Low Sunday is first of all a holiday of the soul and the Orthodox Christians who go to cemeteries to remember the dead must go there with good thoughts and with a clean prayer. Contacted by IPN, priest of the Church “Meeting of God” of the State University of Moldova Octavian Mosin said there are well established cannons for this day given that it is celebrated both on Sunday and on Monday.
The priest noted that the people should go to the cemetery and remember the dead especially on Monday, after the Toma Sunday. “The remembrance acts on Sunday do not fully match the church norms as we are still in the Bright Week, when presents are not offered to remember the late ones,” stated Octavian Mosin. According to him, the tradition to celebrate Low Sunday on Sunday became established in the Soviet period, when the people could not go to cemeteries on other days because they weren’t allowed to be away from work.
Octavian Mosin said that in some of the Russian, Ukrainian and Bulgarian communities, the dead are remembered on Tuesday. “This tradition derives from the monastic community as the day of Monday for monks is a fasting day. Thus, these were allowed to celebrate this day on Tuesday,” he explained.
The priest reminded that the parishioners on Low Sunday go first to church to attend the liturgical service. After the service, the priests go to cemeteries and read prayers near the graves.
Speaking about the presents brought by the people to cemeteries, Octavian Mosin said that these should be symbolical such as a candle, an icon lamp, Easter bread or sweet porridge with candies. “It is not recommended exchanging presents between relatives. They should give alms to people in need,” he stated, noting that those who come to remember the dead at the cemetery must be dressed decently.
In some of the regions of the country, they perfume the graves with incense. This is an old tradition. They say that as the smoke from the incense rises up, the prayer rises to the sky.
Low Sunday is celebrated one week after Easter, on Sunday and on Monday. It is said that the ‘happy ones’, who lived piously and decently, return to life on this day.
