The Greek Orthodox Funeral Service
The Trisagion, the funeral, koliva and the memorials that follow.
An Orthodox funeral is not a celebration of a life so much as a prayer for a soul. The services are sober, ancient and hopeful: they ask God for the repose of the departed and confess the resurrection of the dead. The same order is used across Greek, Antiochian and other Orthodox parishes, with local variations.
Before the funeral: the Trisagion
A short memorial prayer service, the Trisagion, is served when the body is received, usually at the funeral home or church on the evening before. It lasts around fifteen minutes and the family receives visitors afterwards.
The funeral service itself
- The service is normally served in the church, with the coffin open and facing the altar.
- The hymns are the Evlogitaria for the dead, Psalm 118 verses, and the Idiomela of St John of Damascus on the vanity of earthly things.
- The Epistle (1 Thessalonians 4) and Gospel (John 5) proclaim the resurrection.
- At the end comes the Last Kiss: the family and congregation approach to venerate the icon on the breast of the departed and say farewell.
- The Divine Liturgy is not normally served as part of the funeral in Greek practice.
Koliva and the memorials
Koliva — boiled wheat with sugar, nuts, raisins and pomegranate — is blessed at memorials as an image of the seed that dies and rises (John 12:24). Memorial services (mnimosina) are traditionally served on the third, ninth and fortieth days after death, at three, six and nine months, at one year, and thereafter annually, as well as on the Saturdays of the Souls.
What visitors should know
- Dark, modest clothing is expected; black is usual for close family.
- Non-Orthodox visitors are welcome to attend, stand, and venerate at the Last Kiss with a bow if they prefer not to kiss the icon.
- Flowers are customary in Greek practice; in Slavic practice they are more restrained.
- Cremation is not permitted by the Orthodox Church, and a priest will normally decline to serve a funeral where cremation is planned.
- A meal (makaria) usually follows, traditionally including fish.
Frequently asked
- How long is a Greek Orthodox funeral service?
- The funeral itself lasts about 45 minutes to an hour, with the graveside Trisagion adding around fifteen minutes.
- Does the Orthodox Church allow cremation?
- No. The body is buried, as it is regarded as a temple of the Holy Spirit awaiting the resurrection.
- What is the 40-day memorial?
- A memorial service (mnimosino) with koliva served forty days after death, traditionally after the Divine Liturgy on a Sunday.