Troitsa Trinity Sunday

It was a warm June Sunday and I was off to church with the family. This was a special Sunday: we were bringing fresh cut roses and flowers from the backyard with us. I held onto mine tightly and Mama had wrapped them in wet paper towels and aluminum foil so that they wouldn’t wilt. Their heavenly aroma filled the car on the 20 minute drive and I inhaled it deeply.

The church was filled with greenery. Fresh flowers adorned the icons, which are images of saints, and fresh cut small trees, some birch, and branches of trees were spread all over, transforming the church a forest of green. Some of the leaves had fallen off, and were scattered on the floor. There were no pews to decorate since this Russian Orthodox church had none, only chairs for the elderly to sit on along the walls. The entire scene was quite marvelous to behold.

The priest and deacon were wearing their green vestments to match the trees and leaves on this holiday called Trinity Sunday or Troitsa, also known as Pentecost. Troitsa is celebrated seven weeks or fifty days after the great feast of Easter, symbolizing the day that the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles. The feast itself is celebrated for three days as the Monday that follows is called the “Feast of the Holy Spirit,” and Tuesday as the “Third Day of the Trinity.” In Russian, the word “tri” means three.

What is the significance of the greenery? Green signifies life and the old customs of decorating churches and homes with greenery. It is a grafting of the sacred with the old, secular customs of Russia, with an allusion to ancient pagan rites celebrating summer, the season of life.

The service on Trinity Sunday is longer than usual because after the liturgy, three very long prayers are read in church Slavonic. For the first time since Easter, kneeling is once again permitted. In fact, the faithful must kneel as the prayers are read. I can attest that the cold floor is hard on the knees; I confess as well that sometimes the mind begins to wander while the archaic words of the prayers assail the ears.

Troitsa is an important holiday in the Russian Orthodox church calendar, but it’s interesting to note that the Jewish faith also celebrates a holiday called Shavuot or Pentecost, meaning 50 days after Passover. Shavuot is the festival of the first harvest and it signifies the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai and the Ten Commandments to Moses. Synagogues and homes are adorned with flowers, too!

The conclusion? We’re all intertwined with one another more than we can imagine.

Amen. Selah.