Panikhida, Parastas or Litiya

A Panikhida, Parastas, or Litiya is a brief prayer service for the dead that is served at various times during the year: between the actual death and the funeral, on the 3rd, 9th, and 40th day after the death. The forty days of ‘official’ mourning is an ancient tradition comparable to the Jewish practice of “sitting shiva.” Panikhidas are also served on the 6-month and yearly anniversary of the death, and at other times that are meaningful to the family of the departed. During the church year there are five Memorial Saturdays when a Panikhida customarily follows a Liturgy for the Departed. At Holy Trinity, we follow the Sunday Liturgy with a Panikhida for family and loved ones of parishioners.