Orthodox Christians on September 27 celebrate the Exaltation or Elevation of the Holy Cross, which is one of the Twelve Great Feasts of the church year. On this day the people fast and can then take communion. The Holy Cross is commemorated three times: during Lent, at the beginning of August and in September, IPN reports.

This is a holy day of fasting and repentance. On this day the faithful, pray for the health of the family and welfare, make dedication to the crucified Lord and pledge their faithfulness to him by making prostrations at the Lords feet on the life creating Cross.

For the feast, the Cross is placed on a tray surrounded by flowers or branches of basil, and placed in the center of the Church for veneration. The faithful go to church with flowers and burning candles.

This is the oldest and most important holy day devoted to the Holy Cross. According to Orthodox Church teachings, Saint Helen, the mother of Emperor Constantine the Great, discovered the Holy Cross on 14 September 325 AD in the vicinity of Golgotha, where it lay buried in the dust of the centuries, after she had a vision. For the next three hundred years, the Cross stayed in the possession of the Christians in Jerusalem.

It is said that snakes, lizards and other small creatures go under earth on the Elevation of the Holy Cross.