Life and death are two inextricable components of the earthly existence of the human soul. Different peoples have developed certain burial rules that are carefully passed from generation to generation. According to Christian customs, the deceased are interred, on the day of burial, a wooden eight-pointed cross is placed on the grave, flowers are laid. When are wreaths removed from the grave after the funeral and is it necessary to do this? Let's try to answer these questions based on church canons and folk traditions.
The cross as a symbol of the incorruptibility of the soul
According to Christian customs, a cross should be placed at the feet of the deceased so that the deceased's face is turned to the crucifix. This rule is often neglected by setting a cross in the heads. Another church canon is often violated - fastening to the cross photographs of a deceased relative. You don’t need to do this, just hang a sign with the name and dates of birth / death.
For the Orthodox, the cross is a traditional form of tombstone, the crown tending upwards indicates heaven - the place of stay of the soul freed from the mortal body. According to established traditions, flowers are laid on the grave and the funeral wreaths are placed in tribute to the memory and respect for the deceased.
Which flowers are better, lively or artificial?
Maintaining order in the cemetery is not only a spiritual aspect, but a social one. Agree that the deceased does not care what his grave looks like. It is necessary for the living - so that there is where to come in moments of grief or joy, ask for advice or receive a blessing. The question of when wreaths are removed from the grave after a funeral according to church canons should not have existed in principle. In any case, until the middle of the last century, such a problem did not arise.
The thing is that, according to Christian customs, the graves were decorated with fresh flowers, whose lifespan is short. Therefore, they were cleaned during the first few days. It is possible and necessary to clean the burial place from unnecessary details, bring it into proper form at any time. This is the opinion of most clergymen. Moreover, according to the canons of the church, artificial flowers that have come to replace the living today are a symbol of lies and hypocrisy.
Snap to the fortieth funeral day
In Soviet times, when church customs were not particularly observed, a tradition appeared to lay flowers made of light fabric or paper on graves. Today, funeral wreaths are made of plastic, which significantly extends their service life. These commemorative attributes can be in the open without damage to their appearance for several months or even years.
People who are deeply religious, when asked when they remove the wreaths from the grave after the funeral according to church canons, usually answer: by the fortieth day after the burial. In fact, strict church rules have not been established in this regard.
One can explain the validity of this statement by the custom established in Orthodoxy 40 days after the funeral, to invite a priest to the grave of the deceased to perform a memorial service. It is highly desirable that by the time the priest arrives, it should be beautifully and cleanly tidied up. But we repeat: no prohibitions on putting things in order at burial places before this deadline exist.
How to care for a grave
Care for the graves, according to the clergy, should be carried out regularly, as necessary. To clean withered flowers, to replace worn out worn-out wrecks, to correct crumbling earth - this can be done at any time. Thus, the living pay tribute to the dead, show others and first of all to themselves that in their hearts the memory and love for the departed does not fade.
When wreaths are removed from the grave after the funeral, in case of soil subsidence, they correct it with a shovel, giving the mound the correct shape. The surface can be overlaid with green turf, planted perennial flowers around. They take root well and do not require constant care of chrysanthemums, zinnias, marigolds, daffodils, lilies of the valley. In this case, there is no need to use artificial paraphernalia.
Where to go worn out wreaths
At each cemetery, there are specially designated places for storing such items, which are ultimately household waste to be disposed of. In many countries, the use of artificial wreaths is gradually abandoned, since plastic processing requires additional costs and is harmful to the environment.
Imagine a huge city cemetery, where hundreds of burials are made daily. Naturally, when the wreaths are removed from the grave after the funeral, whole rubble of unnecessary funeral attributes is formed, which are then taken to a landfill. In rural areas, worn-out wreaths are simply burned somewhere nearby. The acrid smell of plastic that stands out in this case not only pollutes the environment, but also violates the favorable atmosphere inside the village graveyard.
On which days you can’t clean the cemetery
According to church charters, it is forbidden to do cleaning, paint fences, plant flowers and trees on graves on all Sundays, and even more so on Orthodox holidays. Such actions are considered a sin and a statement of contempt for the church.
In addition, there are certain periods when you should not go to the cemetery at all. These include:
- Holy days (from January 7 to January 20).
- Good Thursday, Good Friday and Good Saturday.
- Easter and the following Bright Week.
- Days of twelve holidays.
- Any Sundays.
Visiting the deceased usually begins with Radonitsa (parental day), falling on Tuesday sixteen days after Easter.
Is a monument needed?
The Orthodox Church condemns any excesses in the arrangement of burial sites. But since many of us do not consider ourselves deeply religious, over the past few decades it has become a custom to erect monuments on graves. As a rule, such monuments are made of marble or granite, cast from various types of metal. Often you can hear in response to the question of when to erect a monument after the funeral, the statement: no earlier than twelve months. Why is that?
Some explain this by the need to withstand a period of 1 year, after which any manipulations on the grave of the deceased will not be able to disturb him. According to popular belief, after 12 months the soul of the deceased finally leaves our world. It is possible that in such reasoning there is some kind of rational kernel. Nobody has been able to look beyond the bounds of eternal darkness.
Interestingly, in the workshops for the production of heavy gravestones you will be told the same. Only the foundation will be more mundane, without reference to the afterlife mythology. So, when to erect a monument after a funeral? Only when the soil on the grave is completely compacted will it finally shrink. In most cases, this process requires at least one year. Otherwise, the metal or stone structure may rise unevenly, skew, fall or deform due to movement of soil layers.
Cross is not an obstacle to the monument
Now we know where and when the wreaths are removed from the grave after the funeral. But crosses established during burial, according to Orthodox customs, should be handled with care. Even if you decide to perpetuate the memory of a deceased relative in marble or bronze, you must leave the cross in place. In this case, the monument is installed either next to the cross, or on the side opposite to it.
In some cases, the cross can be laid next to the grave or, as agreed with the clergyman, burned in a church oven. It seems that in any situation, external manifestations of respect for the dead are not so important. The main thing is spiritual kinship and memory living in our heart.