Ukrainian Orthodoxy		Orthodoxie ukrainienne

Cross Exchange.

Question:

It is about July 28.   Is it customary, for a man or woman, to give each other a cross on this day, as a symbol of thier being together? Have you heard of this custom on this day of the birth of Christianity in the Ukraine?

Response:

Dr. Alexander Roman alex.roman@unicorne.org

This custom is something that is becoming very popular in Ukraine right now and with good reason.

The actual date of the anniversary of the Baptism/Enlightenment of Kyivan Rus’-Ukraine by St Volodymyr the Great is August 14^th, the (minor) feast of the veneration of the Precious Cross, the feast of the Maccabean Martyrs and the feast of the All-Merciful Saviour and the Most Holy Mother of God (which was actually instituted in thanksgiving for the defeat of the Volga Bulgars in the 13^th century).  The Church’s regulations prescribe a “minor blessing of water” on this day as well together with other commemorations of the Baptism of the people of St Volodymyr’s empire on that day in 988 AD.

However, two years ago Ukraine’s then President Viktor Yushchenko declared the feastday of the Enlightener of Rus’ Saint Volodymyr the Great, July 28^th, as a national holiday in commemoration of the anniversary of Kyiv’s baptism and the sovereign king/enlightener “Volodymyr the Saint” as the ancient chronicles referred to him. 

As a result, the Church in Ukraine has advanced the feast of St Volodymyr on July 28^th to that of a much higher liturgical rank and the day is honoured with Divine Liturgies and outdoor processions and pilgrimages to Kyiv.  This year, more than seven thousand pilgrims and worshippers joined Kyivan Patriarch Philaret for a most impressive public celebration of this event (see photos at www.cerkva.info ).  The Patriarch of Moscow also held a service at the statue of St Volodymyr near the Dnipro River one or two days earlier during his recent visit there (www.orthodox.org.ua ). 

One of the local traditions that have been around for some time, but which is now becoming popular is that of exchanging Crosses on this day.  Men and women exchange neck crosses with each other as a token of their life in Christ – and this is a very commendable tradition, to be sure!  Ukrainians are known for all kinds of cultural practices and these tend to develop spontaneously based on time-honoured holidays and events.  

In the case of the feast of the Baptism of Ukraine by Saint Volodymyr, it is tied to the feast of the Baptism of Christ in the river Jordan which latter feast celebrates the Mystery of Baptism and our baptism in particular.  Icons of Saint Volodymyr abound at outdoor blessings of the water at the feast of the Theophany on January 6^th.  And overt reference to the river Jordan and St John the Baptist is often made on the festival of Ukraine’s baptism. 

We receive the Mystery/Sacrament of Baptism only once in our lives, as we know.  However, the Mystery itself can be and is relived and celebrated on special liturgical occasions.  Pilgrims to the Holy Land will often obtain a white baptism robe with a red Cross on the back and will then wade into the river Jordan with it on.  They will then keep the robe as a precious memento of their being in the same river in which our Lord was Himself baptized.  Or they will dip neck Crosses in the Jordan and the like.  The Ethiopian tradition calls for Christians to re-enact their own baptism by going into the nearest pond or lake for a blessing by a Priest.  In Tarpon Springs, Florida, and elsewhere, the Greeks jump into the water to fetch a wooden Cross the Bishop has tossed in.  Ukrainians in Kyiv and elsewhere will jump into the frigid waters of the Dnipro on the feast of the Theophany by way of a religious “polar bear” swim . . . 

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Ukrainian Orthodoxy - Українське Православ'я