Radaunitsa (honoring forefathers), Azdamichy 2018.
Radaunitsa (Радаўніца) — one of the most important rites honoring one’s forebears in the Belarusian cycle of the year, a rite with deep pre-Christian roots. Radaunitsa falls on the Tuesday nine days after Orthodox Easter. On that morning, parishioners gather for a memorial service in their church or, as here in Azdamichy, in the cemetery chapel. The priest thrice reads through the lists of names of deceased relatives submitted by parishioners. At the conclusion of the memorial service, the priest moves through the cemetery to bless graves, which families have carefully cleaned during the preceeding days.
Радаўніца, Аздамічы 2018 г.
