The following was written by Caroline Barrow, a former SRAS Home and Abroad Scholar now working in Kazakhstan. Through an acquaintance there, she was invited to a traditional Russian funeral lunch โ and shares her experience here.
Each culture has its own way of honoring those who have left this world. Russians do this in their on unique way. In addition to a funeral, family and friends gather for several ะะพะผะธะฝะฐะปัะฝัะต ะพะฑะตะดั, โFuneral Lunchesโ throughout the year after someoneโs passing. There are four of these lunches on specific daysโ9 days, 40 days, 6 months, and one year after the passing. I had the privilege of being invited to one of these lunches, honoring a woman named Svetlana.
We met for our lunch at the ััะพะปะพะฒะฐั (cafeteria) in the factory where Svetlana worked. When we sat at the table, it seemed to be full already. There were ัะฒะตะถะธะต ะฟะพะผะธะดะพัะธ ะธ ะพะณัััั (fresh tomatoes and cucumbers), ะบะพะปะฑะฐัะบะฐ ะธ ััั(sausage and cheese), ั ะปะตะฑ (bread), ะฑะปะธะฝั (Russian pancakes), ะบะพะฝัะตัั (candy), and ะฟะตัะตะฝะธั (cookies). For drinks, there was ะบะพะผะฟะพั (stewed fruit juice), vodka for the men, and cognac for the ladies.
Interestingly, I noticed that there were no ะฒะธะปะบะธ (forks) on the table, only ะปะพะถะบะธ (spoons). This is so that there is nothing sharp on the table. The first thing we ate was three spoonfuls of a tasty dish: ะบัััั, a sweet sticky rice with raisins. ะัััั is that is typically found only at religious observances. It is also traditionally associated withย Christmas and Easter.
Officially, the Orthodox Church disallows alcohol at ะฟะพะผะธะฝะฐะปัะฝัะต ะพะฑะตะดั. In practice, however, alcohol often plays a prominent role in the traditions common to these lunches. Before the waitresses brought us the ะฟะตัะฒะฐั ะฑะปัะดะฐ (first course), we took a shot in honor of Svetlana. Before we drank, we said โะฆะฐัััะฒะพ ะะตะฑะตัะพะต.โ Literally translated, this means โKingdom of Heaven,โ but the meaning in this usage is closer to โRest in Peace.โ In honor of Svetlana, a ััะผะบะฐ ะฒะพะดะบะธ (glass of vodka) stood on the table throughout the lunch.
After that, the ะฟะตัะฒะฐั ะฑะปัะดะฐ arrivedโa healthy serving of ะฑะพัั (borsch). Following that was the ะฒัะพัะฐั ะฑะปัะดะฐ (main course) which was ะบะพัะปะตัั ั ะบะฐััะพัะบะฐะผะธ (pork cutlet with potatoes). The last thing they brought us to eat was ะบะฐัะฐ(porridge). This is traditionally eaten last at these lunches.
This tradition is a lovely way for friends and family to gather and remember whom they have lost. In doing so, they support one another and grow closer together.ย To find out more about Russian funeral traditions, click here.
