Advertising on the portal

What time do Orthodox Christians bury people? The entire ritual of Orthodox funerals

As much as we would like to live forever, people are destined to die. Therefore, the hassle of a funeral will sooner or later affect everyone. It is important to know how to prepare for this day, and most importantly, when to send the deceased on his last journey.

Editorial today "So simple!" will tell you why it is customary to bury the deceased on the 3rd day after death. And also about other days that need to be taken into account from the point of view of Christian customs.

When people are buried

According to Orthodox canons it is accepted bury the dead on the third day after death. Why the third day? Christ died on Friday and rose again on Sunday. Hence 3 days. Further, according to Christian canons, until the third day the soul is on earth, but from the 3rd to the 9th day it is shown the afterlife.

According to the holy fathers, for three days the soul of the deceased remains near his body. If we bury the body, she will have nowhere to go. During this period, there is still a relationship between body and soul, which under no circumstances should be broken. In the last three days, the soul should be at home, among loved ones.

But from the 9th day the most difficult period begins for the soul of the deceased. She goes through ordeals, where she learns all her sins. In the period from the 9th to the 40th day, loved ones are recommended to pray for the deceased. On the 40th day, the soul appears before the court of God, where it is determined where it will end up. Preferably on the 3rd, 9th and 40th days order a memorial service.

After the death of a person and until the 9th day, the relatives of the deceased need to refrain from having fun. Even if a wedding or christening is planned during this period, it is better to postpone them.

Brief description below!

In the life of every person, such an unpleasant event occurs as the death of a loved one. And it happens that the funeral has to be organized personally. As a rule, this bleak event takes people by surprise, which is what funeral directors take advantage of. They process people at the most “appropriate” moment, while the person is still in disarray and has poor understanding and, as a rule, knows nothing about his further actions.

How this happens: as soon as the body arrives at the morgue, the employee first calls “his” agent, and only then the relative of the deceased. Those. When relatives arrive at the morgue, they are already met there by an agent rubbing his hands. These people have no sympathy, it’s just their job, and they treat it the same way you and I treat our work. Moreover, they really like to smile when looking at a potential client, in their head they do not realize that the event is tragic, the main thing is to win the client over.
We knew that the agents would arrive and called the phone number that my grandmother left “just in case,” by which she was promised a free funeral. As it later turned out, this is the same agent. In general, we agreed to meet at the morgue (and we were informed about the death 3 hours after the death itself and were told to come quickly before the body was sent for forensic examination due to the absence of relatives). We arrived, we were quietly shown into the office, they said that the agent had already called from us and would arrive soon. In the meantime, they described to us the procedures that they are ready to offer us.
I had time to do some research on the situation on the Internet before leaving for the morgue, because... our budget was very weak and there was practically no cash. There was practically no useful information (that’s why I decided to write this guide), I only found a brief description of the procedures required for implementation and prices, as well as about funeral at state expense . It was this point that interested us.
As a result, when they started describing the morgue services and their necessity to us, and then they told us the price for everything, our eyes began to cost five rubles. Woe, woe, but it’s cruel to rob insolently. We nodded and decided to remain silent for now until the agent arrived. The agent had just arrived, they greeted the morgue worker nicely like old friends, whispered around the corner and went to process us. straight from one hand, we were released to another, where they continued to process us. While passing us hands, the agent gave a strange phrase to the morgue worker: “Did you tell them about the thing?” We didn’t know about it yet, we put it aside for dessert.
The agent immediately began by describing a wonderful funeral that a close relative should have, after which she said: “in order for me to work with you, you need to pay extra for the coffin, i.e., according to the state budget, we are entitled to a coffin for 2000 rubles, but we work only with expensive ones from 8000 rubles, accordingly you will need to pay an additional 6000 rubles and everything will be fine.” This moment immediately did not suit us and made us indignant. We categorically refused additional payments and the agent was offended and even started saying humiliating things: “how can you bury your mother in such a terrible coffin, you have to do everything beautifully, expensively.” We were out of touch and bluntly said that there was no money and only a state funeral would save us. To which the agent said that in this case we don’t need her. Because her services cost money. She couldn’t name the exact amount, she kept going around and around, and for about half an hour they pulled clear amounts out of her for the necessary items. As a result, they fished out about 25,000 rubles. at a minimum, while her services cost 8000 rubles. We stayed on the sidelines, promised to think about her services, before leaving, the agent demanded 1000 rubles. for leaving, although this was not agreed upon in advance. We never saw the price list for the services; only after bending the sheet of paper into three pieces, she surreptitiously showed the line where it was written “agent’s departure 1000 rubles.”
As for the “fad” of the morgue worker, there is also a mafia there: the price for morgue services was quoted to us as 12,000 rubles, but if we work with an agent, then we can do it without a check and for 9,000 rubles. Those. the price itself is not official, they inflate it and then divide it among themselves. We called relatives who had already buried them, and the price also shocked them; there are no such things. We went to the morgue worker and said that we had nothing to pay us with, so let’s reduce prices with a “fad”, but without an agent. To which we received the phrase: “What price do you need to meet?” Wow! Well, we called 7000 rubles. She crawled under the table, picked something in the papers, came out and called 4180 rubles. with minimal embalming (this figure is official, this is exactly what is established by law!), and we also never saw a price list for the services. After which she angrily escorted us out until tomorrow, because... Today they won’t perform an autopsy, and because the pathologist DID NOT WANT - that’s what they said. As a result, the body lay there just like that for a day.
On the trail. the day we arrived for a death certificate (we refused the agent), they gave it to us right on the street, without taking us to the office. But we found out in time that for the funeral service in the church we needed another corresponding certificate, we asked for it, to which we received a rude refusal, allegedly we paid little and such a certificate is not included in this price. I had to argue, this is again illegal. As a result, you shouldn’t count on anyone’s help, no one will tell or warn you anything, you’ll have to run 10 times to the same place. It seems that since you are without an agent, then figure it out yourself, we are not obliged to do anything. The Internet is a great thing in this regard.
Immediately after receiving the certificates, we went to the registry office at the place of registration to exchange the death certificate for a death certificate. Everything went quite quickly there, you need to remember that the agent will not be given a certificate, the presence of a relative is required. Then we went to Social Security to arrange funeral arrangements according to our budget. There were lazy women sitting there; they really didn’t want to deal with us. Social Security does not issue monetary compensation; everything is done there by bank transfer. If you want to get money, you need to go to the pension fund and get a receipt, which is cashed at a savings bank. Gor. The budget is calculated at 15,000 rubles. (this includes a coffin, grave digging, a wreath, transport). We decided by bank transfer, employees at Social Security had never done this in their lives, and therefore we were puzzled and really wanted to send us to the pension, but it’s a long way to go, and everything needs to be done quickly. Filling out this order took an hour and a half. We didn’t have time to open this order, but we decided to immediately go to the cemetery and agree on everything there (luckily it’s close to the house). Without a signed order, they did not immediately take on us, but then they condescended and filled out everything necessary, and told us to bring the documents on the day of the funeral. As a result, we managed to do almost everything in one day; all that remained was to order funeral services.
On the second day we went straight to State Unitary Enterprise "Ritual", where we arranged all the services. I must say that they are quite far from the metro, it took a while to find them, the walk is not for the weak. The people working there are pretty unpleasant. again they began to say that relatives should not be buried so poorly, poorly and unsightly, they need to invest in the funeral, etc. We endured it with dignity, because... We don’t understand why there is extra tinsel, it’s not a holiday after all, but there are people who really want to arrange a luxurious funeral for a loved one, but due to circumstances they can’t and they will be told this... the person will be hysterical, he will feel so insignificant. In the end, they only included a coffin, slippers, a blanket, transportation and grave digging; they wanted a lot of money for the rest. They also wanted to give us a ride with transport. We scheduled the funeral for the 4th day after death, i.e. already on the trail. day after ordering services. They announced that there were no hearses, we had to argue again, and a car was immediately found.
All that remains is to visit the church and order the funeral service. Everything here is simple and quick, the church was in a cemetery. The workers digging the graves also wanted to load our budget with bearers for the coffin (6 people cost 6,000 rubles), but we had male relatives + the cemetery always has gurneys on which you can safely carry the coffin, the only time hands were needed was from the path to the grave itself. They buried it in winter, so everything was covered in knee-deep snow and they had to pay to clear the path to the grave, but the clearing was very narrow for one person, and you had to carry the coffin from both sides, they got out of it and carried it.

Now for a quick guide:
1. Go to the morgue, refuse the agents, ask for a price list from the morgue worker!, take the death certificate + certificate for the funeral service (if needed)
2. If you agree to work with an agent: ask him for a price list! Keep in mind that you will have to go with an agent to get all the documents, otherwise they won’t issue them. Those. the agent will only shorten the time spent in a particular place and his travel pattern has already been clearly worked out.
3. Go to the registry office at the place of registration of the deceased and obtain a death certificate.
4. Go to Social Security or the pension fund at the place of registration of the deceased and receive instructions for the funeral at the expense of the budget (if necessary)
5. If you need to get it in cash, then go to Sberbank.
6. Go to State Unitary Enterprise "Ritual" (or another funeral agency), arrange funeral services: transport and a coffin, it is better to buy the rest in other places - much cheaper.
7. Go to the cemetery, order the digging of a grave (if necessary: ​​buy a place), buy a cross and a wreath. Tombstones and flower beds are bought long after, when the ground settles.
8. Go to church, order a funeral service, buy an icon and candles and a bed for the coffin.
9. On the day of the funeral, drive up to the morgue, find your bus, do not forget the death certificate and passports (must be presented at the morgue and to the driver). You say goodbye to the body in the morgue, go to church or the cemetery.
That's it. It's not so scary when you know everything. In 3 days, they buried a man completely independently and without prompting.

Required documents:
1. To the morgue - an outpatient card of the deceased (take it from the clinic) and your and the deceased’s passports, if the last name was changed, then a birth and marriage certificate.
2. At the registry office - death certificate, passports, birth and marriage certificates.
3. To the Social Security\Pension Fund - passports, death certificate, pension certificate of the deceased, Muscovite card of the deceased, birth and marriage certificates.
4. At the cemetery: warrant for a place in the cemetery, death certificate, passport, birth and marriage certificate.
5. For the funeral service - death certificate, certificate for the funeral service, passport.
6. To the funeral agency - death certificate, funeral order (if any), passports.

The last notes

Miscalculation of memorial days

*the first day is considered the day of death

How to behave at the funeral of loved ones

February 20, 2018

Sooner or later, a person faces the death of relatives, close friends, colleagues. A funeral is not just the process of burying a coffin with the deceased in the ground, but an entire ritual that requires strict adherence to certain rules.
Seeing off the deceased on his last journey causes panic and even horror in many people. And this is understandable, because the mourning procedure is shrouded in numerous mysterious and mystical rules and signs.
Elderly people believe that mistakes made during a funeral can doom the soul of the deceased to suffering, as well as bring grief to the living. That is why every person should know how to behave correctly at a funeral and how to avoid the most common mistakes.


Behavior at a funeral

In most cases, the funeral ceremony takes place on the second or third day after the person's death. Before this, the body of the deceased must be prepared. Main stages of the preparatory process:

  • ablution;
  • changing clothes;
  • funeral lithium;
  • funeral service

The deceased must be washed with clean water and then wiped dry. This is done so that a person gets to heaven perfectly clean. This is followed by changing clothes - the deceased is dressed in new, smart clothes.

An obligatory part of an Orthodox funeral is a funeral lithium and funeral service. Approximately 1-2 hours before the body of the deceased is removed from the premises, the priest conducts a funeral service and sprinkles the deceased with holy water. The funeral service is held immediately before the burial and consists of several chants and prayers. It is believed that only after this the deceased is ready to appear before God.

How to behave at a relative's funeral

How to behave at the funeral of a loved one? This question often arises for people who have not attended farewell ceremonies for a long time. This period is the most difficult for close relatives, as they are faced not only with enormous grief, but also with the organization of the burial of the deceased. They need to contact the relevant authorities and obtain a death certificate.
Fortunately, today there are a huge number of funeral services that will take care of all stages of preparation for the funeral, eliminating this need for relatives. The funeral service organizes not only the farewell ceremony, but also the funeral dinner.

Important rules to follow when burying a relative:

  1. One of the relatives or friends must remain near the coffin with the deceased; the deceased should not be left alone in the room.
  2. After the death of a person, it is necessary to cover all the mirrors with thick fabric - it is believed that the soul of the deceased can fall into the looking glass.
  3. Chairs or other pieces of furniture on which the coffin rested should be turned upside down and left in that position for 24 hours after the funeral.
  4. The water with which the deceased was washed should be poured out in a deserted, deserted place.
  5. A comb, soap and other items that were used to wash the deceased must be placed in the coffin.

Close relatives must wear exclusively black clothes and shoes to the funeral ceremony. Women are required to cover their hair with black scarves. Traditionally, during a funeral, close relatives should be on the left side of the coffin, and friends and acquaintances should be on the right. After the funeral ceremony, relatives are the first to present wreaths and flowers, and only after them do others present.

How to behave at the funeral of a loved one



When going to a funeral, you should pay special attention to your clothing. The best option would be things of traditional black color, which has long been a symbol of mourning and grief. Black can be replaced with other dark shades - brown, blue, green.

Of course, a funeral ceremony is not the best place for bright colors, deep necklines, high slits or short skirts. Such clothing will be offensive to the relatives of the deceased. Similar restrictions apply to makeup, which should be as natural and neutral as possible.
It is customary to come to a funeral with a bouquet of fresh flowers, of which there should be an even number, or a wreath with a mourning ribbon. It is imperative to approach the loved ones and relatives of the deceased and express condolences.

During the funeral, it is prohibited to talk loudly, laugh or discuss anyone around you. If a relative of the deceased or another person becomes ill, it is imperative to support him and provide assistance. Therefore, it is best to have a few extra handkerchiefs and a sedative with you.

When answering the question of how to behave during a funeral, you should remember that organizing a farewell ceremony falls on the shoulders of close relatives and friends of the deceased. Therefore, it would be right to help with the organization of the funeral, including providing all possible financial assistance.

How to behave at your mother's funeral

The death of a mother is a difficult loss for children, regardless of their age. But children need not only to experience the bitterness of loss, but also to organize a farewell to their mother. Traditionally, farewell is divided into three main stages:

  • preparation for the funeral ceremony;
  • funeral;

Children can organize their mother’s funeral on their own or seek help from a funeral agency. Relatives and friends are informed about the date and time of burial by telephone.
The basic rules for holding a parent's funeral are no different from a regular funeral ceremony. Before taking the coffin out of the house, it is best to ask one of your relatives to take ammonia, validol or another sedative with them.

After the mother’s funeral, it is the children who invite everyone gathered to a funeral dinner, having previously taken care of the availability of the necessary transport. After lunch, children can pass food from the table to relatives and friends who were not present at the funeral so that they honor the memory of the deceased.

How to behave at a friend's funeral

Relatives send news of a person’s death by telephone or mail. In the event of the death of a close friend, it is believed that you can come to the funeral without notification, because grieving relatives could simply forget about one of the friends.

After arriving at the house of a deceased friend, you must definitely approach his relatives and express condolences, if desired, hug him and offer your help. A few rules of conduct at a friend's funeral:

  1. During the funeral ceremony, you must turn off your mobile phone.
  2. It is forbidden to shout or talk loudly.
  3. If desired, before the burial, you can say a few good farewell words about the deceased.
  4. You should not hold back your tears - if you want to cry, you can give free rein to your feelings at the funeral.
  5. During the farewell ceremony you should not consume alcohol or any food.

The organizers of the funeral ceremony may ask a friend of the deceased to carry the coffin lid - in no case should you refuse, as this is considered disrespect for the deceased and his family.

Behavior at a funeral in a cemetery

There are several rules of conduct at the cemetery that must be observed during the farewell procession. For example, every person knows that it is strictly forbidden to cross the road on the street of a funeral procession. This is considered a harbinger of a bad event.

The coffin lid should only be hammered in the cemetery, but under no circumstances in the courtyard of the house. This threatens the death of another family member. For the same reason, it is forbidden to dig a grave that is too large.

It is not recommended to walk in front of the coffin, which is also considered a bad sign. Relatives are prohibited from carrying the coffin lid; only friends, acquaintances and colleagues of the deceased can do this. You can enter the cemetery through a gate, but you can also exit through the gate.

Under no circumstances should you put coins, photographs or any other things into the coffin with the deceased. It is believed that in this way a dead person can “draw” someone from the living to him. Before burial, the ropes with which they were tied must be removed from the hands and feet of the deceased, and then placed in a coffin. After the funeral, a memorial dinner is required.

Proper behavior during a funeral dinner

When answering the question of how to behave at a wake after a funeral, you need to remember that regardless of the status of the deceased person, the dinner should be as modest and restrained as possible, since it is a tribute to the memory of the deceased, and not a solemn event. For the same reason, a wake should not be held in an expensive restaurant.
One of the closest relatives invites those gathered to the funeral dinner on behalf of the entire family. As a rule, the spouse of the deceased person is at the head of the table, with relatives, friends and colleagues on the sides.

Special attention is paid to table setting - it is best to use a plain tablecloth and tableware, without bright ornaments. Traditionally, during a funeral dinner, forks and knives are not used, only spoons. For this reason, instead of bread, pies or soft rolls that can be broken with your hands are served on the table.

Before starting the meal, the head of the family makes a funeral speech about the deceased. Among the dishes that must be present at a funeral dinner are:


The issue regarding alcoholic beverages is decided by the relatives of the deceased independently. It should be remembered that a funeral dinner is not a celebration; only simple, modest dishes should be present at it.

Signs at a funeral

There are special signs during a funeral that every person who comes to the funeral ceremony should know about. Old people claim that signs associated with funerals must be observed, as they can lead to disaster if not followed.

  1. Clothes for burial must be new and clean.
  2. The shoes of the deceased must be soft and have backs; they cannot be buried in sandals.
  3. The deceased must have a funeral service in the church.
  4. If a person dies in a hospital, he must be brought to his home before burial.
  5. After the funeral car leaves the yard, the floors in the house must be swept and washed, but not for relatives.
  6. The broom and other accessories used for cleaning should be thrown away in a deserted place.
  7. Children should attend the funeral ceremony only if absolutely necessary.
  8. Cats, dogs or any other animals should not be allowed into the room with the deceased.
  9. The handkerchiefs used to wipe away tears should be thrown into the grave.
  10. You need to be careful not to leave your belongings in the cemetery.

Signs in the cemetery must be observed, because this will help to avoid many troubles, especially if the person is superstitious.

Pregnant woman at a funeral



For many centuries there has been a belief that Pregnant women are prohibited from attending funerals. The mystical explanation of this rule is due to the fact that pregnancy is the period of birth of a new life, and death is the time of leaving this world.

In addition, a pregnant woman receives a huge charge of negative emotions during the funeral ceremony, which poses a serious danger to the growth and development of the child.

What should you not do at a funeral?



Signs on the day of the funeral indicate what neither relatives nor friends of the deceased should do. It is strictly prohibited:

  • when taking the coffin out of the house, look in a mirror or window;
  • until the 40th day, distribute the belongings of the deceased;
  • flowers should never be taken from a cemetery or the house of the deceased;
  • While the coffin with the deceased is in the house, you cannot sweep;
  • After burial, you cannot drink alcohol in the cemetery.

A funeral is a whole ritual that requires strict adherence to special rules of behavior. They allow you to take a loved one on their final journey with all honor and respect.

The rite of burial of the deceased is a rite of farewell to the deceased, which has been customary to carry out in the Orthodox world since ancient times. It exists so that on this day one can express one’s respect and respect to people who have suffered death.

On this day, all the relatives, friends and acquaintances of the deceased gather to say goodbye to him forever and see him off on his last journey. The ritual also carries a powerful information message. Its holding reminds those present that their existence on earth is not eternal, which in turn should make many think about their lives.

The Orthodox Church views funerals as a transition from earthly life to eternal life. To get into heaven a person must undergo special training. It consists of the following steps:

  • Unction. If the death is not sudden, but the person was very ill, then before death the priest performs unction.
  • Confession. Before death, a person must confess and ask for remission of all his sins.
  • Conducting the communion ceremony. The priest must conduct the rite of communion to the dying person.
  • Reading special canons. Since ancient times, prayers have been read to a dying person before death. This can be done by both the priest and relatives.
  • Washing and changing clothes. After a person has died, he must be washed with clean water and wiped dry. This is done so that he appears clean before God. The deceased is also dressed in light and clean clothes. After this is done, it is necessary to cover the deceased with a shroud.
  • Funeral lithium. It is read an hour before the coffin is taken out of the house. The priest sprinkles the coffin with holy water and conducts the funeral liturgy.
  • Funeral service. Before the burial takes place, the priest reads a series of prayers and chants.

Only after all the stages described above have been completed is it believed that the deceased will be able to find eternal life in the next world.

On what day are they buried according to Orthodox custom?

Very often, relatives of the deceased have many questions about what day the deceased person should be buried. According to Orthodox traditions, it is customary to bury the deceased on the third day after death.

Why are they buried 3 days after death? The fact is that it is on this day that the final severance of all connections between the soul and the body occurs. The intangible component of a person leaves the Kingdom of Heaven, accompanied by a guardian angel.

Moreover, the third day after death is still associated with the Trinity. After all, the third day is considered a funeral. And funeral services are always held after the burial of the body of the deceased. Thus, it turns out that the memorial day is simply combined with the burial day. But be careful to calculate them mathematically; you cannot simply add the number three. For example, if a person died on March 18, then the day of his burial should not be March 21, but March 20.

Is it possible to bury 2 days after death?

According to the priests, such a ritual cannot be performed on the second day after death. Because the soul is still attached to the body and it simply has nowhere to go. The connection between the soul and the body cannot be severed, since there is a natural process for this in nature. It should also be noted that it is immediately impossible to get used to the fact that a person has died and will not be around. Three days are also given for this.

Are they buried on the second day after death? - Yes, sometimes this can be found. But very rarely. As a rule, this happens either in regions where there is extreme heat, or in the summer. Since during high air temperatures the body begins to quickly decompose. In such cases, priests sometimes allow us to deviate from tradition.

Is it possible to bury on the 4th day?

As Orthodox traditions say, the answer is positive. It is allowed to bury the body later than the third day, the main thing is that it is not the first or second day. In the Orthodox world, burial of the body of a deceased person is allowed on the 5th and 6th day. It all depends on how the person died.

There are a number of cases when burial is not allowed without an autopsy. As a rule, this is in cases of death in hospitals, road accidents, etc. This procedure usually takes from 4 to 7 days.

Is it possible to bury on your birthday?

It is not often that a person dies on the eve of his birthday. Of course, in this regard, Orthodox believers will be interested in whether it is possible to bury the deceased on his birthday. The Orthodox Church does not prohibit rituals on this day.

At the same time, it is very important to remember that during the first three years after the death of a loved one, you must remember him and visit the grave on his birthday and death day.

On what days are Orthodox Christians not buried?

As you know, in Orthodoxy there are some prohibitions, according to which it is impossible to perform a funeral service for a person and on some days it is forbidden to carry out a burial ritual:

  • There is no funeral service for dead people who committed suicide.
  • It is forbidden to bury only on Holy Easter and Christmas.
  • According to popular belief, it is not recommended to carry out such a ritual on New Year’s Day. They say that you will be in trouble all year.

Also, lastly, it should be noted that with traditional Russian traditions, Orthodox funerals imply the burial of the deceased in the ground, believing in his resurrection on the day of judgment. The church does not allow cremation.

The Lord is always with you!