Funeral dinner can be held in many cafes or restaurants. When choosing an institution that will provide a menu that corresponds to the traditions of Orthodoxy or another faith, it is necessary to take into account its cost and location.
Memorial dinner according to Orthodox customs is held three times. On the day of the funeral - the first commemoration. Then after 9 days. And here is the third memorial dinner already on the fortieth day.
The tradition of remembering the dead comes from the distant past. Such rituals exist in other faiths of different peoples. This is connected with the hope of people for the immortality of the human soul. In Christianity, this custom is always reduced to a memorial meal. But don't think it's just a meal. A funeral dinner is a special ritual that is held in order to commemorate a deceased person, show respect for him and remember his good deeds.
It is customary to commemorate the dead with kutya, pancakes and jelly. Each person who comes to the plate is put on a pancake and jelly is poured. In a cafe, it is permissible to add caviar to pancakes, cold fish snacks, or include stuffed pancakes in the menu.
As a rule, people of the Orthodox faith during the commemoration offer prayers to Christ, asking him for peace for the soul of the deceased. All actions thattake place during this event, are filled with a special sacred meaning. On such a day, everything has a special significance, which is why the menu at the memorial meal is special.
Before you begin to remember, you should read the prayer "Our Father". Then the ninetieth psalm or hold a lithium. Throughout the feast, it is necessary to remember the deceased. The conversation at this time should be pious. You can not laugh, swear, sing funny songs, remember the wrong deeds of the deceased.
It must be remembered that the main course in the memorial meal - kutya - is a special porridge made from wheat or rice, which is seasoned with raisins and honey. The grains in such cereals must be whole.
Kutya should be illuminated or at least sprinkled with holy water. Each of the people present at this event is obliged to try it. This dish means eternal life. The grain from which kutia is made reminds us that a person, like this grain, germinates, that is, is reborn, in Christ. There is no such thing as reincarnation in the Christian faith.
It is often believed that the abundance of food at a funeral dinner means great sorrow. This is not so, the food on the table should be the simplest. This should be especially remembered when commemorating during fasting. Another thing is important here, that the gathered people remember the deceased.
It is necessary to know some features of this ritual ceremony. If there are commemorations in Great Lent, then believers transfer them to the sixth or seventh day of the week,because fasting is very strict at this time. If there is a commemoration in a cafe, then all men should traditionally be without a headdress, and women, on the contrary, should be with their heads covered. This is a certain tribute to the deceased person. These are the features of the memorial dinner for Christians.
