Why You Can't Eat With A Fork At A Commemoration: Signs And Facts

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

Why can't eat with a fork at a commemoration, and what does Peter I have to do with it?

The signs and superstitions associated with funerals are rooted in the distant past. Today most of them seem illogical and even silly. One of these signs says that you cannot use forks at the commemoration. Is this really so and what is the reason for this prohibition?

Signs and superstitions about a fork at a funeral

In Russia, only spoons were used for eating. The forks were brought by Peter the Great from Europe. The people did not accept the innovation well, continuing to use only spoons. People believed that a fork is a devilish weapon, because it looks like the tail of a devil, which is usually depicted as a trident. Therefore, at the commemoration, and during the usual meal, forks were not used.

Over time, they got used to the fork, and it appeared in every home, but at the commemoration they did not use it, so as not to disturb the deceased and not contact Satan during the memorial dinner, because during the commemoration the world of the living and the dead unites

There are also other signs associated with commemoration and forks:

• poking with a fork into kutya, you can disturb the soul of a deceased person;
• if knives and forks are used during the commemoration, the relatives of the deceased will fight.

Esotericists also advise against putting knives and forks on the memorial table. They assure that the soul of the deceased at the time of the meal is next to his loved ones, and sharp objects can harm the astral body of the deceased.

Logical explanations of the ban

Oddly enough, there are many logical explanations for this prohibition. The main one lies in the dishes that should be present in the canonical memorial meal. As a rule, only kutia, pancakes and jelly should be present on the table. It is more convenient to eat kutya with a spoon, and according to the rules, at the beginning of the commemoration, everyone present must eat exactly three spoons of this dish. Pancakes should be eaten by hand, and jelly should be drunk from a cup or glass. Thus, it becomes clear that there is no need for forks at the memorial dinner.

During pagan times, it was customary to lay down all weapons, including piercing and cutting, at the entrance to the room where the memorial meal was held, apparently, since then it was not customary to put on the table everything that could be used as a weapon

There is also an everyday “decoding” of this prohibition. The point is that all the relatives of the deceased come to the commemoration. Often they come not only to pay tribute to the deceased, but also to inherit. The division of the property of the deceased begins, as a rule, already at the commemoration. Alcohol, swearing and insults can contribute to the fact that verbal discussion turns into a fight. It is possible that someone present will not grab the fork and cause bodily harm to his opponent.

The opinion of the clergy

Church ministers do not share the ban on the use of forks during commemoration. They are sure that any cutlery can be placed on the memorial table, because such a prohibition is not spelled out in the Bible. At the meal, you can use both forks and knives, the main thing is to hold a memorial dinner according to all the rules, set the table on the first, ninth and fortieth days after the funeral.

The superstition about the prohibition of forks at commemorations appeared at a time when this tableware had just appeared in Russia. Some were afraid of the appearance of forks, others simply did not see the point in using them. Today, there is no reason not to use forks during a memorial meal.