Each day of the year is unique and contains past events that are celebrated by the Orthodox Church. The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross was established in memory of the found cross on which Jesus was crucified.
On the day of the Exaltation, services are held in churches, during which believers remember the events associated with the acquisition of the cross of the Lord. The instrument of murder and shame has become a symbol of atonement for sins. The cross is a great shrine for the Orthodox world, hope and support. Divine services on the Exaltation tell about the acquisition of the Life-Giving Cross by Empress Elena. This event is celebrated annually on September 27, it is also called the Lord's Day. Its great meaning is to remind us: at the cost of his life, the Savior gave us Eternity with God.
Traditions and rules of the holiday
The celebration of the Exaltation is dedicated to a great event - the finding by Empress Elena of the Cross on which Jesus was crucified. Having found the relic, Patriarch Macarius raised (raised) the cross, presenting the opportunity for ordinary people to see the shrine. From this action came the name - Exaltation.
On the day of the Exaltation, it is customary to fast. It is believed that fasting on September 27 removes 7 sins from a person. It is forbidden to eat eggs, meat, fish, dairy products. But strict fasting is observed not with fear, but on the contrary, with joy about redemption and salvation.
Priests advise not to be stingy with alms to those in need. Part of the cooked Lenten treats can be taken to church or distributed to the poor with best wishes. Kindness always pays off.
On Thursday, September 26, an all-night vigil and service will be held. On the feast itself, a priest in purple robes brings the Cross into the hall. This, of course, is not the Life-Giving Cross itself, but only its symbol. But on September 27, real grace comes from him. Believers take turns kissing it, and the priest anoints with holy oil.
The Feast of the Exaltation is closely connected with the second coming of Christ. Jesus himself once said: "The Last Judgment will precede the sign of the cross: the Cross will shine in heaven, and all people will see the Lord descending on the clouds." While there is time, every believer should think about his soul.
Folk customs of the Exaltation
Mixed with folk customs and pagan traditions, the Orthodox holiday has grown among ordinary people with beliefs that have no theological value.
According to folk custom, on September 27 they do not go to the forest. It is believed that nature is preparing for winter, and to disturb it is to call trouble on your kind. Respect for nature did not even allow harvesting, arranging firewood. Other work that could disturb Mother Nature was also prohibited.
Also on this holiday, the peasants were afraid of the evil spirits that roamed the forest and prepared for the coming of winter. No one crossed the border of the forest for fear of encountering forest spirits. Such meetings threatened with loss of reason, health problems, damage and damnation. Therefore, our ancestors paid special attention to good spirits, appeasing them so that they would protect them from evil all winter.
Young people tried to woo the girls they liked, and adults went to temples. Of these, they brought home church candles, which they placed in the corners and read prayers that protect against any manifestation of evil.
In 2019, celebrating the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the Orthodox will honor the great relic. Now the Cross is not a weapon of execution, but a symbol of redemption and forgiveness. For believers, it is an identification mark, spiritual support in difficult days, a symbol of protection, faith and strength. We praise the Cross of Christ as the ladder of salvation that leads to heaven. Peace in the soul, strong faith,And do not forget to press the buttons and
23.09.2019 05:38
One of the main church holidays, called the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, has a rich history and many traditions, ...
This holiday has been around for over a thousand years. However, Christians of all denominations continue to honor him. This will be confirmed by the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord in 2018. All Christian people will visit churches and bow to the Cross on which our Savior was crucified. The parishioners will again remember the suffering that Jesus went to for the sake of our redemption.
What date is the holiday
The Exaltation refers to one of the twelve most important holidays in the Christian faith. It is celebrated by all denominations without exception. True, different currents have a different date.
Our people are mostly Orthodox, so the holiday is celebrated on 09/27/18. It will be Thursday, a working day.
When and how did the holiday originate?
According to an ancient legend, once the Roman Emperor Constantine was visited by Jesus Christ himself on the eve of an important battle, in whose hand was a cross. He informed the commander that he would defeat the enemy only thanks to the cross. The emperor believed Jesus and even drew a cross on his banner. The result was a resounding victory. After this, Constantine was finally convinced of the correctness of the Christian faith. He instructed Empress Elena to find the cross on which Christ was crucified. The emperor's mother made a lot of efforts to find the place of execution of the Savior. Well-known historians, cartographers and archaeologists were connected to this at that time.
The fact is that after the Resurrection of Jesus, the pagans tried in every possible way to destroy this important event from the people's memory. They literally razed to the ground everything that reminded of the Savior and even buried the cross on which he was crucified. Pagan places of worship were built on the site of Christian churches. So on the site of Solomon's temple, the Altar of Jupiter was built. The cave where Jesus was buried was filled up. On the main gate of the city of David, the pagans placed the image of a pig so that the Israelites would forever forget about their holy city. More than three hundred years have passed since then, but Elena still managed to find the place of Jesus' death and the cross on which he was crucified. For this, the ruins of the temple of Venus were cleared and the cave of the burial of Christ was excavated.
Actually, it was not easy at all. After all, not one cross was found, but three at once. As you know, two more thieves were crucified with Christ. Elena, together with Bishop Macarius of Jerusalem, turned to God to indicate which of the crosses is a sign of Salvation. At this time, a funeral procession was passing near this place. A deceased woman was brought to the artifacts, and the queen's servants placed all the crosses on her in turn. The first attempts did not give any result. But when she touched the third cross, the woman opened her eyes, got up and began to glorify the Lord. All those present immediately realized that before them was the instrument of execution of Jesus Christ. Thus, one of the shrines of the Christian world was rediscovered.
Celebration of the Exaltation in Rus'
After the introduction of Christianity in Rus', the people did not associate this holiday with any biblical events. Even in the pagan era, at this time they celebrated the harvest festival and farewell to summer.
Only after some time, ordinary people began to go to church and perceive this holiday as a worship of the Cross, which has great power and no forces can resist it. For the Orthodox, the Exaltation is considered the day of the struggle between good and evil, between light and darkness. In this struggle, in the end, God's cross wins.
Currently, a solemn divine service is being held in churches during the Exaltation, in which parishioners recall the events of two thousand years ago.
Regardless of the day of the week, the church calls for strict fasting on this day. It is no coincidence that the Exaltation is still popularly called cabbage. It is this product that is most often prepared for the holiday. Housewives manage to cook a lot of delicious dishes containing cabbage on a fast day, such as:
- borsch;
- pies;
- vareniki;
- pies;
- all kinds of salads, etc.
In some places, the Exaltation is called Stavrov Day. This name comes from the ancient Greek word "stavros", which means cross.
Previously, in Russian villages, there was a tradition to burn or draw crosses on their homes in order to protect themselves from diseases and troubles. In the villages, all kinds of amulets in the form of a cross were also brought to the barn so that the cattle would not get sick. Do not forget about the bins with the harvest. On this day, they were illuminated so that the old stocks would be preserved until the new harvest.
In order for life to be prosperous, religious processions were held in Russian villages. People conveyed congratulations to each other and wished prosperity and health.
There was a belief that after the Exaltation, nature freezes:
- migratory birds leave our lands;
- forest creatures hide in holes;
- everything is immersed in winter sleep.
The last warm days are coming to an end.
What not to do on this day
- On the Exaltation, you can not eat food of animal origin. There is even a saying about this, which says that whoever fasts, seven sins will be forgiven.
- On the holiday, you also can’t start new business and engage in hard physical work, as well as sewing and washing.
- As with other Christian holidays, it is not recommended to do bad things against other people, swear, and even think badly about someone.
- There is also an opinion that one should not go to the forest on Exaltation. There, on this day, the goblin counts all the animals.
- It is also recommended to keep the house closed. On this day, snakes can crawl into your home, looking for a place to hibernate.
- The old people say that on the Annunciation it is necessary to bypass the places where the murders were committed.
- You should also not cross unknown tracks on the ground. They can be left by forest evil spirits. Otherwise, the person may get sick.
On Vozdvizheniye, it was customary to sprinkle your house with blessed water to protect the residents from evil spirits.
Signs
Very often on this day, birds fly to the southern regions. At the sight of them, you can make a wish, which, according to experts, will surely come true.
| Installation of a cross on a dome and bells in a church: | this procedure is performed exclusively on the Exaltation |
| The high flight of geese speaks of: | big flood |
| Wind from the North towards: | warm summer |
| Frosty morning on the Exaltation portends: | early winter |
| Clear and warm day to: | late winter |
| A cold snap means that there will be: | early spring |
Conspiracies
Immediately after the holiday, the so-called girls' evenings begin. If a girl, going to them, reads a special plot seven times, then one of the guys will definitely pay attention to her.
Previously, starting from the Exaltation to the Intercession, the girls burned fires and performed all kinds of love spells.
Conspiracies were especially popular, which should have been pronounced in the evening at dawn right on the porch of the house. True, for this the house must have its own basement.
The Exaltation of the Holy Cross is one of the main church holidays. This Orthodox celebration has a rich history and many traditions.
Every year, believers celebrate the finding of the Cross on which Jesus was crucified. This shrine was found after a long search and handed over to the church so that everyone would believe in the true power of the relic and be able to pray for healing from illnesses.
The history of finding the Cross of the Lord
After the crucifixion of Jesus, the Gentiles wanted to get rid of any evidence of the life of the Messiah. According to legend, after a terrible execution, a pagan temple was built on the mountain, covering the place of the tragedy with a huge amount of earth. However, believers did not give up their attempts to find the shrine and continued their tireless search for three centuries. Ultimately, the pagan temple was destroyed, and after careful excavations, the lost relic was finally found. The sources describing the find mention three crosses found. To determine which of the crosses is the one, a woman suffering from an incurable disease was invited. She touched the true cross and miraculously got rid of the disease.
This legend once again proves the true power of the Higher Forces and the fact that the Lord takes care of all the living, helping them to cope with difficulties.
The events of past years allowed the church to establish one of the most important holidays, and already from 335 AD, another name appeared in the calendar of festive dates - the celebration of the Exaltation of the Holy and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord. Every year on September 27, many believers gather in churches. Pilgrims go to Jerusalem, where the largest part of the shrine is still kept. In addition, there are particles of the Life-Giving Cross in about 15 churches.
Orthodox holiday traditions
By tradition, from the very morning, believers go to solemn services, which begin with an all-night vigil and end with the removal of the Cross for worship. Until October 4, the shrine is freely available.
Our ancestors on the day of celebration made processions of the cross, glorifying the Lord and asking him for protection from any misfortune, including diseases, animal pestilence and natural disasters. According to tradition, on a holiday, the last harvested sheaves were removed from the fields, thanks to the Higher Powers for help and a good harvest. Also, rituals were performed in the fields so that next year would not be hungry.
On this day, it is forbidden to go into the forest, so as not to disturb the animals, who are going to hibernate before the onset of spring. It was believed that those who disobeyed were threatened with all sorts of troubles and even diseases. The land was not disturbed either, the harvesting was stopped.
On the day of the Exaltation, they tried to protect themselves from evil spirits, which on that day could harm. Be sure to protect yourself with amulets from damage and the evil eye, and also tried not to leave the house at night without special need.
On the 27th, the hostesses prepared sweet porridge to treat it to the keepers of the house: brownies, ovinniks, bannikovs. It was believed that the treat helped appease them, and the spirits agreed to help the household run the household and protect them from any evil.
According to church traditions, on the day of the holiday it is supposed to abstain from food of animal origin, as well as to abandon entertainment events, swear words and unseemly acts. After visiting the church, our ancestors always placed candles in the corners of their dwellings and offered up prayers protecting the house and family.
Signs on the day of the holiday
- According to the sign, on this day, evil spirits can roam. To drive her away, they read prayers and drew a cross with chalk on the door. Amulets were hung in the barn so that the unclean spirit would not offend the cattle.
- The birds that took to the wing indicated the approach of frost and the onset of early winter.
- On the day of the holiday, alms given to the beggars attracted good luck and prosperity to the house, if it was given without self-interest and from a pure heart.
- They don’t start a new business - it won’t burn out.
- Leave abuse and bad mood beyond the threshold, otherwise trouble will knock on the house.
The clergy urge to celebrate the holiday with the family and after visiting the church to arrange a modest dinner for all relatives. On this bright day, you can get rid of any troubles and leave grudges behind. Happiness to you, and do not forget to press the buttons and
20.09.2018 14:24
The Exaltation is one of the great church events. So that troubles and failures pass you by, observe ...
On this day, the glorious christ-sti-a-not sun-on-mi-na-yut two co-existence. As the Holy Pre-given, the Cross was found in the year 326 in Jeru-sa-li-me. It was the eye of Mount Gol-go-fa, where the Spa-si-tel was laid out. And the second co-existence is the resurrection of the Living Cross from Persia, where he was in captivity. In the 7th century, he was returned to Iera-sa-lim by the Greek im-pe-ra-tor Iraq-liy. Both co-existences are united in the name of the celebration by the fact that the ob-re-ten-ny Cross is in front of the house of the voz-dvi-ga-li, that is, under-no-ma-li.
Exaltation of the Holy and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord
The pagan Roman emperors tried to completely destroy in humanity the memories of the sacred places where our Lord Jesus Christ suffered for the people and resurrected. Emperor Adrian (117 - 138) ordered Golgotha and the Holy Sepulcher to be covered with earth and a temple of the pagan goddess Venus and a statue of Jupiter to be placed on an artificial hill. Pagans gathered at this place and performed idol sacrifices. However, after 300 years, by the Providence of God, the great Christian shrines - the Holy Sepulcher and the Life-Giving Cross were again found by Christians and opened for worship. This happened under the Equal-to-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine the Great (Comm. 21 May), the first of the Roman emperors to stop the persecution of Christians. Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine the Great (306-337), after his victory in 312 over Maxentius, the ruler of the Western part of the Roman Empire, and over Licinius, the ruler of its Eastern part, in 323 became the sovereign ruler of the vast Roman Empire. In 313, he issued the so-called Edict of Milan, according to which the Christian religion was legalized and the persecution of Christians in the Western half of the empire ceased. The ruler Licinius, although he signed the Edict of Milan to please Constantine, actually continued the persecution of Christians. Only after his final defeat did the decree of 313 on religious tolerance extend to the eastern part of the empire. Equal-to-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine, who by the help of God won victory over his enemies in three wars, saw God's sign in heaven - the Cross with the inscription "By this you conquer." Eagerly desiring to find the Cross on which our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified, Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine sent his mother, the pious Empress Helen (Comm. 21 May), to Jerusalem, supplying her with a letter to Patriarch Macarius of Jerusalem. Although the holy Empress Helena was already advanced in years by this time, she took up the task with enthusiasm. The pagan temples and idol statues that filled Jerusalem, the queen ordered to be destroyed. Looking for the Life-Giving Cross, she asked Christians and Jews, but for a long time her search remained unsuccessful. Finally, she was pointed to an old Jew named Judas, who said that the Cross was buried where the temple of Venus stands. The temple was destroyed and, having prayed, they began to dig the ground. Soon the Holy Sepulcher and, not far from it, three crosses, a tablet with an inscription made by order of Pilate, and four nails that pierced the Body of the Lord were discovered. In order to find out on which of the three crosses the Savior was crucified, Patriarch Macarius placed the crosses one by one on the deceased. When the Cross of the Lord was laid, the dead man came to life. Seeing the resurrected, everyone was convinced that the Life-Giving Cross had been found. The Christians, who came in countless multitudes to venerate the Holy Cross, asked Saint Macarius to lift up, to erect the Cross, so that everyone could, albeit from afar, reverently contemplate Him. Then the Patriarch and other clerics began to raise the Holy Cross high, and the people, crying out: "Lord, have mercy," reverently bowed to the Honest Tree. This solemn event took place in 326. When finding the Life-giving Cross, another miracle happened: a seriously ill woman, when overshadowed by the Holy Cross, was immediately healed. Elder Judas and other Jews believed in Christ and received holy Baptism. Judas received the name Cyriacus and was subsequently ordained Bishop of Jerusalem. In the reign of Julian the Apostate (361 - 363) he was martyred for Christ (commemorated the Hieromartyr Cyriacus on October 28). The Holy Empress Helena marked the places connected with the earthly life of the Savior, the foundation of more than 80 churches erected in Bethlehem - the place of the Nativity of Christ, on the Mount of Olives, from where the Lord ascended to heaven, in Gethsemane, where the Savior prayed before His sufferings and where the Mother of God was buried after the Dormition. Saint Helena brought with her to Constantinople a part of the Life-Giving Tree and nails. Equal-to-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine commanded to erect in Jerusalem a majestic and vast temple in honor of the Resurrection of Christ, which included both the Holy Sepulcher and Golgotha. The temple was built for about 10 years. Saint Helena did not live to see the consecration of the temple; she died in 327. The temple was consecrated on September 13, 335. The next day, September 14, it was established to celebrate the Exaltation of the Holy and Life-Giving Cross.
On this day, another event associated with the Cross of the Lord is remembered - his return from Persia after a 14-year captivity back to Jerusalem. During the reign of the Byzantine emperor Phocas (602 - 610), the Persian king Khosra II defeated the Greek army in the war against the Greeks, plundered Jerusalem and took away the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord and the Holy Patriarch Zacharias (609 - 633) into captivity. The cross stayed in Persia for 14 years, and only under the emperor Heraclius (610 - 641), who with the help of God defeated Khozroy and made peace with the latter's son, Syroes, the Christians were returned to their shrine - the Cross of the Lord. With great triumph, the Life-Giving Cross was brought to Jerusalem. Emperor Heraclius in the royal crown and purple carried the Cross of Christ to the Church of the Resurrection. Next to the king was Patriarch Zacharias. At the gate leading up to Golgotha, the emperor suddenly stopped and could not move on. The Holy Patriarch explained to the Tsar that the Angel of the Lord was blocking his path, for He Who carried the Cross to Golgotha to redeem the world from sins, completed His Way of the Cross in a humble form. Then Heraclius, taking off his crown and purple, put on simple clothes and freely brought the Cross of Christ into the temple.
In a sermon on the Exaltation of the Cross, St. Andrew of Crete (Comm. 4 July) says: "The cross is erected, and all the faithful flock, the Cross is erected, and the city triumphs, and the nations make a feast."
Prayers
Troparion to the Exaltation of the Holy and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, tone 1
Save, O Lord, Thy people / and bless Thy heritage, / giving victory to the opposition / / and Thy keeping Thy Cross dwelling place.
Kontakion to the Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, Tone 4
Ascend to the Cross by your will, / to Your namesake new residence, / grant Your bounties, O Christ God, / rejoice us with Your strength, / giving us victories in comparison, / help those who have Your weapons of peace, / invincible victory du.
Magnification to the Exaltation of the Honorable and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord
We magnify Thee, / Life-Giving Christ, / and honor Your Holy Cross, / by whom Thou hast saved us / / from the work of the enemy.
Prayer to the Holy and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord
Honest Cross, guardian of soul and body, be me, casting down demons in your image, driving away enemies, exercising passions, and bestowing blessings on us, and life and strength, with the assistance of the Holy Spirit, and honest, most pure prayers.
Second Prayer to the Holy and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord
Oh, Most Pure and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord! Of old, you were a shameful instrument of execution, now a sign of our salvation - forever revered and glorified! How worthy can I, unworthy, praise Thee, and how dare I bow the knee of my heart before my Redeemer, confessing my sins? But mercy and inexpressible philanthropy, spread out on you, humble boldness gives me, let me open my mouth to glorify Thee; for this sake I cry to You: rejoice, Cross, the church of Christ - beauty and foundation, the whole universe - affirmation, Christians of all - hope, kings - power, faithful - refuge, angels - glory and chanting, demons - fear, destruction about and driving away, the wicked and unfaithful - shame, the righteous - a haven, the lost - a mentor, possessed by passions - repentance, the poor - enrichment, floating - helmsman, weak - strength, in battles - victory and overcoming, orphans - faithful protection, widows - intercessor, virgins - protection of chastity, hopeless hope, the sick - a doctor and the dead - resurrection! You, foreshadowed by the miraculous rod of Moses, are a life-giving source, soldering those who are thirsty for spiritual life and delighting our sorrows, You are a bed, on which the Resurrected Conqueror of Hell reposed royally for three days. For this sake, and morning and evening and noon, I glorify Thee, blessed Tree, and I pray, by the will of the One who has spread on Thee, that He will enlighten and strengthen my mind with Thee, and open in my heart a perfect source of love and all my deeds and my paths It will overshadow you, but I will magnify Him who is nailed to You, for my sins sake, the Lord my Savior. Amen.
The Exaltation of the Holy and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord is a holiday that the Orthodox Church celebrates on September 27. On this day, believers remember how in 326 in Jerusalem the Cross was miraculously found, on which Jesus Christ was crucified.
Orthodox Christians remember two events on this day. As Holy Tradition says, the Cross was found in 326 in Jerusalem. It happened near Mount Calvary, where the Savior was crucified. And the second event is the return of the Life-Giving Cross from Persia, where he was in captivity. In the 7th century it was returned to Jerusalem by the Greek emperor Heraclius.
Both events were united by the fact that the Cross was erected before the people, that is, raised. At the same time, they turned him to all parts of the world in turn, so that people could bow to him and share with each other the joy of finding a shrine.
The Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord is the twelfth feast. The Twelfth Feasts are dogmatically closely connected with the events of the earthly life of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Theotokos and are divided into the Lord's (dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ) and the Theotokos (dedicated to the Mother of God). The Exaltation of the Cross is the Feast of the Lord.
The Russian Orthodox Church commemorates the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on September 27 according to the new style (September 14 according to the old style).
This feast has one day of pre-feast and seven days of after-feast. Prefeast - one or several days before a big holiday, the divine services of which already include prayers dedicated to the upcoming celebrated event. Accordingly, the afterfeast is the same days after the holiday.
The holiday is on October 4th. The celebration of the holiday is the last day of some important Orthodox holidays, celebrated with a special service, more solemn than on ordinary days of the afterfeast.
On this day, the Orthodox have a strict fast. Do not eat meat, fish, eggs and dairy products. Food can only be seasoned with vegetable oil.
Events of the Exaltation of the Cross
Description of the events of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord, which took place in the IV century, we find in some Christian historians, for example, Eusebius and Theodoret.
In 326, Emperor Constantine the Great decided to find the lost shrine, the Cross of the Lord, at all costs. Together with his mother, Queen Elena, he went on a campaign to the Holy Land.
It was decided to carry out excavations near Golgotha, since the Jews had a custom to bury the instruments of execution near the place of its commission. And, indeed, three crosses, nails and a board were found in the ground that were nailed over the head of the crucified Savior. As the Tradition says, a sick person touched one of the crosses and was healed. So Emperor Constantine and Empress Elena found out which of the crosses was the one. They bowed to the shrine, and then the Patriarch of Jerusalem Macarius began to show it to the people. To do this, he stood on a dais and raised (“raised”) the Cross. People worshiped the Cross and prayed: “Lord, have mercy!”.
In the 7th century, with the memory of finding the Cross of the Lord, another memory was connected - about the return of the Tree of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord from Persian captivity.
In 614, the Persian king conquered Jerusalem and sacked it. Among other treasures, he took to Persia the Tree of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord. The shrine stayed with foreigners for fourteen years. Only in 628 did Emperor Heraclius defeat the Persians, make peace with them, and return the Cross to Jerusalem.
How the further fate of the shrine developed, historians do not know for sure. Someone says that the Cross was in Jerusalem until 1245. Someone that cut it apart and took it all over the world.
Now a part of the Cross of the Lord rests in an ark in the altar of the Greek Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem.
