Family in Feast and Feria

It's November 11 already? How time flies! Well all my best-laid plans...this post will be much shorter, probably to your relief! Today is the Memorial of St. Martin of Tours, also known as Martinmas in England or Martintag in Germany.

So many customs are associated with this day. This 4RealLearning Thread has all sorts of ideas and links related to this day.

A wonderful book to read about this saint is Martin of Tours: Soldier, Bishop, Saint by Regine Pernoud, translated by Michael J. Miller. I really enjoy Regine Pernoud's books, and this is no exception. She bases the biographical information on St. Martin on the writings of his contemporary and companion, Sulpitius Severus and gives the historical perspective. It's quite interesting and inspiring. I haven't finished the book, but a few thoughts I thought I would share:

This is just trivial information, but it piqued my interest. Although the most common picture of St. Martin is the depiction of him as a Roman soldier cutting his cape in half for the beggar, who turns out to be Jesus. I realize now the coloring is incorrect. It's usually painted as a red cape, but Pernoud explains:

The white chlamys or cape was the uniform of that elite guard which served the emperor, the members of which were called candidati, which means "men clothed in white". It was a cloak with a slit, fastened at the right shoulder with a brooch; the upper part of it was lined with lambskin, and perhaps it was that lined part that Martin cut off with his sword to give to the beggar.

St. Martin was born 3 or 4 years after the Edict of Milan, where Constantine declared the Christians were free to practice in the public. So he was born after the age of martyrs. His life showed true saintly qualities to earn him to becoming the first non-martyr saint.

What really impresses me in reading his life is is the zeal and love for Christ and His Church. He gave all to the poor, prayed, fasted, and many miracles worked through. What a contrast to our era. We live in such a lukewarm age...where is our faith? We witness so few miracles now...and I wonder is it because our faith isn't even the size of a mustard seed, and our spiritual lives so shallow that we can't get our faith to grow? I'm the first to accuse myself. Here I am rising late, sipping my coffee in a warm, comfortable home. Where is my prayer, my fasting, my sacrifices, my spiritual and corporal works of mercy? Through the intercession of St. Martin help me see my indifference and ignite my soul so that I may persevere.

So many miracles worked through him or his intercession even after his death. A pilgrimage to see his tomb was the second most popular pilgrimage in the Middle Ages, after St. Peter's in Rome. St. James Compostela in Spain was third, and usually those pilgrims to see St. James basilica stopped by at the tomb of St. Martin's on the way. Sadly, the basilica and the relics were destroyed first by the Huguenots and what was restored also suffered destruction during the French Revolution. I spent a good amount of time yesterday trying to find out if any relics remain, as there was mention that small amounts were rescued. Some remains of the original basilica have been found and trying to restore. If anyone has links or information that might have photos or more information about relics or the church, please let me know.

One of my sisters has in-laws from Germany. One cousin-in-law brought back some authentic St. Martin's Day paper lanterns. So tonight we hope to have a bonfire, a little St. Martin's parade and family fun. There are similar to these instructions, so yesterday I bought materials and attempted a homemade version. Instead of plain paper I bought some sheets of decorated vellum that has transparent qualities. The vellum has wonderful folding ability, also doesn't tear as easily. I bought thin dowels and cut them in half, and for lighting I used a battery operated LED votive light. I'd prefer something smaller, but this will work for now. I poked holes in the pole and used crochet thread to attach to the pole and the lantern. I also used craft sticks as suggested in the directions for the back of the lantern, poked holes and then attached to the crochet thread.

My first lantern took some time to figure out the directions. I skipped decorating with crayons or markers, as my paper had a design. It is a challenging project, requiring a bit more nimble fingers, so I'd say definitely it's more appropriate for older children or adults. It's a little time-consuming, at least for the first one. But since it will be used at night, the dark is all-forgiving and you can't see mistakes. The kids will love it!

I'm out of memory space on my blog right now, so I can't post the pictures directly here. Here's my Flickr compilation with explanations, and below some sneak previews. I'm struggling with getting them in the right order...but I'm out of time.

www.flickr.com

Now, the weather report. I love the old weather proverbs connected to some of the Church's feast days. Martinmas is no exception. Right now in Virginia we are experiencing some delightful warm, sunny weather. This is referred to St. Martin's Summer, or Indian Summer. But one other weather lore:

If the geese on St. Martin's Day (November 11) stand on ice, they will walk in mud at Christmas.

My favorite custom is geared towards grown-ups. Today in many places around the world the new wine would be blessed. St. Martin's wine or "Martiniloben" can then be tasted for the first time. Beaujolais Nouveau is frequently released on this day, and a perfect new wine to sip and toast to St. Martin!

St. Martin of Tours, pray for us.

During which we go Bohemian...or at least delve into the patron saint of Bohemia.

September 28 is the Optional Memorial of St. Wenceslas, martyr, otherwise known at Christmastime as "Good King Wenceslas." This feast is usually overlooked because of several reasons, one being that understanding how he died is hard for little ones, let alone grown-ups. Another reason, the following day is the big Feast of the Archangels, and then soon after St. Therese the Little Flower, the Guardian Angels and St. Francis of Assisi -- some big feasts that overshadow this memorial.

But St. Wenceslas gives a little peek into Christmas time. Last year we had one picture book that had the words to the carol "Good King Wenceslas." My son loved it, wanted to sing it all the time and by Christmas he knew all the words to all the verses -- quite a feat considering he was only 2 at the time and I still stumble over some of the words. So before the hustle and bustle of Advent and Christmas preparation, it's nice to isolate a Christmas carol and delve in a little deeper into our Church's history. And, if St. Stephen happens to be a family member's patron saint, that's a perfect reason for finding out more about St. Wenceslas!

There's another reason why I enjoy Wenceslas and connect Christmas with this saint. When Pope John Paul II came to Czestochowa, Poland in 1991 for the World Youth Day, my sister and I joined a group pilgrimage. One of our stops along the way to Poland was in the city of Prague. I hope to go back someday -- this city is just too wonderful for words -- I think it's been called the Rome of the East? Some of the sights to see, the Charles River and Charles Bridge, the Infant of Prague and the St. Vitus Cathedral, which includes the Chapel of Wenceslas and houses his relics. One of my favorite impressions at the Cathedral was to see near one of the doors the markings of 19 + C + M + B + 91. Our family has always marked our house every Epiphany, so it was a welcome sight to see the same tradition miles away from home. Dawn had just written a delightful post on this tradition. See? I'm not the only one with Christmas on the mind.

The difficulty with St. Wenceslas is his story. It's not a charming bedtime story for children. The harshness of his reality could be hard for younger ears. He was born around the year 907, he was from Bohemia, which later became Czechoslovakia, now Slovakia and the Czech Republic. His country was filled with people who did not believe in God. His grandmother, St. Ludmilla, taught him his faith. When his mother, who was not a faithful Christian, wanted him to renounce his Christianity, he wouldn't. But she thought killing her mother-in-law would help, so Ludmilla died a martyr for her faith. Then later, Wenceslas lived a Cain and Abel story, where his younger brother Boleslav killed him because of his faith. But there is a happy ending, as Boleslav repented and converted and followed in Wenceslas footsteps to bring his country to the fullness of Christianity. Ludmilla and Wenceslas did not die in vain. And these are two saints to invoke when grandparents are helping raise their grandchildren, particularly in the Faith.

So, dwelling on the Christmas carol, and talking about Wenceslas' good works is a way to introduce St. Wenceslas to younger children. John Neale wrote the Christmas carol "Good King Wenceslas" because the feast of St. Stephen, December 26, was traditionally Boxing Day in England, a day money and gifts were given to poor and servants. Wenceslas' good deeds for the poor were perfect examples of Boxing Day, and so a carol was born. As the children get older we can help them understand the history and culture. But even as an adult it's hard to comprehend the harshness of this different culture and time.

We've been enjoying these books this week, preparing for his feast day. To add these to your own personal library means these books play double duty -- bringing them out September 28 and at the Christmas season, particularly on the feast of St. Stephen, December 26. Most of these were at my local library, and I know that there are many more versions of picture books that use the lyrics of the Christmas carol "Good King Wenceslas" (or Wenceslaus) by John Mason Neale as the text. Wenceslas was not a King, but a Duke, but it doesn't ruin the storyline. The text was set to the tune of the thirteenth-century air "Tempus adest floridum," which celebrated the flowers of spring. this site gives wonderful information about this Christmas carol.

Good King Wenceslas: A Legend in Music and Pictures by Mary Reed Newland. We began with this book last year. I'm a fan of Mary Reed Newland, so I found this out-of-print version to add to my collection. She illustrates it with beautiful black and white scratch drawings, and the calligraphy is done by Anita Karl. She begins her book with a historical introduction of the carol and the life of Wenceslas. It's not elementary reading, but it's great information. Here's a tidbit:

People in Czechoslovakia and many other places, too, have always remembered Wenceslas. It was written of him that he "kept the faith, helping the wretched, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, protecting widows and orphans, ransoming prisoners, and loving and caring for the rich and poor alike." When John Mason Neale set out to write a carol for the feast of St. Stephen which falls on December 26 his thoughts immediately went to Wenceslas. The feast of St. Stephen is the day when people in Neale's country, England, give gifts to the poor. And he saw other similarities between the two saints. So John Mason Neale, writing in in the year 1853, created a new legend of Wenceslas in his lovely carol and helped keep the young ruler's example fresh for the people of our day.

Mrs. Newland in her newly reprinted A Year with Our Children tells the story of St. Wenceslas in a different way, but you can get more flavor of her storytelling.

Good King Wenceslas by Pauline Baynes, the same illustrator of the Chronicles of Narnia. This is a short biography of Saint Wenceslas.. The text is simple, a little too advanced for my 3 yos, but fine for elementary age. This is the only picture book that I've found (in-print) that gives a larger picture of his life. It also includes the music and text of the carol. Life in Bohemia and this era was a bit harsh, so decide beforehand that you want to talk about mean mothers who kill their mother-in-law, and brother killing brother. It's how martyrs are made, but sometimes hard to discuss. Baynes incorporates different legends that illustrate Wenceslas' virtues. It's a short, small book, but the illustrations and text are wonderful. If you need one book about St. Wenceslas (that's in print), I'd recommend this one. This is also the one book that tells us that the page's name was Poidevin.

Good King Wenceslas illustrated by Tim Ladwig. This one starts in the City of Prague, showing the statue of St. Wenceslas in the town square, and relates the text from the Carol in pictures. Watercolor, liquid acrylic, and oil on paper. Includes a dog as the page's companion.

Good King Wenceslas illustrated by Christopher Manson, worth finding for the unique artwork. The illustrations are woodcuts, painted with watercolor and the text was hand lettered and cut in wood.

Good King Wencelas illustrated by Jamichael Henterly. It's a shame this is out-of-print, as this is the my favorite of the carol books. There are little touches throughout this book that illustrate Wenceslas' faith, such as crucifixes, and a little St. Agnes shrine by the fountain. The opening pages show Wenceslas looking out the window, and his page sleeping next to a table with an open illuminated manuscript, the page showing the Nativity scene with the three wise men. The final scene in the book the page and Wenceslas are in the home of the peasant. The mother is holding the illuminated manuscript and her children surround her, looking in awe. I like the idea that not only does St. Wenceslas feed them and provide warmth, but he also brings food for the soul and mind. A book is a wonderful gift! Another point of the illustrations is when Wenceslas and his page are trudging through the snow, Wenceslas' image is reminiscent of Advent and Christmas images -- St. Nicholas? Father Christmas?

Elizabeth suggested another picture book entitled Stephen's Feast
by Jean Richardson, illustrated by Alice Englander. Unfortunately, it is out of print, but it is a great one to add to the list. It tells the story of Stephen, the king's youngest page, who was celebrating his birthday on the feast of St. Stephen. King Wenceslas asks him to assist him to help the peasant. Stephen doesn't want to miss the revelry and celebration back at the castle, but helping the poor family teaches him a lesson of Christian virtue. The storyline and pictures are wonderful. This book is perfect for those named after St. Stephen.

Wenceslas by Geraldine McCaughrean illustrated by Christian Birmingham. I have not seen this book, but it has found rave reviews.

A non-picture biography on St. Wenceslas that is hard-to-find, is A King Without a Crown by Brother Roberto, C.S.C., (although this says Bro. Ernst), one of the Dujarie Press titles.

Joan Windham has a nice little story for St. Wenceslas which I found in Story Library of the Saints. Email me at jennifergmillernospam@gmail.com (remove "no spam") if you would like me to mail you a Word document of the text.

From Religion in the Home for a Preschooler comes the suggestion to act out St. Wenceslas' story.

Reading about St. Wenceslas shouldn't just stop at his story, but expand and learn more about his country and particularly the city of Prague. Most Catholics have heard or seen the devotion to the Infant of Prague (more information here), housed in the Church of Our Lady Victorious in Prague. More sites: Prague Astronomical Clock, Charles Bridge, and St. Vitus Cathedral, Jewish Cemetery and Quarter to name a few.

The Three Golden Keys by Peter Sis is a wonderful picture book to give a glimpse of Prague. I chanced upon this book at a used book store...I had never heard of it before, but thrilled to find out the subject matter. The author grew up in Prague and tries to recapture his lost childhood and celebrates the wonderful cultural heritage of the city. He includes different legends tied into the city. The pictures are haunting but yet captivating, even capturing a young 3-year-old's interest. After reading this book, track down photos of the architecture to compare the picture book with reality.

For further info, see Travel for Kids in the Czech Republic.

For more on St. Wenceslas, see:
Patron Saints Index Wenceslaus
Catholic Encyclopedia
St. Wenceslas, from Little Pictorial Lives of the Saints

If you've made it this far, I thought I should mention that Wenceslas is the patron of brewers. Pilsener (or pilsner) is a pale lager that first originated in the city of Pilsen of western Bohemia (now Czech Republic). So for Wenceslas' feast, raise a glass of pilsner in the saint's name (for the adults, of course!).

St. Wenceslas, pray for us.

Tomorrow is the feast of St. James the Great, apostle. St. James had special mention in the New Testament. How many times did we hear of the threesome, Peter James, John? They were present at the Transfiguration, they also were closer to Jesus at the Agony in the Garden. For more information, see Patron Saints Index, St. James the Greater

But St. James didn't mean too much except a special Apostle's Feast Day until at age 27 I took a Spanish class at Franciscan University of Steubenville with Senorita Capote. She was a lovely, vibrant Cuban woman, very holy and contagiously enthusiastic. I was trying to finish up my Spanish credits, so for summer school I was taking Spanish 102. Although she had officially retired from teaching, the normal Spanish teacher was on maternity leave, so she helped out that summer. And she changed my viewpoint forever.

July 25 occurred during our summertime lessons, so Senorita brought in pictures, videos and stories of the lovely Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, where the body of St. James is buried. She told us about the pilgrimages, the geography, the traditions, the foods. July 24, the eve, fireworks are set off around the church, and the whole facade is lit up in an outline. The highlight was her story of the large censor that swings through the cathedral. This is a large censor, the Botafumeiro, requiring 8 grown men to swing it, and it goes back and forth from the sanctuary (altar) to the rear of the church, filling the entire church with the incense.

For the Holy Year 2000, there were webcams set up in the Cathedral, and I was able to catch a glimpse of the Botafumeiro in action. Sadly, I think the webcams are not in operation.

For some pictures of the beautiful city, check out Barbara's pictures at Church of the Masses from her recent trip. You can find pictures here, here, and this amusing picture.

I was reading from the book Discovering Spain by Penelope Casas. Her descriptions of the region of Galicia where Santiago de Compostela and particular information about Santiago are wonderful. I enjoy all her writing and her recipes -- she's an author to check out from the library. Even if you didn't try one single recipe, you really get a flavor of Spain.

Galicia is unique due to Celtic influences. Bagpipes are played here, lots of Scottish-like festivities and costumes. Another interesting tidbit: horses run free in rural areas.

The city of Santiago de Compostela is full of medieval flavor. Sadly, the Way of St. James, famous for the pilgrims of the Middle Ages, isn't traveled as much any more. You can buy old-fashioned artisan items here: silver, jet jewelry and even Galician wooden shoes.

Penelope Casas' description of the city is priceless:

Crafts, religion and food all intertwine in Santiago's symbol, the scallop shell. Pilgrims carried holy water in jet receptacles carved to resemble scallop shells and returned to their homelands with real shells pinned to their robes as evidence that they had indeed reached the holy city (Santiago, Rome and Jerusalem are the three cities that he Catholic church officially designates "holy".) And you will see fresh scallops, still attached to their shells, in food displays all over the city....

The Way of St. James
It was a medieval phenomenon: throngs of Europe's sick and weary, gathering at designated French cities (mainly Paris, Vezelay, Le Puy, and Arles), then walk­ing across the formidable Pyrenees, even in the dead of winter, on a cruel jour­ney that took months to complete. It was at first a movement initiated by the masses, but eventually bishops, priests, kings, Saint Francis of Assisi, even twelfth century Pope Calixtus II, joined the peregrination to Santiago.

Pilgrimages to Santiago became a major impetus for expansion of the clergy and construction of churches and hospitals to care for pilgrims en route, and resulted in an exchange of ideas and a mingling of concepts and cultures on a grand scale. Today if you follow the route from the French border you will find early churches and hospitals (that gave rise to towns and cities with wide lineal roads to accommo­date the masses) every thirty kilometers or so, the average dis­tance a pilgrim might cover in a day. One of the world's first travel guidebooks, compiled by a French priest, Aymeric Picaud, tells the pilgrim where to find the best food and lodging en route ("Estella, rich in fine bread and excellent wine, as well as fine meat and fish and supplied with all manner of goodnesses"), even where they should avoid drinking the water ("Take care not to drink nor let your horse drink from it [the Rio Salado in Navarra], for it will be fatal!").

The costume of the pilgrim was standard: a thick coarse wool cape, a stave with a gourd atop to store water, sturdy sandals, a wide-brim felt hat turned up in front, and on the return (for those who had the health to return) scallop shells pinned to the shoulders of their robes as evidence that indeed they had reached Santiago.

The pilgrimages reached their height in the twelfth century, then declined but never disappeared. The devout and those merely seeking adventure backpack today along the Way of Saint James (Pope John in his younger years was one of them) and are still cared for by the clergy as they tenaciously make their way to Santiago.

I posted some food ideas for this feast day on my food blog. The dominant symbols of the Cross of St. James and the scallop shell would be useful to add to decorations or crafts for this feast.

An appropriate theme for this feast would be "playing pilgrims"--reminiscent of the girls in Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. Dress in the pilgrim's costume as described above. Make a scalloped shell pin (either out of clay or real shell), add a gourd for water, a walking stick, etc.

Little Women took their inspiration from Pilgrim's Progress, a definite Protestant work. Take a Catholic twist and use C.S. Lewis' book Pilgrim's Regress, Canterbury Tales (pilgrims on way to St. Thomas a Becket shrine), St. James pilgrims, and I'm sure there are other sources about pilgrims to the Holy Land and Rome, even following Christ's life with his trips to Jerusalem.... This could be expanded for older kids, or one could keep it based on the Middle Ages.

But "playing pilgrims" could be simple or elaborate as one desires. Set up rooms or places in the yard or destinations for travel. Camping in the yard as an experience of "roughing it"...making pilgrim food...walking with bread under the arm and staff....crafts, making scalloped shell pins, gourd, making the cloak and hat...or even having someone dress as the custodian or knight of the basilica, as found on this site.

There are all sorts of other potential rabbit trails, such as researching the Gaelic influence of this area, jet jewelry, and silver making. Some of the stages of the Tour de France cover some of the paths taken by the pilgrims to the shrine of St. James. For more information, see this thread on 4Real Learning Forums.

Did you know that the Holy Grail is in Valencia, Spain? And that Our Holy Father used the Grail for Holy Mass? Read more at Dappled Things and What Does the Prayer Really Say?. Be sure to click on the link in the latter to read more about the history of this cup.