The Feast of the Holy Cross (Sleebo Perunnal)

‘The veneration of the Holy Cross of the Lord’, is one of the most significant aspects of the worship of the God. The Church celebrates the Feast of the Cross, on September 14 each year.  This day became a day for recognizing the Festive atmosphere of the Cross, (than Good Friday) as a symbol of triumph, as a sign of Christ’s victory over death, and a reminder of His promise, “And when I am lifted up, I will draw all men unto me.” (Jn. 12: 32). The Holy Cross is an ever-living symbol of God’s everlasting love toward us sinners, a symbol of Christ’s total self-sacrifice, a symbol of our redemption and salvation, a symbol of Christ’s victory over death and Satan. This day is in honor of the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ and known as ‘Holy Cross Day, ‘Sleeba Perunnal’, that marks the discovery of the Holy Cross, the instrument of salvation on which our Lord was Crucified. By venerating the holy Cross, we honor Christ’s sacrifice, passion, and death. Holy Cross Day provides an opportunity for a joyous, celebration of Christ’s redeeming, self-sacrificing, Self-offering death on a cross, for the salvation of the world.

On the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross (or Triumph of the Cross) we honor the Holy Cross by which Christ redeemed the world. The public veneration of the Cross of Christ originated in the fourth century, according to early accounts, beginning with the miraculous discovery of the cross on September 14, 326, by Saint Helen, mother of Constantine, while she was on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem — the same day that two churches built at the site of Calvary by Constantine were dedicated.

The observance of the Feast of the Exaltation (probably from a Greek word meaning “bringing to light”) of the Cross has been celebrated by Christians on September 14 ever since. In the Western Church, the feast came into prominence in the seventh century, apparently inspired by the recovery of a portion of the Cross, said to have been taken from Jerusalem the Persians, by the Roman emperor Heraclius in 629.