Soroace: Romanian Orthodox Memorial Calendar and Annual Services

The funeral is the beginning, not the end, of your obligations. Romanian Orthodox tradition includes a memorial calendar — the soroace — that extends for years after the burial, with services traditionally observed at intervals that correspond to the soul's continuing journey. Missing a scheduled memorial or performing it on a prohibited day isn't just a social misstep — in the family's understanding, it directly affects the soul's spiritual progress.

The Full Memorial Timeline

Here is the traditional schedule of memorial services (parastase) commonly observed from death through the seven-year mark:

First 40 days (the soul's primary journey):

• Day 3: The funeral and burial. The soul ascends to heaven for the first time.
• Day 9: Second parastas. The soul stands before God after being shown Paradise.
• Day 40: The critical 40-day parastas. The soul faces its Particular Judgment. This is one of the most significant memorial services after the funeral itself.

First year (continued spiritual support):

• 3 months
• 6 months (or half-year)
• 9 months
• 1 year: The annual memorial. The temporary wooden cross is replaced with a permanent stone or metal monument, blessed by the priest in a dedicated ceremony.

Subsequent years:

• Annually on the death anniversary, for at least three and ideally seven years. Each annual memorial includes a parastas service with coliva, colaci, candles, and a pomana meal.

The 7-year mark: In communities that practice the seven-year exhumation, remains may be exhumed and relocated according to local cemetery and family practice; a parastas may accompany the observance.

In addition to these family-specific dates, the Church designates several communal memorial Saturdays (Sâmbetele Morților or Moșii) throughout the liturgical year when all deceased are commemorated collectively. Families are expected to attend and bring coliva for their loved ones on these days as well.

Calendar Restrictions: When You Cannot Schedule

The Church prohibits parastas services during certain liturgical periods. Scheduling a memorial on a prohibited day is a canonical error that the priest will refuse to perform — so knowing the blackout dates is essential for planning.

No parastase are permitted on:

• Sundays — the day of Christ's Resurrection, reserved for joy
• The twelve days from Christmas to Epiphany
• Bright Week — the week between Easter Sunday and Thomas Sunday
• Meatfare Saturday through the first Saturday of Great Lent (Saturday of Saint Theodore)
• Lazarus Saturday through Thomas Sunday (the week surrounding Palm Sunday and Easter)
• Major Royal Feasts (Praznice Împărătești)
• Weekdays of Great Lent — because full Divine Liturgies are not celebrated on these days

If your memorial date falls during a prohibited period, consult the priest, who will set the service on another permitted date.

A special case: if a person dies during Bright Week (Easter week), the mournful funeral service is replaced by a celebratory resurrectional service. The priest wears bright white vestments instead of dark colors, and the tone of the entire ceremony shifts from sorrow to paschal joy.

What Each Parastas Involves

Every memorial service follows the same basic structure, scaled up or down based on the occasion's significance:

At the church: The priest reads the parastas prayers over the coliva and lights candles for the deceased. The family submits a pomelnic (prayer list) with the deceased's name. The coliva is blessed and distributed to attendees.

At the cemetery: The family visits the grave, lights candles, and may request the priest to perform a graveside prayer. Fresh flowers are placed, and in some traditions, food and wine are left at the grave for the soul.

The pomana meal: Guests are fed, and pomana packages are distributed. The 40-day and 1-year memorials typically feature the largest meals; the quarterly and intermediate memorials can be smaller, family-only affairs.

The cost adds up. A major parastas (40-day or annual) depends on guest count, venue, clergy, food, coliva preparation, and candles. Over a seven-year cycle, the total financial commitment depends on which memorials the family observes and on local costs.

The Sărindar Cycle

Running parallel to the parastas calendar is the Sărindar — forty consecutive Divine Liturgies during which the deceased's name is commemorated. Families submit the deceased's name to a church immediately after death, and the priest includes it in the daily liturgy for 40 days straight. At the conclusion, a special parastas (the dezlegarea sărindarelor) marks the release of the soul from unconfessed sins.

Some families ask whether a Sărindar can be established at more than one church or renewed annually on the death anniversary. Parish offerings or fees vary; ask the parish what it requests for a full 40-day Sărindar cycle.

Practical Planning Advice

The memorial calendar is manageable if you plan ahead. Map out the traditional dates immediately after the funeral — the 3-day, 9-day, 40-day, and quarterly milestones — and cross-reference them against the Church's prohibited periods. Your priest is the authoritative source for resolving scheduling conflicts.

For diaspora families, the logistical challenge is attending memorials in person. Whether attendance is needed at the 40-day and 1-year services depends on the family and parish arrangements. For intermediate memorials where travel isn't feasible, ask a local family member to coordinate with the parish priest about the appropriate arrangement.

The Eastern Orthodox Funeral — Romanian guide includes a printable memorial calendar planner that maps the traditional memorial schedule across the seven-year cycle, with the Church calendar restrictions pre-marked so you can schedule without conflicts.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many memorial services are required after a Romanian Orthodox funeral? The traditional cycle commonly includes the funeral on day 3, services at 9 and 40 days; 3, 6, and 9 months; 1 year; and annual services for up to seven years. Additionally, families may participate in communal memorial Saturdays (Sâmbetele Morților) throughout the liturgical year.

What are soroace? Soroace refers to the scheduled intervals of the traditional memorial cycle — the dates when parastas services are commonly observed. Each soroace corresponds to a stage in the soul's journey and the family's ongoing practice of prayer and charitable giving on the deceased's behalf.

Can you hold a parastas on a Sunday? No. The Church prohibits memorial services on Sundays because Sunday is the day of Christ's Resurrection, reserved for joy. If a memorial date falls on a Sunday, consult the priest, who will choose another permitted date.