Showing posts with label St. Anthony's Day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label St. Anthony's Day. Show all posts

June 13 - St. Anthony's Day in Lisbon

Posted on June 13, 2020



When you hear that a particular holiday is one huge block party, a street fair, a crowded festival featuring eating, drinking, and being merry - you gotta suspect that the event is cancelled in 2020. I checked and discovered that Lisbon's usual St. Anthony's Day (and especially June 12 St. Anthony's Eve) celebrations are indeed cancelled because of COVID-19.

 One of the traditions of St. Anthony's Day is for men to give their loved one a potted basil plant decorated with a paper carnation and a message of love.

 Even though this feast day is supposed to be about St. Anthony, the patron saint of Lisbon, it's often called the Festival of Sardines - and the food stalls crowding the streets often feature folks grilling sardines. Apparently the smell of grilled sardines and basil is pretty strong!



Paper garlands strung between buildings, wine and sangria and beer, a parade, jumping over bonfires (!), and staying up all night long are other features of the usual St. Anthony's Eve. 

 

 Two of the most unusual celebrations are: (1) Many people write a prayer on a piece of paper and then stuff the paper into a small bread roll. In turn, the roll is stuffed into the frame of St. Anthony's picture! (2) There are mass wedding ceremonies! Starting with a 1958 wedding ceremony for 26 couples, held at the Church of St. Anthony, this tradition has become a way for people who cannot afford a big wedding to still have a massive celebration!! The newlywed couples even get to walk in their bridal finery in the parade!

Sounds fun! Maybe next year...







Worldwide Knit in Public Day


(Second Saturday in June)





(Second Saturday in June)


(Saturday closest to June 15)





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January 17 – St. Anton's Day in Bulgaria


Posted on January 17, 2017

I get why this day celebrates people who are named Anton and related names -- they were named after the saint; it's the saint's feast day today; it all works -- and even though Saint Anton and his twin brother Atanas were supposed to be blacksmiths, I get why St. Anton's Day is supposed to be about protecting people from illness. Apparently, St. Anton spent twenty years in a secluded building, and he was visited by sick people. He would talk to them for hours. 

But I really don't get why the following activities are banned for the day: spinning, knitting, cooking beans and corn and lentils. I read in one source that those activities were suspected to "make diseases angry."

All I can say to that is that people have always looked for explanations for bad things like illnesses and death, and have tried to figure out ways to prevent and control those bad things. Luckily, we humans have invented science, which is a way of testing cause and effect, looking for evidence, and not fooling ourselves. So now we know a lot more about the true causes and cures for various diseases. We are lucky to live in modern times!

One of the nice customs of the day is to get up early and bake breads, to spread honey on them, and to pass them out to others in the neighborhood. We don't have to believe that the loaves chase away illnesses in order to keep that tradition.

Bulgaria tends to be cold and often snowy in January. 


By the way, the English spelling of "Anton" is "Anthony." Some of the names of people celebrating their name day today include Anthony, Anton, Antonia, Antoanneta, Antoan, Andon, Doncho, Donka, Donna, Donny, Donyo, Tonyo, and Tony.

Also on this date:


















Birthday of former First Lady Michelle Obama
Benjamin Franklin's birthday







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