At the Exaltation of the Honorable and Life-giving Cross of the Lord, believers remember the sufferings of Christ on Calvary and his sacrifice for all people. The holiday is celebrated annually on September 27, but has one day of the pre-celebration and a week after the celebration.
How to prepare for the Exaltation of the Cross: what to do
Exaltation begins to celebrate with a church service on the night of September 26-27. At the all-night vigil, the ministers of the temples carry out a cross, which symbolizes the ancient shrine. He is elevated to five cardinal directions and overshadows all those present.
During the liturgy on the pre-celebration of the Exaltation it is important to pray for the atonement of sins and the health of relatives… It is believed that the Life-giving Cross heals all diseases and ailments.
It is customary to give crosses to children. The cross, consecrated during the pre-holiday service, will protect the child, even if it is not worn all the time.
Before the holiday stands put things in order, clean rooms of unnecessary and old things… You can bring holy water from the temple and sprinkle it on all corners of the house.
According to tradition, even our ancestors on the Exaltation performed a procession of the cross around the dwelling in order to protect it from evil forces. They also drew crosses on all doors with chalk or soot, laid out the crosses with rowan branches.
In the days of the Exaltation of the Cross, you need to help the poor, it is sinful to refuse alms… For a long time, during the holiday, those in need were treated to food and believed that all the good that was done would definitely return.
A strict one-day fast is observed on the holiday. On September 27, you cannot eat meat, dairy dishes, eggs and fish. That’s why you need to take care of lean treats in advance… The people called the Exaltation “cabbage”, and the main dish on the table was cabbage pies.
Bans on Exaltation
- Heavy physical labor is prohibited at the Exaltation of the Cross. All work, including in the garden, should be completed before the onset of the holiday.
- It is better to postpone new cases and projects, as it is accepted that they are doomed to failure.
- It is forbidden to quarrel and raise your voice at loved ones, use foul language, conceal anger, argue.
- According to popular belief, you cannot walk in the forest and near water bodies on the Exaltation, so as not to meet the goblin and the spirits.
- It’s a bad omen to see a snake. It is believed that at this time the animals begin to prepare for hibernation and become very aggressive.
History of the Exaltation
The holiday appeared in the IV century AD, when the remains of the crucifixion of the Son of God were found in Jerusalem. According to one of the legends, the girl was healed by touching the shrine. The second version says that the life-giving cross helped to resurrect the woman’s only son.
Word of the miracle spread throughout the city, and a crowd of people gathered at the excavation site. Then Patriarch Macarius for the first time raised a cross over people in different directions so that all believers could see it.
The great holiday was established on September 13 (September 27, new style) in 335 – the day after the consecration of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, which was built on the site of the Finding of the Cross.
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