Exaltation of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord

The great Orthodox holiday of the Exaltation of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord or the Exaltation of the Cross is one of the 12 twelve church holidays that are associated with the earthly life of Christ and the Mother of God The holiday was timed to honor important events that took place in Jerusalem near the holy Mount Golgotha, where Jesus Christ was previously crucified Nowadays, the holiday is celebrated by all Orthodox Christians annually on September 27, and its name is explained by the custom of the church during worship to raise the Cross for everyone to see The history of the holiday begins in 326, when Helen, the mother of Emperor Constantine, went to Jerusalem to find the Cross of the Lord During the excavations that were carried out on the holy Mount Golgotha, three crosses, nails, a board with the inscription “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews,” a cave and a coffin were found However, since the tablet lay separately from the crosses, it was difficult to immediately find out which cross belonged to Jesus Christ According to one legend, sick people were brought to the crosses one by one, and after touching the right cross, the people were immediately healed According to another legend, when the holy cross touched a recently deceased person who was about to be buried, the person came to life The found life-giving Cross was erected in front of all believers so that all those present could see the shrine, and thus the beginning of the great holiday of the Exaltation of the Cross was laid In honor of the important discovery, the Church of the Resurrection of Christ was built in Jerusalem in 335, on September 26 it was consecrated, and on September 27 (September 14 old style), it was decided to establish the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross On this day, a festive liturgy is celebrated in all churches, all believers thank God for salvation, pray for the health of loved ones and relatives You need to spend the day in humility, not quarrel with anyone and not wish harm, but rather try to make peace with relatives and help your loved ones In addition, you must strictly adhere to fasting and not eat meat, fish and dairy products Do not engage in heavy physical labor or start new ventures Exaltation Day also marked the end of the harvest from the fields and preparation for winter The medicinal plants collected on this day had special healing powers