← News feed Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate)

The priest of the Russian Orthodox Church told what rituals in the cemetery threaten a return to paganismtranslated

September 8, 2026 · 1 min read

Many common rules of conduct in a cemetery do not relate to Orthodox traditions and are superstitions. The head of the missionary department of the Kazan diocese, priest Alexander Ermolin, told what actions really matter for believers, and what customs can be abandoned.

Read: New bans are being prepared for Russians: what will change in the near future

The priest said the most important thing when visiting a burial site is prayer. Caring for the grave and maintaining it in order is also important, but these actions do not replace the spiritual remembrance of the deceased. If a cross is installed at the entrance to the cemetery, the believer should cross himself.

Ermolin also refuted the idea that pregnant women should not come to the cemetery. From the point of view of Orthodoxy, there is no such restriction, just as there is no negative energy there. Only cold and unfavorable weather conditions can pose a real danger to humans.

The custom of obligatory closing of the fence or gate at the grave in order to supposedly keep the soul of the deceased has nothing to do with church rules. According to the Orthodox understanding, the soul is with God and does not remain near the burial place. There is no requirement...

Source: rznonline.ru · Read the full story →

⚑ Report

💬 Comments (2) 🌐 Show original

Gabriela Dumitrescu

It's good that he clearly said the prayer, because that's what we forget most often when we go to the cemetery. I always thought the custom of closing the gate "so that the soul may not come out" was strange, now I see that it has nothing to do with our faith. And it's good that he also clarified with pregnant women, that we have heard this story so many times without any basis.

Emma Baker

I always thought that closing the gate to "keep the soul in" sounded more like a folk tale than anything from church. Glad the priest spelled out that the soul is with God, not hanging around the grave. And the bit about pregnant women was helpful too — my sister worried about that last year when we visited my dad's plot. Prayer first, then the weeding. Simple.