Moși and the Saturdays of the dead: the yearly calendar
When the dead are remembered outside the family intervals — Moși in summer, autumn and winter, the Saturdays of the dead, and Paștele Blajinilor.
Besides the memorials within a family — at three days, nine, forty, at six months and year by year — there are days on which all the dead are remembered at once. They are the busiest days of the year at the cemetery and at church, and in Moldova they are kept more strongly than elsewhere in the country. Below is when they fall and what is customary at each.
Why we can't give fixed dates
Almost all collective commemorations are tied to Easter, and Easter moves by several weeks each year. Summer Moși falls the day before Pentecost, and Pentecost is fifty days after Easter, so their date shifts with it.
That's why this page gives the rule, not the day. When you want the exact date for the current year, you find it at church or you call us with the question — we'll check it together.
Summer Moși — the most significant
They fall on the Saturday before Pentecost, seven weeks after Easter. They are the most widely kept Moși of the year: people go to the cemetery, give alms and hold a meal.
In Moldova, vessels are usually given — bowls, mugs, plates — filled with food, along with colaci and candles. It is also the day many families choose for a memorial meal if they missed their own interval.
Autumn Moși
Held on the Saturday before Saint Demetrius, towards the end of October. The date is steadier than the summer one, because it doesn't depend on Easter.
Alms are given from the year's harvest: fruit, must, colaci, sometimes wine. It is the commemoration after the harvest is in, and what is shared comes from what the land gave that year.
Winter Moși and the Saturdays of the dead
Winter Moși fall on the Saturday before the Sunday of the Last Judgement, two weeks before the Great Lent begins. Cooked food and colaci are given as alms.
Besides these, the Great Lent has its Saturdays of the dead — the second, third and fourth Saturdays of the fast. A commemoration is held at church, with colivă and colaci, but no large meal: it is a fast, and the observance calls for restraint.
Paștele Blajinilor
The commemoration most tied to Moldova and the least known in the rest of the country. It is held on the Monday or Tuesday after St Thomas Sunday — a week after Easter — and is also called the Easter of the dead.
People go to the cemetery with food and eat there, at the grave, as though the dead were taking part in the Easter meal. Red eggs, cozonac, pască and wine are brought. Many families around Iași keep it more strongly than summer Moși.
Because the meal is eaten at the cemetery rather than in a room, what is usually asked of us that day are packages and ready-prepared platters, not a served meal.
What is prepared for these days
It depends a lot on the day. For Moși, colaci, colivă and portions of food ready-packed to give as alms. For Paștele Blajinilor, packages to take to the cemetery. For the Saturdays of the dead, mainly colivă and colaci.
These are busy days, with many orders in the same window. The notice is at least 10 days, as for any gathering held with us — and these days fill up faster than the rest of the year, because we cook for several families at once.
Frequently asked
What families ask us
What are the exact dates for this year?
They change from year to year, because they're tied to Easter. You find them at church, or call us and we'll check together — we don't write them here precisely so they don't end up wrong a year later.
Do I need a meal at Moși if I've already held the interval?
It isn't required. Moși is the commemoration of all the dead, not of one person. Many families simply go to the cemetery and give alms, without a meal.
What is given as alms at Moși?
In Moldova, usually vessels filled with food — bowls, mugs, plates — plus colaci and a candle. At autumn Moși, fruit from the year's harvest is given too.
Can you prepare packages for Paștele Blajinilor?
Yes. On that day the meal is eaten at the cemetery, so what is needed are packages and ready-made platters, not a served meal. Give us at least 10 days' notice — there are many orders in the same window.
Is a meal held on the Saturdays of the dead in Lent?
Usually not. A commemoration is held at church, with colivă and colaci. It is a fast, and a large meal doesn't suit the day.