Exaltation of the cross of the Lord that. Exaltation of the Cross

15.04.2023

The holiday is dedicated to the Cross of the Savior, on which He was crucified, and symbolizes the raising of the Cross from the earth after its acquisition.

The pagans, after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, covered Golgotha and the Holy Sepulcher with earth, and erected a temple on top, in which they worshiped their idols. So the pagans tried to erase the memories of this event from human memory.

The greatest Shrine of Christianity was found again only 300 years later, under Emperor Constantine the Great.

Where did they find the Cross of the Lord

Equal-to-the-Apostles Empress Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine (306-337), found the Cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified in a cave near Jerusalem in 326. The cave under the temple of the Gentiles was found with the help of an elderly Jew named Judas, who knew where the Cross of the Lord was.

In the cave, when it was dug up, they found three crosses and a tablet lying separately from them with the inscription: "Jesus of Nazarene, King of the Jews." To find out which of them was the Cross of the Savior, they began to bring the crosses one by one to a seriously ill woman. Two crosses did not work a miracle, and after the third cross was laid on her, she recovered.

According to legend, at this time the deceased was carried past for burial. Then the crosses began to be placed one by one on the deceased. And when the third cross was laid, the deceased revived. Thus, they recognized the Cross of the Savior, through which the Lord performed miracles and showed his life-giving power.

Saint Helena, Patriarch Macarius of Jerusalem and the people around them with joy and reverence bowed to the Cross of Christ and kissed it. Christians, having learned about this great event, gathered to the place where the Cross of the Lord was found (found).

Everyone wanted to venerate the Holy Life-Giving Cross, but since it was impossible to do this because of the multitude of people, everyone began to ask at least to show it. Then Patriarch Macarius stood on an elevated place and, so that everyone could see, he erected (raised) it several times. The people, seeing the Cross of the Savior, bowed and exclaimed: "Lord, have mercy!"

Empress Elena brought part of the Cross of the Lord to her son, and left the other part in Jerusalem.

By order of Emperor Constantine, a temple was built in Jerusalem in honor of the Resurrection of Christ, the construction of which went on for almost ten years. Temples were also built on the Mount of Olives, in Bethlehem and in Fevron near the Oak of Mamri.

Return from captivity

In the 7th century, with the memory of finding the Cross of the Lord, another thing was connected - about the return of the Tree of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord from Persian captivity.

The Persian king in 614 conquered and sacked Jerusalem and took the Tree of the Holy Cross to Persia, among other treasures. The Holy Relic remained with the foreigners for fourteen years - Emperor Heraclius in 628 defeated the Persians, made peace with them and returned the Cross to Jerusalem.

The further fate of the Shrine is not exactly known to historians - someone says that the Cross was in Jerusalem until 1245, and someone that it was divided into parts and smashed around the world.

A part of the Cross of the Lord to this day rests in an ark in the altar of the Greek Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem.

Traditions and customs

As on any great church holiday, the All-Night Vigil and Liturgy are laid on the day of the Exaltation. Festive services on this day are held in all Orthodox churches - the Cross for worship is solemnly carried out from the altar to the middle of the temple.

This is the only holiday that began simultaneously with the event to which it is dedicated.

The holiday has one day of forefeast and seven days of afterfeast. In addition, the Feast of the Exaltation is preceded by a Saturday and a Week (Sunday), called Saturday and the Week before the Exaltation.

On this holiday, the Orthodox go to church, read prayers, listen to a sermon telling about the history of the return of the Holy Cross. Believers of the Orthodox Church worship the Cross. Traditionally, detours or religious processions are made with icons and prayers.

On this day, people pray for health, well-being and happiness in the family.

Do's and Don'ts

On the Exaltation, a strict fast must be observed - neither meat nor dairy products can be eaten, even if the holiday falls on Sunday. There were proverbs among the people: "Whoever fasts on the Exaltation, seven sins will be forgiven" or "Whoever does not fast on the Exaltation, seven sins will be forgiven."

Accordingly, only lenten dishes were served on the festive table, which the housewives most often prepared from cabbage of the new crop - stewed, fried, baked pies, made various salads. Therefore, this day was also called "Cabbage" by the people.

The house needs to be sprinkled with water consecrated in the church - this will help not only protect the home from evil spirits, but also protect it from people with bad thoughts.

On this day, when you see birds flying south, you can make a cherished wish, which, according to the people, will certainly come true.

You cannot start a new business on Exaltation, as it is believed that everything will go to waste.

It was forbidden to go into the forest, because the goblin goes around his possessions and rereads the animals, and if a person catches his eye, then he will not return from the forest.

On the holiday, it is forbidden to engage in hard work - to make repairs, clean or chop wood. At the same time, it was believed that by cleaning the house on the Exaltation, one could expel evil spirits.

You can’t swear at the Exaltation, especially with loved ones - it was believed that all negative energy would return three times.

Also, you can’t keep the door open - in the old days, people believed that on this day, snakes are looking for places to winter and can crawl into any house.

On a holiday, crosses were drawn in houses with chalk, soot, coal, garlic or the blood of an animal, so the people also called the holiday Stavrov's day - from the Greek "stavros" - a cross.

Small crosses made of wood were placed in the bins and mangers of animals - the cross was supposed to protect the house, barn and cattle from evil spirits. In the absence of crosses, they were made from rowan twigs.

Signs

The peasants perceived the Feast of the Exaltation as the final onset of autumn and the change of seasons, with which most folk signs are associated. On this day, people used to say: “A fur coat stretches for a caftan on the Exaltation” or “Exaltation is in the yard, the last mop is moving from the field, the last cart is in a hurry to the threshing floor.”

On this day, bears hibernate, snakes hide in holes until spring, the last migratory birds fly away.

If there is frost on Exaltation, spring will be early.

Icon of the Exaltation of the Cross

Known for its miraculous abilities - it helps to recover even from chronic or incurable diseases.

Reproduction of the icon "Exaltation of the Cross". XV-XVI centuries

In particular, sincere prayers before the Holy Image treat infertility, diseased bones and joints, chronic migraines, toothache, and so on.

Prayers

Prayer one

O Honest Cross, guardian of soul and body, wake up: casting down demons in your own way, driving away enemies, exercising passions and giving us reverence, both life and strength, with the assistance of the Holy Spirit and honest prayers of the Most Pure Theotokos. Amen.

Prayer two

O Most Honorable and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord! Of old, you were a shameful instrument of execution, now the sign of our salvation is forever revered and glorified! How worthily I can, unworthy, sing to Thee, and how dare I bow the knee of my heart before my Redeemer, confessing my sins! But the mercy and inexpressible philanthropy of the humble Boldness, Spread on you, gives me, let me open my mouth to glorify Thee; For this reason, I cry to You: Rejoice, Cross, the Church of Christ's beauty and foundation, the whole universe - affirmation, Christians of all - hope, kings - power, faithful - refuge, Angels - glory and chanting, demons - fear, destruction and driving away, wicked and unfaithful - shame, the righteous - delight, the burdened - weakened, overwhelmed - a haven, the lost - a mentor, obsessed with passions - repentance, the poor - enrichment, floating - helmsmen, the weak - strength, in battles - victory and overcoming, orphans - true protection, widows - intercessor, virgins - protection of chastity, hopeless - hope, sick - doctor and the dead - resurrection! You, foreshadowed by the miraculous rod of Moses, 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 rested royally for three days. For this sake, morning, and evening, and noon, I glorify Thee, the blessed Tree, and I pray by the will of Him who has blossomed on Thee, may He enlighten and strengthen my mind with Thee, may He open in my heart a source of perfect love and all my deeds and my paths will overshadow Thee May I magnify Him who is nailed to Thee, for the sake of my sin, the Lord my Savior. Amen.

Material prepared on the basis of open sources

The Exaltation of the Holy Cross is celebrated on September 27, 2020 (September 14 is the date according to the old style). The holiday is dedicated to the Cross of Jesus Christ, on which he was crucified. Rising means "lifting up". This holiday symbolizes the lifting of the Cross from the earth after it was discovered there.

On this day, people do not start any business, as there will be no positive result.

Traditionally, detours or religious processions are made with icons and prayers.

On this day, Vozdvizhensky evenings begin, which last for two weeks. Unmarried girls gather and read a certain spell seven times. According to legend, after such a ceremony, the one who is dear to her heart will fall in love with the girl.

Those who observe fasting in the Exaltation will receive forgiveness of 7 sins, and those who do not observe will receive 7 sins.

On this holiday, crosses are drawn in houses with chalk, soot, coal, garlic, animal blood. Small crosses made of wood are placed in the bins and mangers of animals. In the absence of crosses, they are made from rowan branches. They protect people, animals and crops from evil spirits.

history of the holiday

After the death of Christ, the holy Empress Helena ordered the erection of about 90 churches in various places: where the Savior was born, from where he ascended to heaven, where he prayed before death, at the burial place of his Mother. Part of the Cross and the nails with which he was chained to it, she brought to Constantinople. By order of Emperor Constantine, a temple was built in Jerusalem in honor of the Resurrection of Christ. Its construction took almost 10 years.

In 327, Queen Helena died, not having lived to see the consecration of the temple. Despite this, on September 13, 335, it was consecrated, and the next day - the 14th - the celebration of the Exaltation of the Holy and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord was appointed.

Have an interesting day

Task for today: Refrain from food of animal origin.
The Holy Empress Helena, after the death of Christ, ordered the erection of about 90 churches. Temples were supposed to be in a variety of places: where the Savior was born, from where he ascended to heaven, where he prayed before his death, at the burial place of his mother. But the queen did not live to see the consecration of the temple. And yet, on September 13, it was still lit, and the next day a holiday was appointed.

According to Orthodox tradition, on the day of the holiday itself, there is a strict fast - refrain from food of animal origin.

Signs

North wind - to a warm summer.

If the west wind blows for several days in a row, then the weather will be bad in the coming days.

At sunrise, the moon outlines a reddish, quickly disappearing circle - to clear and dry weather.

Geese fly high - the flood will be high, low - the river will rise low.

If the cranes fly slowly and high, cooing on the fly, then the autumn will be warm.

Exaltation of the Holy Cross-2018: what not to do / UNIAN

Tomorrow, September 27, the Orthodox celebrate the Exaltation of the Holy and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord - in memory of the finding of the Cross of the Lord, on which Christ was crucified. In the Orthodox Church, this is one of the 12 most important holidays.

The holiday got its name due to the church custom to erect a cross during worship.

Exaltation of the Holy Cross: the history of the holiday

The exact date of finding the Holy Cross is unknown. But it is known to whom Christians owe this find. According to legend, the mother of Emperor Constantine, Equal-to-the-Apostles Elena, found the cross. And this happened, apparently, in 325 or 326.

Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord: what needs to be done

On this holiday, it is customary to go to the temple to pray for health and well-being. At the same time, you need to buy three candles in the church. They then, reading a prayer, baptize the corners in the house. They also put a cross on the front doors.

Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord: what not to do

This holiday has a number of prohibitions:

you can’t work - read more in our material - an exception is made only for urgent matters: caring for children and pets, etc .;
you can’t start a new business - no sense will come of it;
you need to keep a strict fast: do not eat food of animal origin (including "milk" and eggs) and do not drink alcohol, food is seasoned only with vegetable oil;
you can not swear and quarrel;
keep the door open: it is believed that this is the day when snakes crawl out of their holes and look for a place to winter - and can crawl into the house for the winter;
it is not customary to marry a girl on this day;
walking in the forest - so that evil spirits and asps are not dragged into their holes.

Exaltation of the Lord: signs

It was believed that the Exaltation was the last day of Indian summer, and after it it was not worth waiting for heat. There is even a saying: “The caftan with the fur coat moved on the Exaltation, the hat moved down” - that is, the cold is coming.

In the old days, they said that on Vozdvizhenie a bear already lays down in a den, a snake crawls into a hole, and birds fly south.

from the Exaltation, autumn shifts to winter;
whoever fasts on Exaltation, seven sins will be forgiven. And whoever does not fast on the Exaltation, seven sins will be raised against him;
if on this day a cold north wind blows, then the coming summer will be hot;
Leshy walks in the Shift: whoever goes into the forest will not find his way back;
in Exaltation from the field the last mop moves.

What does the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross mean?

As the rector of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, Metropolitan of Vyshgorod and Chernobyl Vladyka Pavel, explained, the Church honors the Cross on which Christ died, since it was on it that "the salvation of each of us was accomplished."

Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord: icon

The people endow this icon with miraculous abilities. First of all, the icon of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross helps to cure:

infertility;
toothache;
chronic migraines;
diseases of bones and joints.

Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord: Prayer

O Most Honorable and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord! Of old, you were a shameful instrument of execution, now the sign of our salvation is forever revered and glorified! How worthily I can, unworthy, sing to Thee, and how dare I bow the knee of my heart before my Redeemer, confessing my sins! But the mercy and inexpressible philanthropy of the humble Boldness, Spread on you, gives me, let me open my mouth to glorify Thee; for this sake I cry to Ty: rejoice, Cross, the Church of Christ's beauty and foundation, the whole universe - affirmation, Christians of all - hope, kings - power, faithful - refuge, Angels - glory and chanting, demons - fear, destruction and driving away, wicked and unfaithful - shame, the righteous - delight, the burdened - weak, overwhelmed - a haven, the lost - a mentor, obsessed with passions - repentance, the poor - enrichment, floating - helmsmen, the weak - strength, in battles - victory and overcoming, orphans - true protection, widows - intercessor, virgins - protection of chastity, hopeless - hope, sick - doctor and the dead - resurrection! You, foreshadowed by the miraculous rod of Moses, 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 rested royally for three days. For this sake, morning, and evening, and noon, I glorify Thee, the blessed Tree, and I pray by the will of Him who has blossomed on Thee, may He enlighten and strengthen my mind with Thee, may He open in my heart a source of perfect love and all my deeds and my paths will overshadow Thee May I magnify Him who is nailed to Thee, for the sake of my sin, the Lord my Savior.

Come, people of Christ, let us praise the Holy Cross, on which Christ, the King of glory, has spread his hand, elevate us to the first blessedness, from the worthless fall of the serpent's charm. But you, O Holy Cross, as if you have the power of the Crucified Christ inherent in you, save and save from all troubles lovingly calling you: Rejoice, Honest Cross, the joyful sign of our redemption.

This article will discuss one of the most significant Christian holidays - the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. What is the history of this holiday, what date is it celebrated, what signs and traditions are associated with this day - you will find answers to all these questions here.

What holiday is it

The Orthodox Church annually celebrates twelve main holidays. The Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord is one of them. This holiday is dedicated to the Cross of our Savior. As all Orthodox Christians know, Jesus was crucified on the Cross, and since then the Cross of the Lord has been the main Shrine of the Orthodox world. The holiday symbolizes the lifting of the Cross from the earth after it was found.

After Jesus Christ was crucified and resurrected, the pagans decided to erase the memory of this momentous event from human memory so that future generations would not know what happened. They covered the place where the execution was carried out, as well as the Holy Sepulcher, with earth. At this place they erected a pagan temple, where they continued to worship their deities.

Neither more nor less, but as many as 300 years passed, until the greatest religious Shrine was regained. It happened under the Emperor Constantine. Thus, despite all the tricks of the pagans, the Cross of the Lord returned to those who believe in Christ. And in all ages it serves as a protection and a talisman for all Christians of the Earth.

What date is the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord? The Orthodox Church celebrates the holiday on September 27th. It is on this day that Christians remember the great event that returned to them one of the most significant Shrines of Christianity.

From the history

The life-giving Cross on which Jesus was crucified was found by the mother of Emperor Constantine, Queen Helen, in a cave near Jerusalem. This happened in 326. Help in this matter was provided by an elderly Jew. He knew where the Cross was, and showed this place to the Queen Equal to the Apostles. When they dug a cave under the pagan temple, they found three crosses in it.

As is known from history, two thieves were executed along with Jesus. The tablet with the inscription "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews" lay separately from the crosses. Before the people who found the cave, the question arose of how to determine on which of them Jesus was crucified. For this, the following method was invented: all three crosses were brought to a seriously ill woman in turn, two of them had no effect on the woman, and the third Cross worked a miracle - the woman recovered.

There is also a belief that at this time the body of a deceased person was carried past the cave for burial. All three crosses in turn began to lay on the body. Two did not affect the deceased in any way, and the Life-Giving Cross again performed a miracle. Man is risen! Thus, it was established which Cross is life-giving and on which exactly Jesus was crucified. It was through him that the Lord performed a miracle and showed his power.

What does the Exaltation of the Holy Cross mean?

All the people present at the events described above, including Patriarch Macarius and Empress Elena, bowed to the Cross with great joy and began to kiss it. Other Christians also learned about this great event. Many people gathered at the place where the Cross of the Lord was found. Every Christian yearned to venerate this great shrine. However, there were so many people that it was physically impossible to do so. Then people began to ask at least to show them this miracle. Patriarch Macarius stood on a hill and raised (raised) the Cross several times so that everyone could see Him. That is why the holiday was called the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. During the raising of the shrine, all those present bowed and exclaimed: “Lord, have mercy!”

Helen brought a part of the Cross of the Lord to her son, and the other part was left in Jerusalem. Emperor Constantine commanded that the Church of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord be built in Jerusalem. Its construction lasted almost ten years. This is not the only temple that was erected in honor of this event. Temples were also erected in Fevron, on the Mount of Olives and in Bethlehem.

Return from captivity

In the 7th century, another important event took place - the return of the Tree of the Cross from Persian captivity. In 614, the Persian king conquered Jerusalem. The city was plundered, and along with other treasures, the king took to Persia the tree of the Life-Giving Cross. The shrine was held by foreigners for exactly fourteen years, until in 628 Emperor Heraclius defeated the Persians. He made peace with Persia and returned the Life-Giving Cross to his homeland in Jerusalem.

What happened next with the greatest Shrine of Christians is not known for certain. According to one version, the Cross was in the homeland until 1245, while other historians believe that it was divided into parts and carried around the world. One of the parts of the Life-Giving Cross is still kept in the ark in Jerusalem in the altar of the Church of the Resurrection.

Customs and traditions

The feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross began with the event to which it is dedicated. Since the great Shrine of Christians was found, all generations from year to year revere and celebrate this day.

Many traditions and customs are associated with the Exaltation of the Holy and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord. Just like on any other significant church holiday, the All-Night Vigil and Liturgy are held on the Exaltation. In all Christian churches, festive services are held on this day. During the service, the Cross is brought to the middle of the temple for worship. The day before the holiday itself, there is a forefeast. After the Day of the Exaltation, there are seven days of afterfeast. In addition, the Exaltation is preceded by Saturday and Sunday, which are called Saturday and the Week before the Feast of the Exaltation.

Of course, believing Christians must visit the temple on this day. They pray, listen to sermons about the history of finding the Life-Giving Cross. Orthodox Christians worship the Cross as the most sacred thing. According to tradition, a procession with prayers and icons is performed on this holiday.

In the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord, all Christians pray for the health of their loved ones, as well as for well-being, understanding and happiness in their family. We should also not forget about people who have a need for something. During this period, it is customary to give alms to the poor, donate your funds to the needs of the temple, and also perform other good and charitable deeds. You can visit an orphanage with gifts and please children deprived of parental love. Everything that is done with love and concern for others brings you closer to God.

What to do on this holiday

For every Orthodox Christian, it is important that significant days pass as best and as correctly as possible, in order to do everything that is as useful as possible for your family and soul. The Day of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is also no exception to this rule. Therefore, many are interested in the question of what can and cannot be done on this day. Perhaps some traditions are superstitions that the church does not approve of. But it is still very interesting to know what is considered useful to do on this day.

First of all, a strict fast must be observed on this holiday. The church teaches this, and it is accepted according to church laws. Neither meat nor milk, as well as other products of animal origin, should not be consumed. This rule also applies to Sunday, if the holiday falls on it. Many housewives prepared a variety of cabbage dishes for food. This vegetable was present in abundance in every home. Various pies, casseroles, cabbage salads decorated the festive table. Cabbage was fried, stewed, and used in sauerkraut. Therefore, the day of the Exaltation was still secretly called "Cabbage".

On this day, it will also be useful to sprinkle your home with holy water. It is believed that this action will help protect the house from evil spirits, dashing people and other misfortunes. At the same time, it is advisable to read a prayer to the Life-Giving Cross, because it is he who is the main symbol of this holiday. In houses where cattle were kept, according to custom, on the Feast of the Exaltation, small crosses were made of wood and placed in mangers and animal bins. Some people made crosses from rowan branches. These symbols were supposed to protect livestock and property from evil forces, to keep everything safe and sound.

In ancient times, there was even such a custom: crosses were painted in houses with chalk, garlic, soot or animal blood. Therefore, the Feast of the Exaltation was also called Stavrov's Day. "Stavros" in Greek means "cross". There is also a belief that when you see birds flying south on the Feast of the Exaltation, you need to make your most cherished wish. It is believed that it will definitely come true.

What not to do on this holiday

In addition to what needs to be done on the day of the Exaltation, there are also things that are strongly discouraged from doing. Firstly, on this day, as already mentioned, you can not eat animal food. Secondly, you can not swear and swear. This is especially true for close people. It is believed that all the negative energy released at this moment will return as a threefold boomerang.

Thirdly, on this holiday it is not recommended to do hard work around the house, for example, make repairs, chop wood, etc. In principle, it is not advised to work hard on other great Christian holidays. It is better to spend this day in prayers, thoughts about God, in doing good deeds in relation to your neighbors. Of course, if the circumstances are such that something needs to be done to prevent damage to property or human health, this prohibition is lifted. But purposefully planning something grandiose, requiring labor-intensive costs, is not worth it. Especially if this action is not urgent and it can be postponed for another day without prejudice to all.

Fourthly, it is believed that new business cannot be started on this day. All of them are supposedly doomed to failure. Everyone decides for himself whether this is true or a superstition that does not need to be followed. In the old days, people also believed that it was impossible to leave the doors open on the Feast of the Exaltation. It was believed that on this day the snakes are looking for a place for wintering and for this they can choose any house. However, this is most likely more connected not with the holiday itself, but with the time of the year on which this holiday falls.

And quite already from ancient beliefs: it was believed that on this day you can’t go to the forest. Allegedly, the goblin goes around his possessions, counting the animals. At this time, it is better not to catch his eye, because you can stay forever in the forest. Of course, in our times, these superstitions seem ridiculous to us.

Signs

The signs of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross are primarily associated with the fact that colds are coming, the seasons are changing. The peasants perceived the holiday as the final offensive of autumn. There was even such a saying: “On the Exaltation, a fur coat stretches for a caftan,” that is, it’s time to get warm clothes. This is the period when the last birds fly south, the bears prepare for hibernation, and the snakes hide in their holes.

It is believed that the Exaltation marks the end of the "Indian summer", that is, after this holiday, it is no longer worth waiting for heat. The autumn season is also coming to an end - the last one rises from the field. According to signs, if frosts strike on the day of the Exaltation, then spring is expected to be early.

There was a special sign for unmarried girls. It was believed that if a beauty reads a special prayer seven times, the guy she loves will definitely like her.

For those believers who strictly observe Lent on September 27, there is also a good sign. There is a belief that such people are forgiven all sins. Of course, observance of the Fast is not enough. If a person has evil thoughts and deeds, then it is unlikely that abstinence from animal food will help him. However, if a person tries to live according to the Commandments of God, then the observance of all the recommendations and instructions of the church will certainly benefit. The main thing is sincere faith and diligence to serve for the glory of God.

Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Icon

The meaning of icons in Christianity is very great. Through them, among other things, there is a creed. Even illiterate people, looking at the icons, can understand what events are depicted on it. Accordingly, comes awareness and understanding of the key points of Christianity.

The icon of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord reflects the events of that great day when Christians finally found, after a long and exhausting search, the greatest Shrine - the Cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. On the holy canvas you can see a large crowd of people against the backdrop of the temple. In the center is the Patriarch with the Cross. To the right is Empress Helen with her son, Tsar Constantine. There are many saints and believers in the picture. All reverently look at the tree of the Life-Giving Cross. Sometimes the icon also depicts a reminder of the great miracle that accompanied this event, namely the image of the resurrected dead, healed by touching the shrine.

The icon of the Exaltation of the Life-Giving Cross is famous for its miraculous abilities. Before her, it is customary to pray for healing from all sorts of ailments - migraines, infertility, toothache, diseases of the bones, joints, and so on. The holy canvas can heal from any disease, even the most neglected. There are cases when terminally ill people, coming to the icon to pray and ask for healing, recovered.

Prayers

For an Orthodox Christian, prayer is both the way and the means for absolutely all achievements. This is the source of all prosperity. According to Pavel Florensky, prayer is the inhalation of God's grace. Therefore, prayer should be considered the most important activity during the day (after deeds in the name of mercy). Before any deed, a person must read a prayer. Then it begins with love and hope, which, together with faith, will surely lead him to success. Reading a prayer before any event in your life, you receive God's blessing.

The history of the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is unique. For believers, this is undoubtedly one of the most significant events. True Orthodox Christians must go to church on this day and pray before the icon of the Life-Giving Cross. If it is not possible to attend church, then you can pray at home.

"Honest Cross, guardian of soul and body, wake up: casting down demons in your own way, driving away enemies, exercising passions and giving reverence to us, and life, and strength, with the assistance of the Holy Spirit and honest prayers of the Most Pure Theotokos. Amen."

In principle, there are no strict rules about how to pray. It does not matter where you will do it - at home or in the temple. The main thing is that it should be sincere with faith and with all my heart. The most important condition for praying is to get rid of worldly thoughts, stand reverently in front of the images and thoughtfully read every word with trepidation in the soul. The power of prayer is difficult to overestimate. If it is pronounced with sincere faith, it can work a miracle. Nothing is impossible for the Lord. What seems impossible for a person, everything is subject to God. The main thing is to believe and hope.

Conclusion

The postcard once again clearly demonstrates the events of that great day. Visualization will add positive emotions from the holiday, fill the heart with joy and happiness. You need to share your warm feelings, send them to those around you, and then love, kindness, faith and hope will only multiply for the glory of God.

The great church holiday of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is celebrated on September 27 (September 14, old style) of each year.

The holiday is dedicated to the Cross of Jesus Christ, on which he was crucified. Rising means "lifting up". This holiday symbolizes the lifting of the Cross from the earth after it was discovered there.

Other holiday names

Exaltation, Exaltation Day, Stavrov's Day, Third Autumn, Battle of Truth and Falsehood, Kapustnitsy, Autumn Serpentine.

About the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord

About three hundred years after the crucifixion of Christ, there were terrible persecutions against the Orthodox Church. Roman rulers, starting from Nero (ruled the empire in 54-68) and up to Diocletian (reign in 303-313), destroyed Christians in various ways, they were thrown to be torn to pieces by beasts, killed, crucified, rotted in dungeons, burned at the stake . Roman pagan kings sought to erase from human memory everything connected with the coming of the Son of God Jesus Christ to our land.

The Appearance of the Cross to ConstantineBut at the beginning of the fourth century, by the providence of God, Emperor Constantine came to power, who, before the decisive battle for power, had a heavenly sign in the form of a cross. And at night, Jesus Christ Himself appeared to him and said that in order to win, he must replace the Roman symbols on the banners with crosses. Constantine fulfilled the command of the Lord and received a long-awaited victory, after which he and his mother, Queen Elena, believed in the True God Jesus Christ.

The persecution of Christians by royal decree was stopped and the restoration of Christian churches and shrines began.

In 326, Queen Helen went to Jerusalem. Arriving at the holy place, she saw that a pagan temple in honor of Venus was built on the site of Golgotha, and a temple in the name of Jupiter was erected on the site of the Holy Sepulcher. He ordered the destruction of pagan sanctuaries and the erection of Christian churches in their place.

But it was still necessary to find the Cross on which the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified. Elena searched for the Holy Cross for a long time and in vain, hundreds of Christians and Jews were interviewed, no one could give at least some information. Quite by accident, she learned that an old Jew named Judas could tell where to find the shrine. He was persuaded for a long time to tell where this place was, finally he showed a cave filled with stones, where the Cross of the Savior and two crosses could be located, on which the robbers were crucified that day.

Cross of the Lord With prayers, they began to dig a cave and found three crosses in it, and next to them they found a tablet on which was written in three languages "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews."
In order to understand which of the crosses was the Cross of the Savior, they brought a seriously ill woman, on whom all the crosses were placed in turn. After she touched the real Life-Giving Cross, the patient was healed.

In order to make sure that this is exactly the same Cross that they were looking for, it was attached to the deceased, who was carried to be buried. After the Cross touched the deceased, he resurrected and everyone was completely convinced that such a miracle could only come from the Life-Giving Cross.

With great joy, Empress Elena and all the people who were with her bowed to the shrine and venerated it. The news of the holy discovery almost instantly spread throughout the district, and Jews began to gather at the place where the Cross was found. There were so many people that many could not only bow to the Cross, but even see Him. To show the find, Patriarch Macarius stood on a high place and raised (raised) the Life-Giving Cross, everyone finally saw Him and, falling on their knees, prayed "Lord have mercy."

Later, by order of the Equal-to-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine, in Jerusalem, on the site of the Resurrection of Christ, the construction of a monument to this event began, which was built for ten whole years.
Saint Helena died in 327, she did not live to see the completion of construction for eight years. The temple in honor of the Resurrection of Christ was consecrated on September 13 (according to the new style), 335.
And the next day, September 14, was set as a holiday - the Exaltation of the Holy and Life-Giving Cross.

By the care of the holy Empress Helena, more than eighty churches were founded, including in the birthplace of Jesus Christ - in Bethlehem, in the place of the Ascension of the Lord - on the Mount of Olives, in Gethsemane, where the Savior prayed before His Holy Death and where the Mother of God was buried after Dormition.

For all the labors that Constantine and Elena put into spreading the Christian faith, the Holy Church canonized them as Equal-to-the-Apostles.

Heraclius brings in the Cross of the Lord On this festive day, Christians remember another event - the return of the Cross of the Lord to Jerusalem from fourteen years of Persian captivity.
Chosroes II, the king of Persia, attacked Jerusalem, seized the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord and captured Patriarch Zechariah (609-633).

For 14 years, the Holy Cross was in Persia until the time when, with God's help, Emperor Heraclius won the battle against Khozroy. Peace was concluded and the shrine finally returned to the Christians.

With great solemnity, the emperor Heraclius, in the royal crown and purple, carried the returned Cross to its rightful place in the Church of the Resurrection of Christ, Patriarch Zacharias walked beside him. But near the gate that led to Golgotha, the procession suddenly stopped, Heraclius could not go further. To the astonished emperor, the Holy Patriarch suggested that the Angel of the Lord Himself blocked the path, because the One Who had to bear the Cross in order to atone for human sins, passed this path in humility and in a humiliated form.

Then the emperor took off his royal robes and put on simple poor clothes. Only after that he was able to bring the Life-Giving Cross into the temple.

On the day of the Exaltation of the Honest Christ, a strict fast is observed!

magnificence

We magnify Thee, Life-Giver Christ, and honor Your Holy Cross, by which Thou hast saved us from the work of the enemy.

How and what to pray to the Holy and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord

They pray to the Holy Cross on different occasions, in joy, in trouble, in happiness or in sorrow. The prayer "Let God rise again ..." included in the evening rule is the most powerful prayer that every Christian needs to know. She will protect you from all evil and misfortune. The Holy Fathers recommend reading the prayer to the Holy Cross before each exit from the house.

Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered, and let all who hate Him flee from His presence. As the smoke disappears, let them disappear; as wax melts from the face of fire, so let the demons perish from the face of those who love God and are marked by the sign of the cross, and say in joy: Rejoice, Most Honorable and Life-giving Cross of the Lord, drive away the demons by the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, crucified on you, who descended into hell and corrected his strength the devil, and who gave us His Honorable Cross to drive away every adversary. O Most Honorable and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord! Help me with the Holy Lady Virgin Mother of God and with all the saints forever. Amen.

Traditions and rituals on Vozdvizhenye

- September 27 - worship of the Cross, religious processions, Exaltation evenings, reading a conspiracy for love, on this day they do not start new business.

Believers of the Orthodox Church worship the Cross.

On this day, people do not start any business, as there will be no positive result.

Traditionally, detours or religious processions are made with icons and prayers.

Whoever observes the fast during the Exaltation will receive forgiveness of 7 sins, and those who do not observe it will receive 7 sins.

Signs and sayings on the Exaltation

- The rise of autumn moves towards winter.

- At sunrise, the moon outlines a reddish, quickly disappearing circle - the weather will be clear and dry.

- The north wind on this day prophesies a warm summer next year.

- Geese fly high - the flood will be high, low - the river will practically not rise.

- If the cranes fly slowly and high, cooing in flight, then the autumn will be warm.

- If the west wind blows for several days in a row, then the weather will be bad in the coming days.

- On September 27, birds begin to fly south. And there is at the same time a very good sign, which reads as follows: if you see the departure of birds for a holiday, you must definitely make a cherished wish, which will come true in any case.

- It is also very important to say that earlier on the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, absolutely every housewife cleaned the house. It was believed that in this way, it is possible to expel all kinds of evil spirits and damage from the house.

- The following ritual for the Exaltation of the Holy Cross will also help drive out negative energy and negativity from the house: for this, you need to take three church candles directly, and install them on one saucer. Next, you need to spray absolutely every corner of your home with a cruciform movement. At that moment, it is imperative to say absolutely any prayer that you know by heart. But the best option would be the prayer "Our Father" or the ninetieth psalm.

- It is very important to remember that it is categorically not worth starting any new business on the holiday, because, unfortunately, it is according to the sign that this business will end in failure.

- It is from the holiday of September 27 that incredibly cheerful youth holidays begin, which in turn have a name - skits. In ancient times, young beauties dressed up in festive dresses and went directly from house to house to chop cabbage. This action was carried out with extremely cheerful songs and was accompanied directly by delicious treats.

- Previously, they always knew that if you go to the forest on the Exaltation holiday, then there is a high probability that you will not be able to return at all. It was assumed that on September 27, the goblin collects each animal in the forest in order to unambiguously count each of them and thereby know how many living creatures live in his forest. And this action categorically no one should observe. And whoever disobeys and still goes to the forest for the Feast of the Exaltation, thereby showing disrespect to the goblin, may not return home that day.