Funerals & Memorials

In memorial slips for the departed (zapíski za upokóy), the names of those who believed in God and passed away in the Orthodox (Old Believer) faith are written—those over whom a priest has performed the funeral rite. In some families, a synodik or pomyannik is compiled, in which the entire lineage of the family is recorded. These commemorative books…

To clothe the deceased, new garments are used, resembling those typically worn during church services. For men: underpants, shirt, belt, and kaftan (a long outer garment); for women: a long shirt, sarafan (traditional jumper dress), povoinik (a married woman’s headdress), and a headscarf. Soft slippers are placed on the feet. First, a savan (burial shroud) is placed in the coffin. The savan is made as…

“It is good and proper to perform Liturgies for them (the departed),to offer sacrifices, almsgiving, and generous nourishment of the poor.”— Book on the Faith, ch. 13 Commemorative prayer for the dead is strengthened by almsgiving. Almsgiving offered during one’s lifetime pleads for the forgiveness of sins. After a person’s repose, their loved ones distribute alms…

If men sin against you, even seventy times seven, forgive them, that they may be forgiven on earth and in heaven.(Prayer at the Burial) One of the ancient Russian funeral customs is the placing of an absolution certificate into the hand of the deceased. After the farewell, the priest quietly reads aloud the written prayer of absolution…

“We believe in the resurrection, but as for those who do not believe—woe unto them, for they have been grievously deceived.”(Prayers at the Burial) The aim of the funeral rite is to warm the soul, separated from the body, with prayer; to comfort the grieving loved ones with the hope of a just reward for…

In churches we often witness a sorrowful scene. Relatives come to arrange the burial of an Orthodox Old Believer. And the first, entirely reasonable question from the standpoint of a believer—“Who was the spiritual father of the deceased?”—throws them into confusion. The second question, “When was the last time he went to confession?” prompts them…

The Church prays for the departed every week, on each Saturday. Saturday is the seventh day of creation, on which the Lord rested from His works and appointed it as a day of rest from worldly cares and for prayer, as the God-seer Moses wrote in the Old Testament Law. Christians, understanding the Mosaic Law…