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Every Church has their own tradition that they follow when it comes to funerals. The same goes to Russian funerals. Their religion is Russian Orthodox and their Church is very aware of the spiritual state of the dying. They have a lot of prayers to offer the dying that will help the soul cross both worlds.
In Russian funerals, it is very significant that a priest is present to hear the last confession and to conduct Holy Communion to the dying. However, this particular significant moment depends on the family of the dying. The family should be able to make arrangements early enough for the priest to visit the dying while the dying can still communicate. This is because if it’s too late, there is a big possibility that the dying cannot communicate anymore and because of this, it is impossible for the priest to conduct Holy Communion. Once this happens, the priest will read the Canon After the Departure of the Soul from the Body. During this reading, the family should not be present that is why they have to arrange a requiem sung in the Church. This service is known as Panikhida of the First Day.
Also, in Russian funerals, it is known that the burial only takes place on the third day upon death. This is the tradition of the Church and it teaches them that on the third day is when the soul leaves the world and embark on its ascencion to God. However, there are some circumstances when this can’t happen and if the family has different arrangements in mind, they can discuss this by consulting the priest.
According to the rule of the Russian Orthodox Church, they cannot conduct burial service for suicides, cremations and non-Orthodox persons. However, for every rule, there is an exception as they say and in this particular Russian Orthodox Church rule there is an exception which investigation is required before approval. Once the exception is made, it will be granted by the local bishop with all the needed documents presented to him by the parish priest.
Their tradition also includes a celebration which is called the panikhida that happens on the ninth day of the deceased. It is believed that on the ninth day, the soul has reached God’s Throne. Aside from this, it also marks the start of the period weighing up the sins and virtues of the departed until the fortieth day according to St. Basil the New and the Blessed Theordora. On the last day or fortieth day, it is taught that this is the time when the soul receives the conditional judgement which remains in place until the Great Day of Judgement at the end of time. Hence, the Church traditionally celebrates another panikhida for the soul’s repose of the departed beseeching God to be merciful and give the departed a place of spiritual comfort in God’s presence.
A panikhida is celebrated every year on the death anniversary of the loved one and this day is then considered to be their birthday in the Eternal Kingdom.
The Russian Orthodox Church taught its people the importance of prayers for the deceased as these brings spiritual comfort for their soul. They also light a candle in church or having the deceased commemorated at the Divine liturgy that also has spirtual benefit. Alms giving in memory of the dead is a tradition for the Russian Orthodox as well as the Church sees the benefits it can give both to the donor and the one given the alms to.
Russian Funeral Rites
Russia’s religion is usually Russian Orthodox though there are some citizens who have different religions such as Islam, Judaism, Roman Catholicism, Protestant, Buddhist are some of the religions of the people living in Russia. Every religion has its own culture and tradition and the same applies when it comes to funeral rites.
In Russia, there are a number of steps before a person is completely laid to rest. The first thing they do is to wash the body which they believe prepares the deceased to meet his or her creator. He or she must be dressed in all-white and it should be handmade but must be slightly unfinished because they believe that it belongs to the other world.
It is also required that the deceased wear a belt during the burial because it will be needed when he or she is resurrected during the Last Judgement. In fact, belts are very essential in Christian and other folk rituals. Christians find belts very valuable because babies receive them with the cross on their baptism day. It also symbolizes their commitment to Christianity. On the other hand, in folk tradition, belts are a mark of a person’s private space and proff that he or she is a member of the people and it is also believed that a belt helps protect the person from evil forces.
Once the washing and the clothing is done, the deceased will stay in the house for three days before it is finally put in a coffin. In some Russian Orthodox homes, this is performed in a slightly different ways. For them, they lay the deceased with the head pointing towards the icon corner. On the other hand, there are the Old Believer which places the feet of deceased close to the corner of the icon so that the dead faces the corner and can pray whenever. This is because Old believer believe that their dead loved ones can still feel even after death. When it comes to mourning, they do not start during the washing or dressing because they fear of waking the dead.
The coffin is like a new living room, as they call it, because it is very comfortable and it is made exactly like a bed with a pillow that comes with wood shavings. Mourners are allowed to place items in the coffin that they think the deceased will need after death like food, favorite items and money. The men are the ones who carry the coffin on their backs to the cemetery.
During the funeral, the priest performs the “seeing off” ceremony and he will pray over the body allowing mourners to throw dirt on the grave which symbolizes the incorporation of the deceased into the eart. He will then place a paper crown on the head of the deceased and the mourners will throw soil or coins. Once the funeral is fone, the mourners will sing songs or laments that renders the decased leaving his or her loved ones and sould departing from the body.
Russian Funeral Ceremonies
In Russian funerals, they observe a different tradition due to their religion which is usually Russian Orthodox. It is very interesting to know about their funeral ceremonies as it is also considered to be one of the most important rituals in the history of their nation or every nation in the whole world. Their folk traditions define death as a transition into their ancestors’ world.
Like other funerals, Russian funerals go through a couple of steps before the deceased is laid to rest. The first step is the washing of the body. They do this to take away the life energy and the deceased is put into funeral clothing which is all white and unfinished with a belt. For three days, the body is not put into the coffin but laid on a bench in the home with the legs facing the door. After three days, the funeral will then take place in the presence of the the deceased’s loved ones. Village inhabitants can also joing the ceremony. Fir branches and juniper are thrown after funeral processions because they believe that these can cover the tracks of the living. After the funeral ceremony, the loved ones of the deceased take a different route to confuse the evil spirits so they won’t be able to find the location of the deceased. When it comes to coffin preparation, the elderly are encouraged to prepare it and the funeral clothes before death.
Aside from this, Russian funerals are allowed to put something into the coffin such as copper money and nail cuttings. They put these things because they believe that these will help the deceased on his or her journey to the other world. It is said that money can help the deceased cross the river that separates the living and the dead worlds while the nail cuttings can help them climb mountains.
Another important part of Russian funerals is the lamentation. Loved ones say their prayers and Psalter and they weep over the deceased. They can mourn in the house and in the cemetery. The commemoration takes place on the same day as the funeral and on the ninth and fortieth day after death. All the village inhabitants are invited to participate on the commemoration. Russian Orthodox believes that the dead is with them during commemoration. They prepare their traditional food during this event such as pancakes, fish pie and oatmeal kissel.
In the whole forty days after the funeral, they place a special towel on their window frame and a cup of water on their window sill. It is believed that the dead’s soul visit his or her home and rests on the towel and drink water or bathe in the water. On the fortieth day, the towel is put at the cemetery while they recite: “The soul, go where the body has gone”. They will then burn the towel or they will place it in the river where it will float away.
