March 25: The Feast of the Annunciation



The Annunciation by Henry Ossawa Tanner



In some parts of the world it is customary to celebrate this feast day by eating waffles. 

Waffles?

If ever there were a day set aside to celebrate the courage of a young girl who did not waffle when called by God to do the extraordinary, today is it. 

We celebrated with angel food cake and the Magnificat.  We also added a package of diapers to our Lenten alms basket in a small effort to help some other young mother. 

We need to be angels for each other.

Christmas Day 2010

For a child is born,

The world rejoices.

Shepherds and angels proclaim his birth.

This is Jesus, the Lord,

Our Savior and brother,

Bearing God's peace to the earth.

Our homemade Advent wreath with all candles lit.

God our Father, it is Christmas at last.  Thank you for this big celebration.  We are happy because you have given us your greatest gift of love: Jesus, your Son.  We welcome Jesus and we thank you for all the love, hope, and peace he brings us.  Help us to be like Jesus and bring love, hope and peace to each other.  Let the love in our family reach out to everyone we meet today, and tomorrow, and every day.  Amen.

(Please note that the prayers and images that we use for our Advent wreath prayer cube came from somewhere else, but unfortunately I don't remember where.)


Image at top of post from Bartholomew's Blessing by Stephanie S. Tolan.  Lyrics from "The Nativity Carol" by Francis Patrick O'Brien.

December 13: Saint Lucy

Lucy, a young teenager, was martyred for her beliefs in early 4th century Sicily.  In medieval times she is said to have appeared on a boat in Lake Vaanern, bringing sacks of wheat to starving Swedes.  She has been a popular saint in Sweden ever since.

Lucy's name -- Lucia -- comes from the Latin word for "light."  Her feast day comes on one of the darkest days of late autumn, and in Sweden, where nights are particularly cold and dark, there is a delightful custom on the feast of St. Lucy.  The oldest daughter in the house wakes up early and prepares breakfast for her family.  Then, wearing a white nightdress and a crown of burning candles, she carries a tray of food from room to room, waking and feeding her sleeping family.

We are not Swedish, but it's hard not to feel captivated by this custom.  However -- a crown of burning candles?  A candlelit breakfast on a school day?  This has always seemed daunting to me, but this year it occured to me that we don't have to follow "the rules."

First, we decided to celebrate during the evening of December 12 -- the vigil of the feast.  Our evening began with a lovely service of lessons and carols at church.  After supper I read Lucia, Saint of Light and then, before bedtime, I gave each of my daughters a homemade "crown" with battery-operated candles.  Together we prepared trays of cinnamon rolls and Christmas cookies and I made some hot chocolate.  We put some Swedish Christmas music on the cd player and the girls carried the trays into the dining room.  Cookies and cocoa by candlelight!  Simple and magical and definitely something we will do again next year.

 

December 6: Saint Nicholas

The feast of Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Myra

Nicholas was born toward the end of the third century.  He was ordained a priest, and appointed abbot of a monastery.

Nicholas was very generous to the poor.  Once he heard that a man who had become very poor intended to abandon his three daughters to a life of sin.  He went out by night, flung a bag of gold into the window of the sleeping father, and hurried away.

St. Nicholas is regarded as the special patron of children; the word Santa Claus comes from his name.  He died at Myra in the year 342.

(St. Nicholas image and text from the New Picture Book of Saints by Rev. Lawrence G. Lovasik, S.V.D.)











Our celebration of the Feast of Saint Nicholas has grown over the years.  Although many families follow the Dutch custom of leaving shoes out for the good saint to fill with treats, we have not consistently done that.  Frankly, I can't deal with the idea of candy and chocolate -- even wrapped up -- being put into stinky shoes!  So we have developed other traditions.

The Saint Nicholas nutcracker goes on display, along with a framed picture of the saint leading a group of children to a nativity scene.  This year for the first time I followed the suggestion of the St. Nicholas Center and added a miter and crosier to a large chocolate Santa.

We also usually read The Saint Who Became Santa Claus by Evelyn Bence.












Because Nicholas was from Myra, in modern-day Turkey, some years I prepare revani -- a sweet, moist cake -- for dessert (see recipe below).  This year we went out for the evening to a local production of the Gingerbread Boy, so there was no time for baking.  Instead, we came home and I announced it was time for a special St. Nicholas Day treat.  "Is it him?" Lily asked excitedly, pointing to our chocolate "Bishop of Myra."  And indeed it was -- we happily devoured him, along with Pepperidge Farm Gingerman cookies and hot chocolate. 

For the past several years we have made a point to "be St. Nicholas for others" and gather together toys to donate to a local charity.  This is the hardest part of the day for our girls, but they always rise to the occasion.  This year we brought a bag of stuffed friends to the nearest Catholic Charities office.  The sting of loss is mitigated a little because December 6 always sees the return of the Playmobil Santa House and this jolly old elf -- a relic from my childhood -- from their hideaway in the attic.

Our St. Nicholas Day celebrations began in a small way years ago, but have expanded as we've learned more about the saint and found new ways to celebrate.  It's now one of the highlights of Advent for us.



REVANI

Syrup:
1 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
500 ml water
4-5 drops lemon or orange juice or vanilla extract

Wet ingredients:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 eggs

Dry ingredients:
1/2 cup semolina or farina
2/3 cup flour
1 tablespoon baking powder


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Boil the syrup ingredients for a few minutes, then put aside and keep warm.

Use a mixer to blend the wet ingredients for a few minutes.  Then whisk the dry ingredients together in another bowl.  Combine the two thoroughly, again using the mixer.

Grease the bottom and sides of an 8 x 8 x 2" baking dish and pour in the batter.

Bake at 375 degrees F. for 25 minutes.

Pour the warm syrup on top while the cake is still warm.  Use a ladle to do this and make sure to do it slowly so the cake absorbs the syrup evenly.

Let cool and serve with whipped cream.  Keep this dessert refrigerated.

November 11: St. Martin of Tours

Memorial of St. Martin of Tours, bishop

Martin lived in the 4th century and was consecrated as Bishop of Tours in 372.  As a young man he had been a soldier, and there is a story often depicted in art about an encounter he had with a beggar.  With nothing to give the poor man but the clothes on his back, Martin used his sword to cut his heavy military cloak in half.  That night in a dream Martin saw Jesus wrapped in the cloak he had given the beggar.

In the spirit of Martin of Tours, we celebrated the day by donating a bag of clothes to the thrift store operated by a local rescue mission.

November 2: All Souls' Day

All Souls' Day
The day the Church commemorates all the faithful departed.

I was probably in high school when I first read about el Dia de los Muertos -- the Day of the Dead -- celebrations in Mexico.  The holiday appealed to me on many levels -- a little scary, a little fun, mysterious and colorful.  As Linda Lowery writes in Day of the Dead:

Where would you be without the family members who came before you?  Think about it.  You would not be here!  Isn't that worth celebrating?  Day of the Dead is not a sad time.  It is a warm and loving time to remember people who have died.  It is a time to be thankful for life.

November 1: All Saints' Day

All Saints' Day
A holy day set aside to honor all the saints of the Church.

In our house, we celebrate this feast by putting pictures of our patron saints on the dining table during dinner.  We also serve foods that our patron saints might have eaten when they were alive: challah bread, a rustic fruit tart, shortbread, and Italian cheesecake.  This year, for the first time, we ended our celebration by dancing to a recording of Louis Armstrong singing "When the Saints Go Marching In."  Truly celebratory!