Holidays of the Slavs - Rodonitsa

The traditions of this custom are rooted in the Vedic holidays of the Eastern Slavs Sacrificial offerings were made to ancestral deities and deceased relatives on the burial mounds of ancient temples, so that the souls of the deceased could rejoice at the veneration that the living showed them These holidays were called Triznas or Radavanitsa Later, after the baptism of Rus' into Christianity, the Orthodox Church fully supported this custom, linking it with the Easter celebration “in the name of the joy of the Holy Resurrection” From now on, everyone could share this celebration with their deceased relatives, friends and all deceased Christians with faith in the resurrection and eternal life On this day, the whole world visited cemeteries, tidied up graveyards and decorated them with flowers Funeral tables with traditional kutya and pancakes were set right on the graves In some areas, it was customary to heat a bathhouse for the dead and leave clean linen and brooms in it At the same time, they themselves did not enter the bathhouse until the morning, but at dawn they went to look for traces of “guests” in the ash specially scattered on the floor In the houses, food was placed on the tables for the deceased with three courses - for breakfast, lunch and dinner Today, the church condemns the custom of bringing colored eggs, food and drink to graves, calling it “pagan” Much more important is the spiritual meaning of this holiday, aimed at honoring one’s ancestors and the inextricable connection of times And although tribute to the memory of the dead is carried out everywhere by the Orthodox Church on special dates - Parents' Days, Rodonitsa is a special holiday, sanctified by the kind light of memorial prayers There is no place for despair, grief and sadness, only deep faith, supported by the very fact of the resurrection of Christ Celebrated in the spring, when nature awakens and the earth is filled with vitality, it resonates in the hearts of people with the bright joy of victory over Darkness It is worth recalling that the Orthodox Church Radonitsa (Radunitsa, Radavanitsa) is the Day of All-Church Remembrance of the Dead, celebrated on the ninth day after Easter, on Tuesday in St Thomas week following Bright Week