Why you can’t go to a cemetery on Easter, the priest’s answer to this important question causes amazement among many believers. Oddly enough, many do not even know that on Easter, from the point of view of the Orthodox religion, going to the cemetery is completely wrong.

This is even considered a great sin, because the bright holiday, the first in a series of forty holiday days, must be spent among your family and in the circle of close relatives who are still alive. Easter is, first of all, a holiday of the living. What not to do in

Where did the ban come from?

It must be said that the tradition of going to the cemetery on Easter appeared among believers in Soviet times. Back then, as you know, religion was banned, traditions were not passed on from generation to generation, and often there was simply no one to turn to for advice on what and when to do right. Consequently, during this period, people who believed in God tried to at least somehow preserve traditions: as best they could.

In order to somehow celebrate Easter, people sought to visit the cemetery on this day so that they could calmly share their joy with their already deceased relatives. At least they definitely won’t hand over to the KGB and write a complaint. But now, when religion is again held in high esteem and every person who reaches out to God has the opportunity to find out about everything, ask questions, and observe the rituals correctly, we must remember that Easter is a bright holiday, it is a holiday of living people.

Easter Day celebrates the fact that Jesus Christ rose from the dead and on this day it is necessary
think only about something good, be happy. Rejoice that Jesus Christ has risen and thereby proven that there is no death, there is only a transition to eternal life, to the Kingdom of God. Easter is precisely a holiday of life, but not of death. Over the next few weeks there will be a special day set aside for this when you need to go to the cemetery with the good news. But this is not done on Easter itself.

When to go to the cemetery in honor of Easter

Why you can’t go to the cemetery on Easter, we’ve already received the priest’s answer. Now let’s look at exactly what day is specially set aside in the church calendar to go to Easter with the good news of the Resurrection of Christ. Here we are talking about Tuesday, the second Tuesday after the holiday. That is, not on Easter week, but immediately after it. This is a big memorial day during the Orthodox year, it even has its own special name - Radonitsa or Radunitsa. In some countries, this day is an official holiday. Options, .

We must also understand that for us the people who lie in the cemetery are dead, but for Christ every soul, regardless of whether the body lives or not, is alive. So, in principle, there is no big difference for the Lord with what a person wants to be Christed: with a living relative or a dead one.

About church canons

It should be noted regarding why you can’t go to the cemetery on Easter, the priest’s answer is that there are, of course, no strict prohibitions here according to church canons. If a person wants to think about deceased people and remember them on Easter, then no one will forbid this. But here you should remember that, if possible, it is better to postpone the remembrance until a special day set aside for this.

In some sources today you can find information that the custom of going to the cemetery on Easter appeared long before the October Revolution. In Tsarist Russia, many ancestors lived in rural areas; the roads there were bad. The temple, as a rule, was built next to the cemetery. So, in order to avoid going far to the same place twice, many immediately after the Easter service went to the graves of their ancestors to lay a colored egg there and congratulate their deceased relatives on the holiday of Easter. Many believe that the tradition of visiting the cemetery on Easter developed in this way.

Still, if you read modern church literature or talk to a priest, it will be noted that you should not go to the cemetery on Easter itself. This holiday is not a day of sorrow; one should rejoice and have fun on Easter. Moreover, now, after a long Lent, this can finally be done. It is worth remembering that already on the second Tuesday after Easter, there will be Radonitsa day. It is on this day that you need to go to the cemetery to inform your deceased relatives, friends and loved ones that Christ has risen from the dead. Great way.

Why you can’t go to the cemetery on Easter, the priest’s answer suggests that it is best to postpone this trip until a special memorial day. I would like to remind you that, according to the Orthodox tradition, there is no need to bring food to the cemetery: dead people, whose only soul is alive, do not need human food. However, you can take a painted egg with you to the cemetery as a symbol of Easter and eternal life after death.

Some people think that eggs and Easter cakes blessed for Easter are a shrine akin to Communion, well, at least like prosphora. Others, on the contrary, venerate food consecrated in the temple as an object of festive fun. An Old Believer priest of the Russian Orthodox Church tells readers of the site “” how one should really treat Easter customs. O. John Sevastyanov.

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How is Easter celebrated in your community? Are there any special customs?

In our Community there is no single established Easter custom or tradition. Every year we organize something: either gifts for the entire Community, or a joint holiday meal, or a youth picnic in nature. The only thing that always happens is the glorification of Christ. Just like at Christmas, Christians go to visit each other and glorify the Risen Christ.

The main thought in the word of John Chrysostom, which is read on the very feast of the Resurrection of Christ, is the appeal to those who came to the temple to approach the calf, i.e. Communion. Why, in fact, do people never receive communion on Easter?

I believe that not receiving communion at the Easter Liturgy is some kind of spiritual impoverishment. In our Community, up to 50 adults and children receive communion on Easter. And even infants. People are preparing for Communion. Many people perceive this as the culmination of the holiday. We try to explain that the main thing in Easter is not the breaking of the fast, but Communion, not the Easter cakes, but the Body of Christ.

Some people go to the cemetery on Easter to visit the dead. Is this an Orthodox custom?

It seems to me that the dispute in the Old Believers, whether it is necessary to go to the cemetery on Easter, is akin to a metaphysical clarification of what comes first: the chicken or the egg. Here in the south, it used to be that it was strictly forbidden to go to a cemetery on Easter Day. I remember old-timers saying that only Nikonians go to the cemetery on Easter. And we, Old Believers, will go to Radonitsa.

But now we learn that our Christians in Moldova, in the Moscow region, think the opposite - Old Believers go to the cemetery on Easter, and Nikonians go to Radonitsa. It is absolutely impossible to make out who is right and who is wrong. I think that in this matter everyone should act in accordance with family traditions and customs. As your ancestors did, so do you. If your ancestors did not do anything, then form your traditions in the image of the Old Believer Community to which you belong.

Is it true that eggs consecrated in the temple must be eaten before the rest of the Easter meal?

I believe that the products that are consecrated in the church after the Easter Liturgy, of course, should be consumed when breaking the fast, before other food. After all, this is the meaning of sanctification. We ask the Lord to bless us to break our fast. So you should not carry huge bags of provisions to the temple. One Easter cake and a couple of eggs are enough to consecrate to break the fast for the whole family. But it’s also not worth comparing blessed Easter cakes and eggs with prosphora. Nevertheless, such reverence and respect as for prosphora should not be shown to eggs and Easter cakes.

On Easter, young people and adults not only exchange eggs, but also hit them to see who has the stronger one. In the old days, eggs were rolled down a slide to receive some kind of gift. Piety - are you these customs?

Painted Easter eggs are a kind of reminder of the miracle of Mary Magdalene - of her assurance of the pagan in the Resurrection. It would be a stretch to say that the Easter egg is a symbol of the resurrection. Therefore, putting such a meaning into this symbol, you should not use it as a baby rattle. If such an egg is perceived simply as a toy, then why not play with it. Especially children. The main thing is that, while playing with Easter eggs, they do not get used to the shrine and do not lose the fear of God.

Everyone knows that after the festive service, returning home from church for the first time after a forty-day fast, believers sit down at the festive table and break their fast, that is, they eat fasting food, which is previously blessed in the church. Usually these are Easter cakes, Easter cottage cheese and painted Easter eggs.

“Spells and rituals for Easter”

Easter cakes shine on Saturday evening. I am convinced that to sanctify You ONLY need Easter, eggs and Easter cake. We always add a beautiful small artificial flower, which we then use to decorate the icons. My grandmother also put one unpainted egg, which was eaten when breaking the fast along with the painted ones. But not everyone does this; it is an old custom from the area where she was born.

Easter cake, Easter and eggs are placed on a large dish, the dish is placed on a new clean white towel or piece of cloth (linen or cotton, not artificial!) and tied in a knot. In church, the knot is placed on a bench and carefully untied. After consecration, they tie it back. The towel is stored until next Easter - this is famous Easter towel (towel), which relieves many diseases. The towel is washed only on the next Maundy Thursday and used again to bless the Easter cake.

I believe that there is no need to bring the entire festive table to church - 5 types of sausage, lard, ham, pies, fish, wine... You can see everything... I even saw vodka in some of them. It’s hard to imagine greater blasphemy... But if you like to get drunk on blessed vodka on Easter - the church is loyal to this - bring it... Father will wince, but he will illuminate everything that you brought... I think that it’s better to put more dyes in this place - they will be useful later in the treatment sick, removing damage, etc. You cannot give away consecrated paints - only unconsecrated ones.

Breaking the fast on Sunday morning, or immediately after All-night vigil - who went to it. You can’t sleep during the all-night vigil - health and good luck sleep. If you couldn’t go to church, light a candle and read your prayers – you can turn on the live broadcast of the service.

They break their fast like this: Everyone washes, dresses, sits down at a festively set table, on which stands the blessed Easter, Easter cake and eggs. Lighting an Easter candle(it glows together with the Easter cake, then goes out and lights up in the morning when breaking the fast and reading a prayer; if it burns out, light another one.), they read prayers if there is time - morning, Easter, if not - “Our Father” and “Theotokos” (usually This is done by the eldest man in the family - the owner, if there are no men - the eldest woman. If the eldest is on her critical days, then the next one). Please note - at the Passover meal Only family members gather, friends and acquaintances are not invited to the Easter feast!

“Spells and rituals for Easter”

The elder divides the blessed egg, Easter cake and Easter into the number of people present at the table. This piece of egg symbolizes happiness, health and good luck for everyone for the whole year, so even if you don’t like such food, these pieces MUST be eaten. The owner pours everyone some holy water (they drink in three sips). There is an opinion that Easter cake and eggs should not be cut with a knife, but only broken - I do not share it, but if you find it unpleasant to cut Easter cake with a knife and you think that something will follow, break it with your hands, gnaw it, saw it with a spoon :))) ...),

Having tried everything and washed it down with holy water, I begin to eat the rest of the fast food. Breakfast smoothly flows into lunch. There is no dinner on Easter Sunday.

AND every morning of Holy Week they begin the same way - by reading prayers and breaking their fast. For every day - one sacred egg or half, a piece, a small piece of sacred Easter cake and Easter.

Important - sanctified Easter cakes and eggs cannot be carried to the cemetery. AND when they exchange testicles- also unsacred (I paint a lot, then I consecrate a few, I always leave a few consecrated ones and put them on the shelf with icons - it does not deteriorate at all and just dries out). Out of curiosity, as a child, I remember breaking such eggs - I couldn’t believe that an egg could sit for many months and not go rotten. Really - if there is “grace” in the house– the inside of the egg is not spoiled, but dried without any unpleasant odor.

Interesting fact - if a bad person or someone with bad intentions has been in the house, as they say “with the evil eye” - even old, already dried Easter eggs immediately begin to emit a strong rotten smell. Tested more than once. The fact is that they absorb negativity directed against you and your home. Unfortunately, after this they have to be thrown away. I also broke these out of curiosity - there was blackness, mold, and some kind of slime inside. This is despite the fact that before such a “visit” the eggs lay quietly for several months, or even years.

In general, there is such a sign - if a blessed Easter egg in your house has spoiled or the Epiphany water has gone rotten- We urgently need to consecrate the house - something is wrong there. It is advisable to invite a priest.

Blessed eggs, Easter cake and Easter It is forbidden to throw it in the trash can, toilet bowl or in general trash cans. Burn it too. They need to be fed to the birds if they have spoiled (did not have time to eat). Dogs are not allowed. Shells from blessed eggs It is also not advisable to throw it away. It is dried and used for treatment (water is infused, ground in a coffee grinder and added at the tip of a knife to the patient’s food). This is a very valuable healing agent. If you can’t wait to destroy it, throw it into a river or stream.

Many argue over the issue of whether or not to go to the cemetery on Easter. The priests say that this is a joyful day and it is inappropriate to darken it by communicating with the deceased. If you are shedding tears and grieving at the cemetery, it is undoubtedly better to postpone the trip until a special day (Radunitsa - Tuesday after Easter).

During Easter week you need to say hello “Christ is Risen”, and answer “Truly He is Risen”(The priests speak Old Slavonic “resurrection”) You can go to visit with colored eggs.

They exchange eggs and knock. If an egg broke, the one whose egg remained intact took it. But with practice you can learn to keep your egg intact. To do this, it is held “pinchwise” in a certain way.

In magical rituals, such an object as an egg in a grave is very often found. It should be noted that an egg buried in a grave is used quite often in a wide variety of rituals and can mean opposite things.

The egg can be lightly buried at the head of the grave, or simply lie next to the grave. In order to properly bury an egg in a cemetery, you need to know and observe many subtleties, since being in a graveyard is in itself a ritual, and if an egg is buried there, then such an action must be doubly careful and careful.

We must remember that the cemetery is a very special place and respect the peace of the dead, especially the graves chosen for burying the egg.

There are several rituals associated with the need to bury eggs on graves.

Removing damage. Most often, the egg is used precisely for this ritual. First, this damage is “removed” from the person who is supposedly damaged - they are rolled out with the help of an egg. After the ritual, this egg should be buried on the grave of the namesake or peer of the person from whom the damage was removed, so that the evil does not return and remains in the cemetery.

If such an egg is suddenly discovered by another person, it is strictly not recommended to touch it - part of the evil eye may pass to the person who finds the egg. You should just leave the egg where it was.

Damaging a person. An egg on a grave can also mean the diametrically opposite - it can be used to cast spells on a specific person. To do this, hair and a twisted photograph of the victim are put into the egg, and then they are taken to the cemetery and this egg is buried on the grave of a person with the same name and age as the one who is being damaged. It is also categorically not recommended to touch such an egg, so as not to take on unnecessary negativity.

Getting rid of failures. A ritual with an egg on the grave to get rid of failures in life is also very common. To do this, boil an egg from a black chicken, read a certain conspiracy and take it to the cemetery to bury it at the grave of a person whose name coincides with the name of the person carrying out the conspiracy.

There is also another version of this ritual - according to it, three eggs must be taken to three different unmarked graves. It is also clear here that you should not touch such an egg, so as not to attract other people’s failures into your life.

Also, an egg is often buried on graves so that it lies there for three days and “acquires” the knowledge of the dead, and after that the egg is used to treat madness with the help of certain magical rituals.

So, if we take into account all of the above and the fact that magic goes back thousands of years and one cannot completely deny its real existence, we can say that if an egg is suddenly found buried in a grave, then it is strongly recommended not to touch it, pick it up, carry it, throwing away. This egg may contain other people's illnesses and misfortunes; there is a possibility that some of these troubles will be transferred to the person who found the egg.

The egg on the grave, after various ceremonies and rituals, performs a kind of “lightning rod” function - it turns out that all the negativity is concentrated in it and remains in the cemetery, where it can no longer harm anyone.

In the case of casting a spell on a person, the egg, as it were, takes away illness and death from the graves in the graveyard and transfers it to the person whom they wanted to jinx.

Another egg may lie on the grave directly in order to absorb the certain energy necessary for a practicing magician, which is subsequently required to treat a person.

Records found: 19

Hello, father! I am asking you a question that, I think, many have already asked more than once: 1. Is it possible to eat blessed Easter cake and eggs on an empty stomach? Is it possible to throw away egg shells and crumbs from blessed Easter cakes and eggs in regular trash? Forgive me, I just want to sort this out once and for all. God bless you!

Alexei

Alexey, you can eat blessed Easter cakes and eggs at any time; you don’t have to do it on an empty stomach. Residues from these products can be disposed of in regular trash.

Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)

Bless me, father. I have a question. My colleague at work is a Muslim. When I said that I was going to the Epiphany service and to get holy water, she asked me to bring her some water too. I asked her: “What are you going to do with her?” She says: "Drink." I tell her that this is not mineral water to drink just like that. You must drink such water with faith and cross yourself. After all, she won’t do this. She said: "So what. God is one." Of course, I brought her water. But it torments me that I dared to prove something to her. Maybe I should have just given her water without getting into a discussion? Or should I not have given water at all? Please enlighten me.

Love

Hello, Love. You did everything right. And on Easter treat her with Easter cake. Just remember that all conversations in such cases should be friendly. And if it doesn’t work out, then remain silent.

Priest Alexander Beloslyudov

Hello, father! Please tell me what to do if the blessed Easter cake has become moldy?

Elena

Elena, usually in such cases they bury the Easter cake in the ground, in a place that is not trampled on (where people do not walk), or you can throw this Easter cake into the river.

Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)

CHRIST IS RISEN! I don't know if I did the right thing. My neighbor asked me to take her Easter cakes to be blessed; she didn’t want to stand, she said, I can’t stand it, my legs hurt. He drinks often. And I told her that it was better to do it myself, and that what I would consecrate to her was like a poultice for a dead person, only to calm the conscience, and not to save her. I would, of course, if she were really weak and sick. And then I thought, maybe I shouldn’t have refused, what do you think?

Svetlana

Svetlana, if you had not refused, you would have done a very good deed, and this is very useful and good for the soul. Do not give up on good deeds, they ennoble the soul. And over time, your neighbor, perhaps, will gather her strength and go to the service herself, but at the moment you could make sure that she, too, was not deprived of grace on the holiday.

Hegumen Nikon (Golovko)

Hello, father! Please tell me when can I bake Easter on Thursday? I heard that you can’t bake on Good Friday, but you can on Thursday and Saturday. Is it so? Please tell me. Thank you.

Natalia

Natalia, all of Holy Week is preparing us for the Great Feast of Easter. We prepare not only spiritually, but also physically. You can bake Easter cakes from Monday of Holy Week. After all, for example, in monasteries and in production there are large volumes of baked goods, and in two or three days they will not have time to provide everyone who wants it. At home - yes, they start baking on Thursday, because the volumes are small, and therefore there is no need to bake earlier, and eggs are also painted closer to Easter, starting on Thursday. Don’t focus too much on this, start baking at your convenience, possibly on Good Monday.

Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)

Hello! Please advise me: since last Easter I have shells from blessed eggs at home, crumbs from Easter cakes and the molds they were baked in. As far as I know, I can’t throw them away, and I don’t know what to do, can you tell me? Thank you in advance,

Christina

Christina, we always burn or bury consecrated objects or things that have become unusable. If you have a dacha, then in the dacha you can burn it all in the stove or bury it under a tree. Also, spoiled consecrated foods can be thrown into the river.

Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)

Hello! How should you celebrate Easter if your dad died 5 months ago? Is it possible to bake Easter and dye eggs? How and when to go to the cemetery? Thank you.

Elena

Hello, Elena! You can and should celebrate the Resurrection of Christ by baking Easter cakes and painting eggs. After all, Easter is a Festival of holidays for both the living and the dead. And you can pray for dad at the funeral service and go to the cemetery on Radonitsa, May 14.

Priest Vladimir Shlykov

Hello, father! My birthday is May 4th, which falls on Holy Saturday, they say I can’t celebrate it! What do i do?

Catherine

Ekaterina, why should you celebrate your birthday on Holy Saturday? This is a strict fast, when you can’t eat practically anything, only strictly fasting food. On this day in church they sing “Let all human flesh be silent,” that is, you cannot celebrate a birthday on this day. This is the day of preparation for the Great Feast of Holy Easter. We consecrate Easter cakes and eggs. The best thing is to celebrate your birthday on Easter, May 5th. Your holiday will be double, and you will not sin before God. On Easter you can eat any food, have fun, and celebrate in a restaurant.

Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)

Is it possible for an Orthodox Christian to eat sweet or tasty things, for example, order pizza or buy ice cream, or is this voluptuousness?

Anna

Hello Anna.
As you know, the most delicious food is prepared in Orthodox monasteries. Bread prepared with prayer even during Lent resembles Easter cake. So there is nothing wrong with a hungry person being refreshed with tasty, skillfully prepared food.
However, without experiencing a feeling of hunger, you should not get carried away by taste sensations, otherwise you may fall into the sin of gluttony.
God help me.

Priest Sergius Osipov

Bless me, father. I came to God in adulthood, although I was baptized as a child. I remember well my first conscious coming to church for a service, and not to light a candle or dedicate Easter cakes. I didn't last even half an hour. When I realized that I would simply faint, I left the temple. He sat, caught his breath, and went again. And... he left again. And so three times. Thank God that after that first experience I did not give up, but decided to push myself, no matter what the cost. And so, step by step, overcoming reluctance, physical discomfort, laziness, I, with God’s help, overcame this difficult period of becoming a church member. Now my teenage son is going through the same thing. I did not force or drag him to the temple. I decided that the best sermon for him would be the lifestyle that I had chosen, and not my admonitions. You can imagine my joy when he himself wanted to go to church. And here it is. I understand that he needs to go through this period, especially since he has not yet confessed or received communion. He says he's not ready yet. I don’t rush or insist, I’m afraid to destroy this sprout that has sprouted in his soul. I gave him all the necessary literature, I help with advice and pray for him. But then, in my case, and with him now, my question remained unanswered. Why do new converts experience such discomfort during the period of churching, why does a healthy, physically strong guy who plays sports, after fifteen minutes of being at the service, leave the church, because he is simply in a semi-fainting state, that this is the work of the enemy or the influence of the grace of God, which (how says in prayer before reading the Gospel) scorches, cleanses, sanctifies the whole person? And how can we help him not to fall away during this period, not to give up on everything, but to endure and go through this path? God bless you.

Oleg

Oleg, unfortunately, after our era of Soviet godlessness, the fact that our compatriots faint in church has become a sad norm. This is in its purest form a demonic influence, or better yet, “retribution” for our turning to God. Tell him that it’s not scary, don’t be afraid. And let him fight - after all, he is a fighter, like any man. The demon will not stand this fight and will run away.
One of my friends also experienced similar temptations and constantly left the temple. But then one day he set himself up like this: “Why am I just going to run around like this? Let it be what will be, but I will not leave my place in the temple!” And so he stood and prayed. Yes, the demon did not leave him, and he experienced an attack of faintness, and even almost fainted, but did not leave his place, and - this was the last time, he won.

Hegumen Nikon (Golovko)

Hello! Please tell me what to do with the shells of blessed eggs and the paper that covered the Easter cake?

Nina

In rural areas, you can simply burn the shells and paper. And in city churches there are special boxes for this. It is better for you to check with your church what is customary to do with shells, paper, and candle stubs specifically at your parish.

Archpriest Andrey Efanov

Hello, God's servant Anastasia writes to you, I turn 24 this month. I myself am from Ukraine, but I have been living in Spain for 12 years. I am writing to you because I no longer know who to turn to and from whom to get practical advice or just kind words. Last year I visited the Intercession Monastery in Moscow for the first time and visited the holy relics of the Blessed Matronushka. I knew about her before; as a child, my grandmother gave me a brochure about her life and the great power of her prayer. When I entered the monastery with my godmother, she told me that if you sincerely pray to Matronushka, she helps in many ways. At that time, my mother was severely depressed and was being treated with pills. I thought that it was probably worth asking for my mother and for my family in general, for my loved ones. But I also had a personal request to Matronushka, I really liked one guy. His name is Maxim, he himself is a pediatrician from Moscow, but he visits Spain, his mother, sister and our mutual friends live here. So, through mutual friends, I met him. In general, I asked Matronushka to pray for us, so that everything would work out for him and me. This was in April. We corresponded with him a lot on the Internet, and in August he finally arrived. We spent a lot of time together, I was in seventh heaven. Soon he finally told me that he liked me, and everything worked out for us, although we only stayed together for a week, then he left for Moscow. I thanked Matronushka very much for hearing me and helping me with all my requests; my mother also no longer complained about her health. Months passed, we communicated with Maxim via the Internet, called back and kept in touch in every possible way. But already in December I felt that he did not miss me, did not write the same way as I did to him. We never told each other that we loved. But I already felt it in my heart. I always asked him about his family and friends, he told me about his problems. I became very close to him. And when I felt this coldness from him, I thought that he would come and everything would fall into place. Because communication on the Internet is, of course, not at all the same as in real life. At the end of January, our communication completely disappeared; I knew practically nothing about him. I even tried to attract his attention by inventing various problems for myself so that he would listen to me and worry about me. In February, on Valentine's Day, I, of course, wrote him a congratulatory letter, but he did not answer me. Of course, I was offended, and then he told me that we needed to meet. He was already in Spain, and we met, I already felt at that moment that things were heading towards separation. He told me that he wanted to clarify our relationship and expressed everything, he said that the distance torments him and he doesn’t like it. But I understood that, probably, someone had appeared with him, and I asked him about it. He answered me honestly and admitted that he had another girlfriend. At that moment, when we were talking, everything was like a fog for me, I probably didn’t even understand that it was real. It seemed to me that this was all a dream and that I was about to wake up. In this incomprehensible state, I even told him that all this was logical, that we had no feelings. I guess I just wanted the breakup to be easy for him, so that he wouldn’t think I was in love. At the end of our meeting we even laughed and talked about the next meeting. In general, from this conversation I also learned that he was seriously ill. Suffers from epilepsy. I felt terribly sorry for him. In my life I have already seen all the horrors of this disease. When I came home, when I realized that all this really happened to me, that I was no longer with him, I felt so bad in my soul as I had never felt before. I didn’t even have anyone to talk to at that time, because my parents were traveling. In the morning I talked to my loved ones and told about everything. My aunt even told me that it was probably God who took me away from such a person, such a sick person. At that moment I even thought that she was right. But after a while, I realized that I, as a believer, could never think like that, and I realized that I loved him even with such a serious illness. I sincerely began to pray for him, for his family and his healing. On Forgiveness Sunday, he wrote to me and asked for forgiveness for everything he had done to me. I forgave him. But all the pain still didn’t go away, I suffered a lot. Then I thought that God was probably punishing me in this way for something, and I began to prepare for Easter. I have read many articles about communion and confession. I wanted to confess and take communion, to repent for all my sins. I kept a fast and tried to remember all my sins and not hide anything from the Lord. On Easter I went to our Orthodox Church of the Archangel Michael, here in Spain. Before the service, I prayed for all my loved ones, lit candles for everyone who asked and for whomever I wanted. I prayed at the icon of Matronushka. Afterwards I confessed before the service. She stood through the entire service and blessed the Easter cakes. In fact, I felt better after visiting the temple, we even started communicating with him again, but all the grief for him did not go away. And for a month now I continue to pray to God for him, I pray for him and for his entire family, even for his current girlfriend. I ask the Lord and the saints for help, I ask for his healing and return to me, if this is the Will of God. I say prayers every day and every night. When memories start to depress me, I say prayers, but nothing helps me. I understand that I love him very much, that my love is sincere and real. Despite all my pain, not once during all this time did I wish him harm or even call him a bad word. Many months have passed, but this mental pain and loss does not let me go. There is still hope in my heart that I can be with him. Now I’m already asking God to help me forget about him, to send me another person. I read the girl’s prayers for marriage every day. I understand that it’s bad to write to you about this, but I’m already being visited by thoughts of death. It just seems to me that this is the only way I can get rid of these mental torments. I just can't live like this anymore. I have exams to enter the University very soon, and I can’t even concentrate on anything. I read a lot of books and literature, including the lives of saints, to somehow make my existence easier, so as not to think about it. I cry every day, and I don’t even know how to stop and calm down. Anywhere I feel such sadness that I simply burst into hysterics. As a result of all this, my health also deteriorated, I lost a lot of weight and, due to a lack of vitamins, my teeth began to deteriorate. They said it was all due to severe stress. Please tell me, maybe I'm doing something wrong? Maybe I’m praying wrong, or asking God too much? Maybe I'm boring him with my requests? I don’t know what to think anymore... I know that God doesn’t do everything so quickly, that he doesn’t help right away, and you need to be constant in your prayers. But I no longer have the strength. What should I do? How to ask correctly? Should I hope and believe that things will still work out well with him? I want to go to St. Petersburg this summer, I read that Saint Xenia also helps in such cases. Help me as much as you can, I beg you. Thank you.

Anastasia

It’s difficult to say, dear Anastasia, why everything turned out this way. The reasons may be different, but you need to forget your lover. The Lord will certainly help you, unless you interfere with Him with constant thoughts about what has not come true. You are young and have not yet experienced many difficulties in life, and the first adversities have crippled you. Strive to visit the temple more often, remember that the Lord cares about you and that all difficulties will soon pass. You are already an adult and still learning. Isn't it time to work and benefit people? This, of course, does not exclude further training, but still it is time not only to receive, but also to give. It is useful to visit the relics of Blessed Xenia, but you should not abandon your daily prayers. God help you!

Archpriest Andrey Efanov

Christ is Risen! The Bible is translated differently everywhere, so sometimes it happens that I don’t know how to understand it. At Easter, when I went to bless the Easter cake, they handed out postcards with the image of Christ, and on the reverse side were the commandments of God. I read the second commandment as if for the first time, and a stupor sets in. Further, I found it from N. Serbsky: “The second commandment: “You shall not make for yourself an idol or any image; do not worship them or serve them. This means: do not deify the creation, do not honor it as the Creator. If you have climbed a high mountain and met the Lord God there, why do you look back at the shallow swampy growth at the foot of the mountain? If a person wanted to see the king and after much effort achieved a meeting with him, will he at this meeting look around and look at the king’s servants and lackeys to the right and left? He can behave this way only in two cases: either he cannot stand the presence of the king and seeks support from those around him; or he sees that the king is unable to help him, and is looking for a stronger patron." I read a lot of explanations about icons, but they are all florid, unconvincing. Not a single one sounded like this: "yes, yes, no, no." From some Since then, it has become important for me to fall to the crucifix in church and, hugging His legs, to be alone for a while. But now what should I do? I’m afraid to pray to icons, so as not to belittle God, not to offend.

Tatiana

Truly Christ is risen! It is precisely in order not to fall into the sin of idolatry that the Church distinguishes between “worship,” which only God is worthy of, and “veneration,” which can extend to images of God. What is the difference? Now, when you stand in front of the Crucifixion, you prayerfully turn not to the wood and paints, but to the One who is depicted with paints on the tree. In this way you worship Christ Himself and honor His image. Paganism, against which this commandment is directed, gives divine honors to the image itself, which is a false manifestation of religiosity, and therefore a sin.

Deacon Ilia Kokin

Hello! Please tell me why the priest didn’t sprinkle me with holy water when we went to church to bless Easter cakes and eggs before Easter? He sprinkled our Easter cakes, sprinkled my son, but not me.

Anna

During Holy and Bright Weeks, priests serve at maximum efficiency, and the priest could simply, out of fatigue, forget to sprinkle you with holy water. There is nothing terrible about this, because you came to consecrate the Easter meal, which was done. It is important to sanctify your soul through prayer, confession, and communion, and you can sprinkle holy water on yourself.

Archpriest Andrey Efanov

Catholic colleagues treated me to Easter cake and eggs at work on Holy Monday. They already have a holiday, but we have Lent. I didn’t eat it, then I fed it to the pigeons. What if they were sanctified? In the evening at home I read how to one person who did not eat, when everyone was at the meal, and he was served separately, the elder said that it would be better for him if he ate meat. On the one hand, I couldn’t eat, on the other hand, for some reason I was restless in my soul. What was the right thing to do in order to avoid blasphemy, not to violate the will of God, not to offend a person?

Olga

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There is no need to offend a person by refusing to share a fast meal with him, even if you are currently fasting. On the other hand, it’s hard for me to believe that a Catholic believer would be offended if he were told: “You know, we’re still in Holy Week and strict fasting.” What kind of grievances can there be here? It seems to me that it would be better to politely refuse than to take food that you do not intend to eat. It’s one thing to have a monastery where, contrary to the general rules, you take upon yourself your own post, but it’s a completely different thing when you, even if you are among people of other faiths, hold a post established by the Church.

Priest Alexander Gumerov

Hello! Tell me, please, where can I put the shells from blessed eggs and crumbs from Easter cake?

Elena

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In an untrodden place - that is, in a clean place, closed from walking on top of it - for example, throw it into a river or bury it in the ground in a forest or somewhere in nature.

Deacon Ilia Kokin

Hello! They say that if someone in the family died shortly before Easter, then you can’t bake Easter cakes or paint eggs for Easter? Is it true? Thank you in advance!

Olga

Of course this is not true! Easter is the celebration of the triumph of victory over death, realized in Christ, thanks to His Bright Resurrection. And, as the Holy Scripture says, “God is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living” (Mark 12:27). Therefore, the opinion that you give is a pagan superstition, and not Christianity. Christians, I repeat, celebrate victory over death on Easter, regardless of whether any of their loved ones have died at this time or not.

The bright holiday of EASTER is approaching. Several times, by the will of God, I had the opportunity to celebrate Easter in Ukraine (the Church of the Moscow Patriarchate). The order of the Easter service there is approximately as follows: on Saturday, Easter eggs and Easter cakes are not blessed in the church. At night, on Saturday, usually at 11 p.m., the all-night vigil service begins. All-night services on Easter night end in different churches at different times, but usually at 3-4 in the morning. And at the end of the all-night vigil, the priests bless the Easter and everything that was brought from home. After the all-night vigil, early in the morning, everyone who spent that night (and morning!) in the church rushes to their families with candles and blessed food. This is how the sacred Easter night passes in Ukraine, during which the people stay awake and rejoice in churches until the morning, and at dawn (about 5 am), returning home, joyfully greet each other with Easter: “Christ is Risen”! Father, please answer the QUESTION: why in all Moscow churches (and the Moscow region) at about 2 am the all-night service ends, the DOORS CLOSED, everything calms down until 9 am?! After all, this is wrong... How is it even possible to close churches until the morning and sleep on Easter?! I note that the “standard answer”: “because there are a lot of people” is not correct. There are also a lot of people in Kyiv, but the churches are open all night and all morning. Thank you.

Michael

Moscow churches also have different practices. Usually, they try to end the service by 2 o'clock so that people can get home by metro. In our church, parishioners are offered tea and pies, and those who wish remain in the church for a long time, and already at 7 am the early Liturgy is celebrated, then at 9.30 am the late Liturgy. So in Moscow it happens differently and very often depends on the wishes of the parishioners of a particular church.

1. Why worship and pray to icons, when the Lord himself forbade all worship of the works of human hands, “for it is written: Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and serve Him alone.” (Matthew 4:10) 2. Brothers, if you are brothers, what are you teaching here, what is the Forerunner? Why do you distort the Word of the Living God? There is only one Bible, John was the Baptist because he baptized Jesus Christ, and he was also the son of Zechariah. Question: why Forerunner? And where in the Bible does it say that Elizabeth's rejoicing is a prayer? (Luke 1:42) But Luke 1:46-55 looks more like prayer. And in general, Jesus commanded to pray like this - Matthew 6:9-13. Why are you leading people away from God? God - He is alive and is not in icons. Jesus is always there for each of us, and He always loves us. Why have I never heard this in an Orthodox church, that Jesus Christ died in my place, redeemed me, saved me, loves me and gave me eternal life. You called yourself Orthodox Christians, so have this right to glorify Christ, so that your glorification may be pleasing to the Lord! You know so much, and you probably know what the Lord did with those who worshiped idols, why are you bringing the wrath of God upon yourself and people? And why do you have to bake Easter eggs and paint eggs for Easter? For some reason, nothing is written about this in the Bible. So if the Lord did not command to do this, why do it? And why doesn’t anyone warn that later celebrating with beer and vodka will obviously lead to nothing good? And in general, the Lord said that drunkards will not inherit the Kingdom of God. I wonder if anyone will answer me??? God bless you! 3. Honestly, it would be better if you just printed the Bible.

Inna

Dear Inna (apparently, all three questions were asked by the same person), I am more than sure that your questions did not arise on your own - you read the Bible from beginning to end, then went to an Orthodox church and began to be surprised at the inconsistency of one to the other - no. Most likely you belong to one of the so-called. “evangelical” churches, where these “inconsistencies” were pointed out to you, i.e. You are the bearer of a certain tradition, and this in itself excludes objectivity of judgment. Any Christian tradition presupposes a certain method of interpreting the Bible, so why should we give preference to the interpretations of some modern American preacher and neglect the interpretations of the disciples of the holy apostles (Saint Polycarp of Smyrna or Ignatius the God-Bearer)? Now, in order: 1. The Orthodox do not “worship” icons, but “honor” them, worshiping the Prototype through an image. An icon is not an idol, because An idol is a depiction of a false deity, while an icon depicts the True God. This turned out to be possible due to the fact that God became a man, so the Old Testament commandment is no longer applicable here. An icon is a space for a person’s gracious meeting with God and the saints; this meeting is evidenced by the personal prayer experience of Orthodox people and by numerous miracles performed by icons. 2. The word “Forerunner” is Church Slavonic, and in Church Slavonic “current” also means “procession”, i.e. The Forerunner is the predecessor of the Savior, because it is said about him: “And you, little child, will be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will come before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways” (Luke 1:76). 3. A passage from the Gospel of Luke (1:46-55) is indeed used in Orthodox worship - at Matins, but the words spoken by Elizabeth (Luke 1:42) were spoken by a person in a state of grace-filled delight, so they were included in one of the most famous prayers addressed to the Mother of God - “Virgin Mother of God”. 4. The custom of preparing Easter cakes and painting eggs is not obligatory for believers; this is not a Sacrament. This is just a folk tradition, consecrated by the Church, and it is a great pity for those people who consider themselves Orthodox only because they appear in church once a year to bless Easter cakes. 5. The text of the Bible is posted on our website (thanks for the advice). 6. Now regarding the love of Christ and Orthodox preaching. The fact that you have not heard about this in an Orthodox church only testifies to the fact that you rarely appear there - this is truly the central point of our faith. Moreover, a true disciple of Christ is distinguished by the fact that he not only talks about love, but first of all does deeds of love: “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, [so] let you also love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). The Lord has vouchsafed me to meet people in the Church who radiate this love of Christ. I don’t know if you can say the same about your community, but, frankly speaking, the tone of your letters is quite bilious, which devalues ​​your argument. God help you.