Holy Rood Day

Officially known as the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, today used also to be called Holy Rood Day, or Roodmas.

Some authorities say the Catholic Church feast commemorates the restoration of the 'True Cross' to Calvary in 629, after the victory of Emperor Heraclius over the Persians. Others say it commemorates the raising of the 'true' Christian cross in the church at Jerusalem in 335 (some sources say 326) by the Empress Helena (Flavia Iulia Helena, also known as St Helena and Helena of Constantinople, c. 248 - c. 329 CE), mother of Constantine. Today may be considered a christianization of the ancient Eleusis feast of Demeter (see Greater Eleusinian Mysteries).

In 1561 John Calvin wrote a tract that said that if all the pieces of the True Cross were gathered together, they would load a large ship, and would take 300 men, not one, to carry it ...

Categories: christianity, folklore, calendar-customs, saint