Another 22/12/19 Why you can’t put on the grave artificial flowers
At this point there are two diametrically opposed positions is a devout Orthodox believers (fairly educated, those who are “in the know”) and atheists who are prone to the usual ritualization certain life processes. The latter category can be attributed also to the baptized Russians, who have a superficial understanding of canonical principles of one or another action in Orthodoxy.
Live or artificial
If you come from the Orthodox tradition, is based on the interpretation of Scripture, the flowers on the graves of the dead does not need. No — neither live nor artificial. It is noteworthy that for this reason a unified view of almost all Church hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church of various ranks. The explanation for such a position is similar.
In particular, it relates to artificial flowers placed on graves. This is a big problem not only for Russia but for other countries in the former Soviet Union: plastic, fabric flowers cheapest and most available. However, they pollute the environment — it’s rubbish, which is not always possible to properly and profitably dispose of. From them “the air is polluted in a terrible scale [after burning in the garbage cans],” says Archpriest Constantine Golovatskih. Golovatskih believes that if the Orthodox have a desire to carry on cemetery flowers, then let it be “the living creatures of the Lord.” The priest gives the example of the Muslim tradition: the Mohammedans are not used to wear on the tombs of the colors as the prophet Muhammad said: do not waste money unnecessarily on those who rested — money is needed alive. According to the priest of Alexander Beloslyudov, nothing proprietary to appease us already don’t need whatever it was — in flowers or in memorials or gravestones, only sacrifice and prayer will be a true blessing for the soul of the deceased.
Wreaths: need or not
rector of the Church of All saints in Klimovsk the Abbot Theodore (Yablokov), thoroughly, with history, explains the issue from the point of view of Orthodoxy. Theodore recalled that the laying of wreaths on the graves — it was originally a pagan tradition, is officially banned in Russia in 1889 the Holy Synod. The Soviets after the October revolution it revived, and the classic incarnation of the pagan worship of the dead was the funeral of Lenin in 1924 the corpse of Lenin then overlaid with a huge variety of wreaths.
the Abbot says that in early Christianity there was the ritual presentation to the coffins of the deceased of flowers and wreaths of them. But this procedure initially symbolized the hope of the resurrection and eternal life. Wreaths of flowers will be laid on graves of fallen soldiers today, including his Holiness the Patriarch and other hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church. The Abbot Theodore stresses: this is done by prayer, and by itself, the wreath (always in the form of a cross) — a visible embodiment of remembrance and prayer for the dead.
the Abbot Theodore also confirmed that the artificial flowers (in any form) “in the house of God are not allowed.” But notice: they are often to buy poor people, and sometimes the old lady put on the grave of this flower and continually praying for the soul of the deceased, makes her (the soul) the good is immeasurably greater than man, spent on a big beautiful bouquet of live roses and never pomianowski the deceased properly.
How to put colors: odd or even number
the parity of the number of colors in the offerings (not just the grave) is, again, the heritage of paganism, said to the hierarchs of the ROC. Archpriest Andrei Efanov, commenting on this subject, believes that for the Orthodox it is “not relevant”: the main thing — to pray for the deceased at home and (or) in the Church.
Explaining the issue, often quoting the opinion of the Metropolitan the Ryazan and Mihajlovsky Paul, the TV channel “Union”. In short, such a numerical differentiation of the Metropolitan calls superstition. In America, for example, it is customary to give an even numbergusts of flowers alive and an odd number to put on the grave (we have the opposite). Bishop Paul says that all these conventions is not necessary to pay attention, they have no meaning. It is not worth to divide into “even-odd” anything that is associated with the Orthodox tradition of burial (and not only with it) — meal, fork-spoon, etc.: it’s paganism, temptation, demonic. Better to pray for the deceased, for it is more important than all worldly decorations, whatever they may be.
But still: what the flowers in the churchyard considered superfluous
Few people know that one of the founders of the national floriography (“language of flowers”) was Catherine II. “The crazy Empress” was loved by all and built a beautiful “flower Register” — a kind of interpretation of the meanings of individual flowers and their bouquets. Consistent with this list of the Empress, you can define a list of colors forbidden to lay on the graves of the dead (he is very conditional and not based on any, especially the Orthodox canons).
For example, begonia, according to the interpretation of the Empress were more suited as “vegetable offer” flirting, a bouquet of yellow flowers (any) symbolized the betrayal, cornflowers shyness and embarrassment, dahlias — the joy of meeting, Jasmine is a dumb question about love. Most varieties of roses, on the “Register colors”, except for the dark raspberry and tea, which meant, respectively, of mourning and memory for the churchyard were not good, because the floral “language” talked about vital feel.
the small encyclopedic dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron (published in the last century), if you follow the “language of flowers”, a fashion trend, who came to Russia in XVIII — XIX centuries from Europe, to the graves you can’t put a carnation (symbol of passion). Meanwhile, these flowers are especially popular as assigned by the memorials in Russia in XX — XXI centuries, in particular, in the Victory Day. However, according to the renowned Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus, insisting on the Latin name carnations “Dianthus” (Greek for “divine flower”), its “militaristic” knowthe increase has a great history — not only in the mythology of Ancient Greece, but also military and revolutionary history of France.
Nicholas Syromyatnikov
Source:
© Russian Seven
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