Description
Coliva is an offering brought by the faithful to the church for sanctification, in honor of the saint of the day, on someone’s name day or for the relief of the souls of the deceased, of sins and removing them from eternal damnation.
Coliva is the material expression of faith in the Resurrection because it is made of grains of wheat, and Christ the Savior was the one who used the example of the grain of wheat to foretell His Resurrection from the dead.
Coliva symbolizes the Church, meaning all Christians, united by the same faith in God. While “Eternal Remembrance” is being sung in the church, the faithful hold the cage together with the priest and swing it from top to bottom.
