.

Orthodox calendar dates

In 2022, Lent will begin on March 7th. Easter will be on April 24, and Trinity will be on June 12.

On the Ecumenical Meat-Passing Saturday, the prayers of believers for the dead are important. The church itself commemorates all the deceased from Adam to the present day. The universal scale of prayers, common faith make it possible to remember those people who, dying, could not receive absolution, a church funeral service.

On this day, they pray for those who died in a foreign land, died a sudden death not on their native land. They commemorate with the singing of psalms and prayers those who died from disease, cold and hunger, in war or in a fire. They pray for all the weak and the poor.

Outcomes

On February 26, when it will be the Universal Parental Saturday in 2022, it will be necessary to order a memorial service for the repose. Light candles for the dead, pray at the service. It is recommended to confess and receive the Holy Communion.