In the Orthodox tradition, the 40th day after the death of a person has a certain significance for his soul. But still many people care what it means 40 days after death. Forty days have a special significance: for people who believe in God, this is a certain boundary that forever separates life on earth from eternal life. The human soul remains on the ground for up to 40 days after death, and then leaves the earth. For religious people, 40 days after death are more tragic than death itself.
The soul in the struggle for heaven or hell
The soul of a person from 9 to 40 days passes through many obstacles, which according to Orthodox beliefs are called airy ordeals. From the moment the person died, until the third day his soul remains on the ground and can go anywhere.
What happens on the 40th day after death?
On the 40th day after the soul passes through the ordeal, is in paradise and goes to hell , where she sees all the anguish and horrors waiting for sinners in hell, she is to appear for the third time before the Lord. It is then that the destiny of the soul will be decided. That is, where the soul will go, and will be until the day of the Last Judgment, in heaven or in hell.
It is generally believed that, up to 40 days, the soul after death has already undergone all sorts of tests that determine whether a person succeeded in his life on earth to earn a place in paradise.
It is for this reason that 40 days for the church and for the relatives of the deceased is considered the last boundary, after which the soul falls either to demons or to angels.
What is done on the 40th day after death?
On this day it is very important to pray, but also in the previous ones too. Prayer is the simplest and most reliable way to ask the Almighty to be merciful and to make a fair verdict.
Together with prayer, relatives in the name of saving the soul of the deceased can make a sacrifice: to refuse for some time from some sin. For example, stop drinking alcohol or watching TV. For the deceased, such a refusal will only benefit and will bring him comfort.
Another important tradition for 40 days after death is a wake and it is necessary to know how to properly remember the deceased.
So, people who believe in God should be present at a funeral dinner. Celebrate 40 days of simple and lean food, without delicious dishes. You do not have to spend money to please the guests. On the memorial table should be the main dish, symbolizing the rebirth of the soul - kutya. Before embarking on other dishes, every person who is present at the table must eat at least one, and preferably a few spoons of kutya.
Under no pretext, a wake should not be an occasion for a joyful and long-awaited meeting of relatives and friends, because it is not a feast or a social event. Of course, that for 40 days after death at the table you can not sing songs, have fun or joke.
It is necessary to closely monitor the course of events. It happens that people who have not seen each other for a long time gather at a memorial for 40 days at a table.
For 40 days after death, you must go to the cemetery, and bring flowers and a candle. When the flowers are laid on the grave of the deceased for 40 days - this is considered a sign of respect and a demonstration of great love for him, also it speaks about the severity of the loss.
Preparing for the fortieth day, relatives should, first of all, think about the deceased and his soul, and not about the menu, flowers and other similar things. It is necessary to correctly approach the fact that the deceased must be respected in the first place, and only then think about the guests and their comforts.