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A Crucession, or Cross Procession (Krestnyi khod), is a procession that takes place in the Eastern Orthodox
Eastern Orthodox Church

The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian communion in the world with an estimated 225 million members worldwide. It is considered by its adherents to be the Four Marks of the Church established by Jesus Christ and his Apostles nearly 2000 years ago....
 and Eastern Catholic liturgical traditions. The name derives from the fact that the procession is headed by a cross
Cross

A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two lines or bars perpendicular to each other, dividing one or two of the lines in half. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally; if they run diagonally, the design is technically termed a saltire....
.

Normally, the Crucession is preceded by a lantern.






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Kurskaya Korennaya
A Crucession, or Cross Procession (Krestnyi khod), is a procession that takes place in the Eastern Orthodox
Eastern Orthodox Church

The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian communion in the world with an estimated 225 million members worldwide. It is considered by its adherents to be the Four Marks of the Church established by Jesus Christ and his Apostles nearly 2000 years ago....
 and Eastern Catholic liturgical traditions. The name derives from the fact that the procession is headed by a cross
Cross

A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two lines or bars perpendicular to each other, dividing one or two of the lines in half. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally; if they run diagonally, the design is technically termed a saltire....
.

Normally, the Crucession is preceded by a lantern. Then comes the cross, flanked by processional banners
Khorugv

Khor?gv , is a religious Banner used liturgically in the Eastern Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholic Churches Churches.The khorugv or banner consists of an icon of Jesus Christ, the Theotokos or a saint, either painted or embroidered on a rectangular piece of cloth....
 and icons. The Choir and Clergy will come next, followed by the faithful. If there are altar server
Altar server

An altar server or Acolyte is a laity assistant to a member of the clergy during a religious service. Acolytes attend to supporting tasks at the altar such as fetching and carrying, ringing the altar bell, etc....
s, the Crucession will be accompanied by incense
Thurible

A thurible is a metal censer suspended from chains, in which incense is burned during worship services. It is used in the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Anglicanism/Episcopal_Church_, Old Catholic, and some Lutheran churches, as well as in Christian and non-Christian Gnostic Churches and in the practice of magick....
 and candles. During the Crucession, the choir sings hymns that are particular to the event the Crucession celebrates. Crucessions will often circle around the outside of the Temple
Temple

A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A ??templum?? constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur....
 (church building) three times, then come to stop on the front steps of the building, where the next portion of the service will take place. Other Crucessions will be in the form of a procession from the Temple to a particular location where the next portion of the service will take place.

Occasions

The most well-known Crucessions are:
  • Holy Week
    Holy Week

    Holy Week in Christianity is the last week of Lent and the week before Easter. It includes the religious holidays of Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, and lasts from Palm Sunday until but not including Easter Sunday, as Easter Sunday is the first day of the new season of Pentecostarion....
    —On Great Saturday
    Holy Saturday

    Holy Saturday is the day after Good Friday. It is the day before Easter and the last day of Holy Week, in which Christians prepare for Easter....
    , a Crucession is made as the clergy carry the Epitaphios
    Epitaphios (liturgical)

    The Epitaphios is an icon, today most often found as a large cloth, embroidered and often richly adorned, which is used during the services of Good Friday and Great Saturday in the Eastern Orthodox Churches and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite....
     (Slavonic: Plashchanitsa) around the Temple three times, as the Choir sings the Trisagion
    Trisagion

    The Trisagion is a standard hymn of the Divine Liturgy in most of the Eastern Orthodox Churches, Oriental Orthodox Churches and Eastern Catholic Churches....
    . After the third circuit of the Temple, the clergy cary the Epitaphios into the Temple, and hold it above the door, so that as all enter the Temple they pass under the Epitaphios, symbolically entering with Christ into the tomb. Because this is a sorrowful procession, the banners are not carried in this Crucession.
  • Pascha
    Easter

    Easter is the most important religious feast in the Christianity liturgical year.Christians believe that Jesus was Resurrection of Jesus from the dead three days after his Crucifixion of Jesus, and celebrate this resurrection on Easter Day or Easter Sunday , two days after Good Friday....
     (Easter)    —The first Paschal Crucession takes place during the Paschal Vigil
    Easter Vigil

    The Easter Vigil, also called the Paschal Vigil or the Great Vigil of Easter, is a service held in many Christian churches as the first official celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus....
     on Easter Sunday; then there is another Crucession called for on every day of Bright Week
    Bright Week

    Bright Week or Renewal Week is the name used by the Eastern Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholic Churches of the Byzantine Rite for the period of seven days beginning on Easter and continuing up to the following Sunday, which is known as Thomas Sunday....
     either following Paschal Matins
    Matins

    Matins is the early morning or night prayer service in the Roman Catholic Church, Anglicanism, Lutheran and Eastern Orthodoxy liturgy of the canonical hours....
     or after the Paschal Divine Liturgy
    Divine Liturgy

    The Divine Liturgy is the common term for the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine church tradition of Christian liturgy. As such, it is used in the Eastern Orthodoxy and Eastern Catholic Churches....
    . During the Crucession the Choir sings the Paschal Canon
    Canon (hymnography)

    A canon is a structured hymn used in a number of Eastern Orthodoxy services. It consists of nine odes, sometimes called canticles or songs depending on the translation, based on the Biblical canticles....
    . On the weekdays of Bright Week the Artos
    Artos

    The term Artos refers to a loaf of leavened bread that is blessed during services in the Eastern Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholic Churches....
     is carried in the Crucession (though not at the Crucession during the Paschal Vigil, because at that point it has not yet been blessed
    Blessing

    A blessing, is the infusion of something with Sacred, divine will, or one's hopes....
    ).
  • Theophany—Procession at the end of Liturgy from the Temple to a river or shore where the Great Blessing of Waters
    Holy Water

    Holy Water is a studio album by hard rock band Bad Company, with Brian Howe in place of Paul Rodgers as lead vocalist, released in June of 1990 ....
     will take place. Afterwards, the Crucession returns to the Temple for the completion of the service. The choir sings special hymns of the Feast written for this service.
  • Dormition—In those churches and monasteries that observe the rite of the Burial of the Mother of God, a crucession takes place with the Epitaphios of the Theotokos
    Theotokos

    Theotokos is a title of Mary, the mother of Jesus used especially in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches....
    , patterned after the one on Great Saturday.
  • Moleben
    Moleben

    A mol?ben , also called a molieben, service of intercession, or service of supplication, is a supplication prayer service used within the Orthodox Christian Church in honor of Jesus Christ, the Theotokos, a Great Feasts or a particular saint or martyr....
    —Usually on the Patronal Feast
    Patron saint

    A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, or person. Patron saints, because they have already transcended to the metaphysical, are able to intercede effectively for the needs of their special charges....
     of a Church or Monastery
    Monastery

    Monastery , a term derived from the Greek language word ???ast?????, neut. of ???ast????? - monasterios denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of Monk, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in Cenobium or alone ....
    , there will be a Crucession around the outside of the Temple, while a Moleben (prayer of intercession) is celebrated to the Patron Saint.
  • Funeral
    Funeral

    A funeral is a ceremony marking a person's death. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from the funeral itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honour....
    —The coffin is carried from the Temple to the grave in a crucession. If it is the funeral of a layman, the choir sings the Trisagion
    Trisagion

    The Trisagion is a standard hymn of the Divine Liturgy in most of the Eastern Orthodox Churches, Oriental Orthodox Churches and Eastern Catholic Churches....
    ; if the deceased is a priest
    Priest

    A priest or priestess is a person having the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities....
     or bishop
    Bishop

    A bishop is an ordination or consecration member of the Clergy#Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight....
     the clergy will chant the Great Canon of St. Andrew
    Andrew of Crete

    For the martyr of 766 of the same name, see Andrew of Crete .Saint Andrew of Crete was an 8th century bishop, theologian, homilist, and hymnographer....
    .


Notable crucessions


In 1991, the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov
Seraphim of Sarov

Saint Seraphim of Sarov , born Prokhor Moshnin , is one of the most renowned Russian monks and mystics in the Eastern Orthodox Church. He is generally considered the greatest of the nineteenth century Starets , and arguably the first....
 were rediscovered after being hidden in a Soviet anti-religious
Religion in the Soviet Union

The Soviet Union was an atheist state, in which religion was largely discouraged and heavily persecuted. According to various Soviet and Western sources, however, over one-third of the country's people professed religious belief....
 museum for seventy years. This caused a sensation in post-Soviet Russia, and indeed throughout the Orthodox world. A crucession was formed to escort the relics, on foot, all the way from Moscow to St. Seraphim-Diveyevo Convent
Serafimo-Diveevsky Monastery

Serafimo-Diveevsky Monastery, or Saint Seraphim-Diveyevo Monastery, or Holy Trinity-Saint Seraphim-Diveyevo Monastery The convent is famous because Seraphim of Sarov served as Staretz for the nuns of this monastery, though he only travelled to the convent once during his lifetime....
, where they remain to this day. The Patriarch of Moscow himself took part in a portion of this crucession.

During April 2, 2006 — July 18, 2006 an international Crucession was carried out across Transnistria
Transnistria

Transnistria, also known as Trans-Dniester, Transdniestria, and Pridnestrovie is a disputed region in southeast Europe. Since its declaration of independence in 1990, followed by the War of Transnistria in 1992, it is governed by the Unrecognized states Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic , which claims the left bank...
, Ukraine
Ukraine

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east; Belarus to the north; Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west; Romania and Moldova to the southwest; and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south....
, Belarus
Belarus

Belarus is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered by Russia to the north and east, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the north....
, and Russia
Russia

Russia , or the Russian Federation , is a list of countries spanning more than one continent country extending over much of northern Eurasia....
.

On May 20, 2007 probably the longest krestny khod was started in the city of Vladivostok
Vladivostok

File:vladivostokrussia.jpgVladivostok is Russia's largest port types of inhabited localities in Russia on the Pacific Ocean and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai....
 on Russia's Pacific coast that will go all the way to Moscow
Moscow

Moscow is the capital and the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia of the Russian Federation. It is also the largest European cities and metropolitan areas, with the Moscow metropolitan area ranking among the largest urban areas in the world....
. The concept of a procession headed by the cross is not alien to Catholic Church either. On July 1, 2007, the so-called "Journey of the Cross and Icon" started in Sydney Airport
Sydney Airport

Sydney Airport may refer to:* Sydney Airport , in Sydney, Australia* Sydney Airport , in Nova Scotia, Canada...
. The participants, carrying a large 3.8 metre-high wooden Cross and a large 15 kilogram Icon
Icon

An 'icon' is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, from Eastern Christianity. More broadly the term is used in a wide number of contexts for an image, picture, or representation; it is a sign or likeness that stands for an object by signifying or representing it either concretely or by analogy, as in semiotics; by extension, ...
 of the Virgin Mary, will travel across all diocese
Diocese

In many rites of the Roman Catholic Church and in Anglicanism, a diocese is an administrative territorial unit administered by a bishop. It is also referred to as a bishopric or Episcopal Area or episcopal see, though strictly the term episcopal see refers to the domain of ecclesiastical authority officially held by the bi...
s of Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
, returning to Sydney for World Youth Day 2008
World Youth Day 2008

World Youth Day 2008 was a Roman Catholic youth festival held from 15 to 20 July in Sydney, Australia. It is the twenty-third World Youth Day celebration and was attended by Pope Benedict XVI....
 in July 2008.

See also

  • Krestny khod
  • Procession
    Procession

    A procession is, in general, an organized body of people advancing in a formal or ceremonial manner....


External links

  • on the Feast of the Dormition
    Dormition of the Theotokos

    The Dormition of the Theotokos is a Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church of the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Churches and Eastern Catholic Churches which commemorates the "falling asleep" or death of the Theotokos ....
  • on the Mount of Olives
    Mount of Olives

    The Mount of Olives is a mountain ridge in east Jerusalem with three peaks running from north to south. The highest, at-Tur, rises to 818 meters ....
     at Jerusalem
    Jerusalem

    Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and its List of Israeli cities in both population and area, with a population of 747,600 residents over an area of if Positions on Jerusalem East Jerusalem is included....