Intercession Parents' Saturday (2023)

The Russian Orthodox Church has established special dates for commemorating the dead, one of which is Intercession Parental Saturday. It is celebrated until the highly revered Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos with a permanent date - October 14. But parental Saturday can be postponed if it coincides with other church celebrations. The holiday was established in 1592 at the request of Archbishop Hermogenes of Kazan and Astrakhan (after canonization - Hermogenes). In it, he applied for official permission, making it possible to commemorate the Russian soldiers who died during the capture of Kazan. That event in 1552 marked the end of the Kazan Khanate, which became the successor to the Golden Horde in the 15th century and continued to raid Russian lands. Young Ivan the Terrible personally led the campaign, the third in a row only with his participation, but which finally ended in victory. Patriarch Job, who headed the Orthodox Church at that time, contributed to the spread of religion in the territories conquered by Ivan the Terrible. He positively assessed the idea of ​​Hermogenes, who was firm in matters of faith, and also sought to Christianize the territory of the former Khanate. Thus, locally revered commemoration was introduced in a number of Dioceses (Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Vyatka, Izhevsk). Subsequently, the tradition spread across the regions, and believers began to remember all relatives and loved ones, and not just those who fell during the capture of Kazan. The Temple-Monument to Orthodox Soldiers is considered an interesting place from a historical point of view, directly related to the holiday. It was installed in Kazan on a holy place - the real grave of the heroes of that war. The names of all those who found a valiant death here are recorded in the ancient synodik, which they were able to preserve to this day. The initiative to bury the fallen with special honors in a mass grave belonged to Tsar Ivan IV himself, impressed by the number of those killed in the confrontation. All those who were found with a pectoral cross are buried in a mass grave. A monastery was founded here, which was later moved to a higher place due to floods. Now the pyramid-symbol is surrounded on all sides by the water of the Kazanka River. For many East Slavic peoples, this day was considered a memorial day, although it sometimes had a different name - “Grandfathers”. The Orthodox holiday perfectly coexists with Slavic rituals: different rituals for different areas recorded it in the folk agricultural calendar. All work and worldly affairs had their own sequence, formed over the centuries. With the Intercession, the period of weddings began, preparation for winter, accompanied by generous treats and festivities, so a special time was chosen to commemorate ancestors. Parental Saturday of the Intercession allows all believers to show their duty towards the departed. It is considered a good tradition to visit the resting places of loved ones and relatives, especially since local authorities organize events that allow you to easily visit city cemeteries. Prayer, as a way of communication and liberation from sins, is possible both at home and as part of public worship. Memorial services for the deceased are held in churches, and finding time to visit is a godly deed.