How many Feasts of the Cross do we celebrate, and what are we celebrating?

By CopticBot.ai (Coptic Space Inc.) · Last reviewed 2026-10-10

In the liturgical year, we celebrate two distinct feasts dedicated to the Holy Cross (, a Greek loanword commonly used in Coptic liturgical texts):

1. The Feast of the Cross on 17 Tout (September 27/28)

• Duration: Celebrated for three consecutive days (17, 18, and 19 Tout).
• What is celebrated:
• This feast commemorates the consecration and dedication of the Church of the Resurrection (the Holy Sepulchre) in Jerusalem, built by Empress Helena and Emperor Constantine over Golgotha and the Holy Tomb in 335 A.D.
• It marks the formal elevation and public veneration of the Holy Cross before the faithful.
• It also recalls the miraculous appearance of the luminous Cross in the sky to Emperor Constantine before the Battle of the Milvian Bridge, with the inscription directing him that by this sign he would conquer.

2. The Feast of the Cross on 10 Paremhotep (March 19)

• Duration: Celebrated for one day.
• What is celebrated:
• This feast commemorates the historical discovery of the wood of the Holy Cross by Empress Helena in Jerusalem (c. 326 A.D.). After the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. and the building of Aelia Capitolina by Hadrian, a massive mound of earth and dirt had been heaped over Golgotha to conceal the Christian holy places. Guided by an elderly local Jew named Judas (who later converted and is recognized as St. Cyriacus), Empress Helena excavated the site and unearthed three crosses. The true Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ was identified when a deceased person brought for burial was laid upon it and immediately revived.
• This feast also recalls the recovery of the Holy Cross by Emperor Heraclius from the Persians in the 7th century, returning it triumphantly to Jerusalem.

Liturgical Rites of the Feasts of the Cross

• The Liturgical Tune: Both feasts are celebrated using the joyful Shaanini (Palm Sunday) tune.
• The Procession of the Cross: A solemn liturgical procession is held during Matins or the Divine Liturgy, in which the icon of the Cross is carried through the church while stopping at specific stations (the altars, the icons of St. Mary, the angels, the apostles, and the martyrs) with designated Gospel passages and litanies.
• Fasting Regulations:
• 17–19 Tout: Celebrated joyfully; fasting with abstinence is suspended during these three days.
• 10 Paremhotep: Because this feast consistently falls within the period of the Great Fast (Great Lent), the fast continues strictly without fish. However, the Divine Liturgy is prayed in the festive Palm Sunday tune, and penitential prostrations (metanias) are suspended during the service in honor of the Cross.