Some holidays in our country are celebrated with a grand scale, while others are guided by church principles. Among them, Radonitsa; What you need to do on this day only know a few. The festival follows the bright Easter, nine days later, and then the deceased are invited to share the joy of the Resurrection with the living. Sometimes this day is called Easter for the dead.
What is Radonica?
Radonica is the Spring Commemoration Day. It comes on Tuesday Radonitskaya (or Fomina) week, the next immediately after Easter. Those who "forever went to heaven", it is customary to remember a kind word, and also to visit the graves of ancestors. Funeral these are joyful, cheerful. In ancient times, the word Triznami and Radonitsi and called the deities, which stored the souls of dead people. The Slavs offered generous gifts and feasts, for which the dead could watch, in another way - navi.
A special day, which occurred in the spring months, was called the New Day. And when trivialities began to be called all the wake, the second name went to the holiday. He also has many other nicknames: Radunitsa, Radovnitsa, Radnolnitsa, etc. According to some historians, the name is borrowed from the Baltic peoples: the word "raudine" means prayer for the dead. Other common names for the Day of Remembrance:
- Warm or Rare Sunday;
- Parental (accepted in Belarus);
- Graves (in the Ukraine).
Radonitsa - what is this holiday, customs
Believers observe certain customs on any church holiday and on Parental Saturday. At this time of the final departure of winter and the flowering of spring, it is customary to coax the deceased with flowers, gifts and never to miss. The best thing to do on Radonitsa, describes an ancient proverb. According to her on Radonitsa:
- "Morning plow" - that is, believers have every right to work until noon;
- "Cry during the day" - it is necessary to go to the grave to relatives and clean up there;
- "In the evening they jump" - by the end of the day God himself ordered to melt the bathhouse, lay the table and call the guests.
What to prepare for Radonitsa at home?
Radonitsa is a bright celebration, and what you need to do on this day is to have fun and not indulge in sad thoughts. According to old traditions, on a memorial Tuesday it is customary to cover a rich table, and in some regions not only for the living (visitors who come, relatives), but also for the dead. For example, there was a custom to pronounce the words of prayer and pour wine on the ground, thus sharing with the ancestors their happiness.
And today people bring delicacies to the cemetery to share a meal with their dead relatives and friends. The morning meals are baptized in the church. What are they preparing for Radonitsa? Traditional dishes and drinks are as follows:
- pancakes and fritters;
- pies;
- kutya;
- boiled meat and cold meat;
- eggs;
- beer and wine.
Do I need to paint eggs on Radonitsa?
A question that interests many people: are the eggs painted on Radonitsa? Do not paint. Church traditions say that it is necessary to do this on Easter, but from one holiday to another it takes a little more than a week, so sometimes people re-paint eggs, that they carry them to their relatives to the graves as a treat or put on the table. This is allowed, but not necessary, because the consecrated food in the church is quietly from Easter to Radunitsa. If there was a question what to bring to the church at Radonitsa, the colored eggs fit perfectly, like the traditional Easter cake.
Radonitsa - how to remember the deceased correctly?
Christians believe that a person remains a parishioner of the Church even after death. Kind words are what the dead really need, and the goodies left on the graves are the remnants of paganism. Every prayer will be more effective if the one who commemorates on the solemn day himself participates, will eat bread and wine - the Body and Blood of Christ. In Russia they said: "In the Radonitsa, the dead are waiting at the gate." It was believed that before returning to the afterlife, the dead wish to receive alms from relatives near the graveyard gate.
Before you go to the cemetery, you need to go to the temple. There a funeral note is given, a candle is put and prayer is read for Radonitsa on the deceased. It begins with the words: "Remember, O Lord our God, in faith and hope for the belly of your eternal servant, our faithful brother ...". You can read prayers:
- parents about deceased children;
- children about deceased parents;
- widows and widowers.
Is it possible to remember Radonitsa suicidal?
Memorial day Radonica is a bright holiday, but it also has its prohibitions. For example, all Orthodox are forbidden to commemorate suicides, not having a special permission of the priest. For this, there is a day before the Holy Trinity holiday - the Holy Trinity Parent Saturday. There are exceptions to the rules, for example, special mention is made of cases when a person has died voluntarily, but through euthanasia.
How to commemorate the dead on Radonitsa, if they committed suicide? To do this should be very cautious, as in the festive, and any other day. The rememberers are obliged to ask for the blessing of the priest, and to pray for the unsaved soul with special zeal. Such people are very difficult in the afterlife , and the lot of relatives - in every way to help them in finding rest.
Is it possible to bury Radonitsa?
Praying and commemorating the Parental is the duty of every Christian, but the commission of other rites raises a number of questions. For example, is it possible to make burial and funeral services for Radonitsa? In this case, there are no specific instructions, because death can not be foreseen, and all the more "adjusted" to the church calendar. Therefore, funerals and burial are allowed and conducted. The funeral is not trying to postpone the next day.
Can I knit on Radonitsu?
Orthodox Radonitsa - for a secular person a normal day, not providing days off and time off, so people can and should work: work is not forbidden, you just need to allocate time for a trip to the temple and prayers. However, in different regions of the country, Radonitsa, what should be done on this day, people interpret differently:
- For example, there is a belief that any handicraft is forbidden on the holiday: knitting and especially embroidery. People say: "not to blind the eyes of the dead."
- The liturgical calendar recommends refraining from any work on the eve of the feast. And by the end of the Memorial Tuesday it is already allowed to sew and knit.
Can I work for Radonitsa in the garden?
People who respect Christian customs and are gardeners and gardeners are also interested in whether it is possible to work on household plots this day: plant, weed, dig. It's over, when choosing what to do on Radonitsa, it is advisable to stop for the day in prayers, and to postpone the landing for another day, but you can work in the garden. Until dinner, while the churches are worshiping, do not work on the ground, as there is an opinion that the dead are able to hear and feel everything that is happening. In the afternoon you can start the planned work.
Can I go to Radonitsa at home?
On the day of Radunitsa everyone tries to visit temples and cemeteries to clean up on the graves of relatives. The Church does not prohibit small house cleaning, that is, "work in the morning," as the people say. Celebrating the Day of Remembrance does not depart from the accepted canons, according to which all homework should be completed the day before. In order to sit on a clean table on a bright day, be in a cleaned room. What can you do on Radonitsa:
- ironing;
- revenge floors;
- to sort out things;
- wash dishes, etc.
Can I wash in Radonitsa?
Daily church chores are not prohibited by the church, although if time permits, all the usual work should be postponed. In the list of what can not be done on Radonitsa, there is no laundry. If the baby diapers are soiled, that is, the case is urgent, it is allowed to make the necessary manipulations, but in another case the person will not become a sinner. He just has to find time for prayer in a series of domestic worries.
Can I wash on Radonitsa?
For most people, hygiene is a necessary daily procedure, without which one can not do without. Believers are concerned with the question: can I wash my head on Radonitsa and perform other water procedures? The Church does not prohibit these actions. However, it is recommended to wash on the eve of the holiday to meet him "fully armed." All the more it is indecent to come to church in an unseemly state: with a dirty head, in dirty clothes.
Many centuries the bright Radonitsa is celebrated - what should be done on this day people are discussing for as long. Far from the faith do not trouble themselves with the observance of church canons, but there are also parents of absurd statements and superstitions. But even when a person is not an ardent Christian, on Memorial Tuesday he should find time to pray for all his relatives and friends who have rested with the world.