Проводи: Visiting Gravesites after Pascha

TraditionsPaschaGet Involved
Written By Christina Kowalenko

As we have discussed here before, there are several days throughout the year that the Orthodox Church remembers the departed.

Read the article about ancestral memorial days in the Church.

After Pascha it is a tradition to visit the gravesites of loved ones because it is believed that we should bring them the good news that is the resurrection of Jesus Christ! Together with the Greeks, Serbs, and Georgians, Ukrainians have long had the custom of visiting the cemetery on the first Sunday after Pascha (St. Thomas Sunday), called проводи (coming from the word “provodyty” which means “to accompany”). In some regions in Canada, this practice is sometimes followed by a commemorative meal in the cemetery (known as pomana, pomyn, and trysna) whether at a picnic table or on the ground, often with paska bread and eggs (and leaving the leftovers there are the gravesite). 

It is also common to visit the cemeteries on the Saturday before Pentecost when we celebrate all Soul’s Day (the Orthodox version of “Dia dos Muertos” with a Divine Liturgy. Nowadays, this tradition of visiting the gravesites continues throughout the Paschal period until Pentecost. 

Christina Kowalenko
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