Saturday of Souls (or Soul Saturday) is a day set aside for the commemoration of the dead within the

liturgical year The liturgical year, also called the church year, Christian year, ecclesiastical calendar, or kalendar, consists of the cycle of liturgical days and seasons that determines when feast days, including celebrations of saints, are to be obse ...

of the

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, otherwise known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Byzantine Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism ...

and

Eastern Catholic Churches The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also known as the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Eastern Rite Catholicism, or simply the Eastern Churches, are 23 Eastern Christian autonomous (''sui iuris'') particular churches of ...

. Saturday is a traditional day of prayer for the dead, because Christ lay dead in the

Tomb A tomb ( ''tumbos'') or sepulchre () is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes. Placing a corpse into a tomb can be called '' immurement'', alth ...

on Saturday. These days are devoted to prayer for departed relatives and others among the faithful who would not be commemorated specifically as saints. The Divine Services on these days have special hymns added to them to commemorate the departed. There is often a Panikhida (Memorial Service) either after the

Divine Liturgy Divine Liturgy () or Holy Liturgy is the usual name used in most Eastern Christian rites for the Eucharistic service. The Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern Lutheranism, Eastern Lutheran Churches and the Eastern Orthodox Church believe the Divi ...

on Saturday morning or after

Vespers Vespers /ˈvɛspərz/ () is a Christian liturgy, liturgy of evening prayer, one of the canonical hours in Catholic (both Latin liturgical rites, Latin and Eastern Catholic liturgy, Eastern Catholic liturgical rites), Eastern Orthodox, Oriental O ...

on Friday evening, for which Koliva (a dish made of boiled wheatberries or rice and honey) is prepared and placed on the Panikhida table. After the Service, the priest blesses the Koliva. It is then eaten as a memorial by all present.

Relationship to Radonitsa

Another Memorial Day, Radonitsa, does not fall on a Saturday, but on either Monday or Tuesday of the second week after Pascha (

Easter Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...

). Radonitsa does not have special hymns for the dead at the Divine Services. Instead, a ''Panikhida'' will follow the Divine Liturgy, and then, all will bring paschal foods to the cemeteries to greet the departed with the joy of the Resurrection.

Schedule

There are several Soul Saturdays throughout the year: * The Saturday of Meatfare Week (the second Saturday before

Great Lent Great Lent, or the Great Fast (Greek language, Greek: Μεγάλη Τεσσαρακοστή, ''Megali Tessarakosti'' or Μεγάλη Νηστεία, ''Megali Nisteia'', meaning "Great 40 Days", and "Great Fast", respectively), is the most impor ...

) * The second Saturday of Great Lent * The third Saturday of Great Lent * The fourth Saturday of Great Lent * Radonitsa (Monday or Tuesday after St. Thomas Sunday, i.e. Second Sunday of Easter) * The Saturday before

Pentecost Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 49th day (50th day when inclusive counting is used) after Easter Day, Easter. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spiri ...

*Intercession Saturday (the Saturday before the Intercession Day, i.e. 1 October). * Demetrius Saturday (the Saturday before the feast of Saint Demetrius of Thessaloniki, i.e. 26 October).

Observances by jurisdiction

Orthodox and Byzantine Catholics

All Orthodox and Byzantine Catholics observe Soul Saturdays on Meatfare Saturday (i.e., two Saturdays before the beginning of Great Lent); the second, third and fourth Saturdays of Great Lent; and the Saturday before Pentecost.

Bulgarian Orthodox Church

In the

Bulgarian Orthodox Church The Bulgarian Orthodox Church (), legally the Patriarchate of Bulgaria (), is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox jurisdiction based in Bulgaria. It is the first medieval recognised patriarchate outside the Pentarchy and t ...

, there is a commemoration of the dead on the Saturday before the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel on 8 November instead of the Demetrius Soul Saturday.

Russian Orthodox Church

The Russians observe memorials on Commemoration Day of Deceased Warriors ( 9 May), Memorial Day of Orthodox Warriors killed for Faith, Tzar and Fatherland on battlefield ( 11 September), the Saturdays closest to 26 October (Saint Demetrius) and 23 September (Conception of St. John the Forerunner).

Serbian Orthodox Church

In the

Serbian Orthodox Church The Serbian Orthodox Church ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Српска православна црква, Srpska pravoslavna crkva) is one of the autocephalous (ecclesiastically independent) Eastern Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodox Church#Constit ...

, there is also a commemoration of the dead on the Saturday closest to the Conception of St. John the Baptist— 23 September.

Slavic and Greek Churches

In Slavic and Greek Churches, all of the Lenten Soul Saturdays are typically observed. In some of the Churches of the Eastern Mediterranean, Meatfare Saturday, Radonitsa and the Saturday before Pentecost are typically observed.

References

External links

Photo: Ektenia during PanikhidaPhoto: Blessing Kolyva at the end of a Panikhida
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saturday Of Souls Death customs Eastern Orthodox liturgical days Christianity and death Holidays based on the date of Easter Christian festivals and holy days March observances April observances October observances Saturday observances Observances honoring the dead