Father Fedor explained how the remembrance of the dead takes place on St. Demetrius Saturdaytranslated

On November 7, 2026, Orthodox believers will celebrate Demetrius Parents' Saturday, dedicated to the remembrance of the departed. The tradition of this day is associated with the Battle of Kulikovo in 1380 and was originally established in memory of the fallen soldiers. According to StalMedia, the rector of the Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian on Maroseyka, priest Fyodor Borodin, spoke about the history of the holiday and the meaning of prayers for the dead.

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According to the clergyman, the first memorial service for those who fell in the Battle of Kulikovo was performed by the Monk Sergius of Radonezh in the Trinity Monastery, on the site of which the Trinity-Sergius Lavra later arose. According to legend, the names of the dead soldiers were revealed to him by the Lord. Gradually, the tradition ceased to be limited to commemorating the participants in the battle and spread to all deceased relatives. “So it became a day of prayer for all our departed ancestors,” Borodin explained.

Demetrius Saturday is considered a special tradition of Russian Orthodoxy. It is celebrated on the eve of the day of remembrance of the Great Martyr Dmitry of Thessaloniki, which falls on November 8. It was in honor of this saint that Prince Dmitry Donskoy received the name at baptism. In 2027...