When a loved one has not yet crossed the threshold of eternity, his relatives try in every possible way to show signs of attention and offer all possible help. This reveals the duty of fulfilling love for one’s neighbor, which is a mandatory responsibility in the Christian faith. But man is not eternal. There comes a moment for everyone. However, this transition from one state of personality to another should not be marked by leaving behind the memory of. A person is alive as long as he is remembered. It is a religious duty to organize memorial dinners in memory of all who knew the latter during his lifetime.
The semantic meaning of 9 days after the death of a person
According to Orthodox doctrine, the human soul is immortal. This is confirmed by practice in the Christian tradition. Church Tradition teaches that for the first three days after death, the soul remains on earth in those places that were especially loved by it. Then she ascends to God. The Lord shows the soul the heavenly abodes in which the righteous are blissful.
The personal self-consciousness of the soul is touched, it marvels at what it sees, and the bitterness from leaving the earth is no longer so strong. This happens over six days. Then the angels ascend the soul again to worship God. It turns out that this is the ninth day, on which the soul sees its Creator for the second time. In memory of this, the Church establishes a wake, at which it is customary to gather in a narrow family circle. Commemoration is ordered in churches, prayers are offered to God for the pardon of the deceased. There is a statement that there is no one who has lived and not. Also, the semantic meaning of the number nine is the memory of the Church about the corresponding number of angelic ranks. It is the angels who accompany the soul, showing it all the beauties of paradise.
The fortieth day is the time of private judgment of the soul
After nine days, the soul is shown the hellish abodes. She observes all the horror of incorrigible sinners, feels fear and awe of what she sees. Then for a day he again ascends to God for worship, only this time a private judgment of the soul also takes place. This date is always considered the most important in the afterlife of the deceased. There is no tradition of transfer, no matter what day they fall on.
The soul is judged for all the deeds a person has done during his lifetime. And after this, the place of her stay until the second coming of Christ is determined. It is especially important these days to pray and give alms in memory of a relative or friend who has left this world. A person asks God for mercy, the opportunity to grant a blessed fate to a deceased person.
The number 40 has its own meaning. Even in the Old Testament it was prescribed to preserve the memory of the deceased for 40 days. In New Testament times, semantic analogies can be drawn with the Ascension of Christ. So, it was on the 40th day after His resurrection that the Lord ascended to heaven. This date is also a memory of the fact that the human soul, after death, again goes to its Heavenly Father.
In general, holding a wake is an act of mercy towards living people. Lunch is offered as alms in memory of, and other rituals are performed that testify to a person’s faith in the immortality of the soul. This is also the hope for the salvation of each individual person.
In Orthodoxy, it is customary to hold funerals for 9 days, the rules of which are slightly different from other memorial dates. Relatives of a deceased person often doubt the correctness of their actions. That is why they are interested in both the order itself and other nuances (what words can be pronounced, how to spend this day).
The meaning of holding a wake
The ninth day is a kind of starting point and indicates that a person has been in the afterlife for a week. On this day, it is necessary to remember the deceased person. Those close to the deceased in their prayers should turn to the nine orders of angels, who ask the Lord for forgiveness of sins committed by a person during his lifetime. It is on the 9th day that the human soul begins to go through ordeals. A person is shown his whole life, good deeds and evil deeds.
This continues until the 40th day, when the soul of a person appears before God. At God's judgment, the final decision is made about where a person's soul will go - to hell or heaven. To make it easier for a person, relatives must certainly pray for the salvation of his soul.
It is important not only to have a funeral dinner, but also to visit the church and the place where the burial took place.
How to count day 9
Many people have a question about how to correctly count the 9th day. Confusion arises in a number of cases:
- relatives count not from the day of death, but from when the burial took place;
- if a person died at night.
According to church canons, the countdown begins from the day of death. If a person dies before 12 o'clock at night, then the first day begins at 00:00. For example, a person dies on the 10th. The mathematical calculation 10+9=19 is not entirely correct. That is, the commemoration should be done not on the 19th, but on the 18th. Even if for some reason the person has not yet been buried (for example, his body has not been found or is in the morgue), he still needs to be remembered. If a person was not baptized during his lifetime, then he should not be commemorated in church. But it is still necessary to observe the days of commemoration. On day 9, you can treat your loved ones, do some good deed and ask God for mercy on the soul of the deceased. If it so happens that a person has to be buried on the 9th day, then this can only mean one thing - the deceased should be seen off according to the usual rules. On this day you need to pray fervently and make a speech about the good deeds of a person. Despite the late burial of the body, his soul has long been in heaven.
Rules
Many people ask questions about how to conduct a dinner, how to remember the deceased, how to behave at a wake, what kind of speech is appropriate. Funeral services for 9 days after death must be carried out according to certain rules. In the morning, close relatives of the deceased must visit the temple, light candles there for the repose of the soul and order a special service - a memorial service. In the house of the deceased, you need to put a glass of water and put a piece of rye bread on it.
In memory of the deceased, you can light a lamp or candle.
Be sure to visit a person’s grave on this day. There you can remove wilted flowers that were left after the funeral. At the cemetery, you can say good words about the deceased, pray and mentally ask for his forgiveness. These actions greatly alleviate the torment that a person’s soul experiences when going through ordeals. You should not eat or drink at the grave. After the cemetery you need to return home or to where the funeral dinner will be held.
Everything should be organized in a calm environment. The heads of women present at the funeral dinner must be covered with scarves. It is recommended to behave modestly at the table. Don't forget that people didn't just gather to have lunch. Before a meal, be sure to read a prayer, for example, “Our Father.” Those present need to mentally ask God to forgive the soul of the deceased. Those who wish can speak about the person being commemorated and make a speech. For a wake for 9 days, a poem about the deceased would also be appropriate. In no case should the speech denigrate the memory of the deceased. It is permissible to read a poem or prayer at the funeral.
The speech should be delivered without any feeling of delight.
Menu for funerals and alms
Everyone knows that a funeral dinner for nine days must be done. But very often relatives cannot decide on the choice of dishes. Before preparing dinner, you need to count the approximate number of people invited. Kutya must be present on the table. Orthodox Christians attach special significance to this dish, since kutia is a symbol of eternal life. For main course, you can prepare cabbage soup from fresh cabbage, borscht or chicken noodles. For the second course - cabbage rolls or cutlets with a side dish.
For dessert, baked goods or gingerbread are suitable.
For drinks, you can put dried fruit compote or jelly on the table. The Church frowns upon the consumption of alcoholic beverages during funeral dinners. However, scientists have proven that a small dose of alcohol significantly alleviates the depressed state of mind of the relatives of the deceased. Therefore, alcohol is acceptable in small quantities. For a wake, it is better to choose strong drinks - cognac or vodka. You can put a bottle of Cahors on the table. Champagne and sparkling wines should be excluded.
On the day of remembrance of a deceased person, it is customary to give alms. You can do this in church or treat your friends to something tasty. It is best to take the food to an orphanage or shelter for homeless people. Those who accept alms, instead of the usual “thank you,” must say the following words: “The kingdom of heaven to the servant of God (the name of the deceased at baptism).” Alms should never be thrown away. The food that is distributed as a funeral service must be eaten after praying for the soul of the deceased.
9 days after death is a period during which the soul experiences many events and changes. What happens after the burial?
First 3 days
In the first 3 days, the soul is where it is important for it to be. For example, if a person was very attached to his body during life, he will be nearby. In the case where some people meant a lot to the deceased, he will spend his last time on Earth next to them. In fact, many documentaries talk about how some souls don't know what to do. Some start riding the subway and keeping an eye on relatives, others are trying to provide for the future of their children. Everyone, if possible, tries to complete earthly affairs or look at something that is very significant for the last time.
Worship God
Worship is performed repeatedly: on the day of death, then on the third day, on the 9th day after the funeral, 40 days after repose, and also immediately before the Last Judgment. People who go to hell perform worship even after the judgment.
From 3 to 9 days
After 3 and up to 9 days after death, the soul explores the beauty of paradise. She sees the abode that is prepared for her. However, people who were vain, did mortal things and walked in evil ways will not enter heaven.
ordeals
9 days after death, the ordeal begins. They last up to 40 days. After death, we are surrounded by our sins. Each of our bad deeds has its own “guardian” - a demon. When the soul leaves the body, these demons surround it. There are so many lawlessnesses and troubles that they cannot be counted. These are all the sins a person committed during his lifetime. Some people think that after death the soul ascends upward and nothing can stop it. But this is not so, because it is the forces of evil that own the space between earth and sky. The Mother of God prayed not to see evil demons after death when she was preparing for the Rapture. Therefore, the Lord personally came to guide Her soul. This is noted on the icon of Rapture. As is clear, demons come not only to “ordinary” people, but also to selected dying people.
9 days after death: before and after
Until the ninth day there is a period of feeding and formation of the “body of eternity”. Relatives and clergy begin to carry out memorial procedures. Until the 9th day, the soul sees the delights of heaven, and after that - the torment and horrors of hell. On day 40 a place is assigned. Over the course of nine days, the deceased gradually ceases to hear relatives and friends, and he can no longer see them. He can make all contacts only by using his senses of smell and touch.
Why are these days celebrated?
After death, the soul travels for 9 days and finds out possible places of its stay. Until the very end, she does not know what fate is in store for her. She is shown both the beauties and delights of heavenly life (for a much shorter period of time) and the terrible events that occur in hell. During this time, relatives can pray earnestly and ask for a better fate until the Last Judgment occurs on the soul of the deceased. The correct behavior of loved ones can help the soul get to heaven. Therefore, it is very important not to be lazy, but to go to church and order prayer services. You also need to devote time to this activity yourself. And it needs to be done correctly. You can get clarification from your clergyman.
In countries where long and strong Christian traditions have historically developed, everyone knows that after the death of a person, the third day after the sad event, the ninth day and the fortieth day are of particular importance. Almost everyone knows, but many cannot say for what reasons these dates - 3 days, 9 days and 40 days - are so important. What happens, according to traditional ideas, to a person’s soul until the ninth day after his departure from earthly life?
Path of the soul
Christian ideas about the posthumous path of the human soul may vary depending on a particular denomination. And if in the Orthodox and Catholic picture of the afterlife and the fate of the soul in it there are still few differences, then in various Protestant movements the range of opinions is very large - from almost complete identity with Catholicism to leaving far from tradition, up to complete denial of the existence of hell as places of eternal torment of the souls of sinners. Therefore, the Orthodox version of what happens to the soul in the first nine days after the beginning of another, afterlife, is more interesting.
Patristic tradition (that is, the recognized corpus of works of the Fathers of the Church) says that after the death of a person, for almost three days, his soul has almost complete freedom.
She not only has all the “baggage” from earthly life, that is, hopes, attachments, fullness of memory, fears, shame, the desire to complete some unfinished business, and so on, but she is also able to be anywhere. It is generally accepted that on these three days the soul is either next to the body, or, if a person died away from home and family, next to his loved ones, or in those places that for some reason were especially dear or noteworthy for that particular person. person. On the third tribute, the soul loses complete freedom of its behavior and is taken by angels to Heaven to worship the Lord there. That is why on the third day, according to tradition, it is necessary to hold a memorial service and thus finally say goodbye to the soul of the deceased.
Having worshiped God, the soul goes on a kind of “tour” through paradise: it is shown the Kingdom of Heaven, it gets an idea of what paradise is, it sees the unity of righteous souls with the Lord, which is the goal of human existence, it meets the souls of saints, and the like. This “survey” journey of the soul through paradise lasts six days. And here, if you believe the Fathers of the Church, the first torment of the soul begins: seeing the heavenly pleasure of the saints, she understands that, due to her sins, she is unworthy to share their fate and is tormented by doubts and fear that she will not go to heaven. On the ninth day, the angels again take the soul to God so that it can glorify His Love for the saints, which it has just been able to observe in person.
What is important these days for the living?
However, according to the Orthodox worldview, one should not perceive the nine days after death as an exclusively otherworldly matter, which does not seem to concern the surviving relatives of the deceased. On the contrary, it is precisely forty days after the death of a person that for his family and friends is the time of greatest rapprochement between the earthly world and the Kingdom of Heaven. Because it is precisely during this period that the living can and must make every effort to contribute to the best possible fate of the soul of the deceased, that is, its salvation. To do this, you need to constantly pray, hoping for God’s mercy and forgiveness of your soul’s sins. This is important from the point of view of determining the fate of a person’s soul, that is, where it will await the Last Judgment, in heaven or hell. At the Last Judgment, the fate of each soul will be decided finally, so those of them who were placed in hell have hope that prayers for it will be heard, it will be forgiven (if they pray for a person, even though he committed many sins, which means there was something good in him) and will be awarded a place in heaven.
The ninth day after the death of a person is, no matter how strange it may sound, almost a holiday in Orthodoxy. People believe that for the last six days the soul of the deceased has been in heaven, albeit as a guest, and can now adequately praise the Creator.
Moreover, it is believed that if a person led a righteous life and gained the favor of the Lord with his good deeds, love for his neighbors and repentance for his own sins, then his posthumous fate can be decided after nine days. Therefore, on this day a person’s loved ones should, firstly, pray especially earnestly for his soul, and secondly, hold a memorial meal. The wake on the ninth day, from the point of view of tradition, should be “uninvited” - that is, no one needs to be specially invited to it. Those who wish the soul of the deceased all the best should come without reminders themselves.
However, in reality, funerals are almost always invited in a special way, and if more people are expected than the home can accommodate, then they are held in restaurants or similar establishments. The wake on the ninth day is a calm remembrance of the deceased, which should not turn into either an ordinary party or mourning gatherings. It is noteworthy that the Christian concept of the special significance of three, nine and forty days after the death of a person has been adopted by modern occult teachings. But they gave these dates a different meaning: according to one version, the ninth day is designated by the fact that during this period the body supposedly decomposes; according to another, at this point, the body dies, after the physical, mental and astral, which can appear as a ghost.
Many people know that 9 days after death are important, but not everyone knows what they mean. Probably many people wondered why order a service in a church and organize a funeral.
So, you need to remember that it is the 9th day after death that is called “uninvited”, since guests are not invited to it. Only relatives and close friends of the deceased can come to the funeral in order to honor his blessed memory.
What happens on the 9th day after death?
Having gathered for the funeral meal, you need to read the “Our Father” prayer, after which you must eat at least a spoonful of kutya (preferably consecrated in the church).
Despite the fact that 9 days have already passed after death, there should be no joy, laughter, funny songs or foul language on the table. It is also forbidden to remember the “bad” qualities of the deceased.
Those who are convinced that the food on the table plays a big role in the memorial day think wrong. This is wrong. It is best to have a modest meal without fancy dishes. After all, it doesn’t matter what dishes are on the table that day, but what’s more important is that people came who respect and miss the deceased, and are ready to give a helping hand to his loved ones at any moment.
What does 9 days after death mean?
What happens to the soul on the 9th day after death worries many. As they say in Orthodox scriptures, the soul leaves the human body after death and does not leave the world of the living not for 9 days, but until 40 days are completed. But for 40 days the soul is where it previously lived in the body. Some claim that after the funeral, relatives feel someone's presence in the house.
The first day after a person’s death, his soul is shocked, because it cannot understand how it can exist without a body. It is for these reasons that in India it is customary to destroy the body. If the physical body is dead for a long time, then the soul will be near it all the time. If the body is given to the earth, then the soul will see its decomposition.
On the third day, the soul gradually begins to come to its senses, get used to being without a body, walk around the neighborhood, and then returns to the house. Relatives should not suffer hysterically for the deceased and sob loudly, since the soul hears everything and experiences all the torment of the relatives on itself. At this time, it is necessary to constantly pray for the soul of the deceased, trying to send it from this world. At this moment she experiences psychological pain, worries and does not understand what to do next. Therefore, with the prayers of her relatives, I help her calm down.
So what actually happens to the soul on the 9th day after death and what traditions are associated with this day? The funeral of the deceased is organized in honor of the nine angelic ranks, which serve the Almighty and ask him to have mercy on the deceased. After three days, the soul is accompanied by an Angel, who leads it into the gates of heaven and shows the abode of unearthly beauty. The soul remains in this state for six days, forgetting about the sorrow that was felt during the period 
existence in the body and after leaving it. But if the soul is sinful, then seeing the pleasure of the saints in paradise, it begins to grieve and reproach itself for sinning on earth. On the ninth day, the Almighty commands the Angels to again present the soul to him for worship. And now the soul again appears before the Lord with trepidation. But during this period, relatives and friends pray for the deceased and ask God to have mercy on the deceased and accept him into his possessions.
But the fate of the soul is decided only on the fortieth day, when it ascends to worship the Almighty for the third time. And then God will decide her fate, weighing her good and bad deeds on the scales.
Relatives should pray all this time, thereby making amends for the sins of the deceased - this will be most important to him.
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