Memorial questions: short answers
Intervals, colaci, colivă, alms packages, the memorial meal and Moși — each question with a direct answer and the page where it is explained in full.
When someone dies, the family has dozens of small decisions to make in a few days, and nobody has time to explain them. We've gathered here the questions we're asked most often and the ones searched for most, with a short answer. Customs differ from village to village; anything to do with the service is for the priest to say.
The intervals: when each memorial is held
What are the memorial intervals?
At three days, nine days, forty days, six months, one year and then year by year up to seven years. The largest meal is usually held at forty days.
How are the 40 days counted?
From the day of death, not from the funeral, and the day of death counts as the first. That's why the count comes out one day earlier than most people expect.
What if the memorial day falls on a day without a service?
The memorial is usually moved to the Saturday before. The final date is set by the priest holding the service.
How are the 6 months counted?
Six calendar months from the day of death. Here too, if the day doesn't suit a service, it moves to the Saturday before.
For how many years are memorials held?
The usual order goes up to seven years. After that no separate meal is held — whoever wishes remembers the person at Moși and on the Saturdays of the dead.
Colaci and colivă
How many colaci are made for the 40-day memorial?
From our orders, most often around 30. It isn't a rule: we've made from 5, for family-only memorials, up to 80. The number is counted by groups — the service, those who helped, close relatives.
How many colaci at six months and at one year?
Fewer at six months, since fewer people come. At one year the number comes close to the forty-day one again. It's counted the same way, by groups.
Who are the colaci given to?
To those who helped at the funeral and to close relatives, and some go to church, for the service. Whoever doesn't receive a colac and doesn't stay for the meal gets a package.
What is placed on the colac?
In many families a candle, and sometimes a cup of wine or a plate of colivă. The custom of the house matters more than any list.
Is colivă Lenten?
Yes. It's made from boiled wheat, sugar and walnuts, so it goes on any memorial table, Lenten or not.
Alms packages
How many alms packages are made?
One for each person invited who doesn't stay for the meal, plus a few for neighbours, for those who helped and for those who couldn't come. They're counted separately from those at the table.
What goes into an alms package?
The same dishes as on the table: the main course with a side, something from the starters and from dessert, plus a colac. Many families add a candle and fruit.
What does a Lenten alms package look like?
For example: Lenten sarmale with mushrooms and rice, with polenta; zacuscă and mashed beans; Lenten apple pie; a colac.
What happens to leftover packages?
They stay with the family and are passed on, also as alms: to neighbours, to those who couldn't come, to people at church.
The memorial meal
What is put on the table at a memorial meal?
Cold starters, a soup, a main course — usually sarmale or a roast on non-fasting days — then colivă, colaci and dessert. Wine and water are customary, without excess strong drink.
Which starters are served at a memorial meal?
Non-fasting: cheeses and cold cuts, aubergine salad, stuffed eggs, tomatoes, cucumbers, pickles. Lenten: zacuscă, mashed beans with fried onion, aubergine salad, beetroot salad with horseradish, olives.
Is the memorial meal Lenten or non-fasting?
It depends on the day: on Wednesdays, Fridays and during the great fasts it's Lenten; on days without fasting, non-fasting. If you're unsure, ask the priest.
When can a fish menu be served?
On fasting days with a dispensation for fish. The fish is the main course, and the rest of the meal stays Lenten.
What goes on the alms plate?
The same dishes as on the table: the main course with a side and something from the starters. Some families give the food on an actual plate, with cutlery and a cup, and the dishes stay with whoever receives them.
Moși and the commemorations of the year
When is Autumn Moși?
Saturday, 24 October 2026. It's held on the Saturday before Saint Demetrius (26 October), so always at the end of October.
When is Winter Moși?
Saturday, 6 March 2027. It falls on the Saturday before the Sunday of the Last Judgment, two weeks before Great Lent.
When is Paștele Blajinilor?
Monday, 10 May 2027. It's held on the Monday after Thomas Sunday, a week after Easter, and is the commemoration most tied to Moldova.
When is Summer Moși?
Saturday, 19 June 2027. It falls on the Saturday before Pentecost, seven weeks after Easter, and is the most widely kept Moși of the year.
What is given as alms at Moși?
In Moldova, usually vessels full of food — bowls, mugs, plates — plus colaci and a candle. At Autumn Moși fruit from the year's harvest is given too.
Organising the meal
How far in advance should a memorial meal be ordered?
At least 10 days before the memorial. That's the time we need to buy fresh produce and organise the kitchen for that day.
How much does a memorial meal cost?
Delivered catering starts from 45 lei per person, with colivă and colaci included. Within the city of Iași delivery is included and there's no minimum order.
Can the memorial meal be held at home?
Yes, that's the most common. We cook and deliver to the address where the meal is held, with the packages ready.
How many people fit in your room?
The room in Tomești holds up to 45 people. Beyond that, we cook and deliver to where the meal is held.
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