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The Parastas

The Parastas "(standing service") is a memorial service for the dead in the Byzantine-Slav tradition. It is also called the "Great Panachida"; our short memorial service, the "Small Panachida" (or just "Panachida") forms the conclusion of the Parastas.

The full title in the Euchologion or Trebnyk is "The Great Panachida or PARASTAS, for all our fathers and brothers who have fallen asleep, and for all Orthodox Christians who have departed" (i.e. from this life).

The order of the Parastas

Like many services of prayer in the Byzantine tradition, the Parastas is based on the service of Matins - specifically, the Matins of Great and Holy Saturday, which commemorates the burial of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Memorial Service (Parastas)
 
Blessing by priest:
“Blessed is our God”
Psalm 90
Great Litany for the Deceased
"Alleluia", with verses
Troparia for the Departed, in Tone 8

First reading from Psalm 118, with refrains
Small Litany

Second reading from Psalm 118, with refrains
Small Litany

Hymns (Evlogitaria) for the Departed, with refrain:
"Blessed are you, O God; teach me your commandments."
Small Litany
Sessional Hymns in Tone 5:
“O Savior, give rest to your servant”
Psalm 50

THE CANON FOR THE DEPARTED (in Tone 6) (or another canon in Tone 8)
Odes 1 and 3
Small litany
Sessional Hymns in Tone 6:
“All is vanity, indeed”

Odes 4, 5, and 6
Small litany
Kontakion and Ikos for the Departed

Odes 7, 8, and 9
Small Litany for the Deceased
"It is truly proper to glorify you, O Theotokos"
Trisagion prayers, troparia,
litany, and prayer
Dismissal

The structure of the Parastas is very similar to that of the funeral or burial service; see the article on the Funeral for a comparison.

The Parastas as a funeral vigil

In our liturgical books and chant books, the Parastas comes after all the various funeral services. This suggests that its most basic function is as a continued service of prayer for those who have died and gone forth to God's judgment. As such, the Parastas is appointed for the five All Souls Saturdays, after the Divine Liturgy, and may also be celebrated on the anniversaries of the deaths of those we love, or on common commemorations such as Memorial Day.

The ancient Christian tradition of keeping watch or vigil, as well as the basic human desire to accompany the dead to their rest, lie behind the custom of reading the psalter during the night before a burial (for a priest, the Gospel is read). But in the United States, where the Roman Catholic custom of a "wake" or funeral vigil was often kept, the Parastas is often celebrated in the funeral home as a similar sort of vigil service over the body of the one who has died.

Due to the length of the Parastas, the Panachida is sometimes celebrated instead.

Singing the Parastas

Since the hymns and prayers of the Parastas are taken almost entirely from the funeral service, there is no separate article on singing this service. Instead, see:

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