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March 25 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. Luke 1:30-31 The Annunciation, da Vinci, c. 1475 Happy New Year! Up until 1752, March 25th was the first day of the New Year in much of the English-speaking world. It was also known as Lady …Read more 
March 19 St. Joseph In New Orleans, Carnival season doesn’t end with Mardi Gras, it just gets going. On the heels of the Mardi Gras and St. Patrick’s Day comes St. Joseph’s Day, one of the biggest celebrations of the year. Saint Joseph is the Patron Saint of Italy; he’s particularly revered in Sicily, where prayers to the saint are believed to have ended a deadly drought in the Middle Ages. His Feast Day is celebrated by …Read more 
February 22, 2012 Ash Wednesday, by Carl Spitzweg, ca. 1855 Don’t tell your co-worker he has dirt on his face; he’s been told this a dozen times already today, and it’s not dirt. The ashes on his forehead, resembling the shape of a cross, most likely come from palms that were burned last year after Palm Sunday and were blessed by a priest. On the morning of Ash Wednesday, Catholic priests and some Protestant ministers mark their parishioners foreheads …Read more 
Date varies. February 20-26, 2012 There’s no Mardi Gras or Carnival in Russia. Lent doesn’t descend on Orthodox Christians in one big swoop as in Catholicism, but in a series of events with increasingly strict regulations. Triodion begins a full month before Lent. Two weeks later, Meatfare Sunday marks the last day Orthodox Christians can eat meat until after Easter, aka Pascha. The Sunday after Meatfare is Cheesefare Sunday, the last day for eating dairy products. In Catholic …Read more 
February 10 Shipwreck of St. Paul, the Vatican Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale A tale of a fateful trip That started from Judean port Aboard a Roman Ship. The weather started getting rough, The Roman ship was tossed. Because of the sermons of the fearless Paul Not a single life was lost. They splashed about for 14 days, No sight of sun nor star. Until they crashed …Read more 
“So this Rabbi and a tax collector walk into a temple…” Yes, this has all the makings of a great joke, but it’s actually Luke 18:10. Eastern Orthodox Churches recall the story of the Pharisee and the Publican today, the fourth Sunday before Easter. A different section of the New Testament is read each weekend during Lent. The Pharisee and the …Read more 
February 2 February 2 marks the sacred day in ancient Jerusalem when Jesus’s woodchuck poked its head out of the ground and declared six more weeks of Imbolc. Wait, no, so is Groundhog Day the modern equivalent of the Purification of Mary? Is Candlemas a pagan holiday? And how often is Puxasawquantalahacwney Phil the Prognosticating Groundhog right?
According to Christian tradition, Candlemas (February 2nd) falls 40 days after Christmas, and marks the day …Read more 
January 19 (January 20 in Leap Years)
If you’ve just had an epiphany, you’re not alone. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church celebrates Epiphany on January 19. (January 20 in Leap Year.) It’s called Timkat, or Timket. In parts of Europe and the Americas Epiphany is also known as Three Kings Day, (though no number or rank is specified in the Bible) and celebrates the visit of the Magi who bestow gifts on the baby Jesus. In …Read more |
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