Panikhida Memorial Service: What It Is, When It's Held, and What to Expect

The Panikhida is the Orthodox memorial prayer service for the departed — shorter than the full funeral service, repeated at specific intervals, and the primary way the Church continues to pray for the dead long after burial. If you have been told a Panikhida is being held and are not sure what to expect, here is the structure.

What a Panikhida Is

A Panikhida (also spelled Panachida or Panaghida) is a brief service of prayer, incensation, and hymns offered for the repose of the soul. It lasts roughly 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the parish and the occasion. The service includes petitions asking God to forgive the sins of the departed, grant them rest among the saints, and remember them in His eternal kingdom.

The central hymn is the Kontakion of the Departed: "With the Saints give rest, O Christ, to the soul of Thy servant, where there is neither sickness, nor sorrow, nor sighing, but life everlasting." The service concludes with the congregation chanting "Memory Eternal" (Vechnaya pamyat in Slavonic, Aionia i mnimi in Greek).

Koliva is prepared and brought to the church for blessing during the Panikhida. The priest blesses it with holy water, and it is distributed to all present afterward.

When Panikhidas Are Held

The memorial calendar in Orthodoxy follows a precise schedule tied to theological milestones in the soul's post-mortem journey:

3rd day after death: The first major memorial. Symbolizes Christ's Resurrection on the third day and the soul's initial departure from earthly attachment.

9th day: Honors the nine angelic ranks, with prayers that the soul be received into their company.

40th day: The most critical memorial. Orthodox theology teaches that the soul undergoes its provisional, preliminary judgment during the 40-day period after death. The 40th-day Panikhida is accompanied by a Divine Liturgy and a formal memorial meal. This is when the family's most intense mourning period traditionally concludes.

6 months, 1 year, and annually: Memorial Panikhidas are celebrated at the six-month mark, the first anniversary of death, and every subsequent anniversary. Some traditions also observe a formal three-year memorial.

Soul Saturdays (Psychosabbata): Universal memorial days when the entire Church prays for all the departed. These include Meatfare Saturday, the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Saturdays of Great Lent, the Saturday before Pentecost, and (in Slavic tradition) St. Demetrius Saturday in autumn.

Panikhidas cannot be served on Sundays (the Lord's Day celebrates the Resurrection and is reserved for joy), during Bright Week (the week after Pascha), on Great Feast days, or from Lazarus Saturday through Thomas Sunday.

The Parastas (Vigil for the Departed)

The Parastas is a more elaborate memorial service held on the eve of the funeral. It follows the structural framework of Matins and is substantially longer than a standard Panikhida.

The central element is the chanting of Psalm 118 (Psalm 119 in Western numbering) — the longest psalm in the Bible — over the open casket. This is the same psalm chanted over the tomb of Christ on Great Friday. The connection is deliberate: the Church treats the deceased's body with the same liturgical reverence it shows to Christ's entombed body.

The Parastas also includes the Great Litany for the Dead, a series of petitions led by the priest or deacon, with the congregation responding "Lord, have mercy."

Psalter Reading Over the Casket

Following the formal Parastas service, the tradition is for family members and parish volunteers to read the Book of Psalms (the Psalter) aloud over the casket throughout the night, maintaining a continuous prayer vigil until the funeral the next day.

Readers take turns, usually in shifts of one or two hours. The reading is done in a quiet, steady voice. If the deceased held ordained office (priest or bishop), the Holy Gospel is read instead of the Psalter.

In modern diaspora parishes, this overnight vigil has often been condensed or omitted, but many traditional parishes and most monasteries still observe it fully. If your family wants to maintain this practice, coordinate with the parish to ensure the church or funeral home will be accessible overnight.

What to Bring to a Panikhida

If you are attending a Panikhida as a family member:

• Koliva: Prepare and bring the memorial wheat (the host family is responsible for this)
• A name list: Write the full baptismal name of the deceased on a slip of paper to give to the priest. On Soul Saturdays, you may submit names of all your departed loved ones
• A candle: Most parishes provide candles, but some families bring their own beeswax memorial candles
• An offering: A monetary offering to the parish is customary, as the priest dedicates time and the church resources to the service

If you are attending as a guest, simply arrive in appropriate dark clothing and participate by standing quietly during the prayers.

For complete guidance on scheduling memorials, preparing koliva, and coordinating with the parish across the full memorial calendar, the Eastern Orthodox Funeral Guide provides printable memorial day calculators and parish coordination templates.