ZADUSHNICA - ALL SOULS DAY

The church and the Orthodox believers mark the feast of Zadushnica (All souls day or Feast for the dead) which always falls on Saturday. On this day we remember the loved ones who are dead, we visit their graves and light candles for the rest of their souls. It is a day dedicated to the prayers for close relatives and friends who are no longer with us.

In the churches is served a mass for the dead on which the priest pours the wheat with wine, and after the service people go to the graves of the clise ones, where a candle is lit and a prayer is read. Those who can not go to the cemetery, can light a candle in the church. Also people bring food to the cemetery. This food is shared with people who visit the cemetery, with the mention of saving the soul of the deceased. If somebody approaches the grave and askes to take food, although he is a foreigner, he mustn't be denied. It is believed to be a great sin if someone on the grave refuses to take food or if a stranger is chased away from the grave. It is believed that if close ones don't light a candle for the dead, they will be in darkness all year long. If people are not able to light a candle at the cemetery of the close ones, they can do that in a church.