What to do with icons after a person’s death?

Why can't you throw away icons?

Church utensils If you throw an icon or a cross purchased in the church into the trash, you can bring yourself into serious trouble, even the collapse of your fate. Religious egregors severely punish those who treat them with disrespect.

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Expert opinion

Antiques experts say that you should not throw away icons or store images in premises that are rented.

If handled incorrectly, antique items will deteriorate. Temperature fluctuations, high humidity levels and insects deteriorate the condition of the materials from which icons are made. You cannot store the images of saints in a barn, attic or balcony.

If people received an icon as a gift, but are not used to keeping such things in the house, they can sell it. However, rare works of art require careful handling.

You cannot wipe icons that have silver on them with ordinary rags. It is necessary to store antique items away from sunlight.

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In many Orthodox families there is a tradition of passing on the faces of saints by inheritance.

After the death of the owner, the image goes to his relative. If a lonely person has died, neighbors or friends can take the icon. Priests do not forbid giving such items if it is done with good intentions.

The icon remaining from the previous owners can be given to the church. The one who brought this item should pray and ask the priest to consecrate the image.

If the icon belonged to the deceased who was a kind person, the priests advise not to worry. The item will not bring any negativity to the new owners. If the deceased was an evil person, it is better to consecrate the icon in the temple.

What to do with the icon from the coffin after the funeral?

There are many informal options for what to do with the coffin icon once the funeral is over.

Devout people leave it in the temple where the funeral service was held, or they assign the temple in honor of the saint who is depicted on the icon. Others leave it in the church for 40 days, while the soul of the deceased goes through ordeals and ascends to Heaven, after which they take it to themselves. The icon that was placed in the coffin along with the deceased is allowed to be kept at home and, moreover, placed together with others on the iconostasis. It is believed that on days when the deceased is commemorated, it should be placed separately and a lamp or candle should be lit.

Is it possible to accept other people's icons as gifts?

You should never give icons to representatives of other religions or non-believers. ... Before presenting such a gift, you should definitely consecrate it in the temple and inform the person for whom the icon is intended. It is very important to choose the right image of a saint who will become a patron and helper for a person.

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Where should you buy the look?

Many people believe that icons should only be purchased in churches. According to signs, an image purchased from someone carries with it the negative energy of the seller.

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Many people refuse to receive icons as a gift.

After all, these items are used not only for prayer. Black magicians and psychics use them for various rituals. Priests believe that icons are not capable of absorbing negativity.

You can buy the faces of saints anywhere.

But if a person is superstitious and worries about omens, he should purchase icons only in churches.

Is it possible to collect items from the deceased's home within 40 days?

Moreover, this should be done not by just one person, but by several people. However, it is worth remembering that touching any belongings of the deceased before 40 days is not recommended. ... After 40 days, it is necessary to distribute all the things of the deceased, and burn those unsuitable for use. If there is no one to distribute things to, you can give them to the temple, where they will be used.

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If the image is damaged

It’s sad when a family icon loses its original appearance and becomes unusable. Because the holy image has value for all relatives. After all, this is a memory of our ancestors. The next generation inherited the family heirloom and passed it on to their descendants. Unfortunately, time is not kind to even works of art. Maybe the image was written by an unskillful hand, but the value does not decrease because of this.

Types of damage to icons:

Deep cracks are visible.
The tree was damaged by a borer beetle or bark beetle.
The paint is faded or cracked.

Such defects cannot be corrected on your own. Therefore, it is wise to ask a professional restorer for help. The restoration artist will try to save the image.

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If this is not possible, then the icon must be taken to the temple or burned independently in a secluded place. The ashes are then buried under a tree or collected and thrown into the river.

The fire burns

Modern laminated lithographs lose shape and quality over time. If such icons are damaged, you can take them to the parish. They know what to do there. They are usually burned in a church oven or a specific place.

Actions with icons that have fallen into unsatisfactory condition should be carried out in accordance with the rules:

The image cannot be thrown away and trampled under foot.
They burn it personally or take it to the temple. The ashes are buried. The chosen place should not be trampled underfoot.

Selecting the appropriate icon

There is a rule in which the priest does not perform the funeral service for the dead; therefore, the icon is not placed in the coffin. This list includes suicides, people of other faiths who have not undergone baptism, and representatives of other religious denominations. The icon must correspond to the gender of the deceased person. As a rule, for representatives of the male gender, the image of the Savior, Nicholas the Wonderworker is chosen; women are buried with the face of the Virgin Mary. If the deceased had a personal saint whose name was given to him during his lifetime, then it is believed that he will be his intercessor before the Lord God and will help him beg forgiveness for his sins. The patron saint will in every possible way protect the soul of a Christian in the afterlife ordeals.

It is important to take into account that the cross is placed in the hands of the deceased, and the place of the icon is on the side. During farewell, relatives and close people first kiss the forehead aureole, after which they attach it to the icon.

Why do Orthodox Christians place an icon in the coffin of a deceased person?

One of the features of the Orthodox burial canon is that an icon must be placed in the coffin. The meaning of the custom, first of all, is to indicate that the deceased was a baptized person and a believer. If the deceased is a man, they put an image of the Savior, if a woman - an image of the Mother of God.

It is also permissible to place an icon depicting a saint whom the deceased especially revered during his lifetime or considered his patron. It is believed that the saint depicted on the icon should accompany the soul of the deceased to heaven, therefore it is necessary that the icon be with the deceased during the funeral service.

Temples in cemeteries

Is it possible to sleep on the bed or sofa of a deceased relative?

Esotericists, psychics and many religions claim that a living person should not sleep on a bed that has become the deathbed for another person. After all, such a place conceals a lot of negative energy that can harm living people.

The Church is skeptical about this kind of superstition, and when asked whether it is possible to sleep on the bed or sofa of a deceased relative, Father will answer that it is possible, but he will not refuse to consecrate the place and the entire house.

All our fears and superstitions are only in our heads. If you believe psychics, then follow their advice. If you are an Orthodox person, then you should ask the church for advice on this or that issue. Holy water and fire have powerful cleansing properties. Therefore, many people burn things or items used by the deceased or consecrate them with Holy water in the church.

Is it possible to bury an icon with the deceased?

It is important to know that there is no prohibition from the church in this regard. Those who buried their loved ones with icons need not worry. According to the rector of one of the Moscow churches, this is permissible, since the deceased is already buried together in a veil with an image of Jesus Christ and a forehead aureole with images of icons. In addition, St. Seraphim of Sarov personally bequeathed that his body should be interred with the icon “The Appearance of the Most Holy Theotokos to St. Sergius of Radonezh,” and this elder could not ask for something that was sinful.

Thus, whether to keep the icon from the coffin after the funeral is a personal matter for the relatives of the deceased. If it will serve as a spiritual guide, a connection with this person, a guide for good wishes for the soul of the deceased, it should not only be preserved, but also regularly taken out for prayer and veneration. If the grief over the loss is so strong that every reminder of the deceased causes inconsolable grief, you should not torment yourself, but with a light soul, let go of the memory of the deceased, burying the icon in the ground.

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November 21, 2018

Is it possible to keep or give to other people the things and clothes of a deceased relative?

For people, the frailty of objects is inherent. After all, it is unlikely that anyone will throw an expensive fur coat into a trash container or refuse to drive a deceased person’s car. In this case, the question does not arise: is it possible to keep or give to other people the things and clothes of a deceased relative? Often people don’t even think about it, they just take and wear or use the things of the deceased.

There are many opinions and superstitions about the belongings of a deceased person. To believe them or not is up to each person. You need to act as your soul tells you, but it’s better to consult with Father in church and he will tell you the right decision.

Why is the deceased buried with his belongings?

The custom of placing various things in a coffin along with the deceased arose in ancient times and is practiced in many cultures. Historically, it is associated with belief in the afterlife: it is assumed that objects buried with the body are necessary for a person in the afterlife. In Christianity, it is permissible to place objects in the coffin that were of particular importance to a person during life, however, such a gesture is only symbolic and does not imply that the person enters the other world along with these objects. In addition, the Orthodox funeral canon provides for a special funeral package.

Is it possible to use the phone number of a deceased relative?

The telephone is a modern thing, and often people doubt and wonder: is it possible to use the telephone of a deceased relative? There is no clear opinion.

Like other things, a telephone can be blessed in church and used.
If in doubt, you can donate the phone to the poor, with the words: “Pray for the soul of the deceased servant of God...”.
If the device was in the pocket of the deceased during suicide or violent death, then it is also not worth keeping it.

Burial traditions

In Orthodoxy, the funeral service for the deceased is an obligatory ritual for the newly deceased. In the process of preparing for a church ceremony, several traditional actions take place. The deceased is washed, clean clothes are put on the body, and the deceased is placed in a coffin. The mandatory list of items located next to the body of the deceased includes: a small icon, a pectoral cross, a set of church candles, a halo on the forehead, a cross in the hands.

Since ancient times, the deceased have been buried with personal belongings. The tradition is observed by many peoples of the world. Warriors were buried with weapons, women were given jewelry. In many ways, the things placed in the coffin indicated the social status of the deceased person. The roots of this tradition go deep, to a time when there was a strong belief in the existence of an afterlife. In the modern world, this is more likely a symbolic gesture, serving as proof of a reverent attitude towards some thing during life. The Christian Church does not condemn the desire of relatives to put a favorite object in a coffin, warning that it is naive to assume that the objects will soon be useful to their owners. An Orthodox icon is placed in the coffin of the deceased as a sign of his belonging to Orthodoxy.

How to throw away consecrated willow?

Rules for throwing away consecrated things:

What you brought from the temple should not be thrown into the trash. That is, this applies to sacred eggs, and even willow branches. What to do if after Palm Sunday you still have willow or perhaps there are branches from last year? In this case, you need to know how to properly dispose of such products. The clergy unequivocally state that it is forbidden to throw willow in the trash.
There is a ritual when willow branches were stuck on a plot of land that was going to be cultivated. This was considered a good omen and as if God was helping to get a good harvest from this particular land. However, what to do if you don’t have your own summer cottage? In this case, you need to feed the branches to the cattle, burn them in the oven, or bury them somewhere near your home. There is another method for recycling twigs.
They can be sent down the river. It is believed that running water washes away all negativity and deprives any thing of magical, witchcraft or any healing properties. Therefore, willow can be thrown into the stream without a twinge of conscience. More information about willow recycling can be found here .

Willow

Is it possible to give icons: the opinion of the church

The Church allows you to give icons to your family and close friends

People began giving icons as gifts in ancient times. At that time, shrines were very expensive as most were decorated with gold or silver. Therefore, such a gift was a fairly good investment. Most often, the image was placed in the “red corner”, and this was done so that visiting guests could see it.

And although modern shrines can be made of wood and paper, in their beauty and spiritual content they are in no way inferior to ancient images. Therefore, in our time, people do not stop giving them to each other, and they do it with great joy. Moreover, absolutely all priests recommend the icon as a spiritual gift that can cleanse a person’s soul from bitterness and anger.

In view of this, if you decide to give a loved one an Orthodox icon, then feel free to buy it and do not pay attention to any bad omens. The main thing is to give your gift with pure thoughts and best wishes.