The Church Celebrates the Procession of the Precious Wood of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord

Icon of the Procession of the Precious Wood of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord. Photo: blagovist.info

On August 14, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Procession of the Precious Wood of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord (Honey Spas).

The feast was established in the 9th century in Constantinople, "on account of the diseases that occurred very frequently in August." On this day, the Precious Wood of the Cross was brought out from the imperial treasury, the streets of the city were sanctified, and "from this day forward until the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, performing litanies throughout the entire city, it was then offered to the people for veneration" (from a Greek Book of Hours of the 19th century).

The Russian name of the feast, "proiskhozhdeniye" ("origin"), is an incorrect translation of the Greek word, which denotes a solemn ceremony, a religious procession. Therefore, in the name of the feast it is replaced or supplemented by the word "iznеseniye" ("procession/bringing forth").

On the feast of the Procession of the Precious Wood of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, solemn divine services are celebrated in Orthodox churches, similar to the services of the Sunday of the Veneration of the Cross and the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord. At Matins, before the Great Doxology, the rectors of churches, vested in full vestments, bring the Cross out of the altar to the singing of the Trisagion and place it on the analogion. To the singing of "We venerate Thy Cross, O Master, and we glorify Thy Holy Resurrection," the faithful make three prostrations before the Cross, after which the clergy anoint the flock with oil to the singing of special stichera.

The Lesser Blessing of Water on August 14 is performed either before or after the Liturgy. Together with the blessing of water, the blessing of honey takes place, and from this day the consumption of newly harvested honey is permitted.

Furthermore, as the SPJ reported, on this day the Dormition Fast begins for Orthodox Christians, which is always fixed and lasts from August 14 to 27. In terms of its strictness, it is equated with Great Lent.

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