Parents' Saturday in February. A true understanding of the meaning of honoring parents can be revealed by parental Saturdays, of which there are seven in the calendar

Dimitrievskaya Parents' Saturday in 2017 falls not in November, as is usually the case, but at the very end of October. Why?

In 2017, Parents' Saturday was moved to October 28 due to the coincidence with the holiday of the Kazan Icon Mother of God(November 4).

The Day of Remembrance of the Dead on Saturday, the day before the day of remembrance of the Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessaloniki (November 8, BC) was established after the Battle of Kulikovo, which took place on Christmas Day Holy Mother of God in 1380.

Initially, according to the establishment of the holy Prince Demetrius Donskoy, on this day they commemorated all Russian soldiers who fell on the Kulikovo Field. Actually, this is another meaning of the name “Dimitrievskaya” Saturday.

Over time, Dimitrievskaya Saturday became the day when all Christians “dead from time immemorial (from the beginning of time)” are remembered.

Dimitrievskaya Saturday is the last parents' Saturday in 2017. The next Parents' Saturday will be celebrated on February 10, 2018.

Dimitrievskaya Parents' Saturday - what you need to know about the memorial day

Dmitrievskaya Parental Saturday falls on the nearest Saturday before the day of remembrance of the Great Martyr Dmitry of Thessalonica (day of the angel Dmitry Donskoy). He was a warrior of the heavenly and earthly king. He defended the earthly king from attacks, defended his country, people, history. But he loved, knew, worshiped and served the Heavenly King. He protected the earthly king, and glorified the heavenly one and led other people to worship of God, to faith, so that after their dormition they could be united in the kingdom of heaven.

And Dmitrievskaya parental Saturday was established after the battle on the Kulikovo field - by Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy. After the victory over Mamai in 1380, Dmitry Donskoy visits the Trinity-Sergius Monastery to commemorate the fallen soldiers. And a little earlier the abbot of the monastery, Venerable Sergius Radonezh, blessed two of his monks - Alexander Peresvet and Andrei Oslyabya - for the war against the Mongol-Tatar yoke. Both monks died in battle. And the monk himself during the war, when he offered his prayers to God, imbued with the Holy Spirit, saw how soldiers were falling and called each soldier killed by name.

Upon the arrival of Dmitry Donskoy at the monastery, a funeral service was held, a commemoration of the Orthodox soldiers who died on the battlefield, and a common meal.

Subsequently, a tradition developed - to perform such a commemoration annually, since there were 250 thousand killed in that battle and many families felt the bitterness of loss. A little later, they began to commemorate not only the soldiers, but also all the deceased Orthodox Christians.

Parents' Saturday - how to spend the day

On Dmitrievskaya Parents' Saturday, people visit the graves of their relatives and loved ones. Memorial services, funeral litias (services) are held in churches and cemeteries, and memorial dinners are held.

On Dimitrovskaya Parental Saturday, Orthodox Christians go to churches, light candles for the Crucifixion, not icons, and write the names of their deceased loved ones in memorial notes. Notes can only mention the names of deceased relatives who were baptized during their lifetime.

You can pray for the unbaptized over their grave or at home. Another custom characteristic of Dimitrievskaya parental Saturday is to bring treats to the temple for the poor. During the service, this treat is blessed and later distributed to those who wish. Also on this day, it is customary to give alms to the poor with a request to pray for the deceased.

To remember your deceased relatives in church, you need to come to church for a service on Friday evening before parental Saturday. At this time, a great funeral service, or parastas, takes place. In the morning at funeral Saturday a funeral liturgy is performed, after which a general memorial service is served.

The commemoration of the dead is an apostolic institution, it is observed throughout the Church and the liturgy for the dead, the offering of the Bloodless Sacrifice for their salvation is the most powerful and effective remedy to ask the departed for the mercy of God.

Church commemoration is performed only for those who were baptized in the Orthodox faith.

Memorial services for suicides, as well as for those not baptized in the Orthodox faith, are not performed. Moreover, these persons cannot be commemorated at the liturgy. The Holy Church offers unceasing prayers for our departed fathers and brothers at every divine service and especially at the liturgy.

It is imperative to remember the deceased on the day of his death, birth and name day.

Days of remembrance must be spent decorously, reverently, in prayer, doing good to the poor and loved ones, in thinking about our death and future life.

You cannot have a feast or get drunk in a cemetery. There is an opinion that the wake of the deceased is an opportunity to drink a glass of other alcohol, but this is not so. The plight of the departed cannot be alleviated by this action. Only conscious prayer can convey our love to loved ones. Also not allowed on Parents' Saturday:

• swear;
• get drunk;
• to swear;
• speak ill of the deceased;
• grieve and cry.

It is important to know that remembering does not mean being sad. To remember means to pray. The soul cannot die, it passes into another world - which one depends on the person during life. If he sinned, then his soul will suffer and languish. Only prayer, which is read by loved ones with special trepidation, will help save her from this. Therefore, every parent’s Saturday it is necessary to remember your loved ones with prayer from the bottom of your heart. The one who reads it conveys love and gratitude that he could not give to his loved one during his lifetime.

Saturdays of remembrance of those who introduced themselves are special. They are called parental, due to the fact that all the deceased went to their parents and ancestors. Read here on how to spend this day and what not to do.

What not to do on Dimitrievskaya Parent Saturday

On this day it is forbidden to scold the deceased. You should remember only good things about them, otherwise you may anger their soul.

It is believed that it is strictly forbidden to remember the dead alcoholic drinks. However, if there is such a tradition in your family, then try to do it in moderation. The souls of the deceased may become angry due to drunkenness during the funeral meal.

Also, during remembrance, you should not laugh or sing songs. Despite the fact that the holiday is not of a mourning nature, do not forget that on this day you remember loved ones who are no longer among the living. Therefore, fun will be inappropriate.

If your deceased relative committed suicide or was not a believer during his lifetime, then you will not be able to remember him in church and light a candle for the repose of his soul. In this case, you can pray for him at home.

What not to do on Parents' Saturday

There are many superstitions associated with prohibitions on memorial day. It is not forbidden to do housework and gardening these days, but only after going to church and reading the funeral prayer.

Most believers, when visiting a cemetery, pour alcohol into a glass at the grave or pour vodka on it, believing that if the deceased liked to drink, then they are helping him. This is unacceptable, since the soul of the deceased may suffer for the sin of drinking wine even after death.

You cannot have a feast or get drunk in a cemetery.

Parents' Saturdays in 2017 are held on Orthodox calendar. The next day of remembrance of ancestors is very soon - April 25, 2017.

Parents' Saturdays in 2017, what date?

The most extreme Parents' Saturday will be very soon. This is Radonitsa, celebrated on April 25th. Although this day does not fall on Saturday, the Orthodox Church includes it among the special days for remembering ancestors. There are eight Parents' Saturdays in total in 2017.

Radonitsa still stands apart from other days. The peculiarity of this holiday is that it is not only celebrated on Tuesday, but is essentially the main memorial day for the dead of the year.

The exact date for Radonitsa is not assigned. It is celebrated on the ninth day after Easter. Or the first Tuesday after Krasnaya Gorka (Fomina Sunday). The exact dates of commemoration are explained by the calendar of Orthodox Parental Saturdays.

After Radonitsa, the next memorial day is May 9. It is not transferred, the date is permanent. This is a day of remembrance for fallen soldiers.

From this article you will find out what date Orthodox parental Saturdays will be in 2017. You will also learn about the meaning of this Ecumenical service.

Parents' Saturdays in 2017

Often these special days of remembrance of the dead are called “ecumenical parental Saturdays.” This is not true. There are two Ecumenical Memorial Saturdays: Meat (on the Saturday preceding the Sunday of the Last Judgment) and Trinity (on the Saturday preceding the Feast of Pentecost, or also called the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity - the birthday of the Church of Christ).

The main meaning of these “ecumenical” (common to the entire Orthodox Church) funeral services is to pray for all deceased Orthodox Christians, regardless of their personal closeness to us. This is a matter of love that does not divide the world into friends and strangers. The main attention these days is to all those who are united with us by the highest kinship - kinship in Christ, and especially to those who have no one to remember.

Parents' Saturdays in 2017 fall on the following dates:

• Ecumenical Parental Saturday (meat-free)– February 18, 2017.
• Saturday of the 2nd week of Great Lent – ​​March 11, 2017.
• Saturday of the 3rd week of Great Lent – ​​March 18, 2017.
• Saturday of the 4th week of Great Lent – ​​March 25, 2017.
• Commemoration of deceased warriors– May 9, 2017.
• Radonitsa– April 25, 2017.
• Trinity Parents' Saturday in 2017– June 3, 2017.
• Dimitrievskaya Parents' Saturday– November 4, 2017.

For the primary commemoration of people dear to us personally, there are other parental Saturdays. First of all, these are the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Saturdays of Great Lent, and besides them, the Dimitrievsky parental Saturday established in the Russian Orthodox Church, which was originally intended to commemorate the soldiers who fell in the Battle of Kulikovo, but gradually became a general memorial day .

This memorial service falls on the Saturday preceding the memory of St. Vmch. Demetrius of Thessalonica - patron saint of the prince. Dmitry Donskoy, at whose suggestion, after the Battle of Kulikovo, an annual commemoration of soldiers was established. But over time, the memory of the liberating soldiers was supplanted in the popular consciousness, which is very regrettable, turning Dimitrievskaya Memorial Saturday into one of the “parents’ days.”

Why "parental"? After all, we remember not only our parents, but also other people, often not connected to us by any family ties? By various reasons. First of all, not even because parents, as a rule, leave this world before their children (and therefore too, but this is not the main thing), but because in general our first priority prayer duty is for our parents: of all the people whose temporary earthly life is over, we first of all owe it to those through whom we received this gift of life - our parents and forefathers.

We invariably show a desire to pay honor to deceased relatives and friends. It is so important to pay tribute to their memory and respect. This helps maintain the connection between generations and is a prerequisite for spiritual life. Very little is required of us - to know when these days will be celebrated, only in this case can we adequately prepare for them.

What is Radonitsa?

Called Radonitsa or sometimes Radunitsa, this day is one of the special holidays set aside by the church to honor the dead. Such special days (there are 8 of them in a year) are celebrated on Saturdays, which is where their name comes from - “parental Saturdays”.

However, Radonitsa stands apart in the series of these memorable days, since for the most part it almost always falls on a Tuesday. The peculiarity of this most important parent's day of the year is not only that it is celebrated on Tuesday, but also that in terms of its significance it ranks first among all memorial days.

There is no exact date assigned to Radonitsa; every year the time of this day changes depending on when Easter is celebrated. We just need to count 9 days from Easter Sunday and we will get the exact date Radonitsy. That is, in other words, this is the first Tuesday after Krasnaya Gorka (Fomina Sunday). Thus, the date of parent's day in 2017 falls on April 25.

Memorial days

In order to be able to timely honor the memory of deceased relatives and friends, taking care of their souls by reading prayers and visiting the cemetery in order to maintain order at the graves, it is simply necessary to know the exact days of commemoration. Orthodox parenting days in 2017 fall on the following dates:

Now that you know the parents’ days to visit the cemetery in 2017, you will be able to properly prepare and arrange a memorial rite worthy of your deceased relatives and friends.

Origins and meaning of Radonitsa

According to the testimony of many scientists and biblical figures, including John Chrysostom, the history of Radonitsa goes back to ancient times. Back in pagan times it was great holiday remembrance of the deceased, carried out on a wide scale. People, gathering on the burial mounds, organized a funeral feast (funeral feast) and noisy celebrations, trying to appease the souls of the deceased. This holiday is embedded so deeply in the popular consciousness that the official church, after a long time, recognized this day, elevating it to a special rank.

The meaning of this holiday is hidden in its name, which may sound differently among different Slavic peoples. These are Radovnitsa (some regions of Russia), and Mogilki, and Grobki (Ukraine), and Naviy Den (Belarus).

The joy of resurrection on special days

However, in any case, “Radonitsa” in its origin is equated to both the word “joy” and the concept of “kindred”. What kind of joy can we talk about on such a mournful day? The Church explains: when visiting the temple and graves of our ancestors on Radonitsa, we should not fall into despondency and melancholy, but rejoice for loved ones who appeared before the face of the Lord. They are now close to God and their souls rejoice, being in love and happiness.

So, why shouldn’t we, their descendants, rejoice for them by offering prayers? By tidying up the grave, we also perform a certain ritual action, symbolically meaning preparation for the resurrection of the soul.

The main thing that we must and can do on this day for deceased relatives is to devote sufficient time to prayers. If it is not possible to invite a priest to the grave to read the litiya (funeral prayer service), then you can do it yourself. It is prayers that our family and friends need, and not excessive eating and drinking of alcohol. This is what the Church teaches, and this is how you need to act according to your conscience and the dictates of your heart.

Procedure and basic rules

In the morning of any Mother's Day, Orthodox Christians go to church, taking with them a Lenten lunch, which is donated either to the church or to poor people who are in dire need of help. After holding the funeral service, they usually go to cemeteries, where they also read prayers and clean up. Traditions such as commemorating food and drinking directly at graves are still very strong. Traditionally, this can be understood, but the church is against such actions. In principle, everyone acts according to their own concepts, but still, organizing a drunken feast at graves is not a godly thing.

Radonitsa in Rus'

By the way, in Rus' towels and tablecloths were laid out on Radonitsa right on burial mound, and, having laid out a rich meal, the whole family enjoyed the meal. They ate and drank so much that sometimes they immediately fell asleep. The list of obligatory dishes included those painted yellow or green color eggs, dry pies according to a special recipe, pancakes, porridge.

Before the start of the funeral feast, the head of the family rolled eggs along the grave and then buried one of them in the ground, as if allowing the deceased to join the Easter meal. It was obligatory to pour a glass of vodka on the grave, which is also not welcome modern church. After dinner, to which the beggars were always invited and treated, they remained in the cemetery for a short time, peacefully spending time in conversations, and only then went home. In the evening, the youth organized festivities with songs, dances and fun activities.

Signs and beliefs for parent's day

People attached great importance to the weather that fell on Radunitsa. We were especially looking forward to the rain.

• It was believed that the rain on this day had a special power - to preserve and prolong youth and health, beauty, prosperity, and happiness. Small children sang special songs to invite rain. If it really rained, they washed themselves with its water, exposing their face to the rain. And the girls did this in a special way, passing rainwater through a gold or silver ring in order to be beautiful and happy.
• The rain foreshadowed a year rich in harvest.
• It was strictly forbidden to plant or sow anything - this led to the possibility of losing the entire harvest.
• If the weather was warm on Radonitsa, they said “the parents breathed in the warmth.”

Now we can take a different look at the meaning of this holiday of remembrance. And by setting the right example for our children, we can hope that this tradition will be passed on further, uniting the representatives of the clan into a single whole.

What time will the Closing Ceremony of the Universiade 2019 begin, where to watch:

Beginning of the Closing Ceremony of the Universiade 2019 - 20:00 local time, or 16:00 Moscow time .

The show will show live Federal TV channel "Match!" . The live television broadcast starts at 15:55 Moscow time.

A live broadcast will also be available on the channel "Match! Country".

You can start a live online broadcast of the event on the Internet on the Sportbox portal.

International Women's Day on March 8 is a UN observance, and the organization includes 193 states. The memorial dates announced by the General Assembly are designed to encourage UN members to show increased interest in these events. However, on this moment not all member states of the United Nations have approved the celebration women's day in their territories on the specified date.

Below is a list of countries that celebrate International Women's Day. Countries are grouped into groups: in a number of states the holiday is an official non-working day (day off) for all citizens, on March 8th only women rest, and there are states where they work on March 8th.

In which countries is the holiday March 8 a day off (for everyone):

* In Russia- March 8 is one of the most favorite holidays, when men congratulate all women without exception.

* In Ukraine- International Women's Day continues to remain an additional holiday, despite regular proposals to exclude the event from the list of non-working days and replace it, for example, with Shevchenko Day, which will be celebrated on March 9.
* In Abkhazia.
* In Azerbaijan.
* In Algeria.
* In Angola.
* In Armenia.
* In Afghanistan.
* In Belarus.
* To Burkina Faso.
* In Vietnam.
* In Guinea-Bissau.
* In Georgia.
* In Zambia.
* In Kazakhstan.
* In Cambodia.
* In Kenya.
* In Kyrgyzstan.
* IN DPRK.
* In Cuba.
* In Laos.
* In Latvia.
* In Madagascar.
* In Moldova.
* In Mongolia.
* In Nepal.
* In Tajikistan- since 2009, the holiday was renamed Mother's Day.
* In Turkmenistan.
* In Uganda.
* In Uzbekistan.
* In Eritrea.
* In South Ossetia.

Countries where March 8 is a women's-only day off:

There are countries where only women are exempt from work on International Women's Day. This rule approved:

* In China.
* In Madagascar.

Which countries celebrate March 8, but it is a working day:

In some countries, International Women's Day is widely celebrated, but is a working day. This:

* Austria.
* Bulgaria.
* Bosnia and Herzegovina.
* Germany- in Berlin, since 2019, March 8 is a day off, in the country as a whole it is a working day.
* Denmark.
* Italy.
* Cameroon.
* Romania.
* Croatia.
* Chile.
* Switzerland.

In which countries is March 8 NOT celebrated?

* In Brazil, the majority of whose residents have not even heard of the “international” holiday of March 8th. The main event of the end of February - beginning of March for Brazilians and Brazilian women is not Women's Day at all, but the largest in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records, the Brazilian Festival, also called the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. In honor of the festival, Brazilians rest for several days in a row, from Friday until noon on Catholic Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent (which for Catholics has a flexible date and begins 40 days before Catholic Easter).

* In the USA, the holiday is not an official holiday. In 1994, an attempt by activists to get the celebration approved by Congress failed.

* In the Czech Republic (Czech Republic) - most of the country's population views the holiday as a relic of the communist past and the main symbol of the old regime.

Traditions and customs of Maslenitsa:

The essence of the Maslenitsa holiday in the Christian understanding is as follows:

Forgiveness of offenders, restoration of good relations with loved ones, sincere and friendly communication with loved ones and relatives, as well as charity- that’s what’s important this Cheese Week.

On Maslenitsa you can no longer eat meat dishes, and this is also the first step to fasting. But pancakes are baked and eaten with great pleasure. They are baked unleavened and leavened, with eggs and milk, served with caviar, sour cream, butter or honey.

In general, during Maslenitsa week you should have fun and attend festive events (skating, skiing, snow tubing, slides, horseback riding). Also, you need to devote time to your family - have fun with your family and friends: go somewhere together, the “young” should visit their parents, and the parents, in turn, should come to visit their children.

Date of Maslenitsa (Orthodox and pagan):

IN church tradition Maslenitsa is celebrated for 7 days (weeks) from Monday to Sunday, before the main event. Orthodox fasting, which is why the event is also called “Maslenitsa Week”.

The timing of Maslenitsa week depends on the beginning of Lent, which marks Easter, and shifts every year in accordance with the Orthodox church calendar.

So, in 2019, Orthodox Maslenitsa takes place from March 4, 2019 to March 10, 2019, and in 2020 - from February 24, 2020 to March 1, 2020.

Regarding the pagan date of Maslenitsa, then d jealous Slavs celebrated the holiday according to the solar calendar - at the moment of the onset of astronomical spring, which occurs in . The ancient Russian celebration lasted for 14 days: it began a week before the vernal equinox and ended a week later.

Description of Maslenitsa celebration:

The tradition of celebrating Maslenitsa with a cheerful festivities has still been preserved.

In the majority Russian cities events called "Wide Maslenitsa". In the capital of Russia, Moscow, the central platform for festive festivities is traditionally Vasilyevsky Spusk on Red Square. They also conduct abroad "Russian Maslenitsa" to popularize Russian traditions.
It is customary, especially on the last Sunday, when workers and students can relax, to organize mass holidays as in the old days, with songs, games, farewells and the burning of an effigy of Maslenitsa. In Maslenitsa towns there are stages for performances, places for selling food (pancakes are a must), and souvenirs, and attractions for children. Masquerades with mummers and carnival processions are held.

What are the days of Maslenitsa week, what are they called (name and description):

Each day of Maslenitsa has its own name and has its own traditions. Below is the name and description for each day.

Monday - Meeting. Since the first day is a working day, in the evening father-in-law and mother-in-law come to visit daughter-in-law's parents. The first pancakes are being baked, which can be given to the poor to commemorate the dead. On Monday, a straw effigy is dressed up and displayed on a hill at the site of the festivities. In dances and games, stylized wall-to-wall fist fights are held. The “first pancake” is baked and solemnly eaten to commemorate the soul.

Tuesday - Flirting. The second day is traditionally the day of the young. Youth festivities, skiing from the mountains ("pokatushki"), matchmaking are signs of this day. It should be noted that the church prohibits weddings on Maslenitsa, as well as during Lent. Therefore, on Maslenitsa Tuesday, they woo the bride to have a wedding after Easter on Krasnaya Gorka.

Wednesday - Lakomka. On the third day the son-in-law comes to my mother-in-law for pancakes.

On Thursday - Razguly, Razgulay. On the fourth day festivities are becoming widespread. Wide Maslenitsa- this is the name of the days from Thursday to the end of the week, and the day of generous treats itself is called “Rampant Thursday”.

Friday - Mother-in-law's party. On the fifth day of Maslenitsa week mother-in-law with friends or relatives comes to visit her son-in-law for pancakes. Of course, her daughter should bake the pancakes, and her son-in-law should show hospitality. In addition to the mother-in-law, all relatives are invited to visit.

Saturday - Sister-in-law's gatherings. On the sixth day husband's sisters come to visit(You can also invite the rest of your husband’s relatives). It is considered good form not only to feed guests abundantly and tasty, but also to give gifts to sisters-in-law.

Sunday - Farewell, Forgiveness Sunday. On the last (seventh) day, before Lent, one should repent and show mercy. All relatives and friends ask each other for forgiveness. Carnival processions are held in places of public celebrations. The effigy of Maslenitsa is solemnly burned, thus turning into a beautiful Spring. As darkness falls, festive fireworks are set off.

In churches, also on Sunday, at the evening service, the rite of forgiveness is performed, when the priest asks for forgiveness from church servants and parishioners. All believers, in turn, ask for forgiveness and bow to each other. In response to a request for forgiveness they say “God will forgive.”

What happens after the celebration of Maslenitsa:

And at the end of the Maslenitsa holiday, Orthodox believers begin one of the most important fasts. We all remember the saying: " Maslenitsa is not all for the cat - there will be Lent too".