This May 3, the Day of the Holy Cross is celebrated throughout the world, an important date for the Catholic religion that commemorates one of the most important symbols of the Christian faith.
The celebration of this day dates back to the fourth century in the city of Jerusalem, and today it is celebrated by faithful Catholics in countries such as Spain, Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, Argentina , Colombia and Venezuela.
According to history, the cross became the most important symbol within the Catholic and Christian religion after the death of Jesus. During the rule of Constantine, who had to face a great battle against Maxentius, it is said that the emperor had a dream in which he saw a luminous cross in the heavens and heard a voice that told him: “With this sign you will win.” . After this revelation, the emperor ordered a cross to be placed on several battalion flags and exclaimed: “I trust in Christ in whom my mother Elena believes.”
Constantine’s mother, Saint Helena, went to Jerusalem to look for the cross on which Jesus Christ died. After digging her up, she apparently found three crosses, but she didn’t know which one was the real one. To distinguish the cross of Jesus Christ, she sent for a seriously ill woman and asked her to touch the three crosses. When playing the third, according to the story, the woman recovered from her serious state of health and Saint Helena was able to recognize the cross of Jesus Christ.
The celebration of the Day of the Holy Cross also has similarities with the pre-Christian festival of the May Tree or Palo de Mayo, which corresponds to a cult belonging to Celtic, Germanic, Greek, Slavic and Roman cultures. According to Catholic tradition, a cross is decorated with flowers around it and displayed publicly, much like the pagan celebration.
In Mexico, the masons usually participate in the celebration by decorating the buildings under construction with flowers or colored paper, while in Colombia it is customary to decorate the cross with the laurel of the mountain, placing it behind the door and praying the “Thousand Jesus” . Despite the fact that the official date of May 3 is established by the Catholic religion, in reality, the celebration that most resembles it is September 14, in which it is commemorated with the crucified Christ in Buga.