Ship of Fools: "A Wicker Cross Decorated with Flowers by the Children"

Thread: "A Wicker Cross Decorated with Flowers by the Children" Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.

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Posted by ChippedChalice (# 14057) on :

Some years ago, in a thread started by the infamous sock-puppet Eddy, I commented on the practice of using a wicker cross decorated with flowers (by the children) in Easter Sunday worship.

I wasn't in favor of the idea -- calling it "the tackiest thing in tacky town."

Be careful what you mock, fellow shipmates, for I have learned that we will be using just such a cross (albeit, made out of chicken wire wrapped around a post) at this Easter Sunday's service.

I'll report back on how it goes -- perhaps even my stoniest heart will be melted.

In the meantime, here's the topic for discussion: have you ever encountered a worship practice that you thought you would hate -- but found yourself loving instead?

Posted by Lietuvos Sv. Kazimieras (# 11274) on :

This custom is called "flowering of the cross". It tends to be a MOTR or perhaps low-ish church thing. I rather like it, actually. If you have sufficient children in the parish, I would think it rather nice at the designated or de facto "Family Eucharist". The one or two places I ever attended regularly where it was done, I invariably went to the later middle aged to geriatric choral Eucharist, so just got to see the finished product - a pretty flowered cross - up at the front of the nave, and didn't have to endure the wee ones sticking their flowers into the wicker frame.

Posted by Mamacita (# 3659) on :

I get the impression the "flowering of the cross" is more common in the southern states or at least those with milder climates, where there may already be blooms in one's own garden. (Have you seen the weekend forecast for Chicago, Chipped Chalice? [Biased]

) Last year our interim, who was from Alabama, tried to talk me into trying this, and although I liked the idea -- in theory -- I was skeptical about it working in a region where there are no flowers growing except those at the florists' shops (and grocery stores). I do hope it goes well for you, Chipped Chalice, and please let us know!

[ 20. March 2013, 17:13: Message edited by: Mamacita ]

Posted by fletcher christian (# 13919) on :

There is a meditation that goes with this practice that is in fact moving. It has it's roots in South America and was done, some time long ago, for a very specific reason. If your interested I might try and dig it out. It's been a while since I read it, but using it in context with the meditation could be very moving.

Posted by Spiffy (# 5267) on :

Any excuse to trot the adorable kids out in front of the congregation is a good one, in my humble opinion. This is what it looks like when the MC is trying to take surreptitious photos of the Flowering. And this is what happens when the MC tries to zoom in as the Associate Priest is zooming out. Please note the greenery on the congo side of the Cross, to keep the chicken wire from showing too much when little hands don't understand the concept of aesthetic balance.

Posted by seasick (# 48) on :

It has become a near universal custom in Methodist Churches round here. The cross is generally made from the old Christmas tree and displayed through Lent and then flowered on Easter Day. As pious customs go, it's ok I think.

Posted by Oblatus (# 6278) on :

quote:
Originally posted by seasick:
It has become a near universal custom in Methodist Churches round here. The cross is generally made from the old Christmas tree and displayed through Lent and then flowered on Easter Day. As pious customs go, it's ok I think.

I saw the cross Chipped Chalice mentions that will be "flowered" for Easter, and it seems to be of a tastefully small size. Should be nice.

Sure beats a singing Christmas tree. What I love about those is imagining that there are singers in back, singing into the dark backstage.

(I thought of the singing Christmas tree because when I first heard of a "flowering of the Cross," I thought it might be something huge, populated with people holding flowers. Glad to know it ain't!)

[ 21. March 2013, 03:17: Message edited by: Oblatus ]

Posted by Og, King of Bashan (# 9562) on :

[Tangent] This is the first I have heard of the singing Christmas tree, but does the concept make anyone else think of the Singing Bush?[/Tangent]

Never seen nor heard of the flowering of the cross, although I have seen a practice where the kids place filled mite boxes onto a cross frame and get flowers for planting in exchange. The deflowering of the cross, perhaps?

Posted by Lietuvos Sv. Kazimieras (# 11274) on :

I do suspect the Flowering of the Cross is primarily a custom of the American South. I have seen it done in MOTR Texas TEC parishes.

Posted by The Kat in the Hat (# 2557) on :

quote:
Originally posted by fletcher christian:
There is a meditation that goes with this practice that is in fact moving. It has it's roots in South America and was done, some time long ago, for a very specific reason. If your interested I might try and dig it out. It's been a while since I read it, but using it in context with the meditation could be very moving.

I'd be interested in finding out more about this.
Thanks

Posted by Jengie Jon (# 273) on :

Let me point out that placing flowers on the cross at Easter is not just Southern USA. I wonder if they will find any flowers out this year.

Jengie

Posted by fletcher christian (# 13919) on :

Hi Kat, sorry for the delay, real life took over. It was a Latin American innovation on the Stations of the Cross. They added a fifteenth station for the resurrection. It is said to have begun in Canto Grande where the stations were attached to a large wooden cross (not sure why - may have been done outside or with a large amount of people so moving around to stations wasn't possible). The stations attached were made out of cardboard and also represent and came with a prayer for various things like praying for the worlds hungry, for those treated unjustly, for those sick etc. They are all slowly taken down and replaced with carnations representing different things. So the cardboard station with hunger is taken down and replaced with the carnation of sharing; the one of sickness replaced with the carnation of healing, the one of injustice replaced with the carnation of justice etc, etc and appropriate prayers said. Some of the stations had prayers for various local projects to do with things like building hospitals, safe water, new schools etc. The stations end with a prayer marking the cross of death turned into the flowers of life and then the people go forward to venerate this flowering cross.

That's a shortened version of it anyway.

Posted by The Kat in the Hat (# 2557) on :

Thanks for that - seems more meaningful now.

Posted by Chorister (# 473) on :

We had an interesting variation on that, one year. On Good Friday, people wrote out all the bad things in the world onto small cards, which were pinned, one by one, to one side of the wooden cross. Then the same cross was turned round on Easter Day and flowers were pinned on the other side.

What Kat says is quite true - if you can see the meaning of why something happens, which means someone has taken the trouble to explain, then you can come to appreciate all sorts of unusual innovations. It's when you think something is being done for the sake of it, or just to get bums on pews in a cheap way, without any deeper explanation, that it is puzzling and annoying.

Posted by The Kat in the Hat (# 2557) on :

Absolutely.
Where I worship at the moment has (had) a tradition called "Staking the Claim". I never understood it until a long-standing member gave me their feelings around the practice. Now it makes a bit more sense and I'm happy to include it in worship.

Posted by The Kat in the Hat (# 2557) on :

(sorry for the double post)
I think it's a bit like the guru's cat. Traditions are fine if we know why we are doing them. But too often it does become a case of "we've always done this", (except they haven't!)
Tell me why it is meaningful, otherwise out it goes.
As a child in a Methodist church there would be no candle burning on the table. Now there is - when & why did that start (not that I object, there's quite a bit of Anglican in me!)

Posted by North East Quine (# 13049) on :

I was away from home this weekend and attended a Scottish Methodist church which had a flowered cross.

I hadn't heard of such a thing prior to this thread and now I've experienced one!

This one was made of last Christmas's Christmas tree.

Posted by Mudfrog (# 8116) on :

In the methodist church that we share services with, they have a lenten cross with the required crown of thorns, purple cloth, etc. But on easter Sunday they replace it with a same-size cross-shaped structure made of oasis and chicken wire.

On Easter Sunday people bring a spray of flowers or a couple of daffodils, etc, and come forward during the service and pierce the cross with their flowers leaving them there.

I hate it.

It looks a bit 'pagan' though I can't say why - a bit like a flowery Green Man perhaps.

Someone said that it reminded him off those road side 'shrines' that people set up on lampposts to remember a dead pedestrian or motorcyclist killed on the road.

I much prefer the ordinary cross draped with a while cloth with flowers at the base.

Posted by The Riv (# 3553) on :

I observed a sad display of a rather large wire-prepared cross yesterday that only managed to attract a few flowers. 'Underwhelming' is about the best one could say about it. Pity it was placed front and center of the chancel -- couldn't not see its pitiful result all service long.

Posted by Jante (# 9163) on :

In our team of churches the cross is 'thatched' with daffodils having been ued on Good Friday as an empty cross for the Hour at the Cross. The whole congregation comes forward in the opening hymn and the daffodils are bound to the cross using string or elastic until the whole cross is covered- it does look good when finished and speaks of resurrection to many people. Once finished it is put up to be seen but no more mention made of it in the service.

Posted by ChippedChalice (# 14057) on :

We did indeed have the "flowering of the cross" at Mass yesterday -- as the part of the announcements (which happen after the Peace and before the Offertory at our place).

Some people probably did like it -- after all, the kids were cute.

Curmudgeon that I am, I thought it was as incongruous and jarring as a tamborine solo at a Mozart Mass (which is exactly what we were having).

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