The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-01-05
THE FUNERALS OF RUSSIA.

1
From the New York Post
When Russian Christian dies, he II
dressed in the costume of his calling.
as the late emperor has been dressed
in the regiment Of the Preobraxhensky
regiment of infantry, that "Transfig-
uration" regiment formed by Peter the
Great, and so favored by him The cos
tune of . mans profession is chosen to
ciothe his corpse, because every man is
held to direct account for his plain
duties in this present life, and his call
ing therein. A white winding-sheet or
q white garment, two is sometimes
used, especially for children. to signify
that the dead person departs pure or
with purified, penitent heart On the
brow Of the dead person, as he lies in
his coffin, is placed thin, narrow strip
OF silk or cotton, stamped with repre-
sensations Of Christ, the Virgin Mary,
and John the Baptist. This halo" or
glory is a symbol of victory over pas
sions and other spiritual enemies A
cross or holy picture is laid on the
breast, and a printed prayer called by
scoffers "the passport'l is placed in the
hands of the corpse.
For three days after death the body
lies in its coffin. in the house, and pa
nikhidi are said twice day; generally
at and at .. n. The name of these
services signifies An all-night religious
service, and is a "reminiscences of the
! funeral rites held over departed Chris.
tians in the catacombs during the sec
ond and third centuries, which in-
| Guided the holy communion. There the
early believers recounted, by the side
f, his coffin, the good deeds of the dead
! martyr or Christian, and thus did the
modern funeral sermon have its origin.
Another reminiscence of the cata-
combs is found in the lighted candles
which are held by all who are present
at the panikhidi. They also symbolic
the light of faith, which illuminated
the Christian deeds Of the dead person
and the joyful confidence of the wor-
shippers in the bright future of the de-
parted. From the moment of death
until the burial service on the third
day, the Psalter is read constantly over
the corpse. The belief is that the soul
hovers abort its body during those
three days, in and around the house
where it has dwelt, grieving over ita
separation from the body and its sins
When it hears the sad and comforting
Psalms, it's pain is alleviated, and the
angel in charge of it comforts it with
the hope Of Gods mercy.
At the funeral service, on the third
day, the soul follows tho body to
church, and remains in great fear and
doubt as to what is to become Of it
when its body Is hidden in the earth.
Those presant pray for themselves, as
well as for the dead man, and say:
''Give rest with Thy saints, o Christ,
to the soul of Thy servant" When the
prayer of absclution has been read, the
Lord commands the angel to bring the
soul to heaven to do homage to the
Creator of all things. Then the angel
is commanded to show the soul all the
various pleasant abodes of the just, and
the fairness of Paradise for six days.
Naturally this makes a sinful soul
''gnash its teeth and reproach itself"
On the ninth day the soul is brought to
do homage again to God; and the rela-
tives and friends of the depa rted have
church service on this day 10 pray for
his soul as it is being escorted through
hell for thirty days. On the twentieth
day, when the soul is half way through
its preliminary wanderings, another
service is often held. On the fortieth
day after death, the friends again as
semble and pray for the soul, which is
heivr, s.-ra~>nto1D 20 Cd 81,
third and last time. On this fortieth
day God assigns to the soul an abiding
place until tee day of judgment. There
after services are held on the half year
ly or annual anniversaries of the death,
at the request of the friends of the rela-
tives, and serve to keep green the
memory of the departed.
At the funeral he body is accom-
panied on foot by male relatives and
friends, and by torches" which have
the Same significance as the candles,
and the road is thicl1ly strewn with |
fragrant twigs OF 1.-The evergreen fir |
tree" which is symbol of hope in an
eternal life for the departed. In Rus |
sian cities these torches" resemble |
street lamps plucked up by the roots
rs if the dead man mad deprived the
town of light-borne by hired mourn
ers clad in black and silver.
At requiem masses the body of the !
departed is represented by a dish of /
rice and raisins placed on a reading
desk upon the floor of the church in !
front OF and some distance from the
ikonostas, or rood-screen, behind which /
stands the altar. The candles are
placed, the incense waited, the process
siors performed in relation to this SYM
Dol, as in relation to the body at the
funeral The rice is . symbol of the
resurrection; a grain must fall into
the earth and die before il can bring
forth life. The raisins are symbolical,
in the same way, of Christ, the first
fruits of them that sleep in the Lord
Any other grain and fruit would serve
the purpose equally well, but rice and
raisins are generally used
These explanations VIII be OF special
interest to those people who were so
fortunate as TO attend the solemn re-
QUEEN mass which Gen A Z Olarov-
sky, the consul general of Russia in
America, caused to be said for the re-
pose of the soul Of the late Alexander
III. The service was one-third IN
Greek and two-thirds IN Russian: the
Greek priest and reader being intelli-
gible 10 the members OF the Greek
colony who were present. and the old
of the Russian ritual appeal
ing TO the hearts OF the Russians
nrSNcyt ANEOlfS