On Tuesday, St. Thomas' week - the second after the Resurrection of Christ - Orthodox believers celebrate Radonitsa, the day of special commemoration of the dead. This year it fell on May 7. Parents' day, as it is otherwise called, according to the established tradition, is intended to visit cemeteries, tidying up the graves, and commemorate deceased relatives - both in the temple and at home. Although in Russia Radonitsa does not belong to public holidays, in a number of regions of the country this day is traditionally a non-working day. Among such subjects of the Federation are the Saratov, Bryansk, Kemerovo, Volgograd and Orenburg regions, the republics of Adygea and Karachay-Cherkessia, as well as the Krasnodar Territory. Moreover, in the Kuban, Radonitsa has been recognized as a day off since 2002. In the Republic of Belarus, Radonitsa is an official non-working day throughout the country; local authorities here traditionally organize additional routes of vehicles on this date, so that everyone can visit the graves of relatives and friends. Why, then, does the memorial day have a name similar to the Slavic word 'joy'? Everything is very simple: at this time, according to the Orthodox calendar, the celebration of Easter - the Bright Resurrection of Christ continues. Therefore, the commemoration of deceased relatives is performed on this day with a bright, joyful feeling, with the hope that the Lord will ease their afterlife as much as possible by prayers of the living. The main thing is not to hesitate in faith ourselves and to keep in the heart the joy in the Lord and His great mercy to people, both living now and those who have passed away.
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