The week following Easter was called “Fomina” (named after the Apostle Thomas, who believed in the Resurrection of Christ after he felt the wounds of the Savior). It is popularly called Wired. According to tradition, it is at this time that the dead are remembered.
First Sunday after Easter in church calendar is called Antipascha or St. Thomas Sunday. People call this day Red Hill. The name Antipascha means “instead of Easter” or “opposite of Easter” - but this is not a opposition, but an appeal to the past holiday, repeating it on the eighth day after Easter.

Since ancient times, the end of Bright Week has been celebrated especially, constituting a kind of replacement for Easter. This day is also called St. Thomas Week, in memory of the miracle of the assurance of the Apostle Thomas.

The death of Christ on the cross made an incredibly depressing impression on the Apostle Thomas: he seemed to be confirmed in the conviction that His loss was irrevocable. To the disciples’ assurances about the resurrection of Christ, he replies: “Unless I see in His hands the marks of the nails and put my hand into His side, I will not believe” (John 20:25).
On the eighth day after the Resurrection, the Lord appeared to the Apostle Thomas and, testifying that he was with the disciples all the time after the Resurrection, did not wait for Thomas’s questions, showing him His wounds, answering his unspoken request. The Gospel does not say whether Thomas really felt the wounds of the Lord, but so faith kindled in him with a bright flame, and he exclaimed: “My Lord and my God!” With these words, Thomas confessed not only faith in the Resurrection of Christ, but also faith in His Divinity.

According to Church Tradition, Saint Thomas the Apostle founded Christian Churches in Palestine, Mesopotamia, Parthia, Ethiopia and India, capturing the preaching of the Gospel martyrdom. For the conversion of the son and wife of the ruler of the Indian city of Meliapora (Melipura) to Christ, he was imprisoned, endured torture and, finally, pierced with five spears, went to the Lord.
Starting from St. Thomas Sunday in the Orthodox Church, after a long Lenten break, the sacrament of weddings is resumed. In Rus', it was on this day, Red Hill, that the most weddings took place, festivities and matchmaking were held.
Also on St. Thomas week, on Tuesday of the second week, on the ninth day after Easter, Orthodox Church celebrates Radonitsa - day special commemoration departed, the first after Easter.

Each day of St. Thomas Week has its own name:

On Monday or Tuesday of St. Thomas Week, the church established the commemoration of the dead. They serve memorial services and go to the cemetery.
Monday called "wires". During the Easter period, it is believed that the dead visit their homes to celebrate their own Easter. We, living in this earthly world, are supposed to meet the dead, receive (treat) them, and then help them return to the next world. Thus, according to traditions, on Monday they begin to see off their ancestors to the next world.
Tuesday- this is the main day of St. Thomas's week, which is called Radunitsa, Radonitsa, Radanitsa, Radovnitsa. In the 19th century, Navy Day and Radonitsa merged into one and began to celebrate in a bright way. According to scientists, “Radonitsa” comes from the word “joy” that the resurrection of Christ brought.
The oldest Slavic custom was the holiday Radonitsa, which was held in the spring in honor of Rod, the creator of the Universe, the first Slavic god. On Radonitsa they turned to their dead ancestors with requests for patronage of the house and its protection. The young people asked for blessings for love and marriage. On the eve of Radonitsa, they usually heated a bathhouse for the ancestors, prepared a towel and soap, but did not wash themselves.
People also brought gifts and crumbled them onto the graves of loved ones (baked goods, pancakes, funeral kuta, colored eggs, beer, wine, etc.). After which they helped themselves. Funeral bonfires were lit in the graveyard. On this day it was customary to sing songs and dance in circles. Sadness often turned into joy. No wonder there is a well-known saying: people plow on Radonitsa in the morning, cry during the day, and jump in the evening. And all because after Easter spring field work began, on Radonitsa people visited cemeteries, and in the evening they had fun.
From these pre-Christian rituals come the spring memorial rites on St. Thomas Week. Church charter prescribes visiting cemeteries after Bright Week: “Easter for believers is the entrance to a world where death has been abolished and where everyone who can be resurrected is already alive in Christ.” On this day in churches it is celebrated ecumenical memorial service. People go to the cemetery to the graves of their loved ones and symbolically kiss Christ with them. After tasting kutya, they drink vodka or wine without clinking glasses. They remember the deceased with warm words. It is believed that the deceased share meals with the living. The remains of the treats crumble, and the funeral glass of vodka is poured onto the grave. Some of the funeral food (candies, sweets, pastries, colored eggs) is distributed to others and children “for the repose of the soul.”
Thursday is considered the most dangerous day of Fomina's week: on this day the dead come to their homes. To greet them with dignity, treats were left in one of the rooms at night and the windows were opened. It was strictly forbidden to enter the room before dawn. Protecting themselves from the unwanted dead, they simultaneously took certain protective measures: they sprinkled poppy seeds in the corners of the houses and lit passionate candles in front of the icons. If there are drowned people in the family, then the treats were left near the water or thrown into the river.
On St. Thomas Saturday the expulsion of death took place in the villages. Old and young women gathered from all over the village and, armed with brooms, pokers and other household utensils, called out curses to death. It was believed that the longer and more fun you frighten a ghost, the more reliably you can get rid of any disease. In addition, people ran around cemeteries with knives in their hands and exclaimed: “Run, run, evil spirits! In this way they sought to alleviate the afterlife suffering of the dead.
Sunday on St. Thomas Week it is called Red Hill. On this day we tried to free ourselves from all sad thoughts and worries. Mass celebrations were held in elevated places, funny Games and danced in circles. Also on this day, viewings of future brides took place. The day before, hollers walked through the villages, performing a majestic song under the windows of the newlyweds and inviting all residents to the festivities.

Easter week (Bright, Glorious, Great, Joyful, Red, Velikodenskaya) is the week after Easter.

According to the church calendar, this week ( Bright Week) is considered entirely festive, continuous: on Wednesday and Friday, fasting is canceled, so it constitutes one holiday, and each of its days is called Bright.

This year, Bright (otherwise known as Easter) Week falls on the period from April 9 to April 15. It lasts, as already mentioned, seven days, starting from Easter and ending with St. Thomas' day. During all seven days, it is customary to ring bells every day; in addition, festive crusades are carried out. On Bright Week, many churches allow everyone to try their hand at the belfry - ring the bells “to their taste.” Therefore, the ringing of bells, as a rule, fills the entire area from morning to evening. All days of the week are called bright, and services are performed according to the Easter rite.

Each day of the week after Easter has its own name and meaning, and there are certain prohibitions for these days. The week after Easter is called Bright Week or Easter Week; according to folk traditions, all these days it is customary to have fun, visit each other, and relax. Find out the dos and don'ts of these days.

Bright week after Easter by day

First Monday After Easter, it is customary to go to visit your family and friends: godchildren - to godparents, grandchildren - to their grandparents. Bring Easter gifts: dyes and Easter eggs.

People believed that a man should be the first to enter a house; this would bring wealth and happiness to the family.

The first Monday is also called the Day of the Virgin Mary; it is customary to give alms to the needy and do good deeds.

Baths

Tuesday of Easter week is called Baths; it was customary for people to pour water on this day cold water those who slept through morning prayers.

Round Dancer or Thunder Wednesday

From Wednesday of the week after Easter, youth festivities begin, girls and boys gathered to dance in circles, grooms looked after brides, older people also gathered “for music”, danced, had fun with their families, gathered in taverns to continue celebrating Easter.

Navsky Thursday

In many places, on the first Thursday after Easter people go to the cemetery, lay red eggs and remember the dead, and clean up the graves of their ancestors.

Folk festivities continue, people continue to visit, organize gatherings, “drive the mare”: they put a “tail” and “head” on a stick, imitating a horse, the man dresses up as a gypsy and “rides the mare” for everyone.

Forgiveness Friday

On this day, father-in-law and mother-in-law invited their son-in-law's parents to visit.
Women and girls had to wash themselves with cold water before dawn on this day - it is believed that this ritual bestows beauty and youth.

Hail Saturday

On Saturday after Easter, it was customary to call out to the newlyweds; their parents would come to visit them.
On Saturday, young people continued to dance in circles, have fun, and performed a cheerful ritual of “seeing off the mermaids.”

Street

Young people gathered in the open air in the evenings and held parties, which were fun and lively, with songs, music, dancing, guys flirting with girls.

What not to do on Bright Week

• It is not recommended to get married all week until Krasnaya Gorka. The baptism ceremony is carried out. It should be noted that there is no strict ban on weddings - Lent is already over, but it’s better not to rush into it and postpone the wedding until Krasnaya Gorka.
• During this holiday period, you cannot hold funeral services, mourn, or go to the cemetery.
• Of course, you will have to go to work during Bright Week, but don’t forget to have fun and try not to work too hard at work. It’s better not to start things that can be put off until later.
• During Bright Week, you need to try to provide yourself, your loved ones and everyone around you with only joy, bright events and happy moments.

You need to understand that the holiday of Easter in the church Orthodox calendar is the most important and solemn. For every Christian, the resurrection of Christ is a huge event that is an important symbol eternal life, victory of good over evil. This holiday does not end on the holiday Sunday, but is just beginning. Then for forty days there will be holidays, time for fun and joy. This is especially evident on Bright Week.

When you can do the laundry, clean up - no work at all

Much in the question of when to start work after Easter depends not only on the desires of believers, but also on the circumstances and characteristics of their labor activity. The clergy say that work as such is not forbidden, especially if we're talking about about hired work, because Monday, the second day after Easter, is a working day for everyone without exception.

It’s just that everything these days needs to be done with prayer to the Lord, not forgetting to find time in even the busiest schedule to attend church. For those who still doubt that they are not committing a sin by working immediately after Easter Sunday, we can advise you to contact the priest and ask him such an exciting question.

Important to remember

It is strictly forbidden to work in Good Friday and actually on Easter. These days it is customary to postpone all matters, as they say, until later. But doing something useful around the house or in the garden on the second day after this church holiday is not at all forbidden. When reading or hearing about the ban on work in the days after Easter, you need to understand well that this ban is more of a blessing for people to spend time paying attention to the Lord, as well as those close to them. This prohibition rather refers to a pious tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation for hundreds of years.

Household chores and gardening are an integral part of the lives of the vast majority of people. Do them after Light Christ's Sunday it is possible, but preferably without fanaticism.

But just as after the Nativity Fast comes the joyful holiday of Christmas, so a holiday comes on Easter, and it is considered impossible to express all the joy from the Resurrection in one day, and Bright Week is celebrated all week, and then another 32 days - until the Ascension. The intensity of the festivities is gradually decreasing, but the first week after Easter is still, according to tradition, revelry.

This year, Bright (aka Easter) Week falls on the period from April 9 to April 15. It lasts, as already mentioned, seven days, starting from Easter and ending with St. Thomas' day. During all seven days, it is customary to ring bells every day; in addition, festive crusades are carried out. On Bright Week, many churches allow everyone to try their hand at the belfry - ring the bells “to their taste.” Therefore, the ringing of bells, as a rule, fills the entire area from morning to evening. All days of the week are called bright, and services are performed according to the Easter rite.

Photo: Natalya Feoktistova, "Evening Moscow"

According to Orthodox canons, throughout Bright Week the Royal Doors are open in all churches. This is symbolic: they are open because the risen Christ opened the way to heaven for believers. It has long been believed that a person who dies on Bright Week will certainly go to heaven.

Throughout Bright Week, artos, a special bread, is displayed at churches. It is stored until next Easter and given in pieces to those who are sick. In general, throughout the week it is customary to engage in charity, to do as many good deeds as possible, to treat food to loved ones and especially those who find it difficult, to give generous alms to those in need.

You may be surprised, but this week also has its own prohibitions! For example, on Bright Week it is forbidden... to fast! If, say, throughout the year, regardless of fasting, you observed fasting on Wednesday and Friday, now you can’t do it, but you need to forget about it! This explains another name for the week - Continuous.

The second prohibition has to do with mood. During Bright Week you should not be sad or sad. Or you can visit, rejoice, give each other gifts, treat each other with Easter colored eggs and Easter cakes. The most important thing: according to tradition, on the first day of Bright Week, grandchildren should go to their grandparents and take them a treat, and godchildren should congratulate their godparents.

There are many signs and traditions associated with Bright Week. Yes, according to folk beliefs, a marriage celebrated on Krasnaya Gorka - that is, on Easter Sunday - will be very strong and long. Besides, " folk rules"prescribed to people:

■ on Monday and Tuesday of Bright Week - bathe or douse yourself with water;

■ on Wednesday - refuse work (one that you don’t have to do);

■ on Thursday - remember the dead;

■ on Sunday - Antipascha. This is Red Hill - best time for marriage.

Holidays for this week look like this:

■ Martyr Matrona of Thessalonica.

■ Martyrs Manuel and Theodosius.

■ Iveron icon Mother of God.

■ Reverend Martyrs of the Fathers of David-Gareji.

■ Shuya Icon of the Mother of God.

■ Council of the Reverend Fathers who labored on the Divine Mount Sinai.

■ Kasperovskaya Icon of the Mother of God.

■ Reverend Martyr Mark, Bishop of Arethussia, Martyr Cyril the Deacon, and many others who suffered under Julian.

■ Venerable John Climacus, abbot of Sinai.

■ Saint Sophrony, Archbishop of Irkutsk.

■ Icons of the Mother of God “Life-Giving Source”.

■ Memory of the renovation (consecration) of the temple Holy Mother of God at the Life-Giving Spring in Constantinople.

■ Icon of the Mother of God “Pochaevskaya”.

■ Venerable Mary Egyptian.

■ St. Euthymius, Archimandrite of Suzdal, wonderworker.

■ St. Titus, wonderworker.

■ Icons “Key of Understanding”, “Sweet Kiss”, Mother of God.

DAYS AFTER EASTER For most, immediately after the first day of Easter, weekdays begin and the celebration stops. In fact, the Holiday lasts much longer, because Easter joy is so great that it cannot be limited to one day! The Lord remained on earth after the Resurrection for exactly 40 days. All this time of worship of the Orthodox Church takes us back to the night of Holy Easter. All these 40 days we greet each other and kiss each other three times “Christ is Risen!” “Truly He is Risen!” The most solemn, joyful and majestic week is the first week after Easter, which is called Easter. On Bright Week, “everything and everything” is the Risen Christ. The fast is over, the time of weeping and sorrow, the whole world rejoices and praises the Lord. Every morning, at the end of the liturgy, a procession of the cross is held, symbolizing the procession of the myrrh-bearing women to the tomb of Christ. On procession The four Sunday Gospels are read, worshipers walk with lighted candles and Sprinkling with Holy Water is performed. All services of Bright Week are performed with the Royal Doors open. The open Royal Doors are an image of the Holy Sepulcher, from which an Angel rolled away the stone. This week there is no fasting on Wednesday and Friday, but you need to avoid overeating, which is easy to fall into after a long fast. Bright Week is not a time of spree, you cannot indulge in all sorts of bad things, spend time in the cinema, theater, read books voraciously, eat excessively, spouses at this time continue (after fasting) to abstain from marital communication. Easter is the joy of the Kingdom of Heaven. The services of Bright Week are structured so that a person can go to church on all days and partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Prayer Rule these days are special - Easter and very short, instead of morning ones, evening prayers And penitential canons- the Easter Hours are read. The hours and evening service are also short - everything is adapted so that anyone can go to church every day. On Friday of Bright Week the memory of the icon of the Mother of God “Life-Giving Spring” is celebrated, with the rite of blessing the water after the Liturgy. The appearance of this image is associated with a miraculous event - the healing of a blind man by the Mother of God, which occurred in the middle of the 5th century at a spring near Constantinople. The future emperor, Warrior Leo Marcellus, witnessed this Divine mercy when he helped a blind man find the source from which he received his sight. In 455-473, he erected a temple on the site of the spring and called it the “Life-Giving Spring,” meaning the miraculous power of the spring. Subsequently, this temple was repeatedly rebuilt and decorated. But after the fall of Constantinople it was destroyed. And only in 1834-1835. above Life-giving source An Orthodox church was rebuilt. The next day, on Bright Saturday, artos is distributed to the pilgrims. The word "artos" is translated from Greek as "leavened bread." Its other name is whole prosphora. Artos is consecrated before the end of the Easter Liturgy, and throughout the entire Easter week it occupies the most prominent place in the church, next to the icon of the Resurrection of the Lord. On Saturday of Bright Week, a prayer is read for the fragmentation of the artos, the artos is fragmented and at the end of the Liturgy is distributed to the people as a shrine. Christians have always used artos. When Christ's disciples met common prayer, they, remembering the Last Supper, partook of the Body and Blood of Christ. When preparing ordinary food, the first place at the table was left to the invisibly present Lord and bread was placed in this place. The artos depicts a cross on which only the crown of thorns is visible - this is a symbolic image of the Resurrection of Christ. There are no weddings or funeral prayers during Bright Week until the week of the Apostle Thomas. Funeral services for the deceased are performed according to the Easter rite, and are also not performed prostrations until the Feast of the Holy Trinity. The first Sunday after Easter in the church calendar is called Antipascha, St. Thomas Week, and according to folk tradition it is called Red Hill. The name Antipascha means “instead of Easter”: not opposition, but an appeal to the past holiday, a repetition of it. Since ancient times, the eighth day of Easter, as the end of Bright Week, has been celebrated especially, constituting a kind of replacement for Easter. This day is called St. Thomas Week in memory of the miracle of the assurance of the Apostle Thomas. The death of Christ on the cross made a particularly depressing impression on Thomas: he seemed to be firmly convinced that His loss was irrevocable, notes Archbishop Averky (Taushev). To the disciples’ assurances about the resurrection of Christ, he replies: “Unless I see in His hands the marks of the nails and put my hand into His side, I will not believe” (John 20:25). On the eighth day after the Resurrection, the Lord appeared to the Apostle Thomas and, testifying that he was with the disciples all the time after the Resurrection, did not wait for Thomas’s questions, showing him His wounds, answering his unspoken request. This knowledge by the Lord of his doubts alone should have struck Thomas. Christ also added: “And do not be an unbeliever, but a believer.” The Gospel does not say whether Thomas really felt the wounds of the Lord, but faith kindled in him with a bright flame that he exclaimed: “My Lord and my God!” With these words, Thomas confessed not only faith in the Resurrection of Christ, but also faith in His Divinity. However, this faith was still based on sensory confirmation, and therefore the Lord, in edification to Thomas, the other apostles and all people for all future times, opens the highest path to faith, pleasing those who achieve faith not in the same sensory way as Thomas achieved it: “ Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed...” And before, the Lord has repeatedly given preference to that faith that is based not on a miracle, but on the word. The spread of the faith of Christ on earth would be impossible if everyone demanded the same confirmation of their faith as Thomas, or even non-stop miracles. Therefore, the Lord pleases those who achieve faith only through trust in the testimony of the word, trust in the teaching of Christ. This is the best way of faith. (Archbishop Averky (Taushev). Starting from the Week of Thomas in the Orthodox Church, after a long Lenten break, the celebration of the Sacrament of Marriage, funeral commemorations at liturgy and memorial services are resumed. In Rus', it was on this day - Krasnaya Gorka - that the largest number of weddings took place, festivities were held, matchmaking, young people put on their brightest outfits (perhaps this is why the day has such a popular name). On Tuesday of the second week of Easter, the Orthodox Church celebrates Radonitsa - the day of special remembrance of the dead, after Easter. According to the testimony of St. John Chrysostom (IV century), this holiday was celebrated in Christian cemeteries already in ancient times. Radonitsa occupies a special place in the annual circle church holidays– immediately after Svetlaya Easter week. This obliges Christians not to delve into worries about the death of loved ones, but, on the contrary, to rejoice at their birth into another life - eternal life. The victory over death, won by the death and Resurrection of Christ, displaces the sadness of temporary separation from relatives, and therefore we, in the words of Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh, “stand with faith, hope and Easter confidence at the tombs of the departed.” On this day, believers come to the graves of their loved ones with the joyful news of the Resurrection of Christ, hence the day of remembrance itself is called Radonitsa. It is on Radonitsa (according to the locally revered tradition, this is done on Monday) that there is a custom to perform funeral services in the cemetery and give out alms, bringing colored eggs and other Easter dishes which, after the funeral prayer, are distributed to the poor and poor and to everyone around. This real, living, everyday communication with the departed reflects the belief that even after death they do not cease to be members of the Church of That God, Who “is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for with Him all are alive” (Luke 20:38) . There is a wonderful example of how our dead share with us the joy of the Resurrection of the Savior. One day, on Easter, one pious elder of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra went together with a deacon to burn incense in the caves where the deceased rested. And as soon as they exclaimed: “Christ is risen, fathers and brethren!”, a loud exclamation was heard in response: “Truly he is risen!” “We will try, as much as possible, to help the departed, instead of tears, instead of sobs, instead of magnificent tombs - with our prayers, alms and offerings for them, so that in this way both they and we will receive the promised benefits,” writes St. John Chrysostom. And it is necessary to remember Orthodox Christian visiting the graves of deceased relatives on Monday, which is extremely contraindicated by the church to organize lavish funerals at the tombs of the dead, and especially with drinking alcoholic beverages. It is necessary to abstain from such things during home memorial feasts - this hurts the souls of the dead. It is worth mentioning the tradition, in some cities and villages, of visiting the graves of deceased relatives on Easter Day itself. This tradition is quite young and dates back to Soviet times, when visiting a temple on Easter was difficult, dangerous or even impossible. Then the custom arose of visiting cemeteries on the very Day of the Holiday, which is not a tradition of our Church, since until the Week of the Apostle Thomas the remembrance of the dead is not performed. Easter is a time of special and exceptional joy, a celebration of victory over death and over all sorrow and sadness.

The Resurrection of Christ is over, but for some reason believers continue to greet: “Christ is Risen!”

The big ones Orthodox holidays there are days of pre-feast and post-feast - the period before and after the holiday itself, when its echoes are heard in the divine service.

The after-feast of Easter, the main Christian holiday, is the longest - 38 days.

Taking into account the day of the holiday and the day of sacrifice, Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter for 40 days.
The Savior stayed on earth for so long before His ascension.

Of this period, the first week after Easter - Bright Week - stands out.

On all days of this holiday we greet each other with the words “Rise!” - “Truly He is Risen!”, with which we profess faith in the resurrection of the Lord, we exchange red eggs, which symbolize new life.

The word "Passover" in Hebrew means "deliverance."

Christian New Testament Easter is the day on which our transition from death to incorruptible life, from earth to Heaven took place.

With His resurrection, the Lord opened the gates of heaven to people and gave them great joy and hope.

The Savior rose again on the night of the third day after death on the cross, Himself, by the power of His Divinity. At night the earth shook, an angel came down from heaven and rolled away the stone from the door of the tomb-cave.

At dawn, the women, taking with them fragrant myrrh, went to the tomb to anoint the body of the deceased Savior. They saw the stone rolled away from the door of the tomb, and the angels who announced to them about the resurrection of Christ.

The myrrh-bearers hastily told the apostles about this, but they did not believe it.
However, John and Peter still ran to the tomb and saw folded funeral clothes in the empty tomb.
When the weeping Mary Magdalene came to the tomb, the risen Christ appeared to her.
On the same day, other myrrh-bearers, Peter, the Evangelist Luke, and other apostles, except Thomas, saw Him.
But first of all, according to Sacred Tradition, the risen Jesus appeared to His Most Pure Mother.

So, the celebration continues:

*at the end of Easter week, the Church continues to celebrate Easter, but with less solemnity, until the Ascension of the Lord, i.e. 32 more days;

*the total number of days of Easter celebration is 40 - exactly as many as Christ appeared to His disciples after the Resurrection.

WHAT IS POSSIBLE AND WHAT IS NOT POSSIBLE FOR EASTER:

When can you break your fast on Easter?

Breaking the fast (the first fast meal after the end of Lent) on Easter is usually celebrated after the Liturgy and Communion. If you attended the Liturgy at night, then after the night service you can begin the festive meal. If you came to the Liturgy in the morning, then you can break your fast in the same way - after communion. The main thing is that everything needs to be approached with a sense of proportion. Don't overeat.

If for some reason you cannot celebrate Easter in church, you can begin to break your fast around the time when the festive Liturgy ends in churches. What is good about the Church in this regard? We fast together and break our fast together. That is, we do everything together. This is what is sorely missing modern world, - generality.

How to spend Easter correctly?

Are there things you shouldn't do?

On this day you cannot be sad, walk gloomily and quarrel with your neighbors. But just remember that Easter is not 24 hours, but at least a whole week - Bright Week. Liturgically, the Resurrection of Christ is celebrated for seven days.

Let this week be an example of how we should always behave in society, among people.

How should you spend Easter? Rejoice, treat others, invite them to visit you, visit the suffering. In a word, everything that brings joy to your neighbor, and therefore to you.

What can you eat on Easter and can you drink alcohol on Easter?

On Easter you can eat and drink everything, the main thing is to do it in moderation. If you know how to stop in time, you can help yourself to all the dishes, drink wine or some strong drinks - without getting too drunk, of course. But if it is difficult for you to limit yourself, it is better not to touch alcohol. Rejoice in spiritual joy.

Is it possible to work on Easter?

Most often, the question of whether to work or not does not depend on us. If Easter Sunday is your day off, that's of course very good. You can visit the temple, meet your loved ones, and congratulate everyone.

But it often happens that we find ourselves as forced people and, according to our work schedule, are forced to work on Easter. There's nothing wrong with putting in the effort. Maybe you can be sad about this, but no more than five minutes! Obedience is obedience. Do your work on this day conscientiously. If you fulfill your duties in simplicity and truth, the Lord will definitely touch your heart.

Is it possible to do homework on Easter? Cleaning, knitting, sewing?

When we read somewhere that on a holiday there is a ban on homework, we should understand that it is not just a ban, but a blessing for us to spend this time paying attention to the Lord, the holiday and our neighbors. So that we don’t get hung up on the vanity of the world. The ban on work on Easter is not canonical, it is rather a pious tradition.

Household chores are an integral part of our lives. You can do them on holiday, but only if you approach it wisely. To avoid spending Easter studying spring cleaning until the night. Sometimes it is better, for example, to leave unwashed dishes in the sink than to be annoyed by household members who did not wash their dishes.

What does it mean if a person dies on Easter?

Is this a sign of God's special mercy or a punishment?

If a believer dies on Easter or Bright Week, for us this is truly a sign of God’s mercy towards this person. Folk tradition even says that the one who died on Easter enters the Kingdom of Heaven without ordeal, that is, bypassing Last Judgment. But this is “folk theology”; dogmatically, every person will be judged and will give an answer for their sins before the face of God.

If a non-believer dies these days, then, I think, this means absolutely nothing. After all, even during his life, the Resurrection of Christ was not for him a sign of deliverance from death...

Is it possible to go to the cemetery on Easter?

There has never been such a tradition in the Church. She was born among people in times Soviet Union, when a person was deprived of spiritual communication and removed from the Church. Where else was there to meet the afterlife, about which the Church speaks and with the belief in whose existence the authorities fought so hard? Only at the cemetery. No one could forbid going to relatives’ graves.

Since then, it has become a custom to go to the cemetery on Easter. But now that the temples are open and we can go to Easter service, it is better to go to the cemetery to visit loved ones on other days. For example, on Radonitsa - on the day when, according to tradition, the Church commemorates the dead. Arrive there early, put the graves in order, sit quietly next to them and pray.

How should we greet each other on Easter?

Easter greeting is angelic. When the Myrrh-Bearing Women came to the Holy Sepulcher to anoint the body of the crucified Christ with incense, they saw an Angel there. He told them: “Why are you looking for the living among the dead?”, that is, he told them that the Savior had risen.

We greet our brothers and sisters in faith on Easter with the words “Christ is Risen!” and answer the greeting: “Truly he is risen!” Thus, we tell the whole world that for us the Resurrection of Christ is the basis of life.

What is customary to give for Easter?

On Easter you can give your neighbors any pleasant and necessary gifts. And it will be good if any gift comes with an Easter egg, decorated or red. The egg as a symbol is evidence of new life - the Resurrection of Christ.

Red color easter egg- This is a memory of the legend according to which Mary Magdalene gave an egg to Emperor Tiberius for Easter. The Emperor told her that he did not believe that a person could be resurrected, that it was as incredible as if this egg suddenly turned from white to red. And, according to legend, a miracle happened - in front of everyone, the egg turned red, like the blood of Christ. Now the painted egg is a symbol of Easter, the Resurrection of the Savior.

What to do with shells from blessed eggs and stale Easter cake?

Pious tradition tells us not to throw away with the trash what is consecrated in the temple. All this can be burned, for example, on personal plot, and bury the ashes where people and animals will not trample on them. Or put it in the river. Or, having agreed in advance with the minister in the temple, bring the shells there: in every temple there is a so-called “untrampled place”.

REMEMBRANCE OF THE DEAD ON EASTER DAYS

Easter is a time of special and exceptional joy, a celebration of victory over death and over all sorrow and sorrow.

The Church, taking into account the psychology of people, separates days of celebration and days of sadness. The joyful rejoicing that the Church communicates to believers at Easter is separated from the mood of sadness that accompanies the remembrance of the dead.

And the current custom of visiting cemeteries on the first day of Easter contradicts the most ancient institutions of the Church: until the ninth day after Easter, commemoration of the dead is never performed.

On Easter and throughout Bright Week, for the sake of the great joy of the Resurrection of Christ, all funeral services and memorial services are canceled in Temples.

The first commemoration of the dead and the first memorial service take place on the second week, after St. Fomin Sunday, on Tuesday - Radonitsa (from the word joy - after all, the celebration of Easter continues). On this day, a funeral service is served and believers visit the cemetery to pray for the departed, so that the Easter joy will be passed on to them.

Is it possible to go to the cemetery after Easter and clean up the graves before the memorial days?

After Wednesday of Bright Week, you can already go to the cemetery to clean the graves of your loved ones after the winter before the Radonitsa holiday.

In the event of a person’s death, and death on Easter is traditionally considered a sign of God’s mercy, the funeral service is performed according to the Easter rite, which includes many Easter hymns.

You can remember at home, you can submit notes, but public commemoration on Easter days in the form of a memorial service is not held.

If the anniversary of death falls during Easter and Bright Week, the commemoration is postponed to the period starting from Radonitsa.