Showing posts with label feast day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label feast day. Show all posts

September 25 - Feast Day of Saint Nicholas of Flüe in Switzerland

Posted on September 25, 2020



There's something about "Saint Nicholas" that just kicks me right into Christmas stuff, but apparently this St. Nick had nothing to do with presents for kiddos.

Wait - he is sometimes referred to as Brother Klaus, which makes me think of Santa Claus - the other name for St. Nick! 

It turns out that Klaus is sometimes a person's entire name but is other times a shortened version of Nikolaus or Niklaus, which are German forms of Nicholas. 

So, today's honored saint is STILL not the Christmas character we know so well. Who was this Nicholas of Flüe?

He lived long ago. Nicholas of Flüe lived in Switzerland in the 1400s, right around the time of the Renaissance.

He was a hermit. Well, he was a farmer, a soldier, a judge, a husband, and a father of 10 kids. But he had a dream (or vision?) and decided that the dream was telling him that his ordinary work and concerns were taking away from his spiritual life, so he left all of that and went off to live by himself. 

This was the area where Nicholas of Flüe lived by himself.
Of course, it's probably changed a lot in more than 500 years!

However, Nicholas was not alone all the time. He assisted at a mass every day - and supposedly he lived off of no other food other than the bread and wine used for Holy Communion (or Eucharist) for 19 YEARS!!! Also, "Brother Klaus" gave such good spiritual advice that important leaders from all over Europe came to him for counsel! And when he died at age 70, he was surrounded by his wife and grown children. So that's nice!

There are quite a few chapels named Brother Klaus
(or similar names) in Germany and Switzerland.
This German chapel (above and below) is pretty amazing!


Apparently Brother Klaus was able to prevent a civil war between the various cantons of Switzerland, and that is one reason he is considered the patron saint of that nation.



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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)





Plan ahead:



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And here are my Pinterest boards for:
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January 27 - Feast of Sainte Devote in Monaco

Posted on January 27, 2020

There is a sad story connected to many a saint, and Sainte Devote is no exception. At age 19, the story goes, Devote lived a life dedicated to Christianity in Corsica (an island between France and Italy). This was back in the 300s, and the Roman Empire had not yet embraced Christianity; the Roman Emperor Diocletian ordered Devote to be arrested and even killed.



Christians were able to get Devote's body and wanted to ship it to Africa for burial, but a huge storm kicked up in the Mediterranean Sea. The boat carrying Devote's body wound up on the shores of what is now the principality of Monaco, and so she is buried there instead. 

Devote became a Catholic saint, and a chapel was built in Monaco to house her remains.

Apparently someone tried to steal her remains a looooooong time ago, but believers were able to stop the thief and - as punishment - burned his boat.

That boat burning, centuries ago, is the reason that every year, on January 27 (the Feast Day of Sainte Devote), there is a boat-burning ceremony in front of Devote's chapel.



By the way, Monaco is lovely:






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