According to church regulations, Holy Week this year begins on April 27. Believers visit cemeteries, clean graves, light lamps, and bring flowers. It is believed that on this day the souls of the dead “return” to share the joy of Christ’s Resurrection with the living.
Churches hold memorial services, during which the deceased are remembered by name. In some regions, in particular in Polesie, priests conduct services directly in cemeteries, after which they distribute consecrated Easter eggs, a talisman that symbolizes the spiritual connection between the living and the dead.
On the memorial table, which is often set right in the cemetery, they place kolivo, bread, a symbolic glass, and sweets — sometimes leaving them on the grave. There is a belief that these dishes are for the birds, which represent the souls of the ancestors.
What not to do on Wires
The rituals of Holy Week have their limits and prohibitions. You can't have loud parties, have loud feasts, or smoke in the cemetery. You need to clean the graves in advance - it is considered inappropriate during Holy Week.
It is not recommended to take anything home from the cemetery. Also, you should not look back on the way out of the cemetery, so as not to “take your soul with you.” Pregnant women and young children are traditionally advised to refrain from visiting.
There is also a ritual language: instead of the word "deceased", it is better to address the deceased by name, believing that they hear everything.
Farewells during war: new realities
Due to the war, this year's Farewells have a completely different dimension - security. Anatoliy Seredynskyi, Head of the Department of Preventive Activities of the National Police, warned that in a number of regions, cemeteries remain potentially dangerous - due to mines or the possibility of shelling.
In Kherson, Zaporizhia, Kharkiv, and Zhytomyr regions, over a thousand cemeteries have already been closed to visitors — local communities have made the appropriate decisions. This especially applies to deoccupied territories and frontline zones.
Police recommend that residents of Sumy region refrain from visiting cemeteries within 20 km of the Russian border for security reasons.
In addition to the mine danger, there is another threat - mass gatherings of people can be perceived by the enemy as military targets. An example is the shelling of Sumy on Palm Sunday, when the enemy struck the city center.
Commemoration in silence and prayer
Despite the challenges of wartime, Farewells remain a profound moment of spiritual unity with those who are no longer with us. The Church reminds us: the main thing is not the form, but the content. You can pray for your loved ones at home. After all, prayer has no boundaries — neither physical nor temporal.
