In the Orthodox calendar there are moving church holidays, the date of which changes annually. In accordance with the calculations in 2024, the Holy Week of Great Lent falls on April 7th. This time is dedicated to the veneration of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, reminds us of the approach of Holy Week and the main Christian holiday - Easter.
History
Celebration of the holiday was first started in the 7th century. In 614, the Persians captured Jerusalem and took out of the city the Life-Giving Cross, on which Jesus was martyred. The war lasted 26 years and ended with the victory of Byzantium.Through the efforts of the Byzantine Patriarch Zechariah and the intercession of the Holy Virgin Mary, the Life-Giving Cross was returned to the city of Jerusalem on March 31, 631. Since then, the date has been declared a holiday.
In those days, Great Lent was not considered obligatory for believers and the schedule of church services was not fully formed. Gradually, so that the strictness of everyday life was not violated, the holiday was shifted to the weekend. As a result, the beginning of the Week of the Adoration of the Cross was assigned to the third Sunday of Great Lent. The entire week following Sunday is the week of the Cross.
The date falls in the middle of the Lenten period, when the catechumens of the current year are preparing to be baptized. And their preparation begins with the most appropriate event - the worship of the Life-Giving Cross.
Meaning
Initially, the holiday served as a reminder of the suffering that the Messiah endured and of His resurrection.Therefore, in Christianity, the symbol of the crucifixion is one of the most sacred. It means that the middle of the fast has been reached, when the physical and spiritual strength of the believer is already severely exhausted. In order not to be tempted, the help that Christians receive by remembering the sacrifice made by Jesus is needed.
Don't think that the dates of the Holy Week in 2024, as in other times, are only filled with drama. The middle of the road means that a person is gradually approaching the Paschal radiance that illuminates the life of every Christian. In the modern church, the Week of the Cross helps to understand that faith is based on the acceptance of suffering and on the knowledge of the light at the end of the path, to feel the grief of distance from the Lord and to believe in His infinite love.
Over the past centuries, the church holiday has lost some of its original meaning. Today, baptism is rarely associated with the obligatory announcement, and therefore many parishioners perceive the week simply as the middle of Great Lent.The holiday is seen as a kind of call to believers to stop grumbling, to observe strict fasting in food and circuses. Looking at the crucifixion, an Orthodox Christian must remember that the Lord suffered for every believer. Therefore, it is possible and necessary to suffer a little for the sake of the Lord.
Traditions
The holiday was celebrated in Rus' in compliance with ancient traditions. On Wednesday, wheat dough was used to bake cross-shaped cookies - one for each member of the family. Before baking, a grain of rye was put into some crosses for a good harvest or a chicken feather so that poultry would not be transferred to the household. A person who received a surprise along with pastries was considered lucky.
Since Wednesday is the middle of the week, it was customary to congratulate each other on the completion of the first part of Lent. Children often took part in the congratulations. They were hidden under a capacious basket, from where the children loudly sang songs that "half of the shit had already broken, and the second was bent over." For congratulating hidden children, adults first poured water over them and then presented them with baked crosses.
In this tradition, one can see a direct message to the original meaning of the Week of the Cross. Pouring water symbolizes the rite of baptism in Christianity, and presenting with a cross recalls the torments of the Lord.
The date on which Holy Cross week begins in 2024, Sunday April 7th. But already on Saturday, at the evening service, a solemn event takes place - at the all-night vigil, a crucifix decorated with flowers, which symbolizes the Life-Giving Cross, is brought to the temple. In front of him, parishioners and priests make 3 deep bows. When worshiping, the chant "We worship Thy Cross" is performed. Repeat rituals are performed on Monday, Wednesday, Friday.
The crucifixion remains in the temple until Friday, as a reminder to believers of the death of the Lord, the suffering He accepted, to strengthen the spirit of parishioners to continue fasting. The removal of the crucifixion, worship became the reason why the third Sunday and the fourth Great Lenten week were called the Week of the Cross.
From what date the Week of the Cross will begin in 2024, is determined taking into account the date of Orthodox Easter. Adoration of the Life-Giving Cross means humility and awareness of the fall of man. By bending down, the believer acknowledges that he came from the dust, and therefore is the dust. Rising from a bow, a person strives for heavenly light, which becomes within reach only when following Christian values, which is necessary for cleansing from sins and saving the soul.
