It is for the Malankara Syriac Church:
The Feasts to be observed like the Feasts of Our Lord
- March 25
– Suboro (Feast of the Annunciation)
- June 29
– Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul
- July 3
– Dukrono
(The Martyrdom of St. Thomas)
- August 15 - Sunoyo (The Assumption of Mary,
the Mother of God into heaven)
5. Sept. 14
– Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Season of Sleebo
Sept 14
Wed Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Lk 21:7-19; Gen 13:14-18; Num 21:4-9.
Josh 10:12-15; Is 65:1-7; Jas 1:19-27;
1 Cor 1:18-25; Jn 3:13-21
As an addendum, if anyone is interested, the West Syriac Church (Syriac Catholic, Syriac Orthodox, Malankara Syriac Catholic, Malankara Orthodox Syrian, Malankara Independent Syrians) celebrates the ‘Rite of Zuyoho’ on Days such as these. Here’s a copy from the Syriac Orthodox:
It is difficult to provide an English equivalent to the Syriac word Zuyoho. It is derived from a verb which means “to put in motion”, “to move something”, “to lift up something”. The Order of Zuyoho embodies all of these meanings. During the ceremony, the celebrant lifts and moves the object on which Zuyoho is performed, usually a cross (but water on Epiphany, Palms on Palm Sunday, etc.). Hence, we refer to the Zuyoho of the Cross, or the Zuyoho of the Palms, etc. In the following, the celebrant carries a cross.
The Celebrant enters the sanctuary in the company of the clergy and the deacons. He holds the cross high and waves it in the four directions.
Zuyoho
Turning to the East, the celebrant chants:
Priest: He Whom the angels minister.
People: Holy are You, O God.
Priest: He Whom the cherubim bless.
People: Holy are You, O Almighty.
Priest: He Whom the seraphim sanctify.
People: Holy are You, O Immortal. The sinners entreat with repentance saying “You Who were crucified for us, have mercy upon us.”
Note: When the people chant the word “crucified”, shown in italics above, the celebrant moves the cross in the form of a cross blessing the people. This word is replaced by another phrase in some feast days (e.g., “baptized” in Epiphany).
The celebrant turns to the West:
Priest: He Whom the fiery hosts praise.
People: Holy are You, O God.
Priest: He Whom the spiritual beings magnify.
People: Holy are You, O Almighty.
Priest: He Whom the mortals worship.
People: Holy are You, O Immortal. The children of the faithful Church entreat saying “You Who were crucified for us, have mercy upon us.”
The celebrant turns to the North:
Priest: He Whom the heavenly beings glorify.
People: Holy are You, O God.
Priest: He Whom those between [heaven and earth] exalt.
People: Holy are You, O Almighty.
Priest: He Whom the earthly beings below bow to.
People: Holy are You, O Immortal. The sinners entreat with repentance saying “You Who were crucified for us, have mercy upon us.”
The celebrant turns to the South:
Priest: Our Lord, have mercy upon us.
People: Our Lord, have mercy and compassion upon us.
Priest: Our Lord, accept our services and our prayers, and have mercy upon us.
People: Glory to You, O God.
Priest: Glory to You, O Creator.
People: Glory to You, O Christ the King, Who has pity on His sinful servants. Amin.
Source:
Ma’de’dono: The Book of the Church Festivals (1984).
The feast of the Exaltation of the Cross is in honor of the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Observed on September 14, it is also known as ‘Holy Cross Day’. The liturgy of this feast in the Syrian Orthodox Church recalls the tradition which narrates the story of Helen, mother of Emperor Constantine, who went to Jerusalem to look for the Cross. On her way to Jerusalem, she left one of her servants on a mountain. Once the cross was discovered, she ordered her men to light a fire on top of a nearby mountain. Having seen the fire, the servant staying on the next mountain lit another fire, and in this manner the news of the discovery of the Holy Cross reached the capital, Constantinople.
Qolo: Quqoyo
Helen went down to Jerusalem,
from Rome, the city of the kings,
to bow down to the Cross.
She took hold of all the Jews and asked:
“Come and show me the place of the Cross.”
They replied and said to her:
“We have a great man.
If you take hold of him
he will show you the place
In which the Wood of the Cross is placed.”
