Feast of the Cross

In the Christian liturgical calendar, there are several different celebrations of the Feast of the Cross, all of which commemorate the cross used in the crucifixion of Jesus. Unlike Good Friday, which is dedicated to the passion of Christ and the crucifixion, these feast days celebrate the cross itself, as the sign of salvation. It is chiefly celebrated by Roman Catholics (Latin Church Catholics, Eastern Catholics), Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Old Catholics, and to a lesser extent by Protestants (mostly Lutherans and Anglicans, but also in some cases other Mainline Protestant, Evangelical, Confessional, and Confessing Movement Protestants).^[1][2][3][4] The most common day of commemoration is 14 September in churches that use the Gregorian calendar or 27 September in churches that use the Julian calendar, Ge'ez calendar, or Coptic calendar.

In English, the feast is called The Exaltation of the Holy Cross in the official translation of the Roman Missal, while the 1973 translation called it The Triumph of the Cross. In some parts of the Anglican Communion the feast is called Holy Cross Day, a name also used by Lutherans. The celebration is also sometimes called Holy Rood Day, or by the historical names Roodmas or Crouchmas.