Calendar of parents' Saturdays: all the main memorial days in 2026 have been published

There are several dates in the church calendar that are special for believers to commemorate the dead — parental Saturdays. It is already known which dates each of them falls on in 2026. For more information about the days when to visit churches and pray for the repose of relatives in the coming year, as well as to clean up the graves, see the Izvestia article.

Universal Myasopust Parents' Saturday in 2026

Every year in the church calendar there are several special dates, parental Saturdays, when the deceased are commemorated. On these days, believers try to attend the service, and after it go to the cemetery to clean up the grave or gather with relatives for a memorial dinner.

The first of these days is the Universal Myasopust Parents' Saturday. In 2026, it falls on February 14th. This day is traditionally celebrated two days before Maslenitsa, which in 2026 begins on February 16.

The name of the memorial day is due to the fact that it precedes the Meat Week, or the Week of the Last Judgment (the preparatory week before Lent, which in 2026 falls on February 23 — April 11). The word "empty" means "abandonment" or farewell to meat.

Funeral liturgies and memorial services are held on this day. Those who cannot attend church read special troparia and kontakion addressed to all the deceased.

Parental Saturdays of Great Lent in 2026

During Lent, there are also several parental Saturdays, which in 2026 fall on:

— March 7th. Parents' Saturday of the 2nd week;

— March 14th. Parents' Saturday of the 3rd week;

— March 21st. Parents' Saturday of the 4th week.

During Great Lent, regular liturgies are not held on weekdays, so these three parental Saturdays are established when it is possible to honor the memory of relatives.

These Saturdays are also a preparation for the great church holiday — Easter, or the Resurrection of Christ.

Day of Prayer for the Dead: when is the Intercession Parents' Saturday in 2025

Believers honor their ancestors in the temple and at home, continuing the ancient customs of commemoration.

Radonitsa in 2026

Radonitsa (or Radunitsa) is a special parents' day that falls on the Tuesday after Holy Week, or on the ninth day after Easter.

In 2026, Radonitsa will be celebrated on April 21.

It is important to note that on this day the church prays for the repose of the souls of all the dead "from time immemorial."

The word "Radonitsa" is connected in meaning with joy — although it is a day of remembrance, it does not have a mourning color, but rather is a continuation of the Easter celebration and the connection of the living with the dead through the joy of Resurrection.

Ecumenical Trinity Parents' Saturday in 2026

The second of the two Ecumenical Parental Saturdays, Trinity, is celebrated on the Saturday before the feast of the Holy Trinity (on the 50th day after Easter).

In 2026, the feast of the Trinity falls on May 31 (Sunday), which means that Trinity Parents' Saturday will be celebrated on May 30.

In the divine service of this day, a general memorial service is held for all the deceased — relatives, friends, missing persons and others. In the Orthodox tradition, Trinity Saturday is considered one of the main days of commemoration and often attracts a large number of believers to visit cemeteries and temples.

Pokrovskaya Parental Saturday in 2026

Intercession Saturday is a memorial day dedicated to the feast of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos (October 14). Traditionally, on the eve of this holiday, some dioceses organize a special commemoration of the deceased Orthodox Christians.

In 2026, Pokrovskaya Parental Saturday falls on October 10.

It is important to note that there is no memorial day in the church calendar. He is honored in some dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church: Kazan, Vyatka, Yekaterinburg and Izhevsk, and it is also celebrated in some other regions of Tatarstan and Udmurtia.

The greatest church holiday of autumn is approaching: the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos

The celebration is one of the most important in Orthodoxy, although it is not one of the twelve

St. Dimitri's Parents' Saturday in 2026

St. Demetrius' Saturday is one of the most famous parental Saturdays in the Russian Church tradition. It is dedicated to the commemoration day of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious Demetrius of Thessalonica, which has a fixed date — November 8.

In 2026, St. Dimitri's Parents' Saturday fell on November 7.

Traditionally, St. Dimitri's Saturday is considered one of the "last" important memorial days of the year before the onset of winter.

St. Michael's Parents' Saturday in 2026

St. Michael's Parents' Saturday is a day of commemoration of the deceased, associated with the celebration of the Cathedral of Archangel Michael and other celestial bodiless forces. Every year it falls on November 21, respectively, St. Michael's Parents' Saturday will be celebrated on the 14th.

In most modern Orthodox calendars, St. Michael's Parents' Saturday does not exist as a church-wide memorial day due to the fact that it has a local character. It is celebrated in some dioceses in the south of the Russian Federation, as well as in Belarus.