St.
Joseph's Day
Traditions |
Tables or Altars | Recipes
| e-Cards
According
to the Christian Bible, St. Joseph the carpenter was the husband
of Mary and the earthly father of Jesus. Tradition says that
March 19th is the birthday of St. Joseph.
The
feast that is celebrated on St. Joseph's Day honors all fathers.
In the Catholic tradition, St. Joseph's Day traditionally falls
during the fasting season of Lent that precedes Easter. That
means the feasting for St. Joseph's Day is done without meat.
Italian recipes include pastas, fish, sweets, breads and fava
beans. Many other countries join the festivities on March 19th
and, since Joseph is one of the most common names in these countries,
most families have at least one Giuseppe, Jozefa,
José, Pepe, Joe or Josephine
to celebrate with.
TRADITIONS
• Italian Catholics and many descendants of Italian
immigrants prepare St. Joseph Tables, tavole di San Giuseppe,
set to honor St. Joseph. They are filled with beautiful and
often elaborate foods, including meatless dishes such as stuffed
artichokes, pasta and fish, as well as breads, cookies, pastries,
cakes and other delicacies.
• St. Joseph Tables are placed in both churches
and homes. Each table is blessed by a priest and presided over
by a statue of St. Joseph. A stalk of lily blossoms, votive
candles and a lace tablecloth are typically used to decorate
the feast table.
• Notices are posted in newspapers and in other
media inviting the public to view and partake of the traditional
meal of pasta Milanese. Participants often leave donations at
the table.
• Special groups such as orphans, the elderly or
the homeless are invited to share in the feast. At the end of
St. Joseph's Day, leftover food is sold or given away, and any
money earned is donated to the poor.
•
In the United States, red is worn on St. Joseph's Day. There
doesn't seem to be any religious significance to this color.
It seems to have begun as a tradition to complement the tradition
of wearing green on St. Patrick's Day, which falls only two
days before.
•
St. Joseph is the patron of workers and those in need of work.
Prayers for the unemployed are often included in the traditions
of March 19th celebrations.
•
Burying a statue of St. Joseph in your yard on March 19th is
said to help in selling your home and finding a new one. There
are even special kits that are marketed for this, although most
would say that a prayer would do just as well!
WHEN
The feast day of St. Joseph is celebrated on March 19 every year. In 2007, St. Joseph's Day
is on Monday.
PURPOSE
St. Joseph's Day is a Roman Catholic feast day commemorating
the life of St. Joseph, the foster father of Jesus and husband
of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
CELEBRATION
Those with strong religious associations, most often those of
European descent, typically celebrate St. Joseph's Day.
Greeting cards with a spiritual focus and a light blessing are
used to commemorate St. Joseph's Day. In the United States,
Hallmark offers four St. Joseph's Day cards.
In many countries St. Joseph's Day is a national holiday.
Those who visit a St. Joseph's table, often receive gifts of
fava beans and breads. Fava beans play an integral part of the
celebration because this was the food that saved the Sicilians
from starvation. The bean is said to bring good luck, and it
is believed that if the St. Joseph's bread is kept in the home,
the family will never starve.
HISTORY
Many Italian St. Joseph's Day traditions stem from the middle
ages. During a famine in Sicily, when food was scarce and many
people were starving, the poor people had only their faith to
rely on. St. Joseph was known as the protector of the Holy Family;
thus, Italians with strong family relationships prayed for St.
Joseph to intercede for them, in an effort to ensure successful
crops. Their prayers were answered, and the famine came to an
end. In gratitude, people promised to make annual offerings
of their most precious possession – food – in St. Joseph's honor.
Little is said in the gospel about Joseph, except that he was
a descendant of David and a carpenter by trade. Legends provide
additional details about Joseph's life. He supposedly was a
widower of advanced age when he was chosen by God to wed Mary.
According to one legend, Mary's many suitors left their staffs
in the temple one night so that God could indicate who she should
marry. The next morning, Joseph's staff blossomed with white
flowers and leaves and sent forth a white dove, indicating that
he was the chosen one. This explains why statues of St. Joseph
typically show him holding the Christ Child and a stalk of white
lilies and why this day is a common celebration of fathers throughout
the Christian world.
March 19 is said to be St. Joseph's birthday and is celebrated
as St. Joseph's Day.
The feast
of St. Joseph also marks the beginning of spring in many countries.
One Czech proverb, Pekne-li na Svatého Josefa, bývá
dobrý rok...
Or, If
it is nice on St. Joseph's Day, it will usually be a good year...
Source: Hallmark.com
Holidays & Celebrations
Related
Web Resources:
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St.
Joseph's Table or Buffet Dinner - The Catholic
Culture site has a nice section on St. Joseph's Day including
many Italian traditions like vicia fava - fava
beans - and a blessing for the St. Joseph's day altar.
You'll also find "Tupa-Tupa" and other
activities and, of course, recipes for Bunuelous
and other delicious treats for the St. Joseph's table.
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The
St. Joseph's Table - From In Italy Online
a great description of the table, the blessing and the
ceremonies that are traditional in Sicily. If you read
Italian, you'll love the link to SAN
GIUSEPPE - MENU' DI GUARDIALIFIERA...
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Den
Svatého Josefa - Czech St. Joseph Day Traditions
- Learn about traditions transplanted to the United States..."the
taverns serve red beer, the bakeries sell red bread, and
the village is decorated with red flowers."
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Dzien
Swietego Jozefa - Polish-American St. Joseph's Day Traditions
- Polish immigrants to American brought their St. Joseph's
Day traditions with them and in time the Italian and Polish
celebrations grew similar. There is a recipe for Perciatelli
con la Sarde, Perciatelli with Sardines: St. Joseph's
Pasta and plenty of links to other sites for pastries
and pastas...
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St.
Joseph's Day and Swallows Day Parade - In the United States, the State of California
holds a unique ritual every St. Joseph's Day. March 19th marks the annual festival of
the Swallows returning to Mission San Juan Capistrano. The Return of the Swallows celebration
is scheduled for Sunday, March 18 and Monday, March 19, 2007...
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Starkbierzeit
- Strong Beer Festival - In Germany, the
monks celebrated St. Joseph's Day with a special strong
beer brewed to supplement the diet of Lenten fasting.
The modern celebration in Munich fills two weeks and usually
falls around the feast of St. Joseph...
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The
History Of The Fallas - In Valencia, Spain
St. Joseph's Day has become a two week celebration as
well. What began as rag dolls called peleles being hung
in the streets has turned to a giant competition for the
best fallas. Fireworks and bonfires mark the end of winter
and days of feasting and celebration honoring St. Joseph
and all fathers are the rule. Sample the traditional recipe
for paella
to serve at a falles celebration...
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Non-Stop
New York's Italianissimo: La Festa di San Giuseppe NYC-Style
- In addition to the info on Italian traditions celebrated
on St. Joseph's Day, La
Cucina della Festa di San Giuse will provide you with
recipes for Mamma Giglio's recipe for pasta di San Giuse,
Cavazune, i sfingi and zeppole di San Giuseppe puffy cream
filled desserts very different than the San Gennaro zeppoli...
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Celebrating
St. Joseph's Day Recipes - You'll find simple
recipes for Zeppole di San Guiseppe and the fried zeppoli
made in Naples as well as St. Joseph's Pants, Pasta Di
San Giuse and St. Joseph's Bread.
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St.
Joseph's Day Cream Puffs (Zeppole) - Diana's
desserts adds a picture to the recipe so if you're not
familiar with the traditional Zeppole di San Guiseppe
you can see what all the fuss is about. She also has a
section for recipe conversions which comes in handy for
different measurements...
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St.
Joseph's Day Recipes - Tony Nitti provides
a Chicago version of the traditional St. Joseph's Day
Bread, St. Joseph's Spaghetti, Onion Calzone, cream puffs
(St. Joseph's Day Zeppole) and Naples style fried ring
shaped Zeppole...
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St.
Joseph's Day e-Card Greetings - A selection
of cards to send to your favorite Joseph, Joe, Pepe or
Josephine to brighten his or her name day. You can also
send St. Joseph's Day wishes of peace and blessing to
everyone you care about even if their names are not a
variation of Joseph!
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St.
Joseph's Day e-Cards - The two cards here
are a special prayer card for the unemployed and a card
with a prayer asking for blessings and protection for
a family...
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St.
Joseph's Day Religious e-Cards - Three cards
asking for blessing, guidance and protection of family
are available at this site...
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