In the Orthodox Christian tradition, we remember the deceased several times throughout the year in addition to in our daily prayers and during Sunday liturgies. Those specific days are usually known as “ancestral” days and often fall on Saturdays - the Saturday of Meatfare week, the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Saturdays of the Great and Holy Fast, the Saturday before Pentecost, and finally - the Saturday before the feast of St. Demetrius, the martyr of Thessalonica (Nov 8) - Дмитрівська поминальна субота.

Ideas on the Origin of the Tradition

The opinions are mixed as to the origins of this specific memorial day. According to Russian tradition, this day is to commemorate the Battle of Kulikovo (1380 AD) by St. Demetrius of the Don, the Prince of Moscow, a devoted disciple of St. Demetrius of Thessaloniki. However, according to an article by his Eminence, Metropolitan Demetrius of Lviv and Sokal (2021), the remembrance of said battle did not begin until the 17th century. He continues by explaining that the origin of Дмитрівська поминальна субота in fact comes from the tradition of remembering ancestors during the autumn season, not just in Ukraine but throughout Eastern Europe. Rather than just on the Saturday before the feast of St. Demetrius, families would gather each Saturday from the feast of Покрова (Oct 14 - the Protection of the Theotokos) to Пилипівка (Nov 28 - the beginning of St. Phillip’s Fast, or the Nativity Fast), and even commemorated the Saturday before the feast of Archangel Michael (Nov 21) - Михайлівська поминальна субота. As a memorial season it was known as дідами or ancestral Saturdays.

How to Observe this Tradition

As per Christian practice, names of all those who have passed away are submitted for the Divine Liturgy (we encourage you to do the same this week!) on said Saturday. And following the liturgy, a kutia or kolyvo (boiled wheat) along with bread, fruit and baked goodies are left to be blessed during the panakhyda (or parastas). According to ethnographers, families in the Volyn’ and Rivne oblasts, commemorated the day by getting together for a memorial luncheon or dinner, leaving a filled plate at the corner of the table along with a napkin and glass of water. Dishes included borscht, varenyky, and other fried goodies. So this year, why not buy a kolach, cook some wheat kernels and bring your list of names for this Saturday’s divine liturgy? You can bring the blessed foods home and invite your family over to remember your dearly missed ones (bring out the photo albums and home videos, as you exchange stories)! And as we will be reminded in this Sunday’s gospel reading, the dead do not forget about their lives on this earth nor the relationships they had. So keep their memory alive just as they keep yours! Вічна їм пам’ять! May their memory be eternal!

References

1. Dymytriy, Metropolitan. (2021, Nov 6). Дмитрівська поминальна субота. Історія та звичаї дня, у який православні християни поминають померлих. NV. https://nv.ua/ukr/ukraine/events/dmitrivska-pominalna-subota-2021-tradiciji-ta-istoriya-6-listopada-svyato-50194127.html

2. The Orthodox Church in America. Memorial Saturday of Saint Demetrius.https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2016/10/22/83-memorial-saturday-of-saint-demetrius