06/01/2026
Why Do We Bring Grass into the Church and Weave Wreaths on Pentecost?
On this great feast, also known as Holy Trinity Sunday, because on the day of Pentecost the Third Person of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit, was visibly manifested, the Orthodox Church adorns its temples with greenery and grass. In the early Church, it was also customary to decorate not only churches but homes as well with greenery (St. Gregory the Theologian, Oration 41).
This custom has its roots in the Old Testament Jewish tradition, when synagogues and homes were decorated with branches and greenery in remembrance of the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai.
For us Christians, the grass that we bring into the church on Pentecost reminds us of the new life given to us by the Holy Spirit, the Giver of Life. From this grass we weave wreaths, which symbolize eternity, for a circle has neither beginning nor end. We take these wreaths home as a blessing and usually keep them in our prayer corner as a reminder of this great feast, of the goal of our lives, eternal life, and of our continual need to invoke the Holy Spirit in our daily lives.
It is no coincidence that before praying the Lord’s Prayer we address the Holy Spirit with the words: “O Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of Truth…” We call upon Him to come and dwell within us, to cleanse us from every impurity, enlighten our minds, and grant us everything necessary for sincere and attentive prayer.
